Fun fact! In the Zero Mission manga, Samus has two Federation comrades named Mauk and Kreatz, a Simian and Elfin respectively! They’re ride or die teammates, going along when Samus jeopardizes what is supposed to be a purely reconnaissance mission to instead save the inhabitants of Jigrad from Space Pirates. Later, when Samus defies orders to go to Zebes and rescue her home from the Space Pirates (she fails), Mauk and Kreatz also defy orders to accompany Samus, and later escape with her.
What’s interesting is that according a captured Space Pirate from Jigrad, Kreatz’s Elfin species is looked down upon by the Federation, as they’re blamed for the ‘Species War’ (whatever that is). Likewise, the Simians are seen as so primitive that they weren’t even considered for Federation membership until the Chozo pushed for them to be recognized.
That last bit intrigues me because it definitely gives new meaning to Mauk’s dynamic with Samus, who is half-Chozo; Did he ever find admiration for Samus’ heritage, ask about the Chozo? Express appreciation, and mourn when they were driven from the galaxy by Mother Brain’s betrayal? Did he empathize with Samus’ own grief to some level, being supportive that way?
I dig these characters, and they’re surprisingly slept upon! They’re Anthony Higgs before Anthony Higgs, and given how much the fandom (rightfully) loves him, I’d like to see more of Samus’ other friends from the Federation.
Speaking of Higgs: From what I can tell, I think “Remember me?” is partly so memed upon because it’s that same gag of Remember that Guy, where we’re introduced to a character for the first time as someone who the MC or someone else has apparently always known and they’ve always been there. And it made me think of how the line could’ve been so much more impactful had it been Mauk or Kreatz who said it, returning years after the manga was published.
And it made me think; For a Metroid show, why not consolidate the elements of Mauk and Kreatz, as well as Anthony, as friends from Samus’ time in the Federation? Specifically, by making Anthony part of that same squad; We know him and Samus fought together in the same unit, so instead of Samus having two separate teams, let’s just do the one. Seeing Anthony in S1, before finally returning nine seasons later, would be great.
Likewise, I want to explore the concept of Samus’ old squad because in the source material, it’s comprised of non-humans who fight in a distinctly non-Federation way, save Samus; But even her power suit is non-conventional. We have Kreatz’s energy whips, as well as Mauk’s brute force blows and punches. There’s definitely this implication of them as a special unit of non-humans.
Additionally, I want to radical redesigns; I love how the manga gave us Federation aliens that could be good or bad! I just wish a character like Kreatz was more alien, because as his own species name shows, he’s basically just an elf; A human with pointy ears. Similarly, I do want to give Mauk a radical redesign for the same reasons, though he’s more forgivable. I also want to incorporate this idea I’ve had for Metroid worldbuilding about species who don’t fit within the same frame as others, and struggle for it.
So Kreatz is now this plant alien; Resembling Plant 43 from Resident Evil 2, the original version, with a three-petal mouth, vines for arms and leaves at the ends as fingers, and gnarled trunks for legs. He can lurch back to then hurl forward a glob of acid. In homage to how his pointy ears were the only distinguishing aspect of him, Kreatz has two leaves on his head, one on either side, acting like ears that can go up or down to emote.
The Elfin are a race of sapient plants; They can spew acid and have flexible vine arms. This has rendered them to a special fighting style centered around energy whips they can flail around their bodies with perfect control, with their whirling whips acting as both offense and defense for them, slashing apart enemy and enemy fire. Should an enemy get close enough, they get acid in their face.
Being plant-based organisms, the Elfin don’t speak with sound; They rely on pheromones. With most species relying on sound, this creates a huge communication barrier, with the Elfin being expected to put in the work to bridge it. Hence, many Elfin have devices attached that can translate the pheromones they emit into words; Similarly, these devices can interpret words and translate them into corresponding pheromones. It’s not perfect but it works.
The reason Kreatz’s name is so human is because his true name cannot be translated into letters, due to being pheromones; So it’s like how some PoC have an ‘English’ name to get by. For Kreatz, he’s in the Federation military, as part of the army; The army is comprised mostly of humans, so he uses a human name to appeal. The same applies for Mauk.
Mauk is also of an ‘unconventional’ species, deemed ‘abstract’ by the majority. She (gender change because we need more women) is a clam-like creature; She comprises of an armored shell on top that is impervious to damage. Beneath that shell are folds of muscles that can crush any prey beneath her, to then devour and digest. It can be a bit sobering to see Mauk drag a Space Pirate beneath her shell as they scream in agony, their legs obliterated, before she finishes them off by crunching their lower half; This method avoids exposing Mauk’s vulnerable underside to any weaponry, wielded by the arms.
To move, Mauk has four soft yet muscular limbs, short and stumpy, arranged around her body; They fold underneath her shell. She can use these arms to prop herself up, or drag prey beneath her. Mauk uses these limbs to handle technology, and each is equipped with a device that translates her thoughts into words; She can hear sound just fine. Otherwise, Mauk’s species communicates by tapping rhythmically.
The Federation has always employed esoteric species; So it makes sense for them to have special units for the purpose of utilizing the unique talents, methods, and capabilities of other races. Especially the stronger ones, some of whom could qualify as bosses in the games in another context… Samus is a part of this unit, as she is a hybrid, half-Chozo, half-human, and uses a unique Chozo power suit. Samus finds a lot of camaraderie with Mauk and Kreatz for not fitting within the typical military mold.
