Luminoth

The Luminoth are a species of bipedal moth-like beings from the Metroid video game series. Appearing in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, they inhabited the planet Aether and had a deep spiritual fixation with light. They are considered to be one of the "higher races" of the galaxy, like the Chozo.

Biology
The Luminoth are bipedal insectoid creatures that resemble moths. They stand at roughly twice the average size of a human, have beige-coloured chitinous skin, three digits on each hand and two on each foot. The fronts of their rounded upper torsos are covered in thick, white fluff, and their heads feature two feather-like antennae. Their faces are flat and triangular, tapering down to a point and possessing two small mandibles on either side. The Luminoth's heavy-lidded eyes are frequently red, though some members of the species have been shown to have blue eyes. The two wide, flat appendages hanging down their backs are presumed to be wings, though they have never been seen to aid in the Luminoth's hovering. They are capable of manipulating pure energy, and can produce simple balls of light without any effort.

History
The Luminoth were not originally native to Aether. According to their ancient lore, they were "born of the stars" and spent a long period wandering the galaxy. During this time, they encountered other advanced races such as the Bryyonians, the Chozo and Ylla. Their travels eventually led the Luminoth to an oasis within the void of space, the world they would come to know as Aether.

The Luminoth settled on Aether in lived there in peace for millennia, using their advanced technology to harness the unique energy within the planet's core. However, this peace was violently shattered when a meteorite crashed upon the planet, tainting the environment with toxic Phazon. The explosive impact of the Phazon meteorite reacted with Aether's planetary energy, resulting in the creation of a parallel dimension known as Dark Aether. Within this dark realm resided a hostile species, the Ing, who began invading Aether via dimensional breaches. To survive in Aether's environment, the Ing began possessing local life-forms and using them to wage war against the Luminoth.

For over fifty years, the Luminoth and the Ing fought a war of attrition, with the Luminoth being pushed to the brink of extinction. The surviving Luminoth were forced to retreat to the sanctity of their Great Temple, sealing themselves inside stasis pods to wait for either a painless death or an unlikely salvation. Only U-Mos, their last Sentinel, remained to stand vigil over the temple.

An unknown time later, the bounty hunter Samus Aran arrived on Aether in response to a Galactic Federation distress call. A Federation ship, the GFS Tyr, had been shot down over the planet by Space Pirates. While investigating the crash site, Samus discovered that all the Federation Marines were dead, but some had been reanimated by the Ing. As she explored further, Samus eventually reached the Great Temple and encountered U-Mos. It was he who guided Samus to Energy Controllers located throughout Aether and Dark Aether. Samus recovered advanced technology on the way to help her in her mission. She was able to defeat the Ing and Dark Samus (who had arrived at Aether to consume the Phazon found in Dark Aether), finally destroying Dark Aether.

With Dark Aether destroyed and the threat of the Ing eradicated, the Luminoth emerged from stasis. They bestowed their gratitude upon Samus before she left the planet. At last, the Luminoth could rebuild their world and return to a state of peace.