Luminoth

Luminoth
Origin	Aether
Debut	Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

The Luminoth are a species of moth-like aliens that appear in Metroid Prime 2. Most of the Luminoth appear in stasis or deceased, except for U-Mos who figured largely into the plot.

Information

Tall and slender creatures, they are highly intelligent beings. Like the Chozo, they are peaceful creatures in pursuit of a higher existence. However, they are also far more technologically advanced than that of the Federation or Space Pirates. Their skills include a wide array of energy control, robotics, weapons, genetic alteration, and more. It is unknown what their maximum lifespan is, but the oldest recorded lifespan was 5 centicycles. They possess great mental skills, allowing their selves with great concentration to resist possession as well as to perform abilities such as levitation and telekinesis.

Among such enlightened creatures, the Luminoth may not be considered to be as influential as the Chozo. It is said that they were not originally from Aether, but spent their early days roaming the galaxy. In their travels they encountered other enlightened races, the N'kren, the VIIa, Reptilicus, and the Chozo. But as those other races claimed their own homeworlds, the Luminoth to decided to claim their own world. For a long time they searched for a place to call home, but despaired in their search. At last they found Aether, a beautiful world that they called paradise. It was a fertile, aged world with gentle creatures. They made their first dwelling among the mountains, but soon moved into the forests of Torvus and the plains of Agon. Between their three main domains, they established the Great Temple as a place of peace and a monument to their accomplishments. However, their paradise was dying. If nothing was done, the energy would expire, and bring the world to its end.

A solution was made, they created the Energy Controllers. These controllers were linked to the Great Temple and were built in lesser temples in their three homes. They called it the 'Light of Aether' and with it brought an age of peace and prosperity to them. But it would not last forever, for soon a stellar object collided into their planet. They spent great effort to destroy the threat, but only strained their energy controllers and weakened Aether. Before the cataclysm, they gathered their food and water and waited. The impact it had on Aether devastated Agon and Torvus. The skies were cast into darkness. The planet healed itself and the air became breathable again. But the devastation on the Energy Controllers left Aether dangerously weak. In the devastation, they spent little time contemplating the strange dimensional anomalies that stretched across the land. They noticed it too late, for these dimensional rifts led to and from another world - Dark Aether. Inside of it a creature had been birthed, the Ing. These creatures soon would become by far the worst enemy the Luminoth had ever known.

Their journeys into the world revealed that it contained the missing half of Aether's energy. But the air was toxic and they could not stay along. Their great minds were soon dedicated to solving this crisis. They created crystals to protect them in Aether. Furthermore they created weapons to bring the battle to the Ing. But their cunning was no match for the Ing's power, soon enough the creatures began possessing Luminoth and beast alike, in Dark Aether as well as Light Aether itself. Shielding against possession was created, but if not effective, they were prepared to take their own lives rather than be possessed. Not prepared to fight a war, they developed technology to take the energy from Dark Aether, effectively destroying the shadow world. They sent a special force to perform this, but ultimately failed. One by one their energy controllers was lost, as the Luminoth fought and died to protect them. The remaining Luminoth retreated to the Great Temple, entering into stasis until the Ing were destroyed or to sleep forever. Only U-Mos remained outside stasis, to await the final assault.

The demise of the Luminoth was ultimately spared by the arrival of Samus Aran. In a twist of irony, the Space Pirates are responsible for this since they led the Federation (and eventually Samus Aran) to the planet. Guided by U-Mos, she alone crossed through Aether and Dark Aether, restoring the energy to its rightful place.

Following the war, U-Mos freed his brethren and they set about restoring the wartorn planet. They received aid from the Galactic Federation who dispatched the G.F.S. Anhur to rid the planet of the Space Pirate installations. What Phazon was left on the planet was taken by the Federation and the Space Pirates that returned to the planet.

Trivia

• The name is a combination of 'luminous' (they are creatures of light) and 'moth' (the creatures they are modeled after).