Solving Metroid Dread's story mysteries

[@darthawesome13a69]

I love how Metroid is a universe where "Bird Magic" is a scientific reason for most anything.

[@johnnydarling8021]

As opposed to Mushroom Magic or the Triforce macguffin?

[@Nyxael5845]

8:35 Dude YES, that was something I noticed as well. Samus' escalating brutality against her enemies as the story progressed was a really subtle effect of her Metroid powers starting to awaken, and it made her into a terrifying opponent.

[@InterstellarStarSailor]

10:54 The material EMMIs are made of might be super rare or too expensive to use regularly. The Federation knew what the X were capable of, they probably didn't want to send their own men or resort to Samus again so soon. Using such a strong material was more or less the Federation playing it safe, assuming nothing would be able to harm the EMMIs. Even Samus says that their armor practically guaranteed a successful mission, though nobody expected Raven Beak to be present on ZDR

[@NoxideActive]

I like to believe that the material being used is also tied to the environmental setup that they have which is why the special energy taken from the mother brain rip offs are needed to take out the machines it's supporting.

[@ArcaneEther]

It could also be like, really really heavy, which would make it unsuitable for man-armor.

[@AzureMoebius22]

And let's not forget that these things likely have some incredible AI programming which makes them excellent trackers and pathfinders, in addition to who knows how many different configurations they can take with those flexible bodies. As someone who had a very hard time in his only attempt at a coding class doing basic codes, programming the E.M.M.I.s could not have been easy or quick.

[@furyberserk]

The federation didn't know what the x were capable of. Their first encounter was fusion. And they likely didn't know anything about Ravenbeak as metroid 1 was to stop motherbrain, 2 to save the galaxy, and 3 to stop the space pirates.

[@connorhill8889]

@@ArcaneEther probably a superheavy element. Past 118 but stable

[@mecaxs658]

This video made me realise how hilarious Raven beak is. He’s this super powerful badass that kicked Samus’s ass, but he also clearly has no idea what he’s doing. Also Adam told me he’s super strong and no way Samus could ever beat him

[@AICW]

That is the best part about him once you realize it. He may be the galaxy's biggest badass but he's also pulling an Indiana Jones plan making shit up as this wild ride of his goes barreling along at 100 mph.

[@ballisticboo7808]

"Samus, you can't beat Raven Beak. He's super strong and has an 8 pack. You'd die instantly." -Adam

[@costby1105]

“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.” - Thucydides Basically Raven Beak is pretty much a warlord, who rules by mostly strength and zeal. He likely thought he could control the Metroid and the X; but in the end he proved himself a fool.

[@trainershade1937]

"Samus, I'm sorry, it appears you've acquired... physc- yes- PHYSICAL AMNESIA! Thusly, you have lost your abilities and need to regain them (I'm so fucking smart)." - Adam, but not really.

[@QrazyQuarian]

"Raven Beak sounds like a really cool dude and you should totally date him if he offers. He's also too strong for you, I heard he can bench Phantoon." ~ Adam

[@limymage9186]

Actually I think quiet robe x letting itself get absorbed makes sense if you consider that sa-x let samus absorb it inorder to defeat its true enemy, the metroids. Qr-x saw a metroid, and with qr's knowledge, understood that giving her the Thoha DNA that it had absorbed already would counter samus' metroid DNA because thohas could control them

[@champagnesupernova1839]

I had my own theory about how since X retain the memories of the host Quiet Robe X let itself get absorbed because Quiet Robe would have thought of it as a way for himself/the Chozo to live on, which QR-X interpreted partially as a way to let the X live on and as such was willing to be absorbed. Your theory here, I think, makes a bit more sense; But since neither conflict, why can't both be true?

[@BenjaminAnderson21]

The SA-X didn't purposefully sacrifice itself, though. It tried to kill the Omega Metroid and got bodied in its damaged state after fighting Samus. Samus was then able to absorb it after the Omega Metroid reduced it to pure X form. The X form just hovering in a still position isn't supposed to signify a suicidal motive (as that would fundamentally contradict the X parasite's instinct), it's simply there for dramatic effect.

[@2westguns]

I was thinking more that quiet robes ghost took over the x parasite kind of like in MP1

[@rienstien1]

Yeah that's how I feel about the ending. The X sacrificed itself to defeat the Metroid.

[@ilimatroid8619]

Dude, this is beautiful, the X parasite suicide himself with the purpose of killing the metroid species with him, and in this way the 2 most powerful threats for the galaxy annihilate each other contrasting each others power.

[@Groundlord]

I have a possible explanation for the "Metroids hate Mawkin Chozo" thing: It's likely that, since they were the scientists and intellectuals of the Chozo, the Thoha were the only ones directly involved in the Metroid project. They may have seen or overheard the Mawkin regarding the Metroids as a useful bioweapon for conquest rather than just a solution to the X-Parasites, so the Thoha decided to make them aggressive toward the Mawkin as a precaution. The Thoha were still present to keep the Metroids under control, but the Mawkin couldn't just take them by force and use them in ways the Thoha wouldn't approve of. Of course, that plan goes right out the window when the Meteoids begin to mutate and break free of the Thoha's control thanks to the Aeion present on SR388. Moving forward to Samus' situation, my personal theory is that her Mawkin DNA and Thoha DNA are balancing each other out, causing her Meteoid DNA to not flare up... Until she encounters Raven Beak in person, which is enough to break the stalemate and present her with enough of a Mawkin presence that her Metroid DNA reacts.

[@lo4tr]

I'd like to offer a slightly different take. Remember, that it was due to the Aeon that the Metroids were able to evolve outside of the Chozo control, but it wasn't the Thoha that were the greatest threat to them. Once the Thoha couldn't control the Metroids anymore there wasn't anything they could do to stop them. The Mawkin, on the other hand, had greater firepower and the ability to keep them at bay, at least long enough to seal them beneath the earth. So, when evolving, the Metroids would have likely viewed the Mawkin as the greater threat and evolved accordingly. When Raven Beak says they were programmed like that, he only had the knowledge post-evolution Metroid crisis. So, what if Raven Beak saw the aggressive behavior of the evolved Metroids and assumed it was due to the Thoha engineering? It may have spurred him into the coup in the first place, thinking that the Thoha were the ones to betray them first. Or, even if he didn't notice the trend until after the extermination, it was just another thing he could use to justify his actions.

[@j.k.4479]

I don't think the Metroids go through metamorphism with Aeion, I think it's a time based thing, in both Metroid II and the remake Samus Returns you meet the more mature Metroids and see them go through metamorphosis the longer Samus has been on SR-388. Also, there is the Omega Metroid at the end of Fusion who reaches that stage without Aeion. Metroid growth could also be caused by eating X parasites, which would be plentiful on the BSL and on SR-388 allowing them to mature.

[@Groundlord]

@@j.k.4479 Eh, I find it unlikely that the Thoha would have gone to all the trouble of a full life cycle for the Metroids when the Larval stage is more than sufficient for dealing with the X-Parasites. I can see the change manifesting as a result of either enough time passing or the Metroid feeding enough, but that still begs the question of _why_ the Chozo would intentionally give the Metroids these deadlier forms when they aren't necessary for their intended purpose. As far as the lack of Aeion in Fusion, I'm not sure that Aeion is really necessary at that point in the timeline. The changes to the Metroid Queen's genes and DNA have already been done, and her offspring (including the Baby Metroid that was used for BSL's cloning facility) would have inherited the altered genes that allow them to undergo metamorphosis. That's also leaving aside the possibility that Sector 1's "perfect imitation of SR388's environment" _did_ include Aeion in some unspecified way.

[@j.k.4479]

@@Groundlord In Samus Returns there is a very large snail like creature in the background in area 7 (or 6, I don't remember it exactly) of SR-388. If that thing was infected with X parasites larval metroids probably couldn't handle it. I think the Thoha programmed the metamorphic stages of the metroids so they could hunt the larger lifeforms on SR-388 when they became infected. Also the X cores are also more dangerous than standard X. There is also the fact the X can mutate their hosts to be more deadly as shown at the end of Samus Returns and throughout Metroid Dread. There are also examples of the X combining the DNA of previous hosts, like Raven Beak X who is a mix of Kraid and Raven Beak. The genetic combinations the X could create using the lifeforms on SR-388 is probably another factor the Thoha took into account when making the metroids. The metroid's metamorphosis is too consistent for it to be a random mutation.

[@4ncientGu150]

I think the X at the end helped Samus because Quiet Robe is so introspective and self aware, that by copying him the X had the perspective to think out and realize that it's actions were unambiguously evil.

[@brendanhall5581]

Also worth noting that Quiet Robe has a long history of rebellion against forced servitude, biding his time until the right opportunity, tricking people into thinking he's on their side, etc. He's the perfect guy to for rebelling against the X-Parasite programming, because he's already done a very similar thing with Raven Beak In fact, I'd hazard a guess that he "justified" his actions in ways that made them seem beneficial to the X, only truly rebelling at the last moment

[@benYtocamelo2000]

I feel like this is what truly happened. In fusion their "newfound intelligence was at odds with their instincts" but in dread, they were able to fully understand and grasp the situation. I don't think it was quiet robe's personality overpowering the x nor his x instincts helping Samus suppress her Metroid genes.

