This post isn't necessarily a response to the author of the article (as it was posted 7 years ago), but rather a response to the points made in the article (as these are the main points I see against Other M, and I've seen this article cited multiple times).
Also, Metroid Other M isn't among my favorite Metroid games, I just happened to quite enjoy it (I actually prefer the Prime games to the 2D games).
Lastly, this post isn't to try and make people like Other M, nor is it trying to change people's opinion towards the game. Rather, this is to correct some things that are factually incorrect, as well as to provide an alternate view point.
I will only be quoting certain topics from the article (as the article is 18 pages long), but I will link the original article below:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/lb_i.php?lb_id=13373815860B43920100&p=1
I will also link each individual page from the article when I use quotes from that page.
Page 2
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/lb_i.php?lb_id=13373815860B43920100&p=2
Author: After Metroid: Zero Mission, Samus isn't allowed to wear regular clothes, so she's naturally in her "Zero Suit."
Prior to Zero Mission, she was only ever in her underwear (outside of Fusion, which was basically a two piece Zero Suit.)
Author: She's in some kind of medical facility... for some reason. Even though Super Metroid clearly had Samus run out of the exploding Zebes without injury.
Without injury? Aside from all of the damage you take throughout the game, and aside from getting hit by a massive amount of energy (Hyper Beam). It might be a good idea to check for any kind of harmful effects that the Hyper Beam could have had (like radiation). Getting a medical check after a mission is likely standard procedure.
Author: She then tells us the end of Super Metroid: that "the baby" somehow gave her the Hyper Beam she used to kill Mother Brain. Wouldn't it have been great to actually see all of that?
Other M is a tie-in game set in-between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, it's expected that the player have, at least, a basic understanding of those two games.
Super Metroid doesn't recap when Samus fought the Queen Metroid in Metroid II. Super only recaps when Samus rescues the baby Metroid (the actual relevant part).
Author: Because what Samus wants when she's outside of her armor is to have to balance on 4-inch heels.
Do you really think someone who was trained by both the Chozo and the Galactic Federation, and has Chozo DNA infused into her system, giving her better agility, speed, durability and strength, will be outdone by some wedge heels for the 5% of the time that she isn't in her Power Suit?
The ending escape sequence in Other M shows Samus (in wedge heels) is fully capable of running, dodging, jumping/flipping and sliding through various terrains (like stairs), all while carrying a helmet in one arm and using her other arm for shooting enemies/obstacles (while the entire station is exploding).
Also, Other M wasn't the first to give her heels, the Captain N comics were:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/captain_n_comics/ch_0006/scaled/sc_cn5-00-cover.jpg
Plus, I'll just leave this here:
https://youtu.be/5M9Z4C_SEu8
Author: We fade to Samus walking down a corridor, lamenting again that she would never see "the baby." OK, Samus, it's been 4 minutes; can you talk about something, anything else?
Samus says "the Baby" 5 times within the first 5 minutes (closer to 9 minutes if you include gameplay), and "the baby" is said 14 times throughout the course of 2 hours worth of cutscenes (these 2 hours would be buffered out via gameplay).
In Prime 3, the word "Phazon" is said 6 times (not counting "PED", which stands for "Phazon Enhancement Device"), throughout the course of a 1 and a half minute long cutscene (right after Samus wakes up from being unconscious for a month).
Both "the Baby" and "Phazon" are said a lot, because they are both relevant to the topic at hand.
Author: Wait; she's allowed to go before a meeting of politicians wearing neigh-indestructable battle armor that comes equipped with an Arm Cannon?
Yes, she is THE most well-known and respected Bounty Hunter, who has been hired by the Federation on numerous occasions.
Also, the Samus and Joey manga depicted Samus at a Federation Peace meeting, and she was wearing her Power Suit (while in the company of the President).
Page 3:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=26&cid=124#manga_top
Author: Anyway, she tells the Senate about how she committed genocide and blew up a planet. Naturally, this draws applause from the Senators, because genociding a species and destroying a world is good!
Yes, they HIRED her for this. She accomplished her mission, it was a success, of course they would be happy (the universe was at stake had she failed).
Author: we cut to Samus on her ship, monologuing about how she doesn't know how much time passed since then. Really? Do you not have a calendar? Is your suit incapable of telling time? I mean, unless we're talking years, this should not be a hard question to answer.
The point of her saying that she doesn't know how much time has passed, wasn't because she ignorantly forgot to look at her calendar, it's because she has been in a haze since Zebes blew up. It was where she was raised, the last Metroid (the species she has been fighting for her whole bounty hunting career) is finally gone, but it's also the end of the Metroid that she spared, the Metroid that, not only saved her life, but gave her the means to defeat Mother Brain, is also no more. Ridley is gone (for good this time), along with Mother Brain and the Space Pirates, so all of this has been weighing on her (hence the point of Other M bringing ALL of these things suddenly back into her life, in one way or another).
Author: And if you think that the baby and motherhood motif has been too subtle at this point, guess what's sending out the distress call? The "BOTTLE SHIP" (always written in ALL CAPS).
The BOTTLE SHIP has a double meaning. Yes, it is part of the motherhood theme, but is also meant to be a LITERAL "bottle ship", a ship in a bottle (since it houses unique "things").
Author: Want more ham-fisted SYMBOLISM!? The title appears as Samus says that Godawful line. What does "Metroid: Other M" mean? Well, the obvious acronym for the game is "MOM". Also, "Other M" is a pathetic anagram for "MOther."
Yoshio Sakamoto said: "Other M has several meanings. As the story unfolds, those meanings should gradually reveal themselves."
https://web.archive.org/web/20121106154050/http://www.1up.com/previews/metroid-other-m?pager.offset=1
"Other Metroid" is likely one of the main meanings behind the name, because the Unfreezable Metroids are one of the main story points.
It's also likely is a call back to the original Metroid's ending:
"You have fulfilled your mission. It will revive peace in space.
But, it may be invaded by the other Metroid."
"Other M" may also refer to "Other Mother" (as in Mother Brain). MB being a new "version" of Mother Brain is also a big plot point.
Another meaning could be "Other Madeline", because MB used the name "Madeline" as an alias, before you find out who the actual Madeline is.
So yes, "MOM" and "MOther" are both likely meanings for what "Other M" stands for (which makes sense, because Other M has motherhood themes). But that isn't the ONLY meaning behind "Other M".
Author: The Metroid is shown suspending Samus in air. Also, it's not huge.
Compare the Baby to the normal Metroids that attack Samus during the Queen battle, and you can see a pretty sizable difference.
Keep in mind that Super Metroid only had a 2D environment to convey scale, as where Other M has a 3D environment (they do more shots of the Baby from a below angle to show how much mass it has).
In Super Metroid, the size difference from regular Metroids and the Baby Metroid, is comparable to the size difference shown in Other M (just one is from a 2D perspective and the other is 3D).
Author: See, Other M wants us to believe that there is a deep, personal relationship between Samus Aran and "the baby." Other M is saying that Samus loved this Metroid like her child, and it's death was crushing to her, the equivalent of losing a child. The problem with this is that this is not what Super Metroid said!
This is from the Nintendo Official Guide Book for Super Metroid:
"However, a sole infant remained alive on SR388-the rescued Baby Metroid. (In terms of the original mission, this had been a violation of duty) There, you can see Samus' true feelings. A sole survivor like herself... No one else to rely on, a lonely existence... Samus imposed her fate onto the baby, becoming its mother, almost as if she were trying to raise it herself."
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Office_of_Trentesse
The Super Metroid manual says this:
"Even this hardened bounty hunter could not destroy the Metroid larva. When the larva sensed Samus' presence, it clung to her as though it had found its mother."
