The Mothership Returns is a live two CD set and one DVD by the fusion band Return to Forever. Released 18 June 2012 by Eagle Rock Entertainment, the double CD set documents the music performed during the 2011 tour. Return to Forever was expanded for this tour to quintet and featured keyboardist Chick Corea, bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White, guitarist Frank Gambale and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. The album peaked #6 in the 2012 and 2013 Jazz Album charts.[3]
Destroy All Humans! has players invading Earth again in this revival of the original 2005 alien-adventure hit. When not busy scanning human brains, or razing entire county fairs, players will find themselves returning to their Mothership for a quick rest and convenient upgrades.
Return to the Mother Ship
Mission Selection is exactly what it sounds like - players can use this menu to pull up an overview of all the missions completed thus far, and any new missions that have been unlocked. This is where players will return upon completion of a mission, and where players can select a new challenge to take on. Players should also note that completing a mission often unlocks additional challenges to complete within that particular mission, so old stages are certainly worth a revisit.
The last Mothership menu, Archives, lets players review tutorials, apply new character skins, read up on Destroy All Humans! lore, or even replay story missions through the Holopox Deck. It may be one of the less crucial features to the game, but its unique features add a nice degree of depth to the game.
Despite 15 years of time, and several other game titles in-between, fans are more eager than ever to invade Earth in this year's remastered Destroy All Humans! Players who've already jumped into the alien invasion frenzy should remember to stop by their Mothership between missions - it may seem tedious, but simple upgrades can give new meaning to things like using the Holobob ability.
When guitarist Al DiMeola left Return to Forever (again) after their 2008 reunion tour, Chick Corea solicited the help of the band's original axeman, Bill Connors, to rejoin the band for another tour. He did. While he rehearsed with Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White, health issues forbade him from returning to the road. Corea then enlisted his former Elektric Band guitarist Frank Gambale, as well as guest violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. The 2011 tour, by all fan accounts, blew the doors off the 2008 reunion. Gambale, every bit the technical virtuoso as Di Meola, is the stronger jazz player of the two. And with Ponty's added fireworks, the vintage RTF material took on an entirely new life, as did other pieces performed here. This two-CD/DVD package offers visual as well as audio proof that the fans were correct. While the set opens with a gorgeously played "Medieval Overture" from Romantic Warrior, it then shifts into what is perhaps the most intense version of "Señor Mouse" on record at over 12 minutes. Next up is a medley of White tunes in "The Shadow of Lo/Sorceress," clocking in at nearly 17 minutes While the first part is a largely acoustic piece, it gives way to the band's full slate of jazz chops full-on. Clarke, Gambale, Ponty, and Corea all shine, while White is so ambitious and propulsive, he makes this entire jam sound more like prog rock than fusion. Ponty's 19-plus minute "Renaissance," from 1975's Aurora, is a showcase for his composition. As a soloist, he remains fully committed to the fusion aesthetic and is every bit as technically gifted as he was in the '70s. He's dazzling, as is Clarke, in his swinging pizzicato bass solo. Disc two begins with a burning, free-flowing "After the Cosmic Rain" that heads directly into an extended version of "Romantic Warrior" before shifting gears into a gorgeous medley of composer JoaquÃn Rodrigo's Concierto Aranjuez paired with Corea's "Spain." Things get massively funky on Clarke's "School Days" before heading off into a straight -- and brief -- "Hymn to the Seventh Galaxy" to close it all out. It's a breathtaking 110 minutes. The included DVD contains a documentary called Return to Forever: Inside the Music, concert performances of "After the Cosmic Rain" and "The Romantic Warrior," and a sneak peek trailer for the forthcoming film, The Story of Return to Forever.
Space Pirate Mother ShipThe Pirate Mother Ship on ZebesTypeMilitary frigateAffiliationSpace PiratesPurposeFlagship of the Space Pirate fleetLocations foundChozodiaFeatured inMetroid: Volume 2Metroid: Zero MissionMetroid: Samus Returns (intro)StatusDestroyedThe Space Pirate Mother Ship was the enormous flagship of Ridley and the mobile headquarters for the Zebesian Space Pirates in Metroid: Volume 2 and Metroid: Zero Mission. It had landed in Chozodia.
The Mother Ship is recognizable for its purple, enormous and bulky appearance, coupled with relatively short, sturdy wings. Along with a glass tube connecting to the Chozo Ruins of Chozodia, the ship features a docking bay containing Escape Ships. When the ships enter or leave the Mother Ship, a door in the front would open, resembling a mouth or beak. The pilot area has various red circles nearby, as well as three glass cockpit bubbles. Presumably, the red circles supplied transmissions from Zebes and any other Pirate Homeworlds to the Mother Ship, due to them flashing red and Ridley immediately ordering the vessel to head to Zebes.
