S.S. Dolphin

Lore & Background

The S.S. Dolphin is the personal spacecraft of Captain Olimar, a tiny alien from the planet Hocotate who works for the Hocotate Freight Company. The ship's name directly references the GameCube's developmental code name. In the original Pikmin game, Olimar becomes stranded on an Earth-like planet named PNF-404 after his ship crash-lands. To repair the S.S. Dolphin and return home, Olimar must rely on the local Pikmin creatures to retrieve scattered ship parts. The Onions—the motherships that store and reproduce Pikmin—remain in their landing sites in Pikmin 1, but in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3 they can be transported via the ship, so the statement that they never travel with Olimar is inaccurate for later games. The S.S. Dolphin is essential for Olimar's survival and escape in Pikmin 1, serving as his base of operations and the only way off the planet. In Pikmin 2, the ship destroyed is the Hocotate ship, not the S.S. Dolphin. In Pikmin 3, Olimar crash-lands the S.S. Dolphin, and it is later found damaged.

Reader's Guide

In the original Pikmin game, the S.S. Dolphin is the player's primary objective: you must locate and retrieve all of its missing parts within a limited number of in-game days. Each day lasts approximately 13 minutes, and you must return to the ship before sunset to avoid nocturnal predators. The ship acts as a safe zone and a checkpoint. The Onions, which store and generate Pikmin, travel with Olimar as he flies to new areas, but the S.S. Dolphin itself is the key to completing the game and escaping PNF-404.

Did You Know?

• Captain Olimar flies the S.S. Dolphin to different locations on the planet PNF-404 in Pikmin 1, and crash-lands it again in Pikmin 3, where it is later found damaged.
• Contrary to a common misconception, Onions can be transported via the ship in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3, so they do not always stay put.