Star Bit

"Those are Star Bits. To Lumas, they are the tastiest, most delectable treats imaginable."

- Polari

Star Bits are common collectibles introduced in Super Mario Galaxy. In Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, they can be used as projectiles to stun enemies, feed Hungry Lumas to progress to new areas, and gain extra lives by collecting a certain number of them. They can also be used to feed Lumalee, who uncommonly appears in some areas, in exchange for an extra life or three extra health. Star Bits come in many colors, including red, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white.

Super Mario Galaxy / Super Mario Galaxy 2
Star Bits debut in Super Mario Galaxy and reappear in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and are first introduced in the form of small rocks from space, landing when Mario arrives at Peach's Castle at the beginning of the game. To collect them, the player can move the Star Cursor over them or simply run into them. For every 50 (Super Mario Galaxy) or 100 (Super Mario Galaxy 2) Mario collects, he receives an extra life. Mario will keep collected Star Bits after losing a life in a stage, but he will lose his coins. The games' tally of Star Bits collected on the HUD can only count a maximum of 999 Star Bits, and any more collected after will neither raise the counter to accommodate four digits nor count towards any more extra lives. After completing a mission, Mario's Star Bits are added to his total number.

The stored Star Bits are used to feed the Hungry Lumas found in the Comet Observatory and several galaxies to unlock galaxies and planets. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, they are also used at various points in the different Worlds and to spin Chance Cubes on Starship Mario. They can also be used to feed other Lumas, without any practical reward for doing so. But, they may return quick, charming dialogue in excitement of being fed.

In Super Mario Galaxy, the player can talk to Comet Tico, in which they can either receive information about Prankster Comets, or use him to move the positions of Prankster Comets in exchange for 20 Star Bits.

Pressing the button will shoot a Star Bit at the location of the Star Cursor. This can be used to stun or defeat some enemies. If a player holds the button, Star Bits will be shot continuously. Fired Star Bits cannot be recovered.

The average enemy, such as a Goomba, will release three Star Bits when defeated. However, that will only happen if the Star Spin is used, as simply jumping on one produces a single Coin. This holds true for most, but not all enemies. For example, Magikoopas only release Coins no matter what method they are defeated by. Additionally, some bosses release a few Star Bits after being hit. Mario can also make Star Bits appear by Ground Pounding certain buttons or activating Flipswitch Panels in various galaxies. Note that this will not always happen, as each button or Flipswitch Panel performs a different function depending on its galaxy and location.

There is a larger object related to Star Bits called the Star Piece Cluster, many of which are normally seen in Launch Star paths. They are broken upon impact and produce at least six Star Bits that Mario must collect quickly before they fly away.

Super Mario 3D World
Star Bits also appear in Super Mario 3D World. Here, they appear in the background of all special worlds (Star, Mushroom, Flower, and Crown), serving no real purpose.

Super Mario Odyssey
In Super Mario Odyssey, regional coins are in the shape of Star Bits in the Moon Kingdom.

Mario Kart Wii
Star Bits appear in Rainbow Road, merely serving as decorations on various parts of the track. They are absent in split-screen mode to conserve game performance.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Star Bits appear in the Individual and Team versions of Dream Ski Jumping in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, where the player can collect them to score points. The Star Bits come in three different colors, each with a different point value. Green Star Bits are worth 10 points, purple ones are worth 30 points and orange ones are worth 50 points.

Super Smash Bros. series
Star Bits are used as Rosalina's side special move in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which is called Star Bits. When used, Rosalina commands the Luma to shoot a small number of Star Bits. It is a long-ranged attack that cannot be absorbed or reflected, thus not making it a projectile attack. Nothing will happen if a Luma is not present when Rosalina uses this move.

In the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U installments, the move has two variations that can be swapped out once the player unlocks them. Floaty Star Bit is a large Star Bit that is slow and gets in the way of fighters. Shooting Star Bit shoots only one Star Bit, but has longer range and more power. Unlike the default variation, these two variations are considered projectiles, and can be reflected or absorbed.

Mario Party 10
In Mario Party 10, Star Bits are exclusive to the amiibo Party on the Rosalina Board. They appear in Crystal-like recipients. When the player lands on an Event Space, the Star Bits inside the recipient fly out and fall in the center of the board, where they have to be quickly collected with the cursor within five seconds. They can then be exchanged for an equal number of Coins.

Trivia

 * During development, Star Bits were originally known as star shards.
 * In Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, if 9,999 Star Bits are collected, all coconuts in the games will become watermelons permanently, even if the Star Bit total drops below 9,999 again.
 * In Super Mario Galaxy 2, if the player has 777 or 7,777 Star Bits on hand while on Starship Mario, Lubba will remark on how lucky that is, in reference to the number 7's cultural significance as a . He also has dialogue for having 9,999 and multiples of 1,000 of them on hand.
 * Star Bits are modeled after , a traditional Japanese candy which is primarily made from sugar. Konpeitō had previously appeared in the franchise in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, localized as Rock Candy.
 * In Rosalina's Story, Star Bits are said to taste like honey.
 * The minimum number of obtainable Star Bits for Super Mario Galaxy is 105, due to the objective of Good Egg Galaxy's second mission, and the Star Bit tutorial. For Super Mario Galaxy 2, the minimum is 8, due to the Star Piece Cluster on the Grand World Map blocking the second half of World 2.