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=m3_manual&image_id=4
When the Baby gets killed in the Super Metroid comic, Samus says:
"Poor thing! I'm sorry that I couldn't help you... You poor deluded creature... Please forgive me..."
"The Mother Brain is going to pay for this... IN SPADES!!!"
And after she defeats Mother Brain, she is seen crying and says "The last Metroid..."
Pages 5&6:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=1&cid=5#manga_top
Also in Fusion's opening, Samus makes a point of how the Metroid hatchling has saved her life twice.
"Pondering this fact, I realize... I owe the Metroid hatchling my life twice over."
If there wasn't a connection, why would it be brought up so much?
The Baby (in some capacity) is in every mainline Metroid game (since it was introduced in Metroid II).
Metroid II's ending is a crucial part of the Metroid lore/story. Super Metroid's entire plot is centered around the Baby. Fusion's story doesn't work without the Baby's DNA. Other M is simply continuing this story and showcasing Samus's connection to the Baby.
Also, Samus has been depicted many times to have a deep connection with people/animals.
In the Metroid manga, not only does Samus have a pet (Pyonchi), but she also does everything she can to try and save the Iono Feria. When she fails to protect them, she gets angry and sheds a tear.
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mga_emch2&image_id=31
The Metroid Prime: Episode of Aether manga starts with Samus rescuing an old man and a kid from Space Pirates. The old man says that Samus doesn't have human emotions, but the kid thinks to himself "You're wrong. The person behind the mask... Had very kind eyes... Samus... Thank you..."
Page 32:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=22&cid=86
Later in the manga, Samus makes her way to Aether and is trying to rescue the last 4 surviving GF soldiers. The running theme is that Samus doesn't have emotions or doesn't care, but by the end of the manga, all 4 soldiers get killed, to which Samus removes her helmet and sheds a tear.
Page 25:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=22&cid=122
Even though it's a comedic manga, in The Shape of Happiness, Samus has a pet named Mari (who Samus likes to call "Mari Yo"), and when Mari gets killed by a Metroid, Samus says "I won't let you get away with this Mother Brain! Your life is forfeit! (Again, it's a comedy, but it still is depicting Samus's connection to animals).
Page 2:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=32&cid=156
The very act of being able to rescue the Dachora and Etecoons (in both Super and Fusion) is showing that Samus cares about life, and is willing to put her life on the line in order to protect it.
Plus, even outside of the games, Samus has been depicted with a motherhood theme.
In the Samus and Joey manga (which from what I can gather, is supposed to take place after the Magazine Z manga and Zero Mission, but it ignores the other games and does its own thing instead. So Samus never encountered the Baby Metroid in this story), Samus is finally revealed to be a woman, and says to Joey:
"Although I am a woman, from the time I was very young... I have carried the destiny of a warrior on my back... Like a mother carries her child... Even though I have never given birth or raised one... But by fighting, I have been able to protect and nurture children... Who are the hope for the future..."
Pages 13-15:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=30&cid=154
Author: The very opening sequence in fact suggests the opposite: Samus gave "the baby" away, with nary a second thought.
Samus HAD to give up the Baby, it was illegal for her to keep it. So she did what she thought was best for the good of civilization.
She even says "Satisfied that all was well", meaning she didn't just give the baby away with "nary a second thought", she stayed until she was sure the baby was in the hands of someone who could actually do some good.
Author: Even Samus calling it a "baby" in Other M is a rewrite. Why? Because in Super Metroid, it is very clearly not a baby anymore; it's an adult Metroid, and a very large one at that. It used to be a baby, but it's all grown up now.
That Metroid has always been referred to as "baby" in Japan. Even Super Metroid's opening in Japanese calls it "baby", where the English version says "hatchling".
In Fusion, Samus says "I owe the Metroid hatchling my life twice over." (she says "baby" in place of "hatchling" in the Japanese version), so Fusion wasn't calling the Metroid an adult, it still referred to the Metroid as "hatchling".
In the Super Metroid comic, it's explained that the reason for the Baby's size, is because it was exposed to massive amounts of beta-rays (on page 5 of the previously linked Super Metroid comic). Remember, the Space Pirates were trying to make more Metroids and failed (the Mochtroids). Once Ridley took the Baby (the last remaining Metroid), they pumped that thing full of beta-rays (in order to make more Metroids). It's why the newly built Tourian has ACTUAL Metroids (rather than Mochtroids).
Also, I bring up things like the Super Metroid comic, not because they are canon (because they aren't), but because details from things like this have made their way into canon (they are also official depictions of Samus, that Nintendo has approved of).
Such as the Captain N comics were the first thing to give Samus her GF background.
Page 2:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=4&cid=21#manga_top
Or how in the Samus and Joey manga, Samus gives a thumbs down and says "any objections?".
Page 28:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=26&cid=114#manga_top
Or even Old Bird himself originating in the Super Metroid comic.
However, the Magazine Z manga is considered to be Samus's official backstory. The manga writer is credited as "Special Thanks" in Other M, and Sakamoto is credited as "General Supervisor" for the manga (Sakamoto even answers questions regarding the manga in relation to the Metroid universe's story/lore). So I will be referencing that manga has canon.
Author: Of their main three franchises, Metroid is the one that actually had a real continuity and coherent timeline. Zero Mission replaces Metroid 1 as the start of the series, since it's a remake. Following that are the three Prime games in order, followed by Metroid 2, Super Metroid, and Fusion. They all fit together seamlessly and in a single continuity. Metroid is the only one of Nintendo's serieses that they actually seem to care about having a real continuity for.
And yet, here's Other M, not giving a damn about what has to be wrecked in order to get what it wants. It's one thing to want to carve out your own little fortress of canon within a larger continuity. It's quite another to start radically altering what is almost universally seen to be not just the best game in the series, but also one of the best games of its kind, and has a frequent presence on top 100 and top 50 all-time game lists.
The Metroid series has had plenty of contradictions and retcons that most people just ignore. Such as:
Ridley was originally an indigenous life-form on Zebes, being controlled by Mother Brain (stated in the original Metroid's manual).
The Federation were the ones that originally named the "Metroids", but Fusion's manual states that the word "Metroid" means "Ultimate Warrior" in the Chozo language (the manga shows that the Chozo named the Metroids).
It was originally stated that beta-rays could duplicate Metroids in 24 hours. Super Metroid changed this to "just a few seconds" (in the manual).
In the opening to Super Metroid, Samus states that after Zebes, she next fought the Metroids on their homeworld, SR388. Prime contradicts this.
A lot of Prime 1's (NTSC) scans had to be retconned and rewritten in later versions of the game. And even then, it doesn't make sense how Metroid Prime (the boss) came to be, without using headcanon. The details given contradict themselves.
In Fusion, when Samus rescues the animals (Dachora and Etecoon from Super Metroid), she says that they taught her abilities she never knew she had, yet in Zero Mission, she is using those abilities before Super Metroid when they were taught to her.
In Metroid II, the Ice Beam can't hurt the evolved Metroids, but Fusion (and later Samus Returns) changes this.
Page 3
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/lb_i.php?lb_id=13373815860B43920100&p=3
Author: Anthony, a GF grunt she knows and the only guy who calls her "Princess". So, her CO called her "lady" and this guy called her "princess." What the hell is wrong with the GF military that this kind of shit goes on?
Anthony is an old friend, he calls her "Princess" as a joke (affectionately).
In Fusion, Samus says:
"He called me "Lady" on missions; from anyone else, it would have sounded sarcastic, but Adam made it sound dignified."
In Other M, Samus says:
"Commander Adam Malkovich was normally cool and not one to joke around, but he would end all of his mission briefings by saying, "Any objections, Lady?" He was joking, but others weren't... At the time I felt surrounded by people who treated my like a child or used kid gloves because I was a woman. And yet, with Adam, I was grateful for the nod... My past has left me with an uneasy soul, and as a result, it touched me on some level that Adam would acknowledge that past by calling me something delicate-- like "Lady." And I knew more than anyone that every word from Adam was deliberate."