[@100organicfreshmemes5]

@@benYtocamelo2000 There's probably some truth to that, but QR-X doing his gesture to Samus is probably meant to indicate Quiet Robe's consciousness is still in there somewhere.

[@gokublack8342]

@100organicfreshmemes5 I believe the X inadvertently mimics some of a hosts personality.. not very much but enough to influence their actions. You see this with RB-X(he angrily shouts Samus's name and "Hadar Sen Olmen") and even SA-X in Fusion showing up one last time to save Samus and trying to destroy the Omega Metroid is a very Samus thing to do

[@170skeith]

it's not the first time that an X chose to let Samus absorb them to fight a bigger threat that's what Samus X in fusion did

[@emperorskulls]

10:58 I think I can make a logical guess on that question. It's probably, because the Exelion Star Corporation are not military contractors. The EMMIs are created for research, not battle. They probably kept the metal formula to themselves, because the Federation will obviously use it for war. And if the formula gets out, everyone will eventually have EMMI armor. If that happens, then the company will go out of business or worse be accused of selling weapons to enemies/terrorists.

[@TheOrpheon]

Or could also he that they used new research intel to find a material that could stand a chance against the X and any hosts they are using

[@lessonmet5291]

I could also add that the EMMI's are very powerful and heavy machines. So whatever metal or element they are made of could be so dense that any human, even a metoid mix like Samus could not even function or move in such material. Remember, those f*ckers (E.M.M.I's) slumped down with loud and clunky thuds when we defeat them (in contrast to the fluid mobility when they are active). Just my 2 cents 🪙 🪙

[@gio9255]

I believe that Raven Beak's clone army was a bluff. Before Samus traveled to Raven Beak's ship, she encountered a lab full of abominations. These abominations were likely failed attempts to clone Samus from the Varia Metroid Suit he extracted from her in their 1st encounter. Having no more metroid dna to work with, Raven Beak scattered the abominations across the ship as a way to whittle her down for the E.M.M.I. to extract more DNA. Using the X-Parasite was a last resort since Quiet Robe deactivated the E.M.M.I. before his death and Raven Beak had no way to reactivate them. Since none of the hostile abomination clones, x-parasites or E.M.M.I. could beat Samus, Raven Beak would have to extract the Metroid DNA himself in the end. I believe now that Quiet Robe was in control the whole time and purposely reactivated the E.M.M.I. to encourage Samus to fight them and expand her arsenal. He only stopped the E.M.M.I. so he could talk with her about Raven Beak.

[@novustalks7525]

What abominations? The only things In the labs were clones of native lifeforms that were created to repopulate the planet after the x were contained

[@draghettis6524]

What I always assumed is that the Samus clone army wasn't a bluff. Just before the fight, he wants not to kill Samus, but to have her join him. But she refuses, and fights him. He ultimately overpowers her, and then says he has no need of her anymore, as he can create a clone army. Because he technically can, or at least has a better chance of succeeding, as he has a Samus that can't do anything to him in his hand, litteraly. That's a very good source of her DNA and he can do some research and tests on her to better his cloning methods. In short, he went from wanting her to be his peon but she proved too rebellious for that, so he ultimately went back to the cloning plan, once he had her in his grasp

[@Darth1Marik]

it kinds makes sense but it doesnt add up with what he says if he is to be believed. He wanted her get to get stronger so her Metroid DNA was more viable? Or more potent so it makes no sense to extract her DNA at that moment where it was at it's weakest.

[@egghamilton7205]

I kinda agree with the first part but I disagree that Quiet Robe reactivated the EMMIs on purpose. They don’t technically need to be activated to be destroyed by the Central Unit’s “unique energy”. Also, I think Raven Beak realized that he doesn’t really need to make Metroids if he could just make an army of Samus. That’s why he thinks that letting her reach her full potential is a good idea since Raven Beak is so arrogant. What I’m confused about is how he was going to control the Metroids, since he killed the last Thoha with a robot. Now, if he could practically brainwash a bunch of Samuses while they’re growing up into killing machines, that’s an excellent means of control for him. Either way its probably Raven Beak just overestimating himself like usual.

[@gokublack8342]

@Darth1Marik He arrogantly believed he could beat her no matter how powerful she got and her being stronger would make the army he would build stronger.

[@0cellusDS]

Mother Brain being a Central Unit is something I just assumed to be true without thinking about it. Mainly because the CUs shoot those weird ring projectiles that are strongly associated with the Mother Brain fights from older games. Seems too specific to be a simple throwback for no reason.

[@adre2194]

It's obviously the same technology. Though biosupercomputers are also seen used elsewhere.

[@yoursonisold8743]

Mother Brain is basically the Chozo version of an Aurora Units (the ones the Federation uses in the Prime games which were explicitely based on Chozo designs), but far more advanced. Dread just confirmed that Chozo used these Central Units for everything the same way the Feds use the Auroras.

[@HappyGingerWolf]

10:52 there's a couple reasons why they might not use it for living troops, the first could be weight, only a machine could handle it, and a second could be it's too expensive to use accross the whole military, so it's only used for a few robots and suits, which we just haven't seen until now

[@rocketslime5772]

For the E.M.M.I.s, I remember reading someone else's thought that their walk cycle looked somewhat like a Torizo's walk from Super, which makes me think that the E.M.M.I.s aren't wholly Federation designs, and perhaps some form of Chozo technology (given their armor as well). Basically, what of the E.M.M.I.s are some form of altered Chozo machinery, perhaps even reverse-engineered Torizos?

[@concept8192]

OH YOU'RE RIGHT

[@MidanMagistrate]

10:04 I Think it was actually confirmed that the EMMI are extremely adaptable, and the powers they got were from them adapting to their environment, which had chozo abilities

[@countlazuli8753]

Adam (Raven Beak) said himself in Cataris that EMMI can procedurally upgrade themselves.

[@MidanMagistrate]

@@countlazuli8753 Yeah! Thanks for clarifying

[@novustalks7525]

He was referring to how they can contort their bodies

[@pokecatch0314]

i would like to say that the EMMIs arent just looking for samus in the EMMI areas cause if you notice there are 0 enemies when the EMMI is active but after you destroy it all the enemies spawn in the room which means the EMMI just kills anything in its path until it finds metroid DNA so imo they dont have any kind of dna to find samus. BUT there is just 1 way for that to happen and its that ravenbeak gave the EMMIs his own dna since in the end he explains how he helped samus with his dna for her survival

[@malcolmw121]

I don't see why the EMMI would *need* the DNA of Samus in order to track her down... they react to sound, not DNA.

[@Bless3757]

My interpretation of the ending is that the X Parasite simply gained the wisdom that Quiet Robe had. Quiet Robe's had such immense bird wisdom that an X Parasite could learn to act in moral ways. This serves as a perfect compliment to Samus becoming a Metroid. Samus became a Metroid but didn't want to become a weapon of mass destruction. And Quiet Robe X showed Samus that it doesn't matter if Samus is a Metroid/X Parasite/whatever, as long as she has the wisdom to know what is morally right. The Metroid transformation serves as a symbol of Samus' rage against injustice, while Quiet Robe X's sacrifice serves as a reminder to Samus that it is not our rage that makes us heroes, but our wisdom, respect, and love. just spitballin'

[@Demonskunk]

I think the X parasite absorbed Quiet Robe's memories and came to the conclusion that Samus would be their best bet for survival, and that she would need the abilities of the EMMIs to be able too defeat Raven Beak. Symbiosis is a more favorable outcome than annihilation, after all. It's also very much implied that the X are intelligent and capable of rational thought. Absorbing Quiet Robe could have caused the X to legitimately develop compassion for Samus.

[@Potato_tomato47]

That theory is a lot more happy than mine which is that the QRX noticed her Metroid transformation and sacrificed itself to use the left over tohah tribe dna to suppress samus’s Metroid form fo the other x to survive

[@NoRegs30]

The Chozo have been previously shown to posses enough mystical powers to become actual ghosts, so maybe Quiet Robe from the afterlife took control of the X using his image

[@adre2194]

Oh yeah I forgot about that

[@redlord8438]

I'm pretty sure the Talon IV Chozo were a unique case

[@dextra_24703]

Its interesting kirby has like a race of unknown identity that actually seemed to work like Chozo society

[@g.f.martianshipyards9328]

Both series also have dimension-travelling lovecraftian nightmares...

[@willo90li]

and both series have crossovered once (Kirby’s DreamLand 3)

[@comicsans6419]

Meta knight and ridley also have almost the same theme (not meta knight’s revenge)

[@MorganSaph]

They both also have protagonists that upgrade themselves

[@mobgabriel1767]

we are really gonna go with this theory knowing about earth's fate in the kirby universe?

[@Shadrio]

I saw the whole "E.M.M.I.s being made made out of an unknown material" as the Metroid series' Adamantium or the material used in Capt. America's shield; either the way to make it is lost, too costly or it's patented and therefore cannot be accessed by those outside of the Exxelion Corporation. Also my interpretation of why there's a Kraid on ZDR is that it's of Mawkin origin, it being a creature they've bioengineered in order to have something to train against. I have no evidence for this other than "you've only ever seen them in places associated with the Chozo". The Chozo Memories in Dread are open ended enough to allow for such interpretations and speculations to be made.