So how does Anthony Higgs factor into this? I don’t want him to be their human commanding officer, because I feel that does take away a bit of the camaraderie that would otherwise come from them all being in the same trenches together, so to speak. I did consider Anthony being the same rank and lacking authority, only there to remind the others of standard Federation protocol. I didn’t want to make Anthony an alien because it felt like whitewashing to me; Not the same exactly, but the same in effect of erasing characters of color.
But I’ve considered another idea; He IS essentially human, like Samus, while also being an esoteric species; But not in the way Samus is. Anthony isn’t a hybrid. Instead, he’s a host, to his wife. His wife is of a sapient parasite species, one that bonds with a host when they become old enough; To them, it’s marriage, and the host has to be consenting. Ordinarily thìs species evolved with another sapient one, or maybe they relied entirely on animals before making contact with other planets.
Regardless, in the present day they all need a host upon adulthood; Or are expected to. Some don’t fit that mold, amongst a species that already doesn’t fit the mold of the Federation or Space Pirates or other groups. But in the case of Mrs. Higgs, she was happy to meet Anthony and bond with him for life. She lives inside of his body, enhancing it and maybe emerging to attack and defend. Only Anthony can hear and understand her; The two mutually agreed to serve the Federation. People address Anthony, and sometimes allude to his wife, who like most of her kind prefers to remain private. It’s a truly mutual relationship where they both make decisions together in the heat of the moment.
So technically, Mrs. Higgs is the ‘esoteric’ one within this unit, and Anthony is just along for the ride, or IS the ride. Regardless, he’s another unusual case, which adds to the sisterhood he experiences with Samus, Mauk, and Kreatz; A clam, a parasite, a plant, and an android. Samus isn’t an android, but many mistake her for one due to her constantly being clad in armor; It’s a callback to the NES manual speculating her as such, and how the name Metroid was originally assigned to Samus (combining Metro and Android), which makes the jokes of “Why can’t Metroid crawl” even more understandable.
With the exception of Anthony, the others didn’t really go through Federation boot camp, not the typical kind at least; Given how the Federation has already employed and worked with other species before, they were essentially loaned/recommended soldiers from their own worlds. The Federation accepted, and after a proper training period where they were taught Federation protocol and familiarized to its environments, Samus and the others were assigned to one another. This special forces unit answers to Chief Hardy, and are assigned to do recon on Jigrad.
We’re first introduced to the squad via Mauk and Kreatz; A Space Pirate patrol stops so one can relieve themselves upon on a small tree, singling it out by reasoning that “Plants actually appreciate what I have to offer, unlike some regular rock.” Speaking of rocks, another notices a strange one and realizes it’s not a rock at all; It’s Mauk, who goes still, withdrawn in her shell to avoid attention, trying to blend in. Due to not being intimately familiar with Jigrad’s ecosystem and possessing biases, the Space Pirates assume this faceless creature as just one of the local fauna. One tries to shoot Mauk for fun but is disappointed when she’s unharmed; The Space Pirate is mocked and they all leave with the other one’s business finished.
That’s when tree in this scene moves out of their posture, facing Mauk; This a sapient individual named Kreatz, also unrecognized by the ignorant Space Pirates. He apologizes to Mauk for having to go through that; He speaks by grabbing a stone to use the rhythmic taps of Mauk’s species, a language the Elfin can learn to accommodate without relying on technology. Mauk reassures Kreatz that it’s all right, and anyhow he’s the one she feels sorry for. Kreatz admits it’s actually quite all right; That Space Pirate was correct, that WAS refreshing for him, and the most those pricks have ever contributed for the Elfin!
The two return to where Samus and Anthony are hiding; Samus has also mastered the rhythmic language, but Anthony struggles and laments this. Kreatz uses his device to speak, reassuring Anthony that it’s all right; He still struggles sometimes himself. The group alludes to “Mrs. Higgs,” whom Anthony reassures them on, while reiterating she prefers to be private to assuage any concerns.
The story goes about as you expect, just with Anthony (and technically Mrs. Higgs) present as well. Anthony appears to be a regular Federation soldier and that’s how the Space Pirates underestimate him, just thrown in so the others can be reminded of the Federation’s authority, until Anthony shows off what him and Mrs. Higgs can do together. Samus is the only one not underestimated, something that precedes the intimidating reputation she earns amongst her enemies.
Anthony, Mauk, and Kreatz are all ride or die friends who remain in the Federation when Samus leaves. When the Metroid crisis begins, we get a scene showing what they’ve been up to, and how they attempt to survive this new threat. It’s sobering when an indestructible shield such as Mauk, who often props herself up to protect others, is told to retreat because it doesn’t matter how impervious she is; If a Metroid latches on, she’ll be drained and killed like any other victim. It’s a testament to how Metroid is unlike anything anyone has ever faced, and a true threat.
Like in the manga, we get a scene of the trio fighting back against the Space Pirates on Mauk’s homeworld of Jamoru; After Samus completes her Zero Mission, there’s an aftermath episode acting as the season finale where we check up on her old comrades, who help turn the tides against the Space Pirates. They hear the rumors of a bounty hunter named Samus Aran single-handedly defeating Mother Brain, and express admiration, having always believed in her.
Cue all three disappearing for basically the whole show, until nine seasons later, when one of them returns on the BOTTLE ship, working as part of a new special forces unit… More on that later. Anthony asks Samus, “Remember me?” And this time the viewer actually does, with the same elation and disbelief as Samus.
