SPERO

A SPERO.

The SPEROs (スパロウ^?) are intergalactic unmanned probes built and launched by the Koppaites. Their function is to search out planets that harbor edible matter; in the case of the Koppaites, this means fruit. Many SPEROs were built, yet only one of the last few dispatched actually managed to find a planet with suitable food.

Besides being plot points, SPEROs serve a purpose in Mission Mode. They are used as a storage device for the fruits, treasures and enemies collected in Collect Treasure! stages, comparable to the ship's Research Pod in underground areas in Pikmin 2. Besides that, it can collect Burgeoning Spiderwort berries and bring Louie back to consciousness when he is carried to one, meaning that it can appear in Battle Enemies! stages as well. It has no other functions, however.

Locations

As stated above, a SPERO appears in all Collect Treasure! stages in Mission Mode, near the starting point. It also appears in the following Battle Enemies! stages:

• Tropical Wilds Remix, at the starting point
• Garden of Hope Remix, at the starting point
• Fortress of Festivity, slightly to the north of the starting point
• Beastly Caverns, at the center, near the Blue Onion
• Forgotten Cove, at the center, near the Master Onion
• Clockwork Chasm, at the starting point

Naming

"SPERO" is pronounced like "sparrow", as proven by the introduction cutscene in Pikmin 3. Because the name is written in all caps, it is most likely an acronym, albeit an unknown one. Interestingly, SPERO also means "I hope" in Italian. Given the probes' mission, it seems fitting.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	スパロウ? Suparō	from Sparrow
Chinese (traditional)	史帕羅	SPERO
Chinese (simplified)	史帕罗	SPERO
French	SPERO	-
German	SPERO	-
Italian	SPERO	-
Korean	스패루 Seupaeru	SPERO
Spanish	SPERO	-

Gallery

• 

  SPEROs searching for other planets with edible food for Koppai, from the game's introduction cutscene.

• 

  Official art of the SPERO from one of Nintendo's magazines.

Trivia

Part of the SPERO's texture, showing the Koppaite text.

• The lens frame at the front of the SPERO has Koppaite text on it that reads "Automatic Ultrascope". This is a reference to the Automatic Ultra Scope, the Japanese name of a toy periscope released by Nintendo in 1971. The text is too small to read normally, but can be seen on the device's texture.

Pod

The pod, as seen in Olimar's Comeback

Because this subject has no official name, the name "SPERO" is conjectural.

The pod is the ship Olimar and Louie used during their fourth trip on PNF-404. It is only seen in the opening cutscene of Olimar's Comeback in Pikmin 3 Deluxe.

History

After Olimar and Louie return to Hocotate on the S.S. Drake, and without the Hocotate Ship, The President demands they go back and retrieve it. They use this small, presumably disposable pod to travel back to the planet. They used it to collect the five missing ship parts of the Hocotate ship, and any treasure they collected during day 6 and day 8 of their fourh visit to PNF-404. They also presumably use it to avoid the nightly wildlife, until they use the Hocotate ship to fly back to Hocotate.

Appearance

The pod shares similarities with the Hocotate ship and the S.S. Dolphin II. The top of the pod is the Research Pod and the bottom of Hocotate ship's Main Engine, and the pod shares the color scheme of the S.S. Dolphin II.

See also

• Mission Mode
• Side Stories