Yes, I understand the concept. Essentially, everything is made of star dust. So, whenever something ends or dies the star dust scatters and recreates all things anew as a form of rebirth. Mario, Peach, Bