Hocotate ship
The Ship is the common name for Olimar's new rocket in Pikmin 2. It has no real name, and is never called anything, so it is simply called 'The Ship'. The Ship is obviously an older, worn-out model of ship rather than the S.S Dolphin, you can tell by the noises it makes and by its faded, rusty color. However, unlike the Dolphin, the Ship is capable of speech, and often takes on the role of giving advice. It has a pompous, smart-aleck personality. Once the President's debt is repaid, the ship is upgraded into a sleeker, golden model.
Capabilities
The ship can store Pikmin (and it does so, storing both White Pikmin and Purple Pikmin). Unlike the Dolphin, you cannot check how many treasures you've collected on it nor restore your health. Standing in the green light and pressing A before you have collected the Purple Pikmin does nothing. The ship has two cockpits, and is capable of deep space communication, sending a report each night to Hocotate and receiving mail. The Ship can dispatch a Research Pod for traveling underground.
Research Pod
When traveling underground into caves, the Ship dispatches its nosecone, known as the Research Pod, and sends with you into the cave. It is used to store any treasures and enemy carcasses to be sold to pay off the debt upon exiting the cave. In emergency cases, it can empty its cargo, take in Olimar, Louie and the Pikmin, and return to the surface; should this happen you'll lose any carcasses and treasures you got.
Sales Pitch
If you complete a collection of treasures, the ship makes a sales pitch. This is an advertisment for a product. However, the commercials themselves aren't that great; the sales pitches are mostly for your enjoyment.
Example: Superstick Textile: The latest must-have item for all ship emergency-repair kits, this miracle fabric is a lifesaver! Its adhesive power is so great, once it's applied, it can never be removed...not even surgically!
Cameo Appearance
Super Mario Galaxy has a planetoid shaped very similarly to the The Ship located in the "Junk Galaxy". It is a red, rusted color, and appears to be a subtle blend between the S.S. Dolphin, and The Ship.
The Ship
- Ship 2.jpg
- Research pod.jpg
The Research Pod