[@rhettmitchell]

ADAMantium

[@TheRyujinLP]

Pretty much this. Even the most modern version of the M1 Abrams doesn't have the best armor we can make, it just has the best armor for a given price point. Even now we can make some pretty amazing materials, titanium or ceramic nano composites are do able to make today but cost something over a thousand dollars a pound! A tank using this stuff, at lest against KE threats would be almost impossible to kill without just throwing everything we have at it. The problem is each one would cost as much as 20 normal tanks, at the minimum heh (shaping the material to work with a tank might drive up cost further since those materials aren't as easy to work with as steel). So if you're making a small number of units with a relatively small surface area for a high value mission like this were the costs are worth it makes sense. But that doesn't mean they can afford to equip everything with this armor. Another issue with really advanced materials is production rate, just because you can produce a material doesn't mean you can mass produce it. This would both be do to how hard just making an advanced material is but added to the fact that since it's new, it won't have a huge industry tooled up to produce it further limiting how much of it you can make. This can further be limited if you are only excepting material of the highest tolerances (that is being perfectly on spec) since you're going to be tossing about 90% of your production (this can be meditated in some cases by selling it as budget versions but in the case of what's probably a top secret government contract... those costs have to be recovered per unit sold). I work at a plant were we make materials that go into everything from washing machines to the main focusing spring on the Hubble telescope to missile guidance systems and I've seen parts were the only difference between them is the tolerance levels which make the cost go from $10 per unit to several hundred. So yeah, these kind of things can get really pricey really quick.

[@BenjaminAnderson21]

Kraid was a Space Pirate general though, so Samus only fighting him on Chozo planets is purely coincidental. I'm not saying Kraid definitively *isn't* a Chozo creation, just that it seems unlikely and there currently isn't any grounds to assume so.

[@dooplon5083]

@@BenjaminAnderson21 I mean Mother Brain is a chozo creation and she's their leader, so I don't see why him being associated with the pirates means anything lol. Personally I'd say it can go either way at this point, nothing is really definitive in either direction or even skews one way or the other.

[@concept8192]

@@TheRyujinLP it's why we don't make everything out of diamond! also because I'm pretty sure the cost of diamond is purposefully inflated by jewelry corporations but still

[@dragonmaster1500]

Hmm, my theory about the QR-X (Quiet Robe X) is that it was actually the X parasite the entire time, but as it absorbed more of Quiet Robe's memory, the QR-X began to act more in line with Quiet Robe's own desires to the point where the QR-X essentially became Quiet Robe by the time the end of the game rolled around. Now, some people are probably going to point out how that never happened with the SA-X in Fusion, and to that I reply: the SA-X isn't a copy of Samus, it's a copy of Samus' Power Suit. Because at the end of the day, her power suit was just a weapon with biological components with no consciousness of its own, while Quiet Robe was a living Sapient creature with his own will.

[@IIARROWS]

Exactly, except I don't think it was something that happened with time. It was immediate. QR-X turned on the EMMI because he knew it was necessary to help Samus get all her powers back, it was deliberate from the start. Other complete organisms like the soldiers or the human scientists on the BSL, were not that wise or had good command skill to make the X think about what they were doing.

[@RetroNerdyGamer]

The SA-X is a mixed bag. It could've been just the power suit but as hinted at the shot we see of it in the start of Dread... it did probably have Samus' looks under the suit since you see a whisp of hair at the top of the visor. I'm not really sure though about QR-X and what that was about.

[@IIARROWS]

@@RetroNerdyGamer In any case, it hadn't Samus memories because her brain was safe in her head inside an operating room.... Then you should ask why her assimilation wasn't fast as anyone else, including Raven Beak but that's another story... and plot hole. Unless the suit somehow managed to slow it down, but that didn't happened to Raven Beak, which only the helmet was in pieces... well, no game with that logic.

[@RetroNerdyGamer]

@@IIARROWS Could've been a mix of the suit and Thoha genes. Also Samus' suit was complete while Raven Beak's had the helmet shattered. I'm not sure what exactly the rules for the X are but tbh I'm willing to accept a small plot hole like this because sometimes it happens y'know?

[@Darkfiro0]

My theory is unlike the X that infected Raven Beak, the one that infected Samus just got human DNA hence the X taking it's time it actually could explain how the X infiltrated the Mawkin tribe where the first x infection of a race is a slow burn but the rest are rapid since the X can now infest knowing the DNA of it prey.

[@4ncientGu150]

My theory on why he couldn't use morph ball (and bombs) or ice beam to neutralize Samus is that those are Thoha creations. They immobilize without killing potential samples, and the morph ball is made for exploration. I think the Mawkin tribe just doesn't have those upgrades.

[@vijaytamishra453]

makes sense, though for the bombs, they have chozo staues, so why are the bombs there if there is no morph ball?

[@yoursonisold8743]

Actually Samus has no weakness to the cold anymore after Fusion. She was cured of that weakness when she absorbed the SA-X. Raven Beak probably didn't know that, but either way, she was not fully Metroid yet, so the chances of an ice beam doing more damage to her were low. Furthermore I want to add that the moment Raven Beak was cornered was when Samus literally imapaled his face and was sucking the life out of him. That was not a situation where he could do anything. We literally see him futilely trying to use his hyper beam on her and barely being able to aim. Remember when the Super Metroid overpowered Samus easily and drained her to 1% of her health in Super Metroid? At that point Samus had destroyed every Metroid in the galaxy, yet she still didn't manage to fight back using morph ball or ice beam. Same situation here. The moment such an overpowered Metroid gets a grip on someone and drains them there is no fighting back. Raven Beak had absolutely no chance.

[@myleswelnetz6700]

5:27 Including me! I’ve been asking what they were using him for. I had a feeling you would talk about that.

[@SanvelloSerapiega]

16:50 what makes you think they can. They established that the ships in fusion had measures put in place to scan x hosts and had measures to prevent them from piloting them or using autopilot. The X would likely need some other organism to pilot the ship like in fusion

[@aetheriox463]

no that was adam scanning the organisms, i think only samus' ship can do that

[@SanvelloSerapiega]

@@aetheriox463 A) samus's ship was just a GF ship she accepted as payment to replace the one that blew up in fusions intro. There is no indication it is special in features beyond Adam's AI program running the automated features rather than some thing else. In fact we have every reason to believe it isn't far above standard issue quality. B) Even if Adam was necessary to scan the x the dialogue implies the ship still needs some organism to start the ship autopilot headed by the AI and it would establish the technology exists and is so easy to access the GF could cobble it together between the fusion intro and their first encounter with the x parasite C) it is unlikely that there were ships without similar security measures cause the X is shown to have had access to multiple organisms that would know how to pilot a ship like the scientist x. There was also likely ways off on board ie ships on the bsl because there was crew on the BSL. Even more likely cause other ships recovered Samus's escape pod

[@see.eye.2361]

@@aetheriox463 either way Raven Beak would be pretty fucking stupid to have that big of an oversight in his plan. Maybe there were other Mawkin on ZDR, that caused the planet to self destruct and they used the ships to escape before Samus. I doubt that Raven Beak was the only survivor of the X purge, considering Quiet Robe also managed to survive somehow. And it would also explain why ZDR exploded.

[@aetheriox463]

@@SanvelloSerapiega it was probably made for her specifically, before the X was discovered why would the federation need to be able to scan the beings inside of their own ships? we know theyre usually pretty incompetent.

[@novustalks7525]

They could have used their chozo bodies

[@mattdempsey4541]

My hypothesis is that given the X are driven by a survival instinct to spread and further their existence, the last red X somehow understood (either via the perspective granted to it via the remains of Quiet Robe's mind *or* from being in a "control room" position where it could observe the broader situation play out) that it only had two options - to be destroyed alongside the rest of the species on ZDR, or to allow its genome to continue existing in at least some form within Samus. Perhaps the X and their relationship to the host always had more complexity than realised, and they always had the potential to be more than just aggressive in service of their survival, but in the past had just never been exposed to the right stimuli to encourage such behaviour. I also don't think this take is totally mutually exclusive with the more poetic take of Quiet Robe's personality still having some kind of influence. The potential complexity of the relationship between the X and its hosts could possibly be an interesting story angle to pursue in the future, but I'd also like to see something new.

[@RetroNerdyGamer]

Honestly if they go the route of the X having gotten off ZDR somehow (due to the missing ships in the escape's background) I think it'd be interesting to see the X taking a more understanding approach to the broader picture. Sakamoto ddid say that the next adventure would be hinted at toward the end of Dread so... hm. We'll have to see.

