Dark Luminoth

A Dark Luminoth is a presumed name for a Luminoth that has been possessed by the Ing Horde. Many Luminoth, after finding out that the Ing Horde can even possess their own race, had stated that they would rather "self-terminate" or commit suicide than become a weapon for the Ing. Although they are mentioned in Luminoth Lore, they are not actually seen during gameplay as all of them had most likely been terminated.
Interestingly, there is no evidence of the Ing possessing dead Luminoth (either those killed in battle such as the Keybearers or those who self-terminated when possessed). This is surprising given the Ing's ability to possess the corpses of Federation Marines who landed on Aether. A scan implies, however, that the Luminoth, if they killed themselves to prevent themselves from becoming Darklings, also decomposed their limbs, implying that they made measures to ensure the Ing would not take control of their corpses.
==The New Terror==
"In time, the Ing began to possess Luminoth as well as creatures. Friends and family members became the enemy, spilling Luminoth blood across the land. Desperate, we devised shielding to prevent Ing possession. It was effective, but not perfect. Should the shielding fail, all Luminoth were prepared to self-terminate, rather than become a weapon for the Ing."
===Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes Q&A===
QUESTION:
I started playing from MZM so with MP2 I only have two Metroid games. MP2 was also profoundly interesting. My question is why is it that the Ing can possess life from seemingly anywhere? And, why weren’t the Luminoth possessed?
ANSWER: The Ing are capable of going back and forth from the Dark and Light worlds. They are also capable of possessing the Luminoth. In the Luminoth lore there are records of this occurring.
==Trivia==
*During an E3 demonstration of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, a Luminoth can be seen at Portal Terminal, where its colors are not the same as in the final version. The E3 Luminoth is covered black with orange highlights, which mimic the coloration of the Dark Suit. While it is commonly believed that this was a Dark Luminoth described in Luminoth Lore, details point to the possibility that this could be a Luminoth wearing Dark Suit technology (which may also be referenced in the above Lore entry). In the final game, no Luminoth are shown to wear such colors, though there is a possibility that the armor was either removed and/or destroyed. I-Sha mentions the former, as a Dark Suit was being held by the Guardian of the Dark Agon Temple. 
**This texture can also seen applied on an Ingsmasher within the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc, possibly suggesting the use of Dark Suit technology on Mechanoids for Dark Aether exploration.
**Also within the Bonus Disc, Pirate Commandos possessed the same colored texture. It is possible that originally, the Pirates may have also acquired the Luminoth's Dark Suit technology as with the Dark Beam. In the final, these Commandos were repurposed as Dark Pirate Commandos instead.
==Gallery==
File:Dark Luminoth.png
Dark Luminoth.jpg
'Dark' Luminoth.png|Textures for the unused variant.
DarkLuminoth.png|Luminoth model with unused textures applied.
LeRoy Strauss MP2 character samples.jpg|LeRoy Strauss character samples depicting a dark Luminoth.
Luminoth concept3.png|Another possible Dark Luminoth design.
Category:Darkling
Category:Aether
Category:Dark Aether
Category:Luminoth
Category:Unused Bosses and Species