Calling her "Lady" would have just been some offhanded joke that "sounded sarcastic" coming from anyone else. But Samus knew that Adam's words were deliberate and it was more than just a joke. To her it felt "dignified" to be called something delicate, like "Lady".
Also, it's not like Samus hasn't been called by nicknames before. In Prime 3, Gandrayda calls Samus "Sammy".
Author: Samus monologues that being called an "outsider" in fact "pierced my heart." Obviously we couldn't have any acting to show us; that'd require Samus to emote in her voice or having the animators do physical acting or something. And that's certainly not going to happen in this game. I wonder if horrible lines like this were some failed attempt by the writers to compensate for Samus being inside a suit and having one hand in a gun all the time. The idea being that we can't see subtle facial expressions, change in body positioning, and other forms of emoting, so we would need some way of knowing what she's feeling.
The animators DID animate her face.
This is what one of the developers said about Samus's animation:
Timestamp: 7:21 - 8:20 (Turn on captions.)
https://youtu.be/8IxtUUF-iNo
Author: Well... why should she care what he "authorized" her to do or not?
Because the BOTTLE SHIP is under Federation Jurisdiction, and she wasn't hired to be there.
Author: Then Adam says the oddest line: "Samus, I'm authorizing missile use."
... what? I'm not even talking about the character implications (yet). This makes no sense on a basic continuity level. Adam never told her to not use missiles, so how does he know to authorize their use now?
Samus knows Federation protocol and she knows how Adam operates (she used to be part of his unit).
Author: But Adam says that she has to follow his commands. And I quote, "You don't move unless I say so. And you don't fire unless I say so." So Samus kicks him in the balls and tells him to go fuc- no, she goes right along with it.
Because she is now made a temporary member of the 07th Platoon (which places her under Adam's command).
It's ILLEGAL for Samus to be here, the BOTTLE SHIP is under Federation Jurisdiction. You know how Police tape off a crime scene? You can't just roll up and do whatever you want.
Samus WASN'T commissioned by the Federation, and Adam's unit had already started an investigation prior to Samus showing up. Adam (being the Commanding Officer on site) allows Samus to stay, so long as she follows his commands (which places her under the same jurisdiction as the other members of the 07th Platoon).
Author: but she was touched by Adam using the term "lady" to refer to her. And yet, she says that her thumbs down was a way to express derision at being called a lady. So... which is it Samus? Were you touched or did you not like it?
The thumbs down was Samus's way of outwardly showing that she "didn't like" being called a lady.
For example: If you enjoyed anime, but your friends thought it was lame.
When you are with your friends, and if they were joking about how dumb anime is, you would laugh with them to not be singled out, or feel ashamed for liking something that they thought was lame.
Samus liked being called "lady" but she didn't want others to know that she liked it.
Author: Then Samus says that, because her parents were killed when she was young, she saw Adam as a father figure. Shitting on Metroid #2: For saying that the Chozo we see with child Samus in a flashback in Zero Mission meant nothing to her, thus retroactively damaging that scene. No, that guy wasn't a father to her. Nor were any of the other Chozo who raised her, gifted her with her magitek powered armor, and trained her into a badass warrior. No, none of them were a father to her.
Samus has a multi-layered past. The Chozo raised her for around a decade, and Adam was the one she looked up to AFTER her Chozo parents were dead/gone. Adam becoming her father figure doesn't negate Old Bird and Gray Voice (just like how Old Bird and Gray Voice don't negate her birth parents, Rodney and Virginia Aran).
Author: Adam ends the briefing. His men give him the customary thumbs up. Now, given the flashback scene we were just shown, what would you expect Samus to do? Obviously it would be to give the thumbs down; that's the narrativistically appropriate thing to do, right? Or perhaps, she should show improved maturity (in her mind) by giving the thumbs up. Which is it?
Neither! Because nothing in Other M is allowed to make sense.
Samus hasn't been a part of the GF (or more specifically, Adam's unit) for years. She has only JUST been made a temporary member, and there is still some unresolved issues between her and Adam. Why would she respond like things are back to how they were?
Samus does say "Understood, Adam. No objections, of course."
Interesting detail:
Samus has only used her right hand to give Adam a thumbs up or thumbs down (her arm cannon arm).
Where as in Prime 3, she uses her left arm to give a thumbs up (because she is wearing her Power Suit).
Author: Instead, Samus monologues about how this was the first joint mission with the GF since becoming a bounty hunter. And that's Shitting on Metroid #3: for pretending that Metroid Prime: Corruption didn't happen, where she went on missions for the GF directly, under the command of an Aurora Unit and Admiral Dane.
In Prime 3, Samus and the other bounty hunters were hired as a 3rd party, where as in Other M (and Fusion), she is under Federation Jurisdiction.
Samus says this was her first joint mission since becoming a FREELANCE bounty hunter, meaning in every mission prior, she was HIRED as a freelance bounty hunter.
Prime 3's guide book confirms this where it says "Samus continues her service to the Federation on a freelance basis."
Prime 3's guide book (as well as most Metroid guide books) can be found here:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/maps.php
I've already covered the "Joint Mission" thing in more detail in a Reddit post, which I will link below:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Metroid/comments/b1acga/joint_mission/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Author: Watch this entire scene and ignore Samus's monologues. Go just on what is actually shown; it's not a pretty picture. Take Adam's very first line, "Any objections, Lady?" Think about the situation in which Adam is saying this. Adam, a military commanding officer, has just given his troops a briefing about some life-and-death situation. This may be the last time he speaks to some of them. And how does he end it? "Any objections, Lady?"
Note that he's looking directly at Samus as he says this. The fact that she's the only female in the room makes his implication clear. Obviously all the men-folk understand the orders; they wouldn't have any objections, so I don't have to ask them. But we need to check in on little Samus Aran; does she understand the big words coming out of Adam Malkovich's mouth? Oh, isn't she so cute, she's giving the thumbs down. We'll just humor the little girl.
Adam is simply acknowledging her being rebellious. Samus says she was known for giving a thumbs-down.
Also, why would someone ignore Samus's monologues during this scene? You would be taking the context that she is providing and throwing it away, then go on to say "See, I told you this was dumb!"
If you took the opening of Super Metroid, and removed Samus's monologue (which provide context), you would see Samus kill a giant brain, find an egg, the egg hatches, a floating life-form pops out, Samus takes said life-form to a group of scientists, and then she leaves. What was that giant brain? Did the brain lay an egg? Did Samus take this floating life-form to the scientists so she could get paid? Did the scientists hire her to do this?
Context matters.
Author: It's interesting that it actually gets worse when you put some of the monologue back into it. Remember what Samus said: Adam was not normally known for joking around. This means he specifically decided to make an exception in this case. He didn't do this for just anyone; he singled out Samus Aran as the butt of his "jokes".
So as a viewer, we get to choose which context to apply to a scene?
We don't have to apply ALL of the context, only the points that we deem necessary?
No, to view a story the way it was meant to be viewed, we have to take EVERYTHING into consideration, not just the things we WANT to consider.
Author: This is not a nice door that the writers here have opened. It goes farther downhill in light of the way Samus reacts to being in Adam's presence. Take the missile door scene; before, there was no explanation for Samus turning off her stuff. But it makes perfect sense in light of what has been revealed here. She exercises her independence by blowing open the door without being directly asked. Adam gives her the "don't do that again" look. He doesn't even have to say a word; that's how well-trained she is. He lets her know that he disapproves, so she immediately turns off her missiles and bombs until Adam specifically tells her to use them.