[@TyDreacon]

This makes me wonder if even the "survival instinct" is something they also adapted. They started out taking over living things, and living things have a reputation for A: wanting to continue living and B: wanting to propagate their genetic material. If their mentality is mostly adaptive based on their hosts (past and present alike), then their survival instinct is also adaptive, and would be just as important as Quiet Robe's wisdom and acceptance. The main reason it hadn't happened earlier is, probably, because anybody or anything being absorbed would be _scared out of their mind in a desperate bid for survival_. The same sort of survival the X themselves want to propagate so much. And if all you know is fear, how can you be anything but afraid? Which would create a certain irony that the solution to the X was the path of inner peace and harmony with nature at least some, if not most, of the Chozo adapted. Either way, it does make "X as villains" kind of a hard sell. We've already done that in Fusion and now (partly) Dread. And trying to expand the concept to something like the X taking on more of the psychological traits of its host to introduce some other villains just adds an extra step for little good reason. I think what could be more interesting is if they weren't explicitly villains. Maybe they show up on some other planet / planets, having grown out of their primal instincts and made a civilization of an amalgam of species they've absorbed. That could even have a small niche of character development for Samus, to see how she interacts with a people who fear her very existence and who have been her enemies in the past yet are now, by all appearances, innocent.

[@brendanhall5581]

I also like this take, because it differentiates X-possession from Phaze-corruption in a meaningful way

[@charlesboyer-cazelais6377]

Also, in fusion, samus get the varia suit to protect her from her vulnerability for cold, just like in dread. So raven beak could'nt have taken adventage of this. Even after getting the power bomb and the metroid power you can still visit the cold areas unharmed.

[@StarLightShadows]

Ehh, There are still enemies in Ferenia that can Freeze Samus for a short time even with the Varia and Gravity Suits, implying that highly concentrated cold is still able to freeze her.

[@xCrimsonxTidex]

Unless you sequence broke the game, hahaha.

[@trainershade1937]

14:57 Bit of a correction for the note at the bottom left: The Cold X wasn't attempting an infection here. They are already well aware of Samus' Metroid infused DNA. Which in turn, is what inspired these events. The X are aware of the Metroid's weakness to cold, and have specifically adapted to it to make their own bodies MUCH colder than normal, thus being able to sacrifice themselves for the sole purpose of killing Samus, who poses a massive threat to their species survival.

[@charlesboyer-cazelais6377]

In the metroid manga, there is a pannel were samus and grey voice find mumified pirates on zebes. They suggest that space pirates innabited zebes before the arrival of the chozo. But they never comfirmed if the chozo's colonized zebes when those pirates were alive. But seeing theme pilled like this suggest a massacre were the chozos dropped a pile of pirate corps as a result of conflicts

[@mds_main]

If I remember correctly, they explain that saying those pirates tried to invade Zebes in the past but failed and that is what was left of their army, not that they were native to the planet. After those events the Chozos created the planetary shield that was then broken by Ridley's black hole tech.

[@marcoscabezolajr.8408]

Really made me rethink the story. The EMMI I always thought were given Samus's powers by Raven Beak, but the fact the EMMI named after her powers suggests what you said. Also if Samus got a hold of that Exelion magic, then she would be too strong for the game. The space pirates actually fighting back to reclaim Zebes is an interesting new thought I never had. Metroid Dread definitely teased Metroid 6 with the X that escaped ZDR, and I hope the series evolves and continues to draw in more fans.

[@MorganSaph]

None of the X escaped ZDR though. They can't survive in space, which is why the Chozo didn't quarantine SR388 like the Architects in Subnautica. They may be flying blobs of coloured booger, but they are still living creatures that need food and certain temperatures to survive.

[@redray213]

@@MorganSaph have you played the ending to metroid dread?

[@novustalks7525]

@@MorganSaph wrong

[@AkaiAzul]

Two thoughts on why Raven Beak didn't escape Samus's Metroid grip: 1. Morph Ball is peace tribe tech, he wouldn't even install it. 2. He doesn't have peace tribe training to remain calm under excruciating amounts of pain.

[@MorganSaph]

X parasites absorb the memories and DNA of their host. Quiet Robe likely does have a personal connection to Samus, which caused the X, once fully settled in Quiet Robe's body, to feel an emotional connection to Samus, so I'll agree it's possible Quiet Robe hijacked the X and let Samus absorb it to save her and destroy all the X parasites. However, this is the second time an X parasite allowed itself to be absorbed by Samus and both times have been to remove a greater threat, a Metroid. In Fusion, the SA-X allows Samus to absorb it so she can eliminate the Omega Metroid. After all, the SA-X had just lost to Samus so it knew Samus was a better warrior. It knew she could eliminate the Omega Metroid if she had the ice beam and it had judged the Omega to be a greater threat than Samus. Likewise, the Quiet Robe X (QR-X), judged Metroid Suit Samus to be a greater threat than normal Samus, so it let her absorb it, as it knew from Quiet Robe's memories that if Samus' Thoha genes were stimulated, it would make her revert to a weaker, less dangerous form. TLDR: The X only seek to spread and eliminate threats to their own race. Given their nature of asexually reproducing and their number, it's fine to lose a few Core-X level parasites if it means removing or weakening a threat to their entire race, which the Omega Metroid and Metroid Suit Samus were.

[@MorganSaph]

Also, regarding the Metroids being hostile to the Mawkin, it's possible that since Samus' body was filled with X parasites at the time she received the Metroid DNA, it prioritised the elimination of X parasite DNA before the Mawkin DNA. add in the fact that the Thoha and Mawkin genes were more integrated with Samus' DNA than the Metroid DNA, and it's possible to conclude that it would take a long time for her Metroid DNA to "awaken". Meeting Raven Beak and fighting and absorbing Mawkin X parasite would have certainly sped up this "awakening" process, as there was suddenly a lot of Mawkin DNA entering her body and being eliminated by the Metroid DNA. Pretty creepy if you think about it. Thanks to her nature of being part Metroid, she basically has a body that will eat foreign DNA as long as it's integrated with X DNA, and her suit, also being integrated with her body, can receive upgrades from this eaten DNA. Frankly, even just 1 Samus could probably conquer the galaxy, assuming she kept a couple X parasites to herself in containment and used them to absorb the DNA of powerful life forms and thus upgrade her suit with their abilities. P.S. That makes me think that the Legendary Power Suit is really just a suit that integrated with its host's body and attempts to recreate or reverse-engineer upgrades so they are compatible with itself while also using real combat and changes in Samus DNA to further upgrade itself.

[@javier_robinson]

Finally, the sequel to Bird Magic that we've all been waiting for.

[@mds_main]

11:25 another interesting thing from this flashback, aside from Grey Voice and Old Bird, is that the Zebes Chozos are wearing clothes that resembles those they wore in the manga. This is a relevant detail because the Chozos on SR388 or ZDR wore different outfits from the manga ones, so now we can say that those clothes were typical to the Zebes Thoas.

[@cringyperson9670]

Exelion is implied to be a corporation separate from the Federation, and I'm sure they just did business with them. That way, the Federation wouldn't need to know what the E.M.M.I are made of, just that they're indestructible

[@j.k.4479]

Well they're not indestructible because Raven Beak and Samus are both capable of destroying them.

[@browncow5210]

Regarding Quiet Robe hijacking the X-Parasite, I'd like to point back to Prime with the Chozo ghosts on Talon IV. We know some of them have a way to stick around after death. Also, the lore claims these guys were a group of hippies who became extremely attuned to the universe and started getting visions of the future and the like. This may give us a look into Quiet Robe's character, although he didn't exactly shirk technology like they did.

[@BornToPun7541]

Based on Raven Beak's history, I wonder if he was even more ambitious and sinister than Ridley was.

[@Thechozochampion]

Something funny about Dread is that in the intro they told us the federation sent 7 EMMIS but actually there where 8 EMMIS counting the one Raven Beak destroyed in the memories

[@tmsmeister7603]

I don't think the actions of the X in the end where the resault of quite robe's interferance as he is 100% dead at that point, I know a case can be made for bird magic but if bird magic was able to revive people we'd still have living choso. I interpreted the action's of the X in the ebd to be due to his own consiusness, however influanced by quite robe's memories.

[@BWX4]

I agree with Orpheon on this much, though. The Chozo being such a highly-intelligent, spiritually in tune race of people is enough to make the case that they could certainly find ways to maintain their consciousness even after the death/destruction of their physical bodies. I'd say, you need not look any further than the Chozo Ghosts on Tallon IV as another in-universe example of how feasible such a thing is.

[@stefanoponce6090]

@@BWX4 exactly, I was going to bring up the chozo ghosts as well. But I also think the main indication to say that it was indeed Quiet Robe's interference and not the X is his gesture of respect and gratefulness before letting Samus absorb them. I don't think the X would've gone out of its way to do that.

[@Shantae1188]

One theory I once heard was that because the X absorbed the knowledge and memories of their prey, maybe Quiet Robe X helped Samus because of Quiet Robes memories.

