Andross

Andross, known as Andorf (アンドルフ Andorufu) in Japan, is the main villain of the Star Fox series.

As explained in Star Fox Command and Star Fox 64, Andross was once a brilliant scientist working for Corneria. Although his intentions were pure and beneficial towards Corneria and the rest of the Lylat System, his lust for power drove him to the brink of madness. During one of his "bio-weapon" experiments, Andross unleashed a devastating explosion that apparently leveled a great deal of Corneria city. Fearing Andross could possibly destroy the whole planet, General Pepper of the Cornerian Army caught wind of his potential, and ordered him to stop. As he refused, General Pepper banished him to the planetary wasteland of Venom.

As the years progressed, Andross began building forces on Venom, as well as conducting various threatening experiments on himself. Andross soon became a twisted shell of his former self, driven by insanity. His thoughts and intentions shifted from protecting Lylat, to making it his own, to eventually destroying it and ruling a new empire under his name.

General Pepper eventually received interesting and conflicting reports of bizarre events in Venomian airspace. The general hired the Star Fox mercenary team to investigate. Soon, all three pilots (James McCloud, Peppy Hare, and Pigma Dengar) were probing Venom's skies.

When they arrived, Pigma betrayed the team and joined Andross. James and Peppy tried to escape, but only Peppy was successful. This left Peppy with the inenviable task of telling James' son, Fox, about his father's fate.

Back on Venom, Andross proclaimed himself emperor of the planet Venom and soon the entire Lylat System. With an army of mass-produced androids, bio-mechanical warriors, anthropromorphic lizards and apes, as well as hired thugs like the Star Wolf Team, Andross unleashed a blitzkrieg on his neighboring worlds.

Fox McCloud was forced to hastily step into his father's shoes and lead a new Star Fox team against Andross. With Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, and Slippy Toad at his side, Fox battled across the Lylat System to stop Andross, but in the end it was Fox alone who flew into the depths of Venom to face Andross.

Andross appears in several different forms throughout the Star Fox series, the most common of which is a giant disembodied head (accompanied by a pair of hands, except in the original Star Fox). In Star Fox 64, Andross' first form is a giant head with 2 hands. After dealing enough damage, Andross will take on his second form. On the easy path, it is a giant robotic head (a fake Andross). On the hard path, it is a giant brain with 2 disembodied eyes & his underneath caught like hallucination!

After defeating his second form, Andross initiated his final defense. He set off a time bomb intended to destroy Fox. (If the player only fought the robotic head, the bomb is then only meant to cover Andross' retreat. Otherwise, it is truly meant to kill Fox.) However, Fox is led out of the base by a being which appears to be his father, though it is unknown if it is really him, a ghost, or a vision.

Andross did not survive the destruction of his Venom base. Weak and wounded, reduced to a disembodied spirit, Andross fled to the planet Sauria (also known as Dinosaur Planet). There he was able to enlist followers among the SharpClaw clan of dinosaurs to keep him alive, but not much more (although in-game dialogue from General Scales implies that he did not know of Andross' involvement in his plans).

For eight long years Andross tried to revive himself, failing time and time again. This was at least partially due to his mistrust of his SharpClaw helpers, particularly their nominal leader, General Scales. Scales would happily take Andross' power for his own at the drop of a hat.

Finally, Andross found a solution. To Scales' delight, Andross gave the dinosaur all the power that Scales had long coveted. The domination of Sauria was within Scales' grasp. And Andross' price seemed simple. All he wanted was a couple of artifacts and the capture of a young blue-furred vixen named Krystal, the only survivor of the lifeless planet Cerinia.

Unknown to Scales was that Krystal had the ability to channel the long-forgotten Krazoa power. Said power was contained in the artifacts Scales was gathering for Andross as well. Unaware he was being duped, Scales succeeded in acquiring most of the Krazoa Spirits and reducing Krystal to be Fox's damsel in distress. Andross trapped Krystal inside a large crystal and sent her atop the Krazoa Palace. Andross then proceeded to steal her life force, in order to restore his own.

Rebels to Scales' rule sent out a distress call that General Pepper did not ignore. His own troops spread thin, Pepper once again hired Star Fox to dive into the breach. Unfortunately for all concerned, team Star Fox was a pale shadow of its former self. Only Fox himself remained on active duty.

Once on the planet's surface, Fox found a helper in the form of a local named Prince Tricky. Together the duo fought a two-animal war against General Scales and his forces. Finally, Fox and Tricky defeated Scales himself only to unveil Andross as the dinosaur's puppet master. The duo raced to release Krystal from her imprisonment atop Krazoa Palace.

They succeeded, but it seemed the damage had been done; Andross awakened. Fox quickly boarded his Arwing starfighter to battle Andross once again. Infused with the great Krazoa power, Andross had Fox on the brink of defeat until Falco appeared. Fox's old wingman rejoined the Star Fox team, not to mention the battle, and Andross was defeated once again.

Andross's legacy lives on his nephew, Andrew Oikonny, who wishes to defend his uncle and bring light to a new Lylat. Andrew, however, lacked the same mind as his uncle, and as such, he ignored the true intentions of Andross, and only desired to bring a stop to the current form of Corneria. Also, it is revealed in Star Fox Command that Andross had a grandson named Dash. Andross seems to want his grandson to carry on his legacy, because if the player fights Andross with Dash, he will respond "What are you doing?! This is my grandson I'm fighting here!" However, in the "Dash Makes a Choice" ending in Star Fox Command, Dash goes on to turn Venom into a thriving planet which soon comes to match Corneria in its environment (after much terraforming) and scientific expertise. But soon Dash starts to feel the need for power that Andross felt, and he makes a speech to all the citizens about how Venom is the center of the universe. Just like it was with Andross, Venom's army became a threat to the galaxy. He also starts to slightly resemble Andross in appearance as he ages through the ending.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Andross' Star Fox and Star Fox 64 forms are unlockable Trophies. Interestingly, it states that his form in the original Star Fox is a metallic fake.

In the Japanese versions, Andross (or Andorf) is voiced by Daisuke Gōri. In Star Fox Adventures, he is voiced by Duncan Botwood and has what sounds like a Scottish accent.