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. It has, more or less, replaced the Comet Observatory from the first game, but is smaller and has changing backgrounds depending on the world. 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.