Jet pack

A jet pack is a technology that allows flight, designed by the Space Pirates.

Jet packs are first seen in use by Flying Pirates and Aqua Pirates on Tallon IV, and later by the Pirate Aerotroopers on Aether, in the Federation Solar System and on the Pirate Homeworld. Jet packs are worn on the user's back, and through the use of thrusters, propel the wearer through the air. They are occasionally integrated into the armor of the Pirate, and the wearer is able to control the direction and force of the thrust to alter their course.

In Metroid Prime

The jet pack first appears in Metroid Prime. They are rather large and bulky, and comprise a large amount of the armor of the Flying Pirate class. The jet pack appears to be flame-based. However, the nature of the flame-based thrusters allow the Pirate using it to easily be tracked via thermal-vision technology. The movements of the Flying Pirates are jerky and slightly unresponsive, which suggests that the system is still in its early stages.

Aqua Pirates are issued with a gravity armorsuit jet pack that allows them to move at normal speeds in an underwater environment, and produces blue thrust. However, the heat-signature flaw of the Flying Pirates is still present in the jet packs of the Aqua Pirates, meaning they can be efficiently tracked by the Thermal Visor.

In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

The jet packs used by the Pirate Aerotroopers deployed on planet Aether in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes are largely similar in function to the ones used by the Flying Pirates on Tallon IV. However, this version appears to be much more crude, which suggests it was cobbled together from the Space Pirate starship, like many other systems used by the Pirates on Aether. This version produces a huge amount of smoke, which means it is also probably flame-based.

In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

The jet packs of the Pirate Aerotroopers in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption are vastly different from the previous versions. They are more refined and smaller, and are used in concert with Remote Attack Pods, which provides a greater variety of movement and control. However, there is a severe weakness in the design of the jet pack: if it is subjected to large amounts of heat, it can be removed by physical stress, which will cause the Pirate operator to fall midflight. This can be extremely dangerous to the Pirate if this occurs at a great altitude. If the jet pack is disengaged in this manner, it will fall to the floor and explode after a few seconds, taking the user along with it if the fall does not.

Samus Aran

Samus Aran has a set of thrusters designed by the Chozo, present on the back of her Power Suit as two red cylindrical exhaust vents attached to her chest plate.

Trivia

• Concept art for Metroid Prime shows what appears to be an early design for a Flying Pirate, with a Metroid strapped to its back in place of a jet pack.
• In Prime, if a Flying Pirate is frozen, the jet pack will still be gushing out flames.