Ridley is a fictional antagonist and high ranking Space Pirate from the Metroid video game . His appearance is considered similar to that of a skeletal pterodactyl, but upon further examination it resembles a rather thin, bony European dragon (with four limbs, two bat-like wings, a demon-like spear-tipped tail, and the ability to exhale blasts of fire and/or plasma). Due to his appearance and affiliation with the Space Pirates, some people have come to refer to him as a "space dragon."