 Along the edges of the board are the home planets of four of the five alien races (the 5-6 player expansion also includes the home planets of the fifth race), where trading posts may be established for victory points and additional benefits.Each player begins with a "mother ship", a small model spaceship that represents the overall power of their starships during the game.The mother ship also acts as a die - by turning the ship over and shaking well, one can roll the die such that, when the ship is placed on a flat surface, two of four colored balls will be revealed at the bottom.