[@N3oma]

Also I feel like how the x end up working is that they literally copy the host. As people have theorized is the reason the sa-x was so hostile was for one Samus being in a life or death situation but also the horntoad and Samus mix. This the qr x was able to do it's thing cuz it was just a copy of qr from that point on

[@lichidlc4418]

this is what i thought too but considering that quiet robe is pretty much the lead scientist that studied both the x and the metroids it would make sense that he might know how to regain control even after death

[@ryanwall5760]

I’d call it the Baby Saga. Almost all of it hinges around the Baby. That’s pretty neat if you ask me

[@rahn45]

Here's my X Theory: First I think Samus was able to resist the infection was due to her being previously infused with Metroid energy back in Super Metroid, whatever happened there the effects probably lingered long enough to provide partial protection. As for those that have been infected it's probably the case that most creatures probably don't even realize that they were infected until some kind of trigger happens for the X to take control, after all this would allow them to hide in plain sight until it was time to infect others. I think it could be argued that it would be atypical for someone infected with X to immediately behave strangely and be hostile. Course even when the X parasite's instinctual drives do take over it seems most of the intelligence and logic of the creature is maintained. There seem to be three exceptions: Injuring X enough that the form it consumed breaks down causing mutation/insanity, X consuming more than one creature which probably causes it to go insane due to the mixing of incompatible memories/logic/thoughts, and lastly the presence of Metroids in where the X will do everything in its host's abilities to destroy them. This leads us to Quiet Robe. X's reactions to Metroids is probably of fear, so whenever they encounter one whatever creature they're mimicing would essentially go through adrenaline rushes and panic attacks; but Quiet Robe has the ability to control Metroids, this might very well mean that an X parasite that infects Quiet Robe would be able to overcome their intense reaction to Metroids. Incidentally this reaction could very well be a test one could use to figure out if someone was infected by X or not: Wave a contained Metroid in front of someone or some creature and see if they react in an extreme way. So whenever Quiet Robe was infected with the red-X parasite his initial reaction was to try and destroy the Metroid, but afterwards understood it's own abilities and ended up adopting most of the chozo's personality traits. At any rate, QR-X would be driven towards Samus for many, many reasons: Either through Quiet Robe's memories or through X's instinctual drive. Upon seeing her there would probably be a lot of conflicting emotions: The last of its enemies, the destroyer of its enemies, a 'daughter', an avenger. I think without the extreame reaction to metroids as typical of X parasites QR-X decided to sacrifice itself to save the "Defender of the Galaxy". I don't think the actions are too far off from what happened with the SA-X that saved Samus from the Omega Metroid, it could be argued before Dread that it was acting on instinct and it was simply ignoring the smaller baby metroid in favor of the bigger more threatening one; but I think the SA-X probably was able to recognize that Samus was THE metroid exterminator. That the SA-Xs were pretty ineffective at fighting metroids, unable to use the tactics you're supposed to use when fighting them puts weight on my theory that Xs will panic around them. As for why Raven Beak didn't use the appropriate defensive measures against a metroid, he probably didn't think it was necessary against Samus as he basically 'beat' her without them; and when he did need to use it he probably was in too much pain to do so. It's not unreasonable to assume that Samus would use the drain attack in a way that would be incredibly hard for Raven Beak to free himself from, as in having your eye being gouged out might prevent someone from being able to access the morph ball or be able to switch to an ice beam. This would serve as a good explanation as to why Samus didn't simply try to drain him by simply grabbing his arm, and was instead aiming for his head specifically.

[@locked_closet]

Given that Quiet Robe is from the Thoha tribe I always assumed that the tribes connection to the Metroid is what slowed the X down in this case. (edit) I’m lead to believe that X Robe was waiting on the ship for Samus, knowing that that was likely the only real way off the planet, allowing for the further proliferation of the X. (How else would it have been there so quickly and conveniently) Seeing that Samus was in overload, and unlikely to be able to fly the ship could have prompted the X to sacrifice itself, in line with the memories of the host, for the CHANCE that samus being able to leave at all continued the existence of the X. (Rather than leaving them to explode when the planet was destroyed) Not to mention the fact that the X parasite takes on all information from its host when it takes it over, so it’s possible by the sheer force of will or by nature of its host, the X just did what seemed natural. Turning the E.M.M.I back on earlier in the game is a clear showcase of the X being access the memories and abilities of its host, as we know it’s capable of doing based on previous lore. It’s possible that Quiet Robes years of determination after being subjugated for so long and having seen Raven Beak slaughter his tribesman could have provided as a more base instinct than the X parasites normal instinct to spread and reproduce. But mainly I think the Thoha DNA played a large part in this.

[@SoIstice]

To add to that, Quiet Robe knew Raven Beak's plan and the purpose of the EMMI units in it. Using a weapon that will ensure the resurrection of your greatest predator really doesn't seem to align with the X's goals. I actually believe that X Robe was never actually trying to kill Samus and was actually using the EMMI to force her to get stronger in order to kill Raven Beak. We do know from Fusion that X will prioritize the bigger threat in their eyes when faced with two, so an X wanting Raven Beak dead and Samus alive isn't too far fetched. After all, X Robe didn't know Samus planned to destroy the planet. Then of course, it would be better to sacrifice himself to neutralize Samus's metroid powers during the escape to save any X that might still be alive in the galaxy instead of just banking on Samus not being able to figure out how to fly her ship and dying with them. Quiet Robe is wise, so gambling doesn't seem like something his X would do. Of course X Robe could've just been possessed by the spirit of Quiet Robe the whole time with reactivating the EMMI being his contingency plan now that the X were free.

[@Potato_tomato47]

I thought Adam just locked the controls on the ship apon scanning QR-X and finding the x parasite

[@syweb2]

9:35 From what I understand, the extraction is for the purpose of identifying and studying the X-Parasite's genome to then develop a countermeasure. 10:00 It's also likely that those abilities were given to them by Raven Beak after he either stole them from Samus or took them from his own arsenal (most likely the former, given that all but the Spider Magnet were abilities she had by the end of Fusion). 11:10 It's possible that this "stuff" is exceedingly rare, and was only used on the EMMIs since they were being sent to a hostile planet that was believed to have the notoriously dangerous and adaptable X-Parasites on it. 16:37 Yes, but the dock where the ships are kept is completely unaffected. Also, it's possibly that it wasn't the crash itself that caused the planet to explode, but Raven Beak's death, since he's probably spiteful enough to rig the planet to detonate should he be killed on or near it. There's also a possibility that the unidentified cloaked figure seen in the Chozo Archives was observing the events on ZDR and used the ships to escape.

[@xCrimsonxTidex]

I made a long post about the potential "exotic" materials of that 'strong stuff.' I'm willing to bet it's the same materials used on the near indestructible Federation storage crates from Metroid Prime 2.

[@carter812]

Maybe since quiet robe is a thoha, the Metroid controlling gene inside him could’ve halted the X’s take over

[@stefanoponce6090]

Which falls under the bird magic category, so yeah lol. But seriously, I do believe it might have something to do with this.

[@NoxideActive]

I have an idea as to why Quiet Robe X helped Samus. I think it's because the X are new to absorbing intelligent life. The X would by instinct take over the predators and leave the weaker prey unaffected in order to keep their food supply secure, (it's why those animals at the end of fusion were left unharmed). After invading self aware lifeforms however, the X's usual means of self preservation grew warped and came to the conclusion that now the best means of survival would be to infect everything because the X understands that they are in a new playing field of survival, competing with intelligent life. Because this newfound awareness is still immature, I think it's reasonable to assume that the some of the X will eventually start to grow a sense of individuality and Quite Robe X could be an example of that, choosing to adopt the values of it's former host.

[@stefanoponce6090]

The problem I see with this is that the X had already absorbed quite a lot of Mawkin Chozo. I would say they would be pretty used to intelligent life by the time they got to Quiet Robe.

[@NoxideActive]

@@stefanoponce6090 Maybe, but some of the X in possession of intelligent life have shown strange behavior before. It could be argued that the majority of chozo and humans absorbed are soldiers and workers, beings that are have spent their lives following orders and thus more likely to remain part of the collective hivemind that is the X.

[@stefanoponce6090]

@@NoxideActive That's a good point I suppose.

[@MorganSaph]

@@stefanoponce6090 I put a theory in the comments that I believe to be more sound, given what we know about the X. Basically, QR did the same thing the SA-X did and let Samus absorb it to eliminate a greater threat. Normal Samus doesn't have a hyperbeam nor the ability to destroy X from a range. Even Metroids could kill from a distance. Metroid Suit Samus could though, thus making her a bigger threat in this form than the Omega. so QR-X sacrificed itself to stimulate Samus' Thoha genes and pacify the Metroid genes, thus making her Normal Samus that can't kill any X host with a touch or kill X from ridiculous range.

[@NoxideActive]

@@MorganSaph An interesting idea but you would also have to ask yourself, why wouldn't Quiet Robe X simply not do anything and let Samus die on the world with everything else? The X at that point were doomed regardless so pacifying the Metroid Gene in Samus wouldn't benefit their survival at least not helping Samus would ensure mutual destruction. No to me this could not be seen as a simple act of survival by the X collective but rather a deliberate decision made by an independent X adopting the will of Quiet Robe. Remember, Quiet Robe was already dead when the X took over it's corps so unless his soul remained in his body for some reason, Quiet Robe would not have any means to take control of the X, (something that's never been established before anyways). Only the brain/ memories remained and I believe that it was so strong that the X began to adopt the personality traits of Quiet Robe as time went on.

