The Zoras are my favorite race, Skyward Sword had all the previous races plus new ones.
But the Zoras didn't even make an appearance.
Yes there were only two Gorons, but there were Gorons.
Only one old race appears in Skyward Sword: The Gorons, which are IMO the most overused race in the series. And I mean overused; I'd like to see less of them and more of something else, or just new races. That said I was pretty happy with Skyward Sword because while it had Gorons, it was only a few (exactly three), and it focused virtually entirely on new races.
Anyway, I don't have much beef with the Zora not showing up, because I like it that the game focused on new races. At the same time, it is a little strange considering that the game was a prequel; you'd think they'd focus a little more on the origins of several species. Regardless, I appreciate it mostly crafting its own unique Hyrule. We
need more of that.
But that's the key: You'd think they'd focus more. Focus.
Focus. There is zero potentiality for them to have intended the Parella to be the Zora unless they were putting some kind of emphasis on that fact, because otherwise it would be a ridiculously poor design choice. The fact is that there is
nothing within Skyward Sword that actually suggests the Parella are the Zora. That's just a fact. All theories to the contrary are completely originated by fans. While that's fine, that's mere speculation and isn't grounded in any kind of factual, theoretical basis. You simply cannot pretend with any degree of authority or certainty that it is true, because it blatantly isn't.
I agree with TheBlueReptile. Skyward Sword seems to loosely suggest that the Parella eventually became the Zora. I don't have much to add to this theory aside from what the game already hints at: They are both aquatic races, they are both sentient, and the have a leader (Faron) who appears to resemble a Zora somewhat, etc. There may have been a need to adapt to a rapidly changing environment, and/or to evolve due to a sudden need to migrate to the north. Additionally, the time span between SS and Ocarina of Time is unknown, but it seems to be large enough to accomodate the evolution of Parella, similar to the undetermined time span between OoT and Wind Waker in the whole Zora→Rito situation. That leads me to think that Faron may have somehow contributed to their transformation as well [using magic?].
When is it suggested? The correlation of a basic element (water) suggests absolutely nothing, because the same logic dictates that the Kikwi, Deku, and Kokiri are all the same. It also dictates that the Gorons, Mogmas, and Subrosians are the same. Tokay are also Zoras, and maybe Anouki are too. Or perhaps the Anouki and Yook are both evolutionary offshoots of the Yetis. Bottom line: You're claiming a suggestion out of nothing. The same applies to your claim of sentience, and the notion that Faron resembling a Zora (which she honestly really doesn't) doesn't help the argument.
They appeared to have no fighting ability in SS, and their small, frail bodies would have sustained damaged from even weak attacks.
That's not true at all. We don't know much of anything about Parella anatomy, but one thing about boneless creatures is they're not always frail. Bones can break, but boneless creatures don't have that problem. Octopuses are boneless but have brutally powerful muscle, and some jellyfish (which the Parella resemble) have deadly stings.
If Occam's Razor means nothing to you, that's fine. But it's not a cop-out explanation. It's very logical reasoning in this scenario, as well as in Zelda in general. (Btw, I used to think it was a terrible way of thinking, too. Then I realized it wasn't.)
^ Mm. You can decide not to follow Occam's Razor if you want (and I don't use it all the time myself), but the fact is that saying the Parella are the Zora is a complete assumption, and there is no factual basis for it. Occam's Razor dictates making as few assumptions as possible, but this is beyond that: The entire notion is an assumption. Without that assumption this wouldn't even be a discussion. And you're free to have whatever speculative ideas you want... just don't pretend it's any kind of actual theory. Theories require factual basis.
I like your reasoning here. It's the one thing that has continuously kept doubt in my mind. Yet in considering the ramifications of this we leave too many open ends. What happened to the Parella? Where did the Zora come from, and why do they have such a strong connection to the Hyrulean Royal Family? The change of deity from SS to OoT certainly doesn't help my cause, but there's just too much to like about the Parella-to-Zora theory.
I think you summed this up yourself, actually. "Too much to
like". Liking it has nothing to do with it being true. In fact most of my complaints about Skyward Sword are in this vein: For a prequel, it sure didn't offer any elaboration or explanation where it needed to. That doesn't mean all our wishful thinking or what would have been awesome forms some kind of actual fact. That's delusional. The absent explanations you bring up are present throughout the series in many other situations; they have no bearing on any perceived or desired connection between the Parella and Zora.
Divine intervention can happen at any time from anywhere, not just simply happening once by the Wind Waker's gods.
Of course. But that's borderline
historian's fallacy; without the direct reference from Laruto saying that Medli was her descendant, and without the direct confirmation from Nintendo that the Rito are the Zora, that theory would still be crap, and would be debated exactly like this. So where is the direct confirmation? Where is the direct implication? There isn't any. You're pulling an entire conclusion out of zero implications.
You also completely misread that quote, "In the Era of the Mighty Ocean, some races the appearance of some races suffered a big change in comparison to the Era of Chaos."
They're saying that the change from Zora to Rito and Kokiri to Korok was a big change in comparison to the changes they would have gone through in the Era of Chaos. That does not reference the races in Skyward Sword, nor references those changes as physical; what it's referring to is never addressed. You're stretching the quote to your own argument.
If you ask me, Zoras were around during the time of Skyward Sword; they just didn't appear in game. Maybe they're in a part of Hyrule not explored... ZORA'S DOMAIN MAYBE 
