Mankind has long held the desire to see the stars beyond our little floating rock. We can’t go to other planets yet, but we can approximate life in the void with the help of a space station.
Much like the real-life International Space Station, there are numerous space stations scattered throughout gaming history. They’re mostly in sci-fi settings, though they can occasionally crop up outside their lane as well.
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Some of these stations are thriving ports of interplanetary commerce, while others are blown-out husks where no sapient life could set foot. It usually depends on how ethical the station’s original purpose was.
10Space Colony ARK
Sonic Adventure 2
The Space Colony ARK is where the bulk ofSonic Adventure 2’s story takes place. It was disguised as a nondescript meteoroid before Shadow and Eggman revealed its full view to the world.
The ARK was originally a research facility, and it’s where Dr. Gerald Robotnik sought out a cure for his granddaughter Maria’s illness via Project Shadow.
Under pressure from G.U.N., though, the Ark also began researching and developing weapons like the powerful Eclipse Cannon.
Following the successful creation of two lifeforms, Shadow and the Biolizard, G.U.N. raided the ARK, killed its researchers, and closed the whole facility down.
9The Citadel
Mass Effect
In the originalMass Effect, the Citadel is both a massive spacefaring colony and the de facto seat of the Citadel Council and the capital of Citadel Space. It’s the Space White House, basically.
Besides the Citadel Tower, where all the important stuff happens, the station itself is home to several city-sized Wards where people live and work.
Thanks to simulated gravity and atmosphere, it’s about the same as living on Earth.
Interestingly, mankind didn’t build the Citadel. Rather, it was discovered in deep space by the Asari and colonized later on. Who actually did build it and how long it’s been floating around remain a mystery.
8Citadel Station
System Shock
System Shock (2023)
InSystem Shock, Citadel Station (no relation to the other Citadel) is a massive research complex in orbit over Saturn. It’s exclusively owned and operated by the TriOptimum Corporation.
Citadel Station had all sorts of research projects running concurrently, with topics ranging from pharmacological development to next-generation robotics. There was also quite a bit of shady research, particularly viral agents.
All the station’s systems were overseen by the artificial intelligence SHODAN.
SHODAN did a good job of keeping everything in order, at least until the Hacker futzed with her ethical constraints, and she startedusing the station’s tech for darker purposes.
7Biologic Space Laboratories
Metroid Fusion
Prior to the events ofMetroid Fusion, Samus Aran was exploring the planet SR388 when she was attacked and infected by an X Parasite.
To cure her, she was brought to the Galactic Federation’s nearby Biologic Space Laboratories, or “BSL” for short.
The BSL is home to all kinds of biological experiments, with its multiple tailored research sectors housing creatures from all kinds of environments.
Unfortunately, the large quantity of fresh biomass made it all too easy for the X to spread after it was revived from Samus’ surgically-removed suit.
to eradicate the X, Samus was ultimately forced to drop the entire station onto SR388. This completely eradicated both the station and the planet, thoughlater gamesshowed it wasn’t that simple.
6Sun Station
Outer Wilds
InOuter Wilds, some of the most tangible traces of the lost Nomai race are the various research centers and satellites positioned on or near the solar system’s celestial bodies.
Arguably, the most important Nomai construct in the solar system is the Sun Station.
As the name implies, it’s a small station locked in orbit over the system’s sun. This naturally makes it difficult to visit with a vessel; you’re supposed to use the warp tower on Ash Twin.
The Sun Station was the linchpin of the Ash Twin Project. The station’s purpose is to deliberately instigate a supernova, then use the ensuing energy burst to send a signalback in time.
Talos I is the main setting of 2017’sPrey, an art deco-style space station in orbit above the Earth.
It’s owned and operated by TranStar, which repurposed it into an orbital research center after it was abandoned by the world’s governments.
Talos I is billed as “The Eighth Wonder of the World” in advertising, and for good reason: it’s completely self-sufficient, an entire city in space.
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The main focus of the station’s research is the Typhon, plus adjacent topics like Neuromod development.
It was this quasi-legal research that would end up bringing the Typhon to Earth’s doorstep.
4Herta Space Station
Honkai: Star Rail
The Herta Space Station is the setting forHonkai: Star Rail’s introductory arc, and the place where the Trailblazer first meets the Astral Express Crew.
Genius Society member Herta created the station to serve as a hub for her various galactic research endeavors.
The entire station and its many stored relics and curios are Herta’s express property, and anyone living and working there is her employee (though Asta is the one who handles payroll).
The station functions as a museum and research center.
Anyone’s welcome to visit and peruse, though apparently getting hired there requires you to either have impressive academic chops or just offer something Herta finds personally interesting.
3Galaxy Galleria
Space Quest 4
Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers
When Roger Wilco goes tumbling through the timestream in Space Quest 4, he ends up at the free-floating Galaxy Galleria shopping mall.
Apparently, this particular mall exists in the period when the theoretical Space Quest 10 would’ve taken place.
As you’d expect from a hybrid mall and space station, the place is full of the usual trappings of a shopping trip, albeit on a much larger scale.
Transport around the mall is facilitated by a conveyor floor, and there’s a large zero-gravity skating rink in the center.
You can find all kinds of nifty stores for food, clothes, and what have you.
There’s even an electronics store selling a strategy guide for Space Quest 4! Just don’t steal anything, oryou’ll get vaporized.
2Flying Fortress
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (1987)
If you played one of the remake versions of the originalFinal Fantasy, you might be confused to see the Flying Fortress here.
While thehome of Tiamatis portrayed as a castle in the sky in some versions, though, the original NES release depicted the Flying Fortress as a technologically-advanced station orbiting the planet.
The Flying Fortress was built using remarkably advanced technology pioneered by its original owners, the Lufenians.
Unfortunately, Tiamat drove them all from their home and forced them to take residence on the planet below.
Interestingly, we see the Flying Fortress again in Stranger of Paradise, where you can see its technological, spacefaring design with much greater clarity.
1High Charity
First introduced inHalo 2, High Charity is the official capital city of the Covenant hegemony. It’s a planet-sized space station, housingevery member race of the Covenant.
High Charity is considered a holy place for adherents to the Covenant’s system of belief, with most members longing to visit at least once in their lives.
Of course, not just anyone can walk in – only the top echelons of the hegemony can live there, and it’s fiercely protected by the Covenant’s strongest armada.
Unfortunately for the Covenant, the city ended up being infested by the Flood, forcing its residents to flee.
High Charity became a mobile base for the Flood Gravemind, who used it as its center of operations for infesting other planets.
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