Phantoon
Phantoon is the literal ghost of the Wrecked Ship, because in life it was a giant brain-computer like Mother Brain. It was the “brain” of the vessel, similar to an Aurora Unit onboard a warship. But like Mother Brain, it suffered a lack or deterioration of empathy for its crew due to the Chozo’s inexperience in creating giant brain computers. The first Chozo on Zebes literally crash-landed and half the crew were lost because of its last-ditch attempt to destroy its own crew.
The spirit Phantoon lay dormant for thousands of years, slowly feeding off the electrical energy that was still being poured into the ship by the Atomics used to power it. It trapped the ghosts of the dead crew members, causing them to warp into hideous amalgamations called Covern which mindlessly pursued any living things that entered the ship.
At the time of Super Metroid, the Atomics were beginning to die off or escape, and Phantoon was running low on energy. Mother Brain managed to contact Phantoon telepathically while scouring Zebes for things to add to her golden statue gates. They reached an agreement by which Mother Brain would feed her own energy into Phantoon, and it would serve as a guardian to Tourian. With her help, it became so powerful that it could manifest physically in the world. But this also rendered it vulnerable to Samus’ weapons. After its defeat, Phantoon’s grip on both the ship and the crew were lost.