Watch that scene again. Anthony suggests that they need a centralized explosion to open the door, Samus picks up on what he's saying, so she shoots the door herself. Anthony laughs because he knows Samus wasn't supposed to do that, he was just trying to break the ice between her and Adam. Adam looks at her, and Samus ISN'T EVEN LOOKING TOWARD HIM, she instead turns and looks at Anthony (because he was the one who suggested she shoot the door). Anthony steps in-between Adam and Samus, which he then looks at Adam and turns back towards Samus and says "I'm gonna go on ahead." leaving Samus with Adam for a moment. Which, judging from the scene, is unclear if Samus EVEN looks directly at Adam. As Anthony leaves, her eyes follow him as he starts moving, then we get a close up of Samus's eyes, and finally we get a shot where Adam and Samus are both in frame. In that final shot, Samus is clearly not looking at Adam, and then Adam leaves.
Samus knows Adam and she knows what Anthony was doing. This wasn't Adam controlling her, this was an awkward situation that Anthony was taking advantage of. Anthony knows the bad blood between Samus and Adam (he brings it up later), so he was just trying to help things get moving.
Timestamp: 11:10
https://youtu.be/eG_terAuBBg
Author: One could almost imagine that Adam picked her out early in her career. He saw someone who wasn't fitting into the unit, who was maybe a bit too young to be in the military. Someone young and vulnerable. So he decided to mold her as he saw fit, to play dominance games of power and control with her. To use abuse as a means to keep her in line. It's pretty despicable when you try to imagine how this relationship started.
No need to imagine how it started, because the manga SHOWS how it started.
Samus was part of the Federation Police (not the Army, she wasn't under Adam at this time), and Zebes was under attack by the Space Pirates. Samus wanted to go to Zebes, but the Federation Army had already planned an attack (Samus wasn't part of that plan). Samus decided to disobey orders and go herself, and that's when Adam confronts her. Samus points her arm cannon towards him and says "Don't try to stop me! I'm going to Zebes!", Adam responds with "You have 48 hours. The Army will foray in 48 hours, Federation time!! That is all."
This is the moment that Samus starts to look up to Adam (figuratively and literally).
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mga_mv1ch5&image_id=17
Adam is allowing her the opportunity to go to Zebes and save the Chozo, even though it is against her orders.
Towards the end of the manga (in the final chapter), Samus has already made her way to Zebes (Zero Mission) and Adam is holding off the Space Pirate forces when he gets word that Ridley is making his way to Zebes. Adam orders his men to try and prevent Ridley from making his way to Zebes (because Samus is there), and Adam has a moment where you get to see how he really feels about Samus (he doesn't say this to her, just to himself):
"Samus, I won't let you die. You're a warrior, but you've lived with such pain... I understand you... But most of all, you're a woman with the power to return things to how they once were."
"Your mission, is not simply to defeat the enemy, you must also return alive, Samus. You don't need to prove your value as a warrior. A lady never forgets the people who are waiting for her!!"
Keep in mind, this was after she had left Adam to become an independent bounty hunter (this is also a bit of foreshadowing towards Adam sacrificing himself, in place of Samus).
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mga_mv2ch16&image_id=6
This scene is also a call back to an earlier moment between the two of them.
Samus: "What's so funny?"
Adam: "... Nothing... I just thought to myself that you don't seem to act very lady-like."
Samus: "What's this all of a sudden? Don't get creepy on me!!"
Adam: "... It's simple... You should remember what you are when you're not a warrior. Samus, that's something lost in you lately.
Samus: "You overstep your bounds! I'm not one of your Federation Officers anymore! I'm a bounty hunter!! When we had to run from Zebes and defeat the Space Pirates alone, I decided what I was to be from then on. And I am a warrior!!"
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mga_mv2ch14&image_id=16
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Author: Anthony says that, while Maurice is busy, everyone else should check the building out. And nobody should be watching Maurice's back because...?
Because the only way for something to get to Maurice, is if it got passed the others...while they were CHECKING THE BUILDING (the door they come in locks behind them).
Also, Maurice can use the building's intercom system, so if he needs back up, he can call them (which we see him do after he finished getting the data from the computer).
Plus, it's not like Maurice is defenseless. He has a Freeze Gun and a Submachine Gun (like everyone else).
Author: After a fade out, Anthony asks the "princess" about the view from the building. See, the BOTTLE SHIP has a bunch of hologram generators, and this building is in the middle of a grassland recreation. Anthony says that it reminds him of the GF training grounds.
Well, that was pointless
This was before it was found out that the BOTTLE SHIP was under the GF. It was a hint that the Federation were the ones that was doing illegal acts.
Author: Samus calls it a "Zebesian." I have no idea why; it's actually a Space Pirate.
Space Pirates are not native to Zebes. Neither the instruction manuals nor the games state or even imply that Zebes is anything other than their fortress, their main base for piracy.
The Space Pirates from Zebes have been referred to as "Zebesians" since Super Metroid.
Super Metroid and Fusion's manual both refer to the Space Pirates as "Zebesians".
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=m3_manual&image_id=19
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=m4_manual&image_id=20
In the Super Metroid Comic, they call them "Zebesian Pirates".
Page 3:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=1&cid=2#manga_top
Even the Nintendo Official Guide Book for Super Metroid says this:
"Earth colony K-2L... a planet attacked by the Zebesian Space Pirates, Samus was left as the sole survivor."
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Office_of_Trentesse
Zebes wasn't (originally) a Chozo homeworld, the Chozo simply made it one of their many planets that they called home (like SR-388, Tallon IV and Elysia).
The Space Pirates invaded and made Zebes their "homeworld" (hence why they are referred to as "Zebesians").
During a Q&A, someone asked Sakamoto this:
"I want to hear from all the staff. In the Magazine Z serialized Metroid Manga, Space Pirates weren't originally from Zebes, and after attacking Zebes, they created their headquarters/main base, why did they call themselves "Zebesians"? Please tell me why."
Sakamoto: "It's like how people who have emigrated to America will call themselves Americans."
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/features/faq4.php
Author: Samus then asks who "Madeline Bergman" is, even though the document just said that she was in charge. What, did she expect Adam to know the woman?
She was asking because they just found out that the BOTTLE SHIP was being run by the Federation, and Adam, being a GF General, might would know something.
She wasn't expecting Adam to know, she was asking, since if anybody would know, it would be Adam.
Author: For some reason, giving the Metroid to them violated "protocol." Um, what protocol? And how was that more of a violation than, you know, genocide?
Samus was HIRED BY THE FEDERATION to exterminate ALL Metroids. She let one live.
Again, this is from the Nintendo Official Guide Book for Super Metroid:
"However, a sole infant remained alive on SR388-the rescued Baby Metroid. (In terms of the original mission, this had been a violation of duty)"
Author: Of course, no orders are valid unless they come from Adam, so he tells them to back off and then orders Samus to deal with these guys. Now that Adam has spoken, a fight can begin.
Adam is the COMMANDING OFFICER of the 07th Platoon (which Samus is now a temporary member of).
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Author: Right after the building explodes for no apparent reason
James blew it up to destroy evidence. Later in the game, Samus even mentioned how a Deleter was sent to destroy evidence, and they have a flashback showing the building blow up.
Interesting side note:
James is the team's Communication Expect, and Adam states that "The wireless interference in this facility is all-pervasive."
Adam tells his unit that their comm system is useless and that they have to rely on the facility's navigation booths for communication.
However, Samus's comms work fine. This likely could be the result of James tampering with the 07th Platoon's comms, but didn't account for Samus showing up (which may also be why when James attacked Adam, he shot off Adam's comms).
Author: Adam then authorizes Samus to activate "the Varia feature on your suit to protect yourself from heat damage."
