Phaaze

(so named by the Space Pirates and the Galactic Federation) was a sentient planet and the source of all Phazon. It is the final location Samus Aran visits in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and formally the final level in the entire Metroid Prime trilogy. From Phaaze, the living meteors known as Leviathans were grown and sent into space to corrupt planets. Because of this, the planet itself is, in a sense, the true main antagonist of the trilogy. The known planets hit by Leviathans were Tallon IV, Aether, Bryyo, Elysia, and the Pirate Homeworld, though all these Leviathans were eliminated. A Leviathan was also sent to Norion, but it was destroyed before it hit the planet.
==Features and history==
Phaaze is a sentient planet. Within the planet are serpentine organs where Leviathans are born and grown. Once they mature, they leave Phaaze and corrupt planets with Phazon. Leviathans leave Phaaze every 100 years. As the Leviathan corrupts the planet, it takes control of a powerful local bioform and manipulates it to protect its core. After many years, the corrupted planet becomes a Phaaze clone.http://uk.wii.ign.com/dor/articles/1012308/un-boxing-metroid-prime-trilogy/images/un-boxing-metroid-prime-trilogy-20090807050652197.html?page=mediaFull
The planet is completely composed of Phazon. This may mean that there could be undiscovered strains of Phazon present on Phaaze prior to its destruction. The existence of Black Phazon Crystals was previously unknown until discovery of the planet.
===Discovery===
Phaaze was first discovered by a Chozo Searcher on Elysia. A once-thought-lost probe began transmitting data on Phaaze. However, this data only revealed minor details about the planet. The Chozo Searcher learned that Phaaze was somehow "alive". Unfortunately, the data being collected was mysteriously lost before the Chozo could properly analyze it. Further research about the planet was next to impossible, as Phaaze was incredibly far away, even for Chozo space-travel standards.
===Recent history===
After this, Phaaze would be undetected for many years. The next time that bioforms exotic to Phaaze would lay eyes on it would be when Dark Samus brought the Space Pirates there. Following the Space Pirate attack on the G.F.S. Valhalla, Dark Samus implanted Aurora Unit 313 into the planet itself, allowing her to control the planet and its resources.Space Pirate Data: Purification
Finally, the Galactic Federation tracked the origin of the Leviathans to Phaaze. They began preparing to travel there to put an end to Phazon's destructive power. After taking control of a Leviathan Battleship circling the Pirate Homeworld and warping there, the Federation engaged the Space Pirate fleet in orbit above the planet while Samus headed down there to find Dark Samus.
Traveling through Phaaze's depths, Samus confronted Dark Samus. On the verge of losing the battle, Dark Samus called forth Aurora Unit 313 and merged with it. Samus destroyed the corrupted Aurora Unit connected to Phaaze, and due to the symbiotic nature of this relationship, the destruction of the Aurora Unit caused a chain reaction that culminated in the destruction of Dark Samus and planet Phaaze itself.
==Biology==
Life on Phaaze is largely Phazon-based. Phazon Puffers, Phazon Hoppers, and Phaz-Ing are abundant, as well as several mutated Metroids; the presence of the latter species can be attributed to Space Pirates and Dark Samus having transported them to the planet prior to the events of Metroid Prime 3. In addition to these creatures, many previously unseen bioforms inhabit Phaaze, some that are even unidentifiable by Samus' Scan Visor. All species were rendered extinct by the destruction of the planet.
Husks that are identical to Metroid Prime can be found scattered and embedded in the walls surrounding the Leviathan womb in the Genesis Chamber. It can be assumed that the husks belonged to an unknown number of Metroid Primes that have evolved from the lesser, mutated Metroid strains found in abundance on Phaaze. It is likely there are more Genesis Chambers on the planet, but only one was seen in the entire game.
Dark Samus also appears on Phaaze, as it is her base of operations, going as far as calling it her "homeworld". She can absorb energy from the planet itself to heal herself in battle. Aurora Unit 313 was located in the Sanctum, where it was implanted into the planet's core.
A list of creatures that can be found inhabiting Phaaze is below:
*Aazelion
*Aurora Unit 313
*Dark Echo
*Dark Samus
*EyeballBlocker
*Fungus
*Glow Stem
*Hopping Metroid
*Hyper Grapple blocker
*Jelsac
*Leviathan (unseen, presumably scattered below Phaaze's surface)
*Leviathan Infant
*Leviathan womb
*Massive tentacle
*Maw
*Metroid Egg (heavily saturated and mutated by Phazon)
*Miniroid
*Phaaze Door
*Phaz-Ing
*Phazon Fungus
*Phazon Hopper
*Phazon Metroid
*Phazon Puffer
*Phazon tendril
*Phazon Vine
*Space Pirate (an armada guards Phaaze)
*Tangle Weed
==Samus's arrival==
Seconds after arriving on Phaaze, Samus's Phazon corruption reaches nearly critical levels, causing her to remain in Hypermode permanently. Samus becomes so corrupted (though not completely, as she still retains her free will) that her Gunship no longer recognizes her, therefore denying her access to her ship for the rest of the game.
Also, all Energy Tanks are "vented", and a yellow bar showing her Phazon level replaces her Energy Meter at the top of the HUD. As Samus is exposed to Phaaze's atmosphere, this bar will gradually fill. The amount of time it takes to completely fill up depends on the number of Energy Tanks collected throughout the game; the more Samus has acquired, the more time space in the bar and time she will have. Taking damage also fills the meter. The bar will deplete when Anti-Phazon Units are absorbed, when Phazon Puffers absorb her energy for an attack or when using the Hyper Grapple to expel energy/Phazon into an enemy. When the meter is maximized, Samus reaches Terminal Corruption, and the game is over as Samus turns into a new Dark Samus.
==Bosses==
*Dark Samus
*Aurora Unit 313
==Official data==
===Metroid Prime Trilogy art booklet===
"No one knows when Phaaze was born.
A planet completely unique in an infinite universe, unlike any that came before it. Phaaze was alive. A conscious, sentient being.
Like all living creatures, Phaaze did its best to ensure the continued survival and prosperity of its race. Every 100 years, seeds, similar in form to meteors, would be fired from Phaaze to planets far away. These seeds, these children of Phaaze, were called Leviathans. Leviathans had the ability to generate wormholes, allowing them to travel to galaxies unbelievably far away.
When a Leviathan strikes a planet, it creates a Phazon Core which emits a strong toxin called Phazon all over the planet. Phazon is a powerful substance with the ability to completely corrupt living beings through genetic mutation. Over the course of a couple years, Phazon corrupts the entire planet, at which point the planet is reborn as a Phaaze clone."http://metroiddatabase.com/old_site/mpt/mptbook2.jpg
===Unused Logbook entries===
http://tcrf.net/Metroid_Prime_3:_Corruption
==Etymology==
The planet's name is likely a play on the word "phase", which is one part or portion in recurring or serial activities or occurrences logically connected within a greater process, often resulting in an output or a change. Phaaze acts as the final phase of the Metroid Prime trilogy, though it triggered the events of the entire series prior to the plot depicted.
In a more literal sense, Phaaze is simply based off the word Phazon. This means that the name's true origin is the same as that of Phazon.
==Development notes==
The planet's name was first given in a Q&A on the Japanese Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes website.QUESTION: 単刀直入に質問します。ずばり「フェイゾン」の原産地はどこですか？ANSWER: フェイザというところらしいですよ。 (QUESTION :
This is a blunt question. Just exactly what is the origin place of Phazon?ANSWER: It might be a place called Phaaze.) http://metroid.jp/metroid_version3/qanda/qanda08.html https://shinesparkers.net/metroid-prime-2-dark-echoes-qa/8/ Metroid Prime: Federation Force also mentions the planet in its introduction.
An unusual constellation appears in the sky above Phaaze, which art director Todd Keller intentionally designed to resemble the outline of a Metroid.Todd Keller (motorraccoon). "Part of the phazon planet background, notice the Metroid constellation #metroid @MetroidHuntress #skymap" 8 August 2015 3:58 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/motorraccoon/status/630105906013847552
The cutscene depicting the conflict between the Federation and Pirates above Phaaze, before Samus landed on it, was animated by Carlos Mendieta.https://www.carlosmendieta.com/demo-reel.html
==Trivia==
*The presence of mutated strains of Metroid and their hives, along with husks seemingly belonging to a single or numerous Metroid Primes living on Phaaze suggest that Metroids are native to both SR388 and the Phazon planet. In addition, this also led to the theory of the final boss from the first Metroid Prime game having originated from Phaaze and reaching Tallon IV via a Leviathan.
**However, as a result of official media related to the Metroid series stating SR388 to be the single homeworld of the titular species, along with the Space Pirates' known habit of importing said species to different planets, it is more likely that the Metroids were introduced to Phaaze by the marauding race and their leader, Dark Samus. The massive population can be attributed to specific mutants capable of reproduction, such as Metroid Hatchers and other Metroid Primes. The most consistent theory explaining the origin of Tallon IV's Metroid Prime can be found here.
*The destruction of Phaaze due to the defeat of Aurora Unit 313 is very similar to the destruction of Zebes after Mother Brain is destroyed by Samus in Super Metroid.
*Aurora Unit 242 is the one to inform Samus that the Galactic Federation named this planet "Phaaze". However, certain Space Pirate Data entries that can be uncovered before the transmission 242 gives use the same name.
*AU 242 suggests the Pirate Homeworld may have also become a secondary Phaaze due to the mass corruption of Phazon and possibly transformed the said planet into another Phazon source as well.
**Unused Pirate Log entries indicated that, aside from the Pirate Homeworld, Bryyo, Elysia, and presumably Tallon IV and Aether, at least 100 other planets had Leviathans collide into and possibly transformed into other Phaaze planets by the time Phaaze itself was destroyed.
*Phaaze is the second planet chronologically destroyed in the Metroid series, preceded by Dark Aether, then followed by Zebes, SR388, and ZDR.
*When Samus first enters Phaaze, a cutscene is played of her Gunship entering the atmosphere. This is only one of two instances in which the cutscene is seen, the other being the arrival on Norion.
*There is a possible mention of Phaaze in the Chozo Lore "Great Poison", where the Chozo theorize one planet once was coated with the Great Poison, and meteors from it spreading the Great Poison to the far corners of the universe.
*Coincidentally in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, one of Dark Samus's internal folders is named "Phaze".
*As there are no confirmed instances of the planetary corruption process being completed, it is unknown if Phaaze clones could have produced Leviathans or what their fates would have been when the original Phaaze was destroyed.
==See also==
*List of rooms in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption/Phaaze
==Gallery==
Scenes.png|Storyboard art
Storyboard5.png|Storyboard art
Pirate destroyer beam.png|A Pirate vessel fires its laser at the Olympus above Phaaze.
Phaaze battle.png
Phaaze_landing.png|Samus's Gunship flying down to the planet.
Phaaze landing 4.png|Samus lands on Phaaze.
Permanent hypermode 2.png|Phaaze's atmosphere causes a reaction in Samus' body
Permanent hypermode 4.png|Samus PED unit overloads, forcing her to vent all her tanks and enter permanent Hypermode.
PhaazeUncropped.jpg|A full view of Phaaze and its surrounding atmosphere.
Phaaze's end.png|The destruction of Phaaze.
Phaaze FMV.gif|An FMV of Phaaze in the Metroid Prime Trilogy Developer's Voice.
PhazonCreaturesScan.png|Scan images of Phaaze, from the Phazon Creatures section of the Logbook.
Phaaze Grass.png|Model of the small Phazon tentacles seen on the planet. Internally known as Phaaze grass.
==References==
es:Phaaze
ru:Фааз
Category:Phazon
 
Category:Planets
Category:Destroyed Planets
Category:Recurring Locations
Category:Species
Category:Metroid Production facilities
Category:Final Locations