The Mother Ship houses the incomplete Mecha Ridley, a safeguard created in Ridley's image in order to protect the ship in his absence. This robot is connected to the Mother Ship, and its destruction causes the triggering of a three, five, or seven minute (depending on difficulty level) countdown to the destruction of the Mother Ship as well. After Samus's escape, the ship's interior starts to glow red (which can be seen through the ship door), and the ship falls apart with an explosion, leaving it as a scorched wreck.
The ship serves as a replacement for the Space Pirate Flagship, which was destroyed in a battle against the Federation Army Special Ops Battleship VIXIV IV over Zebes. Scan images aboard the Frigate Orpheon in Metroid Prime feature the ship as being shaped similarly to the Mother Ship, implying that they are of the same model. The Space Pirate starship from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes also resembles the Mother Ship in terms of design.
The Mother Ship is not present in the original Metroid game, but rather in the extended ending in the remake, Zero Mission. Following the defeat of Kraid on Zebes, Ridley receives a distress signal from the planet in the ship's bridge and changes course, heading straight for the planet. By the time Samus enters Ridley's Lair, the Ship has landed in Chozodia, and Ridley makes his way to his chamber.
Following the defeat of the Mother Brain, Samus escapes Zebes but is shot back down to the planet. Without a choice, Samus undertakes the "foolish" task of infiltrating the Mother Ship, armed with only her Paralyzer (her Power Suit had been destroyed in the crashing of her Starship). Samus escapes the Mother Ship and encountered the Ruins Test, which she completes. Rewarded with a Fully Powered Suit, Samus returns to the Mother Ship and slaughters any and all Space Pirates in her way with her newly-enhanced weapons. She finally confronts Mecha Ridley and destroyed it, then escapes the exploding Mother Ship in a hijacked Escape Ship.
In Metroid: Volume 2, the Space Pirate Mother Ship is seen as Ridley's new flagship, fighting against the Federation Army Special Ops Battleship VIXIV IV. Midway though the battle, it tries to warp to Zebes but is stopped by Adam Malkovich in the VIXIV IV, knowing that if it makes it to Zebes it would effectively put an end to Samus' Zero Mission. Eventually, Ridley is able to make it to Zebes with his ship, although not before Samus destroyed Kraid.
The Mother Ship was also present during the raid on the Space Research Vessel Marina, as it is visible in the background of the intro cutscene depicting the space battle. The ship participated in the raid by deploying a large squadron of Space Pirate vessels to attack and cripple the Research Vessel in the Pirates' attempt to acquire the newly discovered Metroid sample obtained from planet SR388. Chronologically, this is the Space Pirate Mother Ship's first known appearance.
The destruction of the Mother Ship would seem to imply that its remains would be revisited by Samus in the area known as the Wrecked Ship during the events of Super Metroid. However, supplemental materials and careful inspection of the Wrecked Ship reveal it to be of Chozo origin and the vessel's entrance can be found in Zero Mission before the Mother Ship has yet to land on the planet. Furthermore, the Chozo ship can be partially explored as an entirely separate area from the Pirate vessel near the end of the game. Finally, Yoshio Sakamoto dismissed the possibility of both ships being one and the same.[1]
The Pirate Ship is enormous; Samus compares the difference in size between her Escape Pod and the Pirate Ship to a fish and a whale. It is notably marked with a skull and crossbones design, hearkening back to the Jolly Roger used by Earth pirates. Inside the ship, notable rooms include the control room where the Pirate Boss resides, and the docking bay where a small spacecraft is kept. It is crewed by the human Space Pirates who built their fortress on Zebes and stole the Metroid capsule.
The Pirate Ship appears in space after Mother Brain is defeated on Zebes. Depending on how the story plays out, the Pirate Ship may intercept the distress signal sent from Samus's spaceship, or it may simply approach her escape pod. Either way, Samus is captured by the Space Pirates and brought to the Pirate Boss in the control room. The Metroid=Mutant also boards the Pirate Ship and wreaks havoc, killing many Space Pirates in its path. In the good ending, Samus duels the Pirate Boss in the control room and retrieves the stolen Metroid capsule before escaping in a small spacecraft. She fires a large missile from the small spacecraft, which completely destroys the Pirate Ship. 2ff7e9595c