Firstly, that is an example of "gameplay meets story". The story is having to navigate around the gameplay, it's not something that should be taken too seriously. Adam also tells his unit to "check in regularly to navigation booths", but clearly this is also meant for the player, and not necessarily just the characters.
Most Metroid games either ignore why Samus loses her upgrades or try to give some kind of story reason. Like Prime 1 making an explosion slam Samus against a wall, causing her to lose all of her abilities, or Prime 2 making the Ing steal them. This aspect of Metroid doesn't always flow perfectly with the story.
However, if you NEED a story reason, I'll give one. The Federation had already started an investigation prior to Samus getting there. They didn't hire her (like in most past games), she came on her own accord. Adam decides to let her stay as a temporary member of the 07th Platoon (placing her under Federation Jurisdiction, just like in Fusion). Samus now HAS to follow orders or she could face legal action. Adam knows that Samus doesn't like to follow orders (she even mentioned this in Fusion, by saying "For someone who dislikes taking orders, this is my second time I've found myself having to do so."), so Adam is testing her to be sure she will fall in line with the mission and obey his orders. Adam knows Samus and he knows what she is capable of, and Samus knows that Adam wouldn't get her killed. Keep in mind that she originally left the GF because she didn't like how Adam handled the Ian situation, and she has been on her own, doing her own thing ever since.
Samus even jokes about the authorization thing later on when she says "Any objections, Adam" and then proceeds to activate 2 abilities without Adam's approval.
Adam even apologizes for "getting a little rough" with her at the end of the game.
Does the gameplay mesh perfectly with the story? Probably not. Does it create some awkward situations? Probably so. But this isn't something that is new to video games. Most players ignore these things for the sake of the gameplay experience.
Author: Anyway, after some gameplay in the Cryosphere, Samus comes across a dead creature. Samus narrates that the creature looked like a Metroid had fed on it. Well... no, it doesn't. The only sign of "Metroid predation" I know of is when something loses its color and turns into dust, and this creature seems perfectly normal, albeit frozen.
This is what a Gigafraug typically looks like:
https://metroid.retropixel.net/games/metroidom/miniboss_gigafraug2.jpg
Also:
https://metroid.retropixel.net/games/metroidom/miniboss_gigafraug1.jpg
And this is what the dead Gigafraug looks like:
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/5/58/Gigafraug_remains_Cryosphere_HD.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110217193325
It's legs are clearly a lot thinner than they used to be, and it's color has faded as well.
Also, a Gigafraug lives in cold environments, so it didn't die from being frozen, it just has ice forming on its corpse.
For comparison, let's look at Clone Ridley.
This is him prior to "Metroid predation":
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/3/32/Wonded_Ridley_Bioweapon_Research_Centre_HD.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110220205401
And this is him after:
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/9/96/Ridley_killed.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20150705072544
Author: Well, after lots more gameplay, Samus comes across the frozen body of a GF soldier: Maurice. Adam... says nothing. Remember: he can see what Samus sees. So he sees another of his team dead and does not care. For her part, Samus also says nothing. She doesn't report that a man's down or anything. So she also does not care.
Samus knows that Adam can see what she sees, why does she need to verbally report it?
Also, why does Adam need to say anything? What's he going to say? "Uh Samus, I now have confirmation that Maurice is dead... You already knew that? Oh right... Carry on then." It's not like Samus has a personal connection to Maurice (such as Anthony), and Samus is in the process of tracking down "Madeline".
Author: She talks about how the BOTTLE SHIP had become Zebes all over again. Man, this sounds familiar. A ship-style environment where there's a recreation of some planetary environment, while Samus is being given orders on where to go by Adam Malkovich, and we eventually find out that the GF is up to no good. I'm sure I played a game like this somewhere, but it's just not coming to me.
Kind of like how Super Metroid is basically an updated version of NES Metroid?
Both games have similarities to previous Metroid stories.
Why does Super get a pass?
Author: Then, Samus utters the immortal line:
Until I found out who it was, I decided to call the traitor the Deleter.
The what!? OK, this must be some kind of Japanese thing, where in the Japanese version it was used for Gratuitous Engrish and sounded cool and menacing to them. But then someone decided that they should use the same word in the English version, even though it sounds absurd to the point of pants-soiling hilarity.
Kind of like "Mother Brain"?
But seriously, what's the problem here? The author later talks about Samus and compares her to a Superhero, and refers to characters like Batman, Superman and The Joker, but "The Deleter" is too much? What about "The Terminator"? Would it have been better to call Arnold something generic like "The Killer"? Or what about calling The Deleter something generic like "The Traitor" instead? Descriptive names are a way to help distinguish characters from something generic sounding. Do you know how many shows/movies/games/etc. have someone who is a "traitor"? The Terminator terminates, the Deleter deletes. When you hear "The Terminator", do you think of anything other than the Terminator movies (maybe Deathstroke of you're into comics)? When you hear "The Deleter", do you think of anything other than Other M?
Also, "The Deleter" is only spoken by Samus, via monologues. It's never even said out loud.
Author: Then Samus wonders if this is Madeline. Again, why? The odds of it being her are minuscule at best.
She's a female scientist (or at least looks like one). That's two descriptive qualities that Samus would assume Madeline would have.
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Author: Also, this again confirms that Adam has no idea the Deleter (*groan*) exists; bringing the party together would only make it easier to get them killed by a traitor. Or maybe Adam just doesn't give a rat's ass about his men.
The Deleter has been killing one at a time, when Adam's unit was separated. Why would bringing them together make it easier for them to get killed? Especially with Samus with them. I'm pretty sure the Deleter doesn't stand a chance if he's outnumbered (hence why he's been picking them off one by one).
Author: Anthony says that their mission was to activate the Geothermal power plant. The... Geothermal power plant. OK seriously, what the hell were the writers smoking? Did they just see "lava" and think "hey, we can use it to generate geothermal power, right?"
In Prime 1, the facilities in Magmoor Caverns ran on geothermal power:
"Geothermal power routing to this station is complete. Unstable magma flow is a concern. Remove tower from geothermal grid if fluctuations exceed safety levels."
"Immersion pistons are leaching power from the magma pools as planned. Geothermal power source is promising. Recommend Energy Command deactivate Central Dynamo and switch to geothermal power at once."
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Monitor_Station
A room is even called "Geothermal Core":
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Geothermal_Core
What's so wrong with Other M doing this, when Prime gets a pass?
Plus, this is in Prime Hunters:
"Thermal Regulator
Transduces volcanic heat into useable energy."
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Thermal_Regulator
Author: Then Anthony says that they needed to do that in order to turn the lights back on. Except... the lights are already on.
He didn't say lights, he said they needed to get the power on in that area (he's speaking generally, as in the area as a whole, not one specific thing).
But yes, he is also meaning the lights, because the lights AREN'T on in that area. When Anthony and Samus are in the Geothermal Power Planet, "Ridley" starts flying around the room. Anthony then says "Man! Can't see a thing in here.", Adam tells Samus to shoot open a hatch to get magma to start flowing, which illuminates the room well enough for them to see.
Author: We're then told that 300 people are... somewhere, and they're Ian's responsibility.
The 300 people are on the ship that is being towed (in-between the ship that Adam and Samus are on and the drive unit, which Ian is on).
Author: Back in the present, Samus says that she was childish, that her antics only made a hard decision harder for Adam. Anthony tries to brush it off by saying that Adam knew that she was young and inexperienced at the time. He then apologises for "hitting a nerve."
Um... what are you talking about Anthony; what "nerve" did you hit?
Anthony said "So, Samus, how are you feeling about the Commander huh?" which prompts her to have a flashback to Ian dying.
