Starship Mario

Starship Mario is a planet in Super Mario Galaxy 2 used to travel across the universe. It is in the shape of Mario's head. Although smaller than previous 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 visibly-smaller size, it also has changing backgrounds depending on which world it is currently in. Here, Mario can select galaxies to travel to and interact with various non-playable characters that inhabit the small planetoid. To leave the starship, 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 he/she can select galaxies.