#zebesian

These examples comprise parts of the Space Pirate coalition; Such as the, for lack of an actual name, Tallon IV or Aether pirates. The Aether pirates especially are an interesting case, in that they don't have actual fingers; Their commando counterparts seem to, but I speculate this is the result of cybernetics, the pirates' Project Metamorphosis. Despite these shortcomings, the Aether pirates make up for it in their combat ability; They're faster and much more durable than Earthians, and they have shredding claws to aid them.

They may or may not be able to naturally shoot lasers from their right-claws; Or this could be a cybernetic implant to grant them ranged abilities. It's worth noting the Aether pirates were called Shock Beast in concept art, and while I presume this is a play on the term Shock Trooper, unrelated to electricity... Who knows, maybe the Aether pirates produce potent bioelectricity, otherwise contained by their carapace, that is funneled through their claws into natural firepower, or harnessed to fuel implanted weapons.

(Before we bring up the obvious weak points; My HC is that this is an additional layer of armor over their heart, so it's actually not a weak point. This could be the result of genetic modification, technology, or a natural evolution, idk.)

Lacking dexterous fingers, the Aether pirates didn't have much if any technology when they were discovered by the Federation; But they didn't need to operate technology all that much, because the Federation saw their use as better suited to combat than engineering. Wowed by advanced technology, the Aether pirates were promised it by the Federation’s dexterous, manufacturing fingers in exchange for combat service. The Aether pirates fought for the Federation, and at some point realized their arrangement was kinda bullshit because of how many of their own they had to sacrifice, while the Feds only lost property they could easily replace.

By contrast, the Tallon IV pirates have actual fingers and hands, which means they're among the most naturally advanced of the Space Pirate species, which made them better at performing science and the like. They found employment by the Federation for more sophisticated warfare than the Aether pirates, being employed in a wider variety of roles and not just ground combat. But they too found contempt for their 'masters'.

The pirates of Urtraghus, or the "Urtraghue" as I like to call them, are an interesting exception. The pirate logs from Corruption make me believe they're written by the Aether pirates, since they seem to regard Dark Samus with recognition. Likewise, the deleted log Warband (which I'm still pulling from for inspiration) refers to "The inhabitants of Urtraghus, once a minor, quarrelsome band" which makes it sound as if it's written by a different species.

This fuels the fanon I've come up with; The Urtraghue are naturally limbless eels, capable of breathing air and water. Native to the planet of Urtraghus, they had no technology, and were easily colonized by the Federation. The Federation 'enlightened' the Urtraghue by granting them cybernetic frames to act as limbs for them, but the production of these cybernetics was controlled strictly by the Federation as they forced the Urtraghue to help them extract the planet's resources. The acid rain might be a result of pollution, or a natural feature that further necessitated the exploitation of natives adapted to it.

Still, the Urtraghue figured out how to create and maintain cybernetics, as a way of gathering independence. At some point, they found liberation; Perhaps the Federation got all it wanted and left, or the Urtraghue staged a successful revolt, and/or they got help from the Space Pirates.

But that last option happened regardless; It was decided by Kraid that the Space Pirates needed a proper, physical homeworld to fall back on. This would act as a 'capital' that would be protected by a full blockade, to dissuade Federation assault. Urtraghus was targeted for the reasons mentioned above; The natives harbored resentment for the Federation, and yet despite their natural shortcomings, proved capable of overcoming their oppressors.

But they were also desperate to maintain independence, needed resources, and were not ready for another invasion. So, they turned to the Space Pirates, a deal with the devil; Kraid masterminded diplomatic negotiations, promising the Space Pirates' full support. Because so much of their infrastructure was already devoted to just base cybernetics for every citizen, it meant Urtraghus did not have the resources to spare for larger weaponry or a fleet.

The Urtraghue accepted Space Pirate membership; And in the end, they really only traded one colonizer for another. The Space Pirates took advantage of their homeworld, helping build much infrastructure and establishing a fleet around the planet, but some questioned if they were just being made into slaves of another force.

Indeed, they found little respect by their 'brethen' species, who saw them as weak and questioned the Urtaghue's place on the battlefield alongside them; Their naturally-disabled states made them more liable to a subservient caste. They found use in aquatic environments, and possibly hazardous ones due to the aforementioned acid rain; This would assign them as clean-up crew in often dangerous working conditions.

Urtraghue dissenters might've found some relief when rumors spread of the Space Pirates moving their capital to Zebes, in response to Mother Brain's new leadership; But when the Hunter destroyed her, Ridley ordered the Space Pirates to lay low, recover, and eventually reband at Urtraghus. Attempts to revolt during this time period proved a failure, and eventually high command convened at Urtraghus for the next step.