Anthony knows this is why she left, and he knows it's a touchy subject, which is why he apologized for "hitting a nerve".
Author: That's not the case here; there was no way to save him, period. The audience can't relate to her position; it was a clearly hopeless situation. This scene is focused on how incapable Samus is, how "childish" she is. That she couldn't even recognize a hopeless situation when she saw it. The circumstances of this situation are designed so that there is no other possible interpretation. "Adam was right," just as Samus said.
That's not the point. The point is to show that Samus would be willing to put her life on the line, EVEN in the face of a hopeless situation.
Author: The proper military response to do would be for Adam to deny the request; if she kept up with it, then she'd be out of line. But he doesn't; he doesn't even acknowledge her request. He simply ignores her like she's a child.
He ignores her BECAUSE HIS BROTHER IS ABOUT TO DIE AND SHE IS TRYING TO GIVE ADAM HOPE OF SAVING HIM. Adam doesn't want that hope, so he ignores it, in order to make the decision that needs to be made (hence why Samus said all she did was "question his authority and make things more difficult.").
Author: Because again, that's what this scene is about: showing Samus to be childish, while Adam's the big, strong father figure. That's what the writers want you to believe, so the circumstances are designed to make it so that this is the only viable interpretation of this scene.
No, that is simply the author of this article interjecting their OWN interpretation of events, and presenting them as facts.
Author: There's one final thing that should be considered: what Samus said at the end. I'll quote this in full, so you can't say I'm taking it out of context, "If something like that happened again, I would hold fast to that glimmer of hope and try for redemption. That's who I am." In short, given it to do over again, she'd do the same thing. That's great, right? She's choosing her own principles rather than just doing what Adam says. Right? Shows independence and everything.
Scroll up and read the title quote for this section again. "I was childish." Samus herself believes that this is a childish view; she says it not two minutes before giving the above statement. So she thinks that it's childish... but she'd do it again.
"That's who I am": "Childish" - Samus Aran
That's not what she is saying. Samus having hope that she could save someone in a situation like that, isn't what she is calling "childish". She is saying that questioning Adam and making the situation more difficult, only then for her to leave Adam, is what was "childish".
This gets paid off later when Adam sacrifices himself. Samus still pleads with Adam, and she still has hope that she can save him, but what she does afterwards is what has changed. She is no longer "childish", so she instead says "Leave the rest to me."
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Author: She looks around for a bit, but we see the red line from a laser scope playing over her body to her face. When it reaches her face-plate, Samus sees it and turns to fire. Before she does, she sees that it's Anthony, who tells her to move out of the way. Um, why not say that before when you were clearly aiming at her; why wait for her to turn around?
Because Anthony was tracking "Ridley" when Samus walked in front of his line of fire. Anthony didn't say anything because he didn't want to give away his position. Once he calls out to Samus, "Ridley" flies away causing Anthony to lose his target.
Anthony was simply hoping that Samus would walk out of his line of fire on her own, but once it was apparent that she wasn't going to do that, he calls out to her (also the fact that Samus notices Anthony pointing his gun towards her, would be a pretty good time to call out and make your intentions known).
Author: So, while Samus sits there completely uninjured, Anthony performs a backflip to dodge one claw swipe, but gets knocked into the lava by Ridley's tail.
Samus is PHYSICALLY uninjured. She isn't just sitting there, she's experiencing a severe PTSD attack.
Author: Ridley is a Goddamn Pokemon. Sure, he may have a Magikarp Power, but it's still stupid as hell. The life-cycle of the Space Dragon starts off as a tiny rabbit creature with no arms, then becomes a four-limbed lizard/mammal, then becomes a six-limbed dragon capable of flying through space? Sorry; not buying it.
But the Metroid life-cycle is okay? A floating ball with fangs, turns into a fire breathing dragon. Also, what about the Xenomorph (from the Alien series)? A Chestburster (no back legs), turns into an adult Xeno (with back legs), and eventually into a Queen (which by the way, the Xenomorph can survive in space).
Also, it's not a "rabbit creature", it's more akin to a bird (hence why they called it "Little Birdie"). And it's not like it's a random idea to make Ridley start as a "bird". Dinosaurs have long been associated with birds, and some dragon myths started because of dinosaur fossils.
Even Super Smash Bros. Brawl's trophy for Ridley says this:
"He looks like a pterosaur but has high intelligence and a brutal nature."
https://www.ssbwiki.com/Ridley
Author: Also, how much time has passed on the BOTTLE SHIP? There has been no indication of weeks passing. And we'll find out in the next scene that Furby's been on the ship for a fairly lengthy period of time. So why is it that he was still a Furby when everyone showed up, then went through two evolutions in about a day's time?
Because Ridley is a FICTIONAL species, they can give him ANY life-cycle they want.
What about Chykka from Prime 2?
We see that boss go from Chykka cocoon to Chykka Larva to another cocoon, then to Chykka Adult, within a single boss fight (not counting Dark Chykka or the Chyklings).
Author: But now Other M comes along. Here, the suit isn't just activated by her will; it's fueled by her will. That's why it starts to disintegrate here; being in the presence of Ridley caused her to loose her will.
This is from the Nintendo Official Guide Book for Super Metroid:
"The Power Suit is Samus' secondary skin, custom made just for her, and cannot be worn by anyone else. It is linked with her biological energy, and can receive future power-ups made with Chozo technology."
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Office_of_Trentesse
And Old Bird from the Super Metroid comic says:
"The suit is something that only Samus can wear. It's like a second skin. It wouldn't work the same way if someone else were to wear it."
"She must not have been focused. Her mind must have been somewhere else. The suit is part of her, if she doesn't sense danger, it won't protect her."
"She must have been distracted by thoughts of... The abduction of the Metroid Hatchling."
Page 4:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=1&cid=4#manga_top
Also, this is from Prime 1's manual:
"Samus's standard Power Suit was built specifically for her by the Chozo people. It is integrated with her body, acting as a sort of second skin--not only does it provide physical strength, but its life-support system allow her to survive in water and even space without additional equipment."
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mp_manual&image_id=9
Author: There are many problems with this. It doesn't fit into the prior games at all. If it takes Samus's will to keep the suit operational, then what about all those times when she's been in the suit while unconscious? Corruption springs to mind, as does Fusion, where the GF cut pieces of her suit off. In fact, it doesn't even fit into this game, because it's a major plot point that Samus was unconscious with her power armor intact.
During a Q&A on the Zero Mission website, someone asked why Samus lost her suit after she crashed (in Zero Mission), and Sakamoto said:
"For Samus to remain connected with the Power Suit requires mental energy unfathomable to an ordinary person. In situations like this when she is under pressure, indeed, even Samus is unable to concentrate her mental energy. However, when Samus completes the trial of the spirit of the mural (God of War), she regains her strong force of will and can successfully integrate with the Legendary Power Suit."
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/features/faq3.php#stage03
Even when your body is unconscious, you mind can still be at peace.
The Power Suit will remain active unless Samus manually "turns it off" or something causes Samus to be in a mental state that would break her connection with the suit (or taking too much damage, it's why the suit comes off when you die).
Super Metroid even has a special move (called Crystal Flash) where Samus focuses her energy to heal herself (kinda of like "Concentration" in Other M).
https://youtu.be/y5j7ddcBlQI
Author: Also, if the suit is fueled by her will, how can a piece of the suit even be cut off? Who's will was fueling the SA-X pieces? Could Samus have killed SA-X just by turning off her suit? Could she have neutered the Boost Ball Guardian in Echoes just by turning her suit off for a brief period?
In Fusion, Samus says:
"It then came to light that the organic components of my Power Suit had become so integrated with my system that it could not be removed while I was unconscious."
The Power Suit is basically a "second skin" for Samus, so they were simply cutting off a second layer of skin (Samus's will wouldn't affect this).
