Starship Mario

"Nice spaceship, yeah? More like a faceship! Har har!"

- Lubba

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 depends on the world that it is currently in. A flock of seagulls can be seen on and around Starship Mario in the first two worlds.

While on the ship, Mario is able to explore and interact with various non-playable characters, including Lubba and the Co-Star Luma. Some other characters in the game appear after certain Stars are collected or a specific goal is met.

Much like Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine, Mario can ride Yoshi here. The egg which contains him is located on the 'nose' of the ship, after rescuing Yoshi in Yoshi Star Galaxy. If the player eats all the fruits on the ship, they will get a 1-Up. There is also a room under the area with the pressure switch which can only be accessed by jumping into a large chimney which leads into the room, or by going through a secret door in the bill of the ship's 'cap'. The room contains a large ball of light similar to the beacon in the Comet Observatory, a telescope and some books. There are also several platforms at the edge of the room which can become display cases. Various power-ups, such as the Fire Flower and Rock Mushroom, begin to appear on display after they are used to obtain certain Power Stars. However, the display cases cannot be penetrated and thus the power-ups inside cannot be used. A usable Cloud Flower does appear in front of the ship's wheel after Mario has completed Climbing the Cloudy Tower in the Starshine Beach Galaxy, however. This is the only power-up that can actually be used onboard Starship Mario. The Toad Brigade's Starshroom also stays close to the ship. Transfer between the two ships is possible via a Warp Pad located in the ship's right ear. A signpost directly to the left of the ship's wheel lists all of the Power Stars and Comet Medals that Mario has currently collected, as well as the galaxies that have been unlocked thus far.

After Mario collects his first Power Star, he finds himself on a rocky meteor-battered planetoid. It is captained by Lubba, who commands a crew of Lumas. After seeing the Power Star, and Baby Luma, he hands the ship over to Mario, reshaping it to look like Mario's head.

The ship's main purpose, though, is to allow Mario to travel between and select galaxies to visit. To leave the ship 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 which he/she can select galaxies to visit. If the game was turned off, then the player instead will go to the Grand World Map from which the player can select Worlds to visit. If the player wishes to return to Starship Mario without visiting a galaxy, they must position Starship Mario over an empty point on the World Map and then select it, which will bring up the option to return. Mario will also automatically return to the ship if he receives a Game Over at any point during gameplay.

Engine Room
The ship's engine room can be entered either by entering a small door in the middle of the ship's cap, or by using the small chimney on the head of the Starship as a Warp Pipe (standing on top of it). Inside is a single Luma, whose purpose is to convert the energy from each Power Star into fuel for the spaceship. A small ball resembling the Beacon can also be found on the ceiling. In addition, as Mario completes certain missions with power-ups, they appear in the engine room under small glass domes (all except for the Rainbow Star, which does not appear here for unknown reasons). However, they cannot be used by the player, so their purpose is thought to be more for viewing purposes as souvenirs. Below are listed the seven power-ups that appear here, as well as the conditions that must be met before they will appear here:


 * Cloud Flower - Complete Search for the Toad Brigade Captain in the Fluffy Bluff Galaxy.
 * Rock Mushroom - Complete Rock and Rollodillo in the Boulder Bowl Galaxy.
 * Spring Mushroom - Complete Spring into the Chompworks in the Chompworks Galaxy.
 * Spin Drill - Complete Silver Stars Down Deep in the Spin-Dig Galaxy.
 * Bee Mushroom - Complete The Sweetest Silver Stars in the Honeyhop Galaxy.
 * Boo Mushroom - Complete Haunting the Howling Tower in the Boo Moon Galaxy.
 * Fire Flower - Complete Burning Upside Dizzy in the Upside Dizzy Galaxy.

Passengers
As Mario continues to explore the universe, he meets various creatures and friends. After certain missions have been completed, they appear on the ship. All creatures stand on tree stumps on Starship Mario except for the Toad Brigade, who reside on the Starshroom, accessed via a Warp Pad in Starship Mario's right ear.

Below is a full list of every character that makes an appearance on Starship Mario, as well as the conditions that must be met before they will appear. All non-playable characters make an appearance on Starship Mario, with the exception of Piantas and The Chimp.


 * Lubba - At start of game.
 * Lumas - At start of game.
 * Co-Star Luma - At start of game (it is slightly larger than the playable one).
 * Hungry Luma - Call to Starship Mario in Worlds 1 - 7.
 * Yoshi - Complete Saddle Up with Yoshi in the Yoshi Star Galaxy.
 * Luigi - Complete Bowser's Fortified Fortress in Bowser's Galaxy Generator.
 * Signposts - Some at start of game, others after Yoshi appears.
 * Toad Brigade - Complete Digga-Leg's Planet in the Spin-Dig Galaxy.
 * Banktoad - Collect 7 Power Stars.
 * Mailtoad - Collect 13 Power Stars.
 * Luma Shop (1 Chance Cube) - Collect one Power Star in any galaxy after unlocking World 3.
 * Luma Shop (5 Chance Cubes) - Complete The Magnificent Magma Sea in the Melty Monster Galaxy.
 * Green Luma 1 - Complete Throwback Throwdown in the Boss Blitz Galaxy.
 * Green Luma 2 - Collect 120 Power Stars and all Comet Medals.
 * Bee - Complete The Secret Wall Jump in the Honeybloom Galaxy.
 * Star Bunny - Complete Think Before You Shake in the Flip-Swap Galaxy.
 * Jibberjay - Complete Jungle Fluzzard Race in the Wild Glide Galaxy.
 * Penguin - Complete Exploring the Cosmic Cavern in the Cosmic Cove Galaxy.
 * Whittle - Complete Tall Trunk's Big Slide in the Tall Trunk Galaxy.
 * Gold Gearmo - Complete C'mere, Goomba in the Boulder Bowl Galaxy.
 * Silver Gearmo - Complete C'mere, Topman in the Space Storm Galaxy.
 * Bob-omb Buddy - Complete Return of the Whomp King in the Throwback Galaxy.
 * Rosalina - Complete The Perfect Run in the Grandmaster Galaxy.

Trivia

 * Starship Mario slightly resembles the first planet in Gateway Galaxy, as they both are covered in grass and have a similar structure at the top.
 * The Mailtoad from the Toad Brigade believes the ship looks more like Luigi because of its green coloring.
 * Although Luigi will appear briefly on Starship Mario after three Power Stars in World 3 have been collected, he will only become officially playable after the player has completed the first mission in Bowser's Galaxy Generator.
 * The name "Starship Mario" may be a reference to the Starship Enterprise from the Star Trek science fiction franchise.
 * Whenever Mario flies to a galaxy, Starship Mario will turn to look at it.
 * On the cover of Super Mario Galaxy 2, a Question Block and a Goomba both appear onboard Starship Mario, even though neither of these things ever appear on Starship Mario in the actual game. Also, the Warp Pipe has been repositioned, as it now appears higher up on Starship Mario's cap, as opposed to in Starship Mario's right ear.