This was the perfect time to strike for Dark Samus, who crashed the Leviathan seed into Urtraghus. With this display of power towards high command and a majority of the Space Pirate forces, Dark Samus seized control of the coalition. The Urtraghue realized their planet had become out of the hands, and was now being poisoned beyond recognition! But the rest had been brainwashed by and addicted to the power of Phazon, and became loyal to Dark Samus. In the end, the Phazon Crisis ended with the Federation once more seizing the planet, all over again...

The Bermuda pirates are an unusual case for me because… They might just be the Aether pirates, based on the visual similarities? Especially if you look at the in-game model and the upper jaw they have instead of a proboscis. Their proportions are different because of the chibi art style, and we know they’re not naturally huge; The Bion amplification beam made them bigger, so any other differences from the Aether pirates might just be mutations. I do assume the Phazon-mutated Elite Pirates in Prime to be mutations of the Tallon IV species, for the same reasons. Of course these, ones have hands when the Aether ones don’t, and that’s a crucial part of my lore for them; But then again Aether commandos also have hands? Maybe some Aether pirates naturally have hands, there could be a caste/sexual dimorphism situation going on, or biological augmentation.

I can't say much about the Beyond pirates right now; But currently I'm HC'ing them as the architects of the Space Pirate fleet we see in Corruption. I say this because a Space Pirate destroyer from that game is also seen in Beyond; And as I've said, the Urtraghue had little infrastructure since they were too focused on augmenting themselves to be on the same level as their peers. So the vessels they used in Corruption are technically 'on loan' from the Beyond pirates. They’re of a different aesthetic than Zebesian craft, which is what makes me believe they’re from different makers.

I know Andrew Jones intended for the thin Flying/Aqua Pirates in Prime to be the same species as the standard Space Pirates from that same game... But tbh, they look so different that I always assumed and HC'ed them as a separate race; Likewise, I assumed the Aerotroopers in Echoes to be the same species but with an upgraded exo-suit, with subsequent variations in Corruption and Federation Force clearly being the dominant Space Pirates of their respective games, but with a jetpack added on.

So these Flying Pirates weren't used by the Federation, not successfully; The Federation used other 'employee' species to fight them on their homeworld of Stasz V, but the the Flying Pirates eventually won out. The conflict still left a bad taste in their proboscis however, and this and victory made many susceptible to Space Pirate claims of biological superiority, which they saw themselves as being a part of.

The so-called Zebesians are a case in that they were never exploited/invaded by the Federation to begin with; Sakamoto explains their name is a misnomer, akin to how Americans call themselves that despite being colonizers. Which, based; But also, it adds to my interpretation of the Zebesians as a nomadic, marauding race who was already predisposed to the idea that they were naturally superior to other species, and deserved to rule.

Even before the Space Pirates, they'd taken over other races. So when they saw the Federation, they saw weaklings having to hide behind Earthian and other variety of attack dogs. I am tying this into the Zebesians' characterization and blatant eugenics in the Zero Mission manga. They're arguably the least sympathetic of the Space Pirate species, being natural aggressors.

Not entirely sure on what backstory the Kihunters play; They're probably just literal attack animals, but I like to HC them as sapient. There is a King Kihunter, so it could be an oppressive caste system where the Kings have opted to loan out their own people to the Space Pirates in return for power; Essentially a micro-reflection of the Federation's flaws. Regular Kihunters might buy into the supremacist beliefs, nurtured by Kraid to encourage loyalty; In the end, there IS a place for all other species within the Space Pirates, it's just a demeaning one enforced by violence. The Kihunters' situation is a mix of other species'.

Speaking of the Zero Mission manga, I also want to tie that characterization more into the Space Pirates, the Zebesians, and the role of 'combat' species in the Federation. There's a scene where a Zebesian confronts Kreatz, an Elfin Federation officer, and points out that his species is demonized by the government he works for; He's clearly fighting a pointless battle here.

So I want to roll with all of this and play with the idea of Earthians as a potential parallel to the Space Pirates; They're both species used by the Federation to fight their wars for them, while other races get to enjoy cushy lives doing softer jobs, especially the leaders. The Zebesian muses that it's only a matter of time before the Federation discards the Earthians in favor of a newer, shinier toy... And Fusion could be foreshadowing this with Metroids, whom the Feds hope can be controlled by the Aurora Units.

Indeed, the use of other races such as the Elfin, or a Simian, or even a Chozo-Human hybrid like Samus, raises an interesting point; Are they not just other like other Space Pirate species, being used as stronger soldiers? Are they not just a specialized unit of the Federation, once again relying on other species for specific roles?

To be called a Diversity Hire is actually wishful thinking, their species are being set up as a resource to exploit. While shiny Earthians are used to project the idea of an independent military to defend themselves with... The Federation actually depends on other, stronger species, who despite this demand are fulfilling a subservient and detested position. Which leaves Earthians unprepared for real war; Their main advantage is in their endless, replenishing numbers, and the equipment they have, all supported by Federation economics.