The SA-X and the Ing are using pieces of Samus's suit, these pieces are no longer connected to Samus (kind of like removing a SD card from your phone. The SD card has your phone's data, but you can't access that data until you get your card back).
Author: The Chozo's special magitek powered armor appears specifically designed to fail when you need it the most. Because that's what happens here. When Samus most needs the protection of this armor, it starts shutting down. No wonder the Chozo are all but extinct; their most powerful weapons are made to fail when you need them.
In the Metroid manga, Mother Brain explains the Power Suit to Samus:
"The Power Suit originates in your genetic information. It will not appear if you have negative emotions."
Page 9:
https://www.metroid-database.com/old_site/manga/?vid=11&cid=38#manga_top
The Chozo designed the Power Suit so that ONLY Samus could use it. It's why it requires a strong will, they didn't want just anyone to be able to use their technology.
Mjolnir (Thor's hammer) requires one to be worthy in order to use it. This was done so Thor's power wouldn't be used by someone without pure intentions.
The Power Suit is THE most technologically advanced armor in the universe, I'm pretty sure the pros of the Power Suit far outweigh the cons.
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Author: It can't be the writing; that's objectively bad.
That's not what objective means.
Objective: (of a person or their judgment) not influenced by personal feelings or opinions in considering and representing facts.
Subjective: based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions.
PTSD
Pages 8 and 9 mostly cover the PTSD, and page 9 has more points that I wish to cover individually. So I will cover the PTSD as a whole here and then cover some of the individual points when I get to page 9.
Samus has a very similar PTSD attack in the manga (only more severe).
The PTSD scene in the manga, was Samus overcoming her PTSD, not eliminating it. Her PTSD only resurfaced in Other M because she believed Ridley to be truly gone for good (which he is, the "Ridley" she fights in Other M is a clone).
In the opening of the game, Samus says that the explosion on Zebes was the end of her "long-standing nemesis, Ridley". Every other game Ridley was defeated, with his return always a possibility. After Super, he is gone for good, so in her mind she is finally rid of the monster that murdered her parents and can be at peace.
She was tracking the "Mystery Creature" and then out of nowhere, "Ridley" appears (it's why she's caught so off guard and flashes back to when she was a child).
Also, these are quotes from a vgcharts interview with:
Darian Koehne – Former Army (rank withheld), suffers from PTSD
John M. Grohol, PsyD., founder and CEO of Psych Central.com
(They were shown the Ridley scene and told the context).
Koehne: "That is very much so how PTSD works.... you daze out of it for long stretches and your brain seems to freeze and do its own thing or render you basically useless..."
Dr. Grohol: "If someone experience a trauma at an early age, such as having someone kill their family, then something like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is indeed a possible reaction. One does not simply "get over" a mental disorder because these are not choices we make in the first place. Who would consciously choose to be depressed, or to have PTSD? It's an absurd argument."
http://www.vgchartz.com/article/81909/ptsd-or-weakness-real-experts-on-why-samus-didnt-shoot/
Someone can have a PTSD attack and then go years without being affected, until one day, something triggers it.
This is from iwanttochangemylife.org:
"Sometimes people develop post-traumatic stress disorder, not after one overwhelming trauma, but after many accumulated smaller traumas. If you don’t know how to let go of stress, many repeated traumas can have the same effect as one big trauma.
This is supported by the fact that adults who develop post-traumatic stress disorder often had painful or traumatic childhoods. In their case the final trauma is just the top layer of many accumulated traumas. Past traumas become interconnected so that one triggers another, and older traumas intensify newer ones."
And this is from PsychGuides.com:
"As with most mental illnesses, no cure exists for PTSD, but the symptoms can be effectively managed to restore the affected individual to normal functioning. The best hope for treating PTSD is a combination of medication and therapy. By working with a healthcare professional, individuals with PTSD can resolve their triggering factors and learn new and effective ways of coping with the stress of the past trauma."
When Samus is having a PTSD attack in the manga, Kreatz says:
"But she's been fighting against them for so long with us, why is this happening now...!?"
To which Platinum Chest responds with:
"Repressed fear will grow inside of you, even if you are unaware that it even exists."
https://metroid.retropixel.net/gallery.php?gallery_id=mga_mv2ch10&image_id=3
Samus's PTSD was held at bay because she was mentally prepared that Ridley COULD return. She doesn't have to know for sure that he is alive, just that the POSSIBILITY of him returning was always present. After Super Metroid, Samus believes (for the first time) Ridley is finally gone for good (which he is). She can finally be at peace and let her mental guard down. The CONTEXT of the situation is why she doesn't have a PTSD attack in her other encounters with Ridley.
This is from Nate Bihldorff (the writer of Prime 1):
"I’ve seen the same comments you have, and while I understand where they come from, I definitely don’t agree with most of them. For me, Samus’s detached monologue speaks to the reticence of a wounded character, one scarred by the tragic events of her childhood. The glimpse of the pain and fear she carries—shown in the flashback scene when she sees Ridley—is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. People who call out that scene as anything but empowering are kind of missing the point, in my opinion—she does end up torching Ridley, after all. There is no courage without fear, in my mind, and knowing that Samus overcomes that repressed terror makes her all the more heroic than someone who plods forward without a hint of humanity."
https://shinesparkers.net/interviews/nate-bihldorff/
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Author: So I ask a simple question: what Traumatic Stress did Samus Aran previously experience at the hands of Ridley? And I'm going to throw in one simple condition: you may not answer this question with anything outside of Metroid: Other M itself.
See the problem? The game never tells us why!
Firstly, the game DOES tell you (which I'll get too). But even if it didn't, why does it have to? Does Prime 2 or 3 tell you where Dark Samus came from or who she is (or that she is a Metroid)? These games are SEQUELS, they are expecting you to, at least, have an understanding of what has come before. They tell you enough so you aren't completely lost, but if you want the details, you have to play the previous game. Other M was meant to be a tie-in game (between Super and Fusion), and it wasn't just a tie-in game, it was a STORY focused tie-in game with the goal of answering unanswered questions left by Fusion. On the Zero Mission website, someone asked Sakamoto how Ridley's corpse was on the B.S.L. Station, to which he responded that a future game might answer that question (which Other M did, it wasn't Ridley's corpse, it was a clone).
As for how the game tells you what trauma Ridley gave Samus:
The game opens with Samus empathizing that Ridley, her long-standing nemesis, was finally gone for good.
Later the game tells you that Samus lost both of her parents when she "was so young".
Then the game builds up the "Mystery Creature" as something that is fixated on Samus. It is following her around, and during the Exam Center encounter, Samus is up in the tower looking down at the creature, by the time Samus makes her why down, the creature has already made its way up the tower (implying that it was just ignoring the other members of the 07th Platoon and only focused on Samus).
Finally, when "Ridley" appears out of nowhere, Samus says "Ridley?! No! It can't be!" Which causes her to have a panic attack as she (visually) reverts to a child.
I don't see why it would be hard to piece these things together. We are told that Ridley is her long-standing nemesis, and that she lost her parents at a young age, then we finally see "Ridley" which causes a strong emotional response from Samus, as she reverts to a child.
Author: You need an extensive knowledge of the Metroid franchise to know where this supposed PTSD comes from.
THIS game tells you where it comes from.
Author: In order to know what trauma Ridley actually caused, you must be such a Metroid fan that you've tracked down an obscure Metroid comic. A comic that was only ever published in Japanese, so you also need a fan translation of said comic (unless you can read Japanese).
