Samus Aran's gunship

Samus Aran's gunship is a fictional spaceship owned by interstellar bounty hunter Samus Aran in the Metroid series of video games. Several gunships has appeared throughout the games, and they have appeared in all games except for the first game in the series, Metroid.

Metroid: Zero Mission
Samus' first ship appears in the beginning of Metroid: Zero Mission, when she lands it on the planet Zebes. This ship is red, streamlined, and its "windshield" is green and v-shaped like the visor of Samus' Power Suit, a feature that is used in all of the later gunships as well. The hatch to enter it is located on the top of the ship. After landing it on the surface of the planet, Samus can go back to the ship to save her game and recharge her health and ammunition, a feature also used in all other ships. After destroying the enemy base Tourian, Samus tries to escape in the ship, but it is shot down and destroyed by Space Pirate fighters. Samus later steals a Space Pirate fighter on her own and escapes with it.

Metroid Prime
In Metroid Prime, Samus has apparently acquired a new gunship. It is somewhat bulky, yellow in color, and has four thruster-like engines underneath. The hatch to enter it is again located on top of the ship. She lands it on Tallon IV when searching for Space Pirates, and in the end it is shown to be remotely controlled with Samus's arm cannon, and have some kind of hyperdrive that Samus uses when leaving the planet.

Information gained from a Space Pirate log suggests the ship has a powerful cloaking device, though this has never been confirmed in any game and may be just speculation on the Space Pirate's part.

When scanned, the gunship gives the following information:


 * Hunter-class gunship


 * Registered to Samus Aran


 * Return Here to Save Your Game, and to Recharge your Health and Ammunition

Metroid Prime Hunters
In Metroid Prime Hunters, Samus uses the same ship as in Metroid Prime to travel to and around the Alimbic Cluster, and later to escape from the doomed spacecraft Oubliette.

Scanning the gunship gives the same information as in Metroid Prime.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Samus has either gotten a new gunship, or modified her old one. While still yellow, the ship in this game is wider and has three "anti-gravity" lift engines instead of thrusters. This ship also appears to have a hyperdrive as seen in the ending.

When scanned, the gunship gives the following information:


 * ''Starship: Hunter-Class Gunship


 * ''Gunship Under Repairs


 * ''State of repair at 86% and Rising

(The actual repair percentage rises with progression throughout the game.)


 * Your Hunter-class gunship is one of a kind, its distinct hull lines marking it to friend and foe alike. Custom built for you by the Federation Shipyards at Aleihs III, it contains a mobile energy recharge system and microfactories designed to produce ammunition. A sophisticated onboard computer stores mission data collected in the field for future reference.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
In the upcoming game Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the gunship has either undergone heavy modification, or Samus has acquired a new one. In any case, this ship is much more streamlined than the last one, and has two pointy "wings" on the sides. It has also been said that the player will be able to control it for the first time in the Metroid series, and will also be able to "call in" air strikes from this ship during ground missions.

Metroid II: Return of Samus
In Metroid II: Return of Samus, Samus appears to use the same ship as in Metroid Prime 2. She lands it on the surface SR-388, and escapes with it in the end.

As Metroid II actually was released before Zero Mission and the Metroid Prime subseries, this game was actually first to feature the ship. As such, this game was the first to showcase the classical features such as the v-shaped windshield, top-hatch, and the ability to recharge health and ammunition. However, the game could not be saved inside the ship.

Super Metroid
In Super Metroid, Samus uses the same ship as in Metroid Prime 2 and Metroid II. It is used to land on Zebes once again, and in the end is used to flee from the planet as it explodes.

An official manga released around the time of Super Metroid reveals that the gunship has an impressive arsenal of weaponry, though the ship itself has never fired in any Metroid game.

Metroid Fusion
In the beginning of Metroid Fusion, Samus is infected by an X Parasite. This causes her to pass out while flying her gunship, and it drifts into a nearby asteroid field and is destroyed. Samus herself survives due to an emergency escape pod, and is rescued. The government then gives Samus a new gunship, similar to her other ones but colored purple. It also had retractable landing gear, and a hatch on the bottom instead of the top. This ship was for some reason equipped with the computerized mind of Samus's old commanding officer, Adam Malkovich. The ship is used to land inside the BSL space station, and escape from its inevitable destruction.

Other appearances
Samus' gunship is also described in issue #5 of the comic Captain N: The Game Master, published in 1990 before the release of Metroid II. This version of the ship looks completely different from any in the canonical Metroid universe. Interestingly, the ship's class in the comic was "Hunter IV", suggesting that the canonical designation may have been derived from the comic. However, it is also possible that the name is simply coincidental, given how Samus' official occupation is that of a bounty hunter.

The Metroid II version of the gunship also appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee, awarded for beating the Brinstar escape sequence in Adventure mode.