[@GamingWithCalvin1]

16:25 It's WAYYY more likely that Raven Beak had a kill switch planet go boom failsafe than Itorash causing the explosion because both Samus and Raven Beak were ON the ship when it crashed, and no matter HOW powerful they were, if the crash of the station was enough to make planet go boom, they would've been vaporized the second it hit the planet, or maybe even BEFORE.(I mean, I suppose they COULD'VE been powerful enough to survive it, but still the ground they were standing on wouldn't be there, and if they're strong enough to survive THAT, then Samus would survive the planet explosion, and if you don't get back in time you still get a game over, so...) Also the frigate Orpheon was WAY bigger than Itorash, and was further away from Tallon IV when it went down(and thus would've had more time to build momentum), and yet there is NO visible damage to the planet Tallon IV when the frigate crashes anywhere except for it's landing site.

[@GamingWithCalvin1]

@@Cargoshots THANK you someone AGREES with me

[@tedgray899]

been watching your stuff since your ending guide to samus returns and watching your script writing, editing, and even your little skits grow and develop until what they are now has been a total treat. every one of your videos has some incredible effort put in to them and it’s very apparent. keep up the great work brother, you’re damn good at what you do

[@Henkely1405]

Fantastic video!. I am huge into Metroid lore and can answer the space pirate stuff. The Space Pirates were always following the Chozo around cause they wanted their advance weapons. The Chozo are oldest and strongest race in galaxy that we know of. The Chozo had a problem because of their unnaturally long life span that all their bird parts became to old and they were no longer able to reproduce, and their cloning had reached their limit. The Chozo became a dying race over night. The Chozo began receding from galaxy and the Thoa tribe believed they should have less influence in the galaxy due to their declining race. The Chozo two tribes disagreed on this but traveled together. The Chozo had colonized on many different worlds but their facilities became deserted as the Chozo had abandoned them due to dwindling Chozo remaining. The Space Pirates had found some of these colonies and the technology they had however the Chozo weapons can only be used by a Chozo so the Space Pirates went on search for the remaining Chozo. The Chozo at this time knew of the Space Pirates following them but saw them as no more as a minor pest compared to the X parasite that had begun infecting planets. At this time the Chozo came to Zebes to make a home base to study the X problem. The Chozo encountered human scientist had already had a reasearch settlement there. Unable to pusade the Human researchers to leave the Chozo left to find a different planet. The Chozo received a destress call from the same humans on planet Zebes and turned around. The Space Pirates that were following the Chozo attacked Zebes in hopes of finding a Chozo. Led by Ridley the Space Pirates massacred every human on Zebes before the Chozo came and drove them off. Every human except a human little girl. Feeling guilty for not dealing with the Space Pirates in the first place Old Bird and Grey Voice lobbied for the Chozo to adopt her. The Chozo ended up building a base on Zebes to study how to fight the X now that the humans have died and builds Mother Brain an advance AI. Samus being young was not doing well on Zebes because of the harsh Enviromint and Chozo DNA was given to her so she did not have to leave her adopted family. Mother Brain secretly plots the Chozo downfall after the Metorids are invented and tested on the X parasite. Mother Brain contacts Ridley and Kraid and builds an alliance with them to take over Zebes while the main bulk of the Chozo's and Samus were on a different planet. Zebes is taken over by Space Pirates and the old Chozo base with it where Samus grew up. Ridely and Kraid make the planet their home and it would be years under Mother Brain before their plans were known. The Thoa or however it is spelled tribe created the Metroid's to deal with the X parasite even keeping the Metorids as pets. The metorids once matured evolved or mutated to have shells and became aggressive towards their creators. Samus at this time was in her late teens and left to dwell with humans as the Chozo's knew the end of their race was near. Believing the x was dead the Chozo's trapped the Metorid's underground on the planet from Metorid two and the rest is explained in the cut scenes in dread lol. Planet Zebes the planet in Metorid one and Super Metorid is not any planet but the planet where Samus was raised which make its destruction in Super Metorid more impactful and why you must save the Animals!

[@flygonkerel781]

Samus speaking chose was the coolest shit ever!!!

[@_fire_fox_1152]

That MegaMan Battle Network theme playing in the background in the beginning! Man, that takes me back 😍

[@ZeiZei990]

I believe metroid-samus would be invulnerable to ice-based weaponry being in the possession of varia and gravity suits already which grants protection against extreme temperatures.

[@TheOrpheon]

Yet the varia and gravity dont protect you against attacks of either of those elements in the gameplay…

[@moongirl-d9h]

Seeing the B roll footage of the ending scene makes me so sad that there aren’t different ending screens, just art of past games

[@firehedgehog1446]

13:53 I think Raven Beak didn't try to exploit Samus' Metroid weakness to cold because he knew it was a futile effort since, being a Chozo, he would knew that her fully powered suit would have made her immune to his ice beam

[@Anonymous_Individual]

The Aeion furthering Samus’ mutation is also a great reason for “Adam’s” continuous repetition of wanting Samus to use her shadow cloak.

[@fortherepublic1263]

With regards to the X escaping, I think it might be kinda like the Flood from Halo. As they infect more and more, the Flood accumulates intelligence. What if the X started out feral, then gradually became more intelligent, taking off in the ships in the process? Quiet Robe also could've been infected by a weak X, like a certain Private Jenkins in the novel Halo: The Flood. The infection form which infected him was weak enough to where Jenkins maintained some consciousness.

[@paranoia_24]

To me, Quiet Robe X doing what it did made pretty good sense. Fusion already established that the X have a very strong survival instinct and will do whatever they can to avoid a threat to their species. Even going so far as to try to destroy themselves and the BSL by overheating the reactor in sector 3 when they perceived samus and the metroids on board the station as a high enough level threat. In order to save the X remaining on SR388. When this failed they put all their effort into trying to overwhelm samus with whatever they could, adapting to be cold bodied so her metroid DNA couldn't absorb them, rebirthing her old nemisis, making up to 10 clones of herself. But they still always perceived the actual metroids themselves to be a greater threat than even her. When the metroid cloning lab was accessed, the SAX didn't even notice samus right there. It was solely focused on taking out the metroids. And at the end of the game when Samus is fighting the Omega Metroid. The SAX shows up, it was likely waiting on Samus to defeat the Omega, then take her out after the Metroid did enough damage to her. Then taking over her body and using it to trick Adam into landing so it could take the ship out of there. Upon realizing that neither it nor Samus cant beat the Omega alone. It rationalizes that its only chance of survival is to let the enemy of its enemy be its friend. And chancing that maybe its DNA can live on inside of Samus. So QRX would have all the memories and knowledge of QR. I think it understood that if RB's plan came true, it would lead to an army of Metroids in the form of Samus. To the X this was a threat on par with the Metroids. And its pretty clear that some of QR's consciousness remained in QRX. So since both the X and QR's goals align in that they want to stop Raven Beak's plan, and both of them now know that Samus is the only one that can stop him. It reactivates the EMMI, because Samus will need to take the EMMI out in order to obtain powers needed to defeat RB. Which is why the "Im counting on you" line still works. Not only is QR counting on her, but so is the X inside of him. When ZDR is in self destruct mode. QRX comes to a similar decision that the SAX did in fusion. The only way for it to have any chance of escape was to bond with Samus and hope that it could survive in her body despite the Metroid DNA. (Though the point about why the other X and even QRX himself didn't take the available ships and escape ZDR is a little shaky. Only thing I can think of is maybe for some reason those ships are not capable of inter-planetary travel and only for atmospheric/low orbit travel/combat/short term flight etc)

[@Proximius]

In my opinion, Quiet Robe was dead and gone. The X Parasite was in full control, with full access to QR's memories - and Raven Beak's entire plan. I don't think this game is the end of RB's story and it understands that Samus is best equipped to stop it, hence sacrificing itself to escape the planet.

[@n14c0]

yessss i've been missing this classic orpheon content

[@TheOrpheon]

I hope the wait was worth it. Already working on the next script and video ideas, just takes time when you are a one-man team and life threw a few curveballs at me. Regardless the support from you guys means everything to me, and Im just happy to entertain.

[@GoldDragon20]

Honestly, I'd love to see a Fusion remake in the Style of Samus Returns before we move on to more new Metroid story beats. Besides, the prime games are meant to take place before Metroid II, given their final extermination there, so Prime 4 wouldn't be pushing the main story forward, just concluding the Prime subseries. Anyway, in a Fusion remake, I wouldn't want to have any fancy new upgrades or aeion or anything. Just some classic Fusion. For the game's selling point, and the part that's gonna take the longest, a built-in randomizer akin to AM2R or Axiom Verge. I don't need to explain anything else for that. I hope that whoever develops the Fusion remake gets to talk to kazuto, and develop his randomizer further. That would be amazing

[@robertkenny1201]

I just hope we get a HD port of the Metroid Prime Trilogy eventually for either the Switch or its successor or atleast a HD Remaster of Metroid Prime 1 for the Switch.

[@josephford2226]

I still think that the Quiet Robe we see at the end of the game was entirely X. It retained its form of Quiet Robe to indicate to Samus that it had the abilities of Thoha DNA (and thus could manipulate the Metroid DNA inside of her). It did its bow because it was indicating that its intentions were peaceful. It didn't intend to take over Samus. It just wanted safe passage off the planet. These X are likely the last of their kind. If they die with the explosion of the planet, there will be no more X. It has to survive, so it is willing to bargain with Samus. And, yes, I am claiming that this X is able to live safely inside Samus because it is able to keep itself away from the Metroid DNA that would destroy it. So, Samus was presented with a choice. She could allow the X to die off for good, along with herself. Or survive along with the X.

