Cosmic Spirit

"Are you in need of a helping hand? Would you like me to guide you to the Smg icon powerstar.png?"

- Cosmic Spirit

The Cosmic Spirit is a character in Super Mario Galaxy 2 that highly resembles Rosalina and appears when Mario loses too many lives in a level. She acts much like the Super Guide, taking control of Mario to help the player complete the level. Accepting the Cosmic Spirit's help degrades the Power Star at the end of the level to a Bronze Star. Should the player wish to collect the true Power Star at the end, they must complete the level without the Cosmic Spirit's help. The Cosmic Spirit appears in only 20 galaxies, up to 22 Power Stars in total.

When Mario talks to the Cosmic Spirit, she asks if he needs to be shown the way to get to a Power Star. If the player agrees to do so, the Cosmic Spirit transforms into a blue orb and encircles Mario's body, gaining control of him and activating the Cosmic Guide mode. Unlike the Super Guide, the Cosmic Spirit does not disappear, even when the level is completed without her. The Cosmic Spirit leads Mario to the Power Star without collecting coins or Star Bits on the path she takes along the way, but she does not take too much effort in avoiding them. If the player feels that they can take care of the rest, they can press on the Wii Remote to regain control of Mario.

The Cosmic Spirit has some similarities to Cosmic Mario and Cosmic Luigi. They are all cosmic counterparts to actual characters. However, the main difference between them is that Cosmic Mario and Cosmic Luigi antagonize the player, instead of helping the player. Also unlike with Cosmic Mario and Cosmic Luigi, the Cosmic Spirit's voice is not a distorted version of Rosalina's, whereas the other Cosmic characters have distorted voices of their respective counterparts.

Trivia

 * The coloration of the Cosmic Spirit is very similar to the coloration of the inside of Count Bleck's shadowy cape, as both feature dark blue starry sky-like colorations that remain stationary independent of the movements of the character. Her appearance is also very similar to that of Cosmic Mario/Luigi, right down to the coloration and lack of visible eyes.
 * Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla is the only boss galaxy in which the Cosmic Spirit appears, and therefore the only galaxy where one can potentially get a bronze Grand Star if she is used.
 * In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the underside of Rosalina's dress is colored black/dark blue and has a glittery star pattern like the Cosmic Spirit, as opposed to being white or blue like in her other appearances in the Super Mario games.
 * The Cosmic Spirit never appears for Luigi, no matter how many times the player loses a life. If she was already seen in a certain level, she will reappear when the player switches back to Mario.