Rescue Command Post

The Rescue Command Post is the main hub area in. It is a small tutorial area, unlocked from the start of the game.

Plot
This area is first landed in at the beginning of the game, after Olimar's prologue. The player finds Oatchi and uproots a potted plant to rescue Collin. The group then tries to navigate to the S.S. Shepherd in the distance, discover the Burrow of Beginnings, and find Shepherd under attack by some Bulborb Larva inside. After rescuing her, they exit the cave to reach the damaged S.S. Shepherd, and find that must be gathered to restart the ship. After discovering the Red Onion and collecting various treasures nearby, the S.S. Shepherd gains enough energy to enable its radar, which unlocks the Sun-Speckled Terrace.

From here, the area serves as a hub at the start of each day, where the player can talk to rescued castaways to use features such as the Piklopedia, Treasure Catalog, accept Side Missions, train Oatchi, buy items and gear from the lab, and choose an area to explore. No time passes in this location, with the sole exception of attempting the Trial of the Sage Leaf, which takes the full day.

The area expands as more castaways are found, revealing the nearby crash site of the S.S. Dolphin.

Layout
The following notable features can be found in this area.
 * Various grassy and dirt terrain.
 * Large-leafed vegetation in the out-of-bounds area.
 * Tipped broken vases with rooted plants coming out.
 * Plantations with a sign indicating what plant it is, although with no text.

Caves

 * Burrow of Beginnings
 * Trial of the Sage Leaf (unlocked after completing Olimar's Shipwreck Tale with all 30 ship parts)

Onions

 * (from the Trial of the Sage Leaf)
 * (from the Trial of the Sage Leaf)
 * (from the Trial of the Sage Leaf)

Vegetation

 * &times; 6

Guide
Before the area becomes the main hub, you have to go through an opening tutorial when you first arrive in this area. First, you'll need to go forward and meet Oatchi, then set him to work on pulling the potted plant to open the way forward. Continue along the path until you find the buried cave entrance of the Burrow of Beginnings. Tell Oatchi to dig and, once it's been uncovered, enter it. Continue forward and you will find Shepherd surrounded by Bulborb Larvae. Attack them and once they're defeated, and Shepherd saved, break the nearby jars and go through the cave until you reach the escape wind exhaust. Once outside, go to the S.S. Shepherd. You will be tasked with finding and collecting treasures. You can safely look for them without the worry of enemies or the day timer. The first thing you should do is go to the other side of the area where you'll find the buried Red Onion. Tell Oatchi to retrieve it, and once the Onion has settled and you discovered the first Red Pikmin, start collecting pellets and grow more Pikmin to collect the treasures. The Noble Bident is semi-buried right next to the Onion and Pellet Posies. The Path Creator is hidden behind the S.S. Shepherd. The Stone of Advancement is on top of the blue pot; to get it down, rush at the pot with Oatchi. Once you collect all three in the area, the first day will end and the area will become the main hub area.

You will start at the Rescue Command Post in the beginning of each subsequent day. You speak to Collin to be able to explore another area. Alternatively, you can speak with the other rescued castaways to get missions from them, or you can grow extra Pikmin with the six Pellet Posies that grow back every day, or even wait for them to mature.

Trivia

 * In the Pikmin 4 announcement teaser, a White Spectralids can be seen in the Rescue Command Post. In the final game, however, no White Spectralids (or enemies of any kind) appear in the area.
 * The Rescue Command Post is the first (and so far only) playable hub area in the PS undefined, with all games prior only having an area selection menu. This also makes it one of the few above-ground areas where time does not pass at all.