Zebes

Zebes from space
Zebes
Type	Planet
Status	Destroyed
Mass	5.1 trillion teratons
Class	XIX Planet
Affiliation	Space Pirates
Debut	Metroid

Zebes is one of the major locations in the Metroid series and the setting of the first and third game in the series.

History

A diverse planet with a variety of regions and an extensive underworld. At one time was a habitat of the Chozo, especially in their home of Chozodia. A group of Chozos raised the orphaned Samus Aran on Zebes. However, in later years the planet fell under the rule of the Space Pirates who immigrated from the far more inhospitable Pirate Homeworld. Eventually the Chozo completely left the area, although many of their relics remained untainted.

The planet itself is teaming with a variety of unique lifeforms, most of the creatures tending to be of a reptilian or invertebrate nature. However, other lifeforms such as the Drachoras and Etecoons were also native to the planet as well. Although the planet was a class XIX, the atmosphere was capable of sustaining human life, although the dangers in the underground areas would likely be too extreme for most humans. The pirate Ridley is noted as being the original life form of Zebes, suggesting that the planet might have once been filled with other 'Zebesian dragons' similar to him as the dominant species of the planet.

Though the Space Pirates are not native to the planet, they are often referred to as Zebesians, which has caused confusion over whether it is their home world (later disproven by Metroid Prime 3: Corruption). The name Zebesian is likely just a way of distinguishing a certain branch of the Space Pirates from other Pirate installations on their Homeworld and Tallon IV.

Geography

The core of Zebes is composed primarily of Urthic, which made it ideal for the subterranean construction by the Chozo (and later the Zebesians). The Space Pirates chose to make their home in the extensive network of underground tunnels on Zebes. Initially they made their base solely in their own underground base known as Tourian, although their guardian minions Kraid and Ridley took residence in Brinstar and Norfair. After the Space Pirates' first defeat, they rebuilt Tourian at a deeper location and expanded their territory on the planet. Tourian itself was relocated to a deeper facility in order to protect the research being performed by the pirates.

Fate

The planet was completely destroyed following Samus Aran's second infiltration of Zebes. A self destruct was detonated upon Mother Brain's defeat. Although the planet was destroyed, some of the indigenous lifeforms were preserved on biological spacestations like the BioLogic Space Labs.

Other Appearances

• Stages set on Planet Zebes have appeared in all three of the Smash Bros. games.
  • The original Super Smash Bros. contained a Planet Zebes level. The level is set on a group of platforms above a pit of lava, with the lava occasionally rising and flooding most of the stage as an infamous hazard.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Melee, there were two stages set on Zebes called Brinstar and Brinstar Depths. Brinstar was more like an improved version of the original Zebes level complete with the rising lava, with only minor additions such as part of the platform being made of some strange organic substance that is capable of being temporarily destroyed. The second stage, Brinstar Depths, was set on a giant oddly-shaped rock that would rotate whenever struck by Kraid, who was in the background. Also, after defeating Samus in Adventure Mode, the player must escape Zebes before it explodes by scaling a long vertical area to Samus's spaceship reminiscent of the escape in the original Metroid.
  • In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a Norfair stage appears. It takes place on a group of floating platforms and once again features rising lava, but now there are new twists thrown in such as lava that will fall from the sky, and lava waves that will come from the background and take in the entire arena. The only way to escape the lava waves is to enter a capsule which appears as the lava wave begins approaching.