This is what Nate Bihldorff (writer of Prime 1) had to say in regards to Samus's character and the manga:
"This is a touchy subject, to be sure. Bear in mind, we’re dealing with a beloved series that’s almost 25 years old, and since Metroid has traditionally been extremely light on exposition, fans have filled in a lot of the blanks with their own imaginations. Samus’ story—her voice, her motivations, everything about her—has largely been a matter of individual perception, especially in the US, where people haven’t read any of the official manga related to her childhood. Mr. Sakamoto is the only one who knows who she really is, and his vision for her and her voice was always going to be different than the character people had built in their heads."
Also, the Official Nintendo Magazine (UK) recommended players to read the Metroid Recon translation of the manga.
However, even without the manga, Other M itself explains where her trauma comes from (the manga just goes into more of the details).
Author: Because, outside of Ridley's statue in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (not exactly primary research for Metroid fans; how bored do you have to be to read statue descriptions?), that's the only place that explains what Ridley did to cause this. The instruction manuals to the games only say that the Space Pirates in general killed her family.
I wouldn't say that Brawl isn't a good source for Metroid research (especially for Metroid FANS, and considering that Kensuke Tanabe was a producer on Brawl. Which likely accounts for why there are so many Metroid Prime trophies in that game).
Brawl sold 13.30 million, where as the highest selling Metroid game (Prime 1, not counting the Trilogy version) sold 2.84 million, and the Other M only sold 1.36 million.
So out of the 13.30 million people who bought Brawl, only 1.36 million would need to have read Ridley's trophy (if they also were among those who bought Other M).
And it's not like Ridley is some obscure trophy when it comes to Brawl, he was featured in the Subspace Emissary (as both Ridley and Meta-Ridley), and he had pretty memorable boss fights.
Also, Ridley killing Samus's parents was in the Prime Trilogy booklet (that was packaged with the game):
"When Samus was three years old, K-2L was attacked by a band of Space Pirates led by the brutal ruffian Ridley. When the Space Pirates left and the smoke cleared, a single figure remained standing. It was Samus Aran, the sole survivor of the attack on K-2L."
The booklet goes on to say how the Chozo raised her and she became a bounty hunter. It then says this:
"She became the most famed and capable bounty hunter in the universe, yet she was not fulfilled. Samus didn't become a bounty hunter to achieve fortune or fame. Her purpose was to avenge the death of her parents by slaying Ridley and the rest of the Space Pirates."
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Metroid_Prime_Trilogy_art_booklet
The Other M live action TV spot even alludes to Ridley traumatizing Samus as a child:
https://youtu.be/53PSPFE07Hw
Fusion's ending artwork in Japan (that could be unlocked in the US version of Zero Mission by linking to Fusion), alluded to Ridley killing her parents:
https://metroid.retropixel.net/games/metroid4/m4jap_ending2.gif
Plus, even with just Melee's trophies, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out that Ridley likely had something to do with Samus's parents getting killed.
Samus's trophy:
"This intergalactic bounty hunter's full name is Samus Aran. Clad in a Power Suit made by the Chozo race and infused with their enhanced blood, she cleared the planet Zebes of a Metroid infestation. Samus is an orphan, the sole survivor of a Space Pirate raid that destroyed an Earth colony named K-2L."
Ridley's trophy:
"The head of the Space Pirates on Zebes, Ridley soars through space on wicked wings. Ridley may look like a mindless monster, but he's actually quite intelligent. After the SR-388 incident, where Samus captured the infant Metroid, Ridley took the Space Academy by storm, annihilating the complex and taking the Metroid back."
1. We are told that Samus is an orphan (meaning her parents were killed when she was a child.)
2. Space Pirates raided her planet, leaving her as the sole survivor.
3. Ridley is the leader of the Space Pirates on Zebes (the planet that Samus cleared of a Metroid infestation).
4. Ridley and Samus have a history (he stole the infant Metroid from Samus).
So I don't see why (even back then), it would be hard to make that connection. Or that it would be hard to imagine that Samus would have some childhood trauma (regardless if it was directly caused by Ridley).
Also for added detail, the Official Nintendo Guide Book for Super Metroid specifies that it was ZEBESIAN Space Pirates that raided K-2L. And who is the leader of the Space Pirates on Zebes? Ridley.
"Earth colony K-2L... a planet attacked by the Zebesian Space Pirates, Samus was left as the sole survivor."
https://metroid.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Office_of_Trentesse
Just for reference, Ridley's Brawl trophy said:
"The leader of the Space Pirates. He looks like a pterosaur but has high intelligence and a brutal nature. He plans to steal the baby Metroid from Samus for his own use. Ridley utilizes wings for a full range of flight and attacks with fireballs from his mouth and whips of his tail. As the culprit behind the murder of Samus's parents, the connections with Samus run deep."
Author: Look at it from the perspective of someone new to the Metroid series. They walk into this room, do some stuff, then a giant dragon appears. They see Samus go catatonic, then scream "Ridley" and turn into a crying, 3-year-old girl. Even if their first thought in response to this is "she's having a bout of PTSD," there is never any discussion in the game about where it comes from.
Firstly, Other M is not very newcomer friendly to begin with (storywise). IT'S A TIE-IN STORY. Secondly, if they (for some reason) couldn't figure out that Ridley was the cause of her childhood trauma, they would either; a. Not care, or b. Look for answers (via the internet).
If someone jumped into Prime 3, they wouldn't know who or what Dark Samus is. They would need to play the previous games, or look up the answer.
Author: If a story can't stand up without out-of-story research, either of the nature of a condition or the storyline source of it, then it fails as a story.
Current example, but... Avengers Endgame?
What's wrong with a story having elements from previous stories?
Which by the way, Other M's story holds up on its own. You don't NEED the other games to understand Other M's story (Other M tells you the relevant parts from past games), you will simply have a better understanding of everything if you HAVE played the other games and/or read the manga.
Author: Consider the PTSD defense in light of Occam's Razor: the simplest explanation is most likely true.
This is what Prime 3 says about Dark Samus (in regards to her origin):
"Intelligence suggests that the one known as "Dark Samus" is a heavily mutated clone of the hunter Samus Aran."
So if you ONLY played Prime 3, what would be the simple explanation of how Dark Samus came to be:
The Space Pirates had managed to clone Samus via use of Phazon, but something went wrong and Dark Samus became "heavily mutated" and went rogue.
Or:
The Frigate Orpheon was orbiting Zebes during Zero Mission, after Mother Brain was killed, the Space Pirates left to find another planet with a strong energy source (with their cargo carrying some Zebes Metroids). They found Tallon IV and set up a base, they then found out that the environment of Tallon IV wasn't ideal for Metroids (which is why Tallon Metroids are weaker). However, the planet had a substance that was highly radioactive (causing mutations). A Tallon Metroid (somehow) managed to get exposed to Phazon, mutating it into a Phazon Metroid (which can phase through walls). It then phased it's way passed the Chozo barrier and into the Impact Crater, then makes its why to the core (where the Phazon is coming from). It absorbs enough Phazon to then mutate into a Hopper Metroid (which can't phase through walls), so now it is stuck in the Impact Crater's core over the course of (no more than) three years, in which time it mutates into Metroid Prime. At this point, Samus has arrived on Tallon IV and eventually makes her way to the Impact Crater and down to the core to fight Metroid Prime. She defeats it and with one final attack, Metroid Prime (now in it's core form) reaches its Phazon tentacle out to grab Samus, which then pulls off her Phazon Suit (a suit that she got by accident) and mutates, yet again.
It took all of this for Dark Samus to FINALLY become what she is now.
Also, good luck applying Occam's Razor to Metal Gear.
Plus, Occam's Razor is used in the science community to help explain theories on things that aren't known. Why is it being applied to story telling?
Part 2 of this post is linked below:
https://mommetroidotherm.blogspot.com/2019/06/counter-points-to-metroid-other-m-tv_13.html
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