There's a lot of room for resentment, for frustration, and a very obvious question; If I'm so valued by the Federation for my strength, why not embrace my value, now that I know what I'm worth? Now that I know I'm stronger, and can just as easily conquer the Federation myself; Why else would they ask for me? They demonize me despite my employment to keep me in my place! Maybe someone who can actually fight for their leadership should be in charge...!

I think this raises the possibility of Earthian Space Pirates, as seen in Zebes Invasion Order; Us 'humans' play a unique and unusual role in that we're both the oppressors AND the oppressed. Not perfect victims, which helps account for the variety of the human experience, and it plays into why the military is so human-dominant... I am going by the manga and ignoring other depictions that involve humans as fulfilling civilian leadership roles, too. Earthians are kept in place because they're too busy thriving off the power they have over others to reflect on how they're nevertheless subservient themselves.

The situation of Earthians and its parallel in the Space Pirates is my way of melding together the supremacist views of the Space Pirates in the manga, with the implications and speculation of the Space Pirates as victims of the Federation's bullshit, which plays into Sylux's partnership with them in Beyond. Because there's the tragic aspect in how many Space Pirates WERE used and exploited by the Federation.

And yet, being on the bad end of an unjust hierarchy did not make them want to abolish it. Instead, it made them decide they should be at its top; The horrible takeaway was that a hierarchy SHOULD exist, and that the problem is simply which roles are prioritized. And maybe leaders are valuable, but if they can be overthrown at any moment by someone stronger, maybe that use should be subservient.

Hence the workaround of high command being comprised of those like Ridley or Kraid; They're naturally powerful and strong, they're boss monsters. And of course, they're also tactically brilliant, hence the Space Pirates being able to survive for so long. So some species are naturally qualified over others, but candidates must prove they’re both brains AND brawn to be high command.

The Space Pirates are aware of the problem of having a fighter who can’t lead be in charge; They just brush off this dilemma by insisting their best fighters are also made accordingly smart, and that will place them above Federation leaders who are smart but can’t fight to save their own lives. And any tactical superiority the Federation has vanishes if Earthians realize they can just overthrow their masters; In the end, the hierarchy will favor strength, because all are capable of intelligence, and the strongest only need to be intelligent enough; Their natural power will make up for any deficiencies and legitimize the rest of their authority.

Mother Brain might be an exception to these rules, but mostly if you exclude her technology and control of Zebes, and tbf she's naturally biomechanical; And it's not surprising for a bigoted military institution to have hypocrisy, plus I feel a lot of pirates resent Mother's leadership for multiple reasons. And then there’s Dark Samus, who definitely qualifies despite a smaller stature; Sylux might too, though tbf we don’t know yet if he leads the Space Pirates or is just a mercenary acting as officer, plus he has presumable command over Metroids, and the pirates might be desperate.

And even if you had technology to augment yourself, who cares? I can use technology too, I might need an interface tailored for me, but that’s it; And I can make someone build it. Intelligence, the use of tools; These are shared, and the difference negligible. So the true defining distinction is physical strength, and this is the basis for Space Pirate supremacy; They gleefully call themselves pirates because they know they can compensate for any deficiencies by simply taking what they’re missing, without having to bargain for it like the weaker species. The word ‘Space’ in their name comes from their reach being intergalactic, and it has to be since other worlds’ species are needed to comprise a caste system and be forced into doing the less desirable roles for their masters.

The Space Pirates are supremacists, and indeed a lot of the blame can be assigned to the Galactic Federation for encouraging this understanding that they are naturally stronger and more valuable for it; I can see them as being comparable to poor whites who are reassured by the upper class that their poverty means nothing, because eventually they'll be rich enough to own black slaves. And this is why a lot of poor whites clung to racism after slavery was abolished, because that chance of being bigger than someone else was lost after depending on it.

That's the ideological problem with the Space Pirates, and possibly why Sylux avoided working with them for now; They're not unlike the Federation leadership, two peas in the same pod, they're just fighting over who gets to control the 'natural' caste system, but are also insistent upon it either way. So even for those critical of the 'old Federation army', they would still not appreciate the Space Pirates for similar reasons; But there is an attempt at diplomacy, knowing the history of exploitation for some.

It's still space eugenics, but there's an arguably sympathetic slant to it for some Space Pirates; But not all of them, hence the Zebesians. The Space Pirates can't truly be called liberators, because the ideals with which they uplift themselves inherently excludes others they should have solidarity with, hence the Urtraghue being looked down upon, and the inevitable fate of other, less-celebrated species who also suffer and toil, but are overlooked by the Federation and Pirates alike because their work isn't related to 'glamorous' combat, technology, or leadership. Maybe one could compare this to the folly of real life society’s focus on the military and STEM, I dunno.