[@CptSinnamon]

I've had my mind on the Quiet Robe X thing and I've tried my best to find some theory. I used to believe it was just the X deciding in its own instinct to just try to escape the planet, and running out of options what with the hanubia ships being gone, and eventually settling for removing the greatest threat to their existence. however that little smile QRX gives makes me think he had some level of control. And I believe its not just BirdMagicTM to help tie up the plot for the sake of getting the game over with In fusion Adam says: "Serris has returned often to the breeding tank here. Its natural behavior must be to go back to it periodically." Implying that Adam's many observations of the X lead him to believe they aren't fully in control, and that the host can still act on instinct, clearly its not perfect control since the X still go hog wild when they smell Metroid DNA, hence why their priority is almost always killing samus, even on ZDR. That along side the mention in the fusion manual, and the intro to dread, of the X parasites still carrying the memories of hosts, implies to me that QR wasn't "controlling" per se, rather quiet robe could remember Samus from his memory, and instinctually tried to give her his thoha powers via his X parasite because that's the only way for either one of them to leave the planet. However I don't think QRX just went straight for samus's ship BECAUSE he knew samus needed help or something, rather he knew itorash falling was causing the planet to go critical, and therefore needed an escape. you already mentioned that the ships in hanubia are gone, so most likely the only available option for leaving was the purple gunship, samus just happened to get there first, and left QRX with nothing to do but give up and help eachother. To me this also explains why the sudden change of body language occurs, along side the Red Brinstar remix playing again. As much as I like these observations I still don't feel super satisfied, and i probably wont feel satisfied until i manage to discover some kind of "Sonic is the Ultimate Lifeform" level theory that feels almost intended. Oh and, the videos really good lol. I appreciate the kind of dedication you have to talking about the franchise, and I don't think I would've become so dedicated to trying to understand the lore and mysteries of these games had I not found your videos after getting sucked into the series by Super Metroid.

[@akanueirnightmaris]

Maybe the morphball and icebeam are Thoha exclusive tech. After all, they seem more suited to a researcher than a warrior. Morphball and bomb to make exploration easier, and the icebeam to help capture live specimens .

[@TheAccursedHunter01]

8:41 - 8:50 The description of the Hyper Beam in the status screen during the escape says that the Hyper Beam is Samus unleashing her latent power, combining all Arm Cannon abilities to create one continuous and devastating beam. I understand why you'd think Samus got it by draining Raven Beak of his energy (like how the Super Metroid got the Hyper Beam from Mother Brain in Super Metroid) but the game itself says orherwise... honestly it could be a but of both but then wouldn't Samus have gotten Power Bombs right after absorbing the last EMMI of its energy? I hope Samus can get power ups in future games by absorbing energy, like you get the bosses ability early by performing a Melee Counter or something.

[@GoldDragon20]

Kind of like Nerfed Charge in VARIA, I guess?

[@Dado_nastro]

Maybe It's both?

[@dis_inferno9173]

Cool detail. Samus and Raven Beak are very similar. Both were on the planet SR388 and staged a genocide, while leaving one of the representatives of this species alive. I'm talking about Baby Metroid and Quiet Robe.

[@Energistx]

I like to think that by the X parasite absorbing Quiet Robe's memories it was able to see itself in a way that it normally wouldn't from the point of view of a being that knew what it was and what it was capable of. To see how much it would be threatened and despised through the galaxy and that nothing would stop in hunting it down and killing it. It also had Quiet Robe's thoughts that Samus should be kept alive to deal with things that threaten the peace of the galaxy so it willingly sacrificed itself to insure that Samus would keep that peace.

[@mds_main]

A little thing I'd like to add, during Raven Beak's boss fight he is able to generate micro black holes and stars. Why is it important? Because we have already seen that technology before, in the manga. Ridley used it to breach Zebes planetary defence. The Zebes Chozos were also shocked that the space pirates had such tech, so, since Zebes invasion happens after the Chozo Memories, could it be that Raven Beak gave that technology to Ridley in order to kill the Thoas since they were the only ones that could prevent them from using the Metroids?

[@AnimusPrime87]

Great use of Bomberman music during the exposition. Love this track.

[@TheOrpheon]

I really love the series

[@AnimusPrime87]

@@TheOrpheon Yes- The Second Attack was one of my favorite games of all time. I can’t even begin to tell you how many hours I put into it, building and raising Pommy with my friend. The music was fantastic, and the story in particular was the inspiration for a lot of my fantasy writing back in the day. The Elemental Knights resonated SO hard with me. I am REGULUS Animus because of Bulzeeb.

[@AnimusPrime87]

@@TheOrpheon My original online handles were regulus animus. Still is on XBox and Playstation. I went with Vir because of an old associate but always wanted to change it to Regulus. Probably will now…

[@nameforcomments4092]

I think of the EMMIs' invulnerability as being a result of their bond to their central units. They can only operate in defined areas near their central unit, but the central units create a sort of dimensional link to the EMMIs. This gives them a difficult to hack or interrupt connection and makes their armor nigh-impenetrable via something like psychically-created quantum entanglement. This way, damaging effects can be offloaded away from the EMMI at the point of contact. So that would definitely explain why they don't use this approach with other things like troopers. Does it make sense? No. Is it cool to think about? Hell yeah!

[@AlqZ_theFox]

"Federation/Exelion Magic"? Call that FedEx Magic

[@akarody3821]

I'll call you for another joke xD

[@thenoob_artist0586]

13:59 I think had answer that question. I think Samus power suits power ups like Ice beam, gravity suit, morphball etc. are more prototype weapons for Raven Beak armor. Think Raven Beak using Samus as lab rat. Raven beak is not person (Chozo) going use weapon untested specially in combat scenario.

[@1033515]

Putting Allagan music over Chozo talk makes so much sense, and completely threw me off when it started because I wasn't sure that's what it was.

[@arthurpprado]

About Quiet Robe X, the one theory that I have regarding its sacrifice is that its true intentions are to subdue Samus' Metroid powers in hopes that she wouldn't be such an active threat to the species. While this would allow her to escape, it could also make her less capable of hunting the X, as she would have to go back to relying on her weaponry to kill the X instead of just draining them like her Metroid Suit state would allow her to

[@metroidsky]

This is amazing! Thank you, Orpheon!

[@lo4tr]

When it comes to the X Parasite at the end, I think it comes down to a combination of the X receiving memories of their host and their natural self preservation. Why reactivate the EMMI? Simple, it's a way to help ensure Samus is killed and the greatest threat is taken care of. Why head to the ship? It's the best way to get off the planet and propagate elsewhere, the very thing Adam was afraid of in Fusion. The fact that it had Quiet Robe's memories is enough to logically deduce how it figured all of those things out. Now, the big one. Why did it allow itself to be absorbed? The way I see it, it knew it couldn't win against Samus. Not only that, the planet was already in the process of being obliterated and Adam wasn't allowing the ship to take off. So, if it fought, then it would, at best, win and die in the explosion and, at worst, simply be disintegrated by Samus. On the other hand, if it was absorbed into Samus, it would have a chance to survive and potentially, sometime down the line, be able to take over the new host and propagate on another planet. It's even possible that the bow wasn't a sign of respect so much as a way of getting Samus to lower her guard as a familiar gesture that the X already knew worked once before.

[@novustalks7525]

Why didn't he take one of the chozo ships in hanubia?

[@lo4tr]

@@novustalks7525 I would assume that Raven Beak had measures in place to keep Quiet Robe from escaping the planet, with him being essentially prisoner and all. Maybe something in place to keep him from operating the ships. So, it's possible that the X also inherited that weakness. Or, it could be that the X controlling Quiet Robe knew the ships in Hanubia would be guarded and instead, with no familiarity with the Federation ships, went to take Samus'. Maybe Adam stopped it from leaving.

[@T725db]

Finally, another video and a great one. Side note: I LOVE WHEN YOUR VIDEOS OPEN UP WITH THE INTERNET THEME!!!!!!

[@xCrimsonxTidex]

In Metroid Prime 2, there is a scan that shows some Federation crates are near indestructible because of rare metals used. I view the "strongest stuff" (should have been 'materials') as levels of resistance strength like ceramic armor plates and what types of materials are used. Some metals are considered more "exotic" than others and thus have a scarcity factor to them. For example the best protecting (and most lightweight) metal ingredient for the base ceramic layer is Boron Carbide, as opposed to the more common, heavier and cheaper Silicone Carbide. Rare protective metals logistically doesn't make sense for that to be outfitted to troops in mass production, and it's probably heavier for the end user to wield such armors. I bet if there is a decent good supply from a Federation mining site, that material would be used to reinforce critical areas of Federation military vessels, or 'coat' the entire hull with said material. Also Samus's armor seems pretty durable, plus an insane power level of protective shields if she has multiple energy tanks. The best upgrade for the Federation troops would be an armor coating or base layer of a cost effective, yet light weight armor that doesn't impede their movement. The breakthrough technology for the Federation would probably kinetic barriers or something to that effect, or reverse engineering the Varia suits energy shields but on a smaller scale for troopers, kinda like Halo's Mjolnir armor using a micro-fusion reactor powering up circulating magnetic fields. Where Samus is a walking tank, a small specific frequency EM field emitter can only last a small amount of sustained fire, but more than enough to ensure it's operator is protected, potentially saving thousands of lives against fighting Space Pirates.

[@x-celsius5905]

Happy birthday orpheon!!!! Thanks for all of the amazing Metroid content over the years!

[@TheOrpheon]

Thanks for the birthday wishes, and dont mention it I am happy to be able to entertain

[@chuguvsme]

I want to say that the EMMIs might have been coated with a special material overheat the body and may not be as good as regular armor used for soldiers.

[@SManz-fv9kd]

In a nutshell, because I can delve much deeper... I think one of the biggest things missed here is the opening scene where, right after Samus arives on the planet, Raven Beak confronts her and defeats her, disarming her. (We can then assume either 2 things: 1) that she acquires armor upgrades that are there on the planet from the Chozo that were originally there or 2) Raven Beak scatters them for her to find the pieces.) Raven Beak could've just taken her DNA then and there. But it seems he wanted to get her to go through the trials he left on the planet to awaken her powers and then recruit her for his army. Ultimately hacking into Adam from the start of the game and manipulating her through this trial.

[@VioletStreak02]

I think with the EMMI’s being made of special stuff, it more regards to Samus having no clue what their made of

[@maximselan200]

I have a theory myself that may also explain the ending with quiet robe, which is that when he was resurrected, he did not have any violent tendencies, which are normally present in most species, which is something the X parasite seems to draw upon. Instead this one could only draw on his intellect and he kept full cognition after resurrection, therefore a non hostile host for the X parasite. Plus we also know that it must have been a clean, unhosted X because X Parasite tend to fuse to enhance itself by fusing characteristics from other creatures to be more effective, as seen in previous fights and in the final Raven Beak scene. This also gives Creedance to the aggression amplifying of X as well because it radically changed Raven Beak, who of the warrior clan and a leader of them with a hatred growing for Samus as the fight continued, would give in to rage once becoming a host. But then again it could be bird magic, but also, do you think Prime 4 could take place after Dread? It would be a nice thought, and a way to further the expanded universe and possibly find more Chozo Colonies?

[@joaoluizcamacho2733]

Im loving the Megaman BattleNetwork OST on the background 😻

[@marshw000]

I’ve always wondered about the Lraid we fight in the game and how they got there. It makes sense it would be a different one, and I think part of me let my hype take over and assume it was a return

[@Mantorok12]

Quiet Robe-X allowing himself to be absorbed by Samus does align with the goals of the X parasite. With his knowledge, the X would know that being absorbed by her would suppress the Metroid powers, at least to some extent, which is better for the survival of the X species (though marginally). Not unlike the cold X parasites seeking out Samus before she acquired the varia suit in Fusion.

[@see.eye.2361]

I still am not convinced that Itorash crashing is the reason why ZDR exploded. I think either Raven Beak planned on destroying ZDR either way or someone else did something to cause it to explode. Could have been quiet robe or someone else entirely.

[@professorhazard]

Dead man's switch. Explosives were planted and set to detonate when Raven Beak's life ended.

[@see.eye.2361]

@@professorhazard yeah but there is literally zero things in the game that hint that, if anything Raven Beak probably never expected to lose in the first place, and it still doesn’t properly explain the ships going missing.

[@professorhazard]

@@see.eye.2361 True, but it makes way more sense than one crashed ship making a planet explode.

[@educationalporpoises9592]

I finally finished Dread so now I can continue watching your videos

[@evelynmisaki2428]

I think what happened with the quiet robe x is that, quiet robe was so intelligent and fond of samus that, in a sense, when the x absorbed all of this knowledge, while it may have taken a while, it was able to essentially become quiet robe again through essentially coming to understand itself, samus, and all the rest of whats happening.

[@YMunesanzun]

Ah yes, of course. Alien Crow Magic

[@ladyaceina]

samus is immune to freezintg thats why raven beak did not use the ice beam and i doubt morph ball and bombs would work on samus as she is still different than a normal metroid

[@MorganSaph]

Agreed. Both the Varia and Gravity suit make Samus immune to increasingly more extreme temperatures, so freezing her isn't possible. Plus if raven beak did try to enter morph ball form, he probably would have lost his head, since he had no helmet, or he would have just jammed Samus' hand in his suit

[@dinodude722]

A personal theory of mine related to the chozo tribes is that weve seen another unnamed tribe in the form of the chozo from skytown and tallon IV from the prime series. If they are just an offshoot of another group they are clearly thoha but a different group from the zebes/SR388 thoha. Alternatively since that group is suppose to be very ancient and long dead they may be from a time before chozo split into tribes. A more ancient united chozo group.

[@swipeslogjack_tgaming9472]

13:50 you mention the ice beam, but the gravity suit protects samus from the cold

[@trainershade1937]

Not fully, the Ice Beam still hurts even with the Gravity Suit. I'd say it's more so that Raven Beak was simply trying to Hyper Beam her, which I imagine is just as effective at killing Metroids (if not more). However, as we see, he's more focused on the "GET HER OFF ME! GET HER OFF ME!!" part than the "calmly aim and shoot" part. He do be flailing.

[@Thiagoslaw]

You have no idea how long I've waited for this content... Thank you sir!! =)

[@keithmckellar9913]

The chozo have psionic abilities , so its possible quiet robe did take over the X parasite

[@a.s.raiyan2003-4]

I wanna see more mysterious and horror like elements in future Metroid games.

[@thenoob_artist0586]

Was think that thoha (Misspelled wrong ) make the metroid aggressive to mawking. So in the future the Mawkin could hunt them.

[@AveryHyena]

The two ships in the dock did not "blow up". If they did, we would have seen debris or at least some damage to the dock itself. But no, even after Itorash crashes into ZDR, the dock is pristine.

[@TheOrpheon]

The ships are suspended in the air over a chasm that reaches down more than what we can see while also being at a distance from the foreground so we wouldn’t necessarily see any specific debris from the perspective the camera is angled at

[@AveryHyena]

@@TheOrpheon We *would* see damage because the ships are docked there. Since this is a dock, the ships would have to be connected to the overall structure somehow - it would make no sense for the ships to just be floating there without a power source, it would be like leaving your car running for hours after you park it. Therefore, if the ships fell, we would have seen some sort of damage, as however they were connected would have been ripped out.

[@demi-femme4821]

The X can be selfless when it comes to their own kind. We see the SA-X go out of its way to try and exterminate the Metroids, and different X will sometimes fuse together to combine their powers. I think Quiet Robe was able to influence the X into sacrificing itself to Samus as a means to protect its kind from this ultimate Metroid.

[@mds_main]

Great video, I agree with most of your explainations, but a couple of things I have a different theory. I don't think emmis had Metroid or Samus DNA to track her down. As somebody else has already pointed out, it looks like they were reprogrammed to attack anything in their areas; but even if that was not the case, I think it would have been pretty easy to reprogram them to recognize Samus and attack her specifically, without needing a DNA sample of her. About the Zebesians murals, I think it is referring to that part of the manga when they described an old invasion of the Zebesians against the Zebes Chozos, with the latters coming out on top. If I'm not mistaken, they already confirmed Zebesians took their name after those attacks rather than being native to Zebes. Finally, on QR-X, I don't think he was able to fight the parasite back. I think instead that the X did something similar to the SA-X or the mimicked doctor from Fusion, as they put the survival of their species and their hatred against the Metroids on top of it all, including their own singular lives. So, just like the SA-X made Samus absorb itself to defeat the Omega Metroid, or just like the infected doctor from Fusion was going to destroy the BSL in order to kill Samus and the cloned Metroids alongside itself and the other Xs on the station in order to save the Xs on SR388, I think QR-X voluntary sacrificed itself in order to lay the Metroid part of Samus to rest, as it was the biggest threat on an instinctual level.

[@Darth1Marik]

14:33 I dunno about that, my head canon is that note the X-Parasites are described as being able to mimic whoever they posses to a great degree of accuracy. Mostly it's abilities but we usually only see them posses dead bodies of decayed remains that probably aren't very valuable in terms of memories, and animals/creatures who are naturally aggressive. But Quiet Robe was an incredibly intelligent life form so perhaps the X that possessed his body even though it was deceased was able to perfectly mimic him which includes being an ally of Samus. He also was only dead for a short time so his brain matter was likely still in good condition. To me it makes more sense this way as a dead being reverse possessing an X-Parasite? I dunno doesn't seem very plausible. However the X-Parasite mimicking the being to such a degree it turns into pretty much an exact copy of that being is more in line of what the X-Parasites do.

[@KevinGarcia-cg6ie]

I believe that since raven beak had not known samus ever since his involvement of her creation given since her creation, every other metroid game has taken place away from his knowledge, and so when he got the chance to see another metroid in action, he wanted to know what she was capable of, thus letting him bide his time till he collected enough data, as we see at the ship he always had eyes on her in some way given the metroid awakening of her dna at the end

[@zebjensen4251]

I always thought the x parasite quiet robe was trying to trick Samus into loosing her Metroid abilities or at least weakening them sacrificing itself to help preserve the other x.