Starship Mario

Starship Mario is a Mario-head-shaped planet and space craft in Super Mario Galaxy 2 used to travel across the universe. Although notably smaller than the previous games' hub areas, it serves as the hub of the game and has, more or less, replaced the Comet Observatory from the first game. Other than its smaller size, another difference from the Observatory is that it also has changing backgrounds, the appearance of which depend on the world that it is currently in.

While on the Starship, Mario is able to explore and interact with various non-playable characters, including Lubba and the Assist Luma. Some other character in the game appear after certain stars are collected or an special event is met. Much like Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine, Mario can also ride Yoshi here, and the egg which contains him is located on the "nose" of the starship after picking a star in Yoshi Star Galaxy. Power-ups like Fire Flowers or Rock Mushrooms appear, both shown for display and for use, after certain stars featuring their use are obtained. New areas were also added, most coming with various characters or power-ups, and almost all of them has at least one 1-up Mushroom.

The starship's main purpose, though, is to allow Mario to travel between and select galaxies to visit. To leave the starship and go to the world map, one must step up to a ship's wheel near the top, in front of which is a small weight-activated button. When pressed, the button sends the player to the world map, from where they can select galaxies.

Character List
Below is a full list of the characters that make an appearance on the Starship Mario.