After a long drought, Metroid Dread is fast approaching and primed to revitalize the popular franchise. Unlike the narrative-driven Legend of Zelda franchise, the Metroid series has always had a more subtle, underspoken approach to lore, leaving much unsaid and up to player speculation. The second Dread trailer released by Nintendo recently showcases many of Samus' new abilities, including a new dash move and seeking missiles, but it also drops a bombshell revelation about the game's plot: a Chozo appears to be the bad guy.
For those unfamiliar with Metroid lore, the Chozo are a sentient race of technologically advanced, bird-like giants. Statues of Chozo holding power-ups are a series staple, and the Chozo are credited with raising Samus Aran after she was orphaned by space pirates. In fact, Samus' iconic powersuit and weaponry are of Chozo origin, intended to simulate the race's abilities. Historically, they have been portrayed as the good guys – a sage-like race that colonized worlds while living in harmony with the native fauna. But the armored Chozo in the new trailer is anything but friendly.
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A History Shrouded In Mystery
The Metroid games reveal relatively little about the race of towering avians, unless players pay close attention and leave no stone unturned. The Metroid Prime series log books offer some information about the seemingly gentle giants, but much of the information pertaining to the Chozo has been relayed through supplementary material like manga. It is known, however, that the Chozo were initially a warlike race that existed at least 1,500 years prior to the first game. At some point, the Chozo became more enlightened, and adopted the role of sagacious observers, peacefully coexisting with the flora and fauna of the worlds they colonized – for the most part.
Despite this general benevolence, the Chozo have their share of skeletons in the closet. When confronted with X-Parasites, some of Samus' most fearsome opponents in the franchise to date, the Chozo concluded that they posed an existential threat to the galaxy, and decided to exterminate them by developing a race of biological weapons: Metroids. Even worse, the Chozo were also responsible for the creation of Mother Brain, leader of the space pirates that have served as the series' staple antagonists.
At some point in relatively recent history, the Chozo disappeared from the galaxy. In fact, one could be forgiven for mistakenly believing that the Chozo had become extinct based on Samus' interactions with their ruins in the first few Metroid titles. But Dread's new trailer clearly shows that at least a few of the bird-like aliens are alive, well, and not very friendly toward Samus, which is perplexing given their shared history.
Samus' Adoptive Parents
Samus Aran, the series' titular hero, was the sole survivor of Earth Colony K-2L after it was raided by space pirates. The Chozo discovered Samus and raised her as one of their own, going so far as to give her a transfusion of their blood, which may have heightened her physical abilities. They also bestowed her with powered armor that simulates Chozo abilities, including enhanced durability, agility, and the power to curl into a compact ball. The suit's versatile arm canon arguably paved the way for Samus' future career as an intergalactic bounty hunter. Samus' suit can also integrate with pieces of ancient Chozo technology, hence the bird-like statues that typically hold the series power-ups.
Poetically, the Chozo managed to correct their warlike mistakes by raising Samus to become a benevolent warrior, as she ultimately destroys Mother Brain and culls the Metroids that have served as the primary threat in the series to date. Samus also succeeds where the Chozo failed by (seemingly) destroying the X-Parasites.
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The Chozo Schism
Metroid lore suggests that there was a schism between the Chozo when they switched from prideful warriors to peaceful custodians. It is also unknown what catalyzed this switch, though the Chozo on planet Zebes were described as having a mental block that prevented them from harming other sentients. Therefore, it is possible the Chozo Samus encounters in Dread is part of a different faction that splintered off from the benevolent Chozo. Or, more alarmingly, they may represent a faction that has overcome its peaceful programming, and now desires conquest.
Either way, villainous Chozo are bad news for Samus. They not only have access to the same armaments she does; they are the ones who created the tech in the first place. Even when the avian bi-peds aren't wearing armor, they are described as being incredibly resilient and proficient warriors. The seemingly evil Chozo shown in Dread's second trailer shrugs off a super missile, grabs Samus by the neck, and starts to choke her with one hand. Before Samus can pass out, her eyes flash open, as if she has received some sort of revelation. It will be interesting to see where Nintendo takes the franchise with this plot twist, but the future looks bright for Metroid fans.
Metroid Dread is set to release on October 8th, 2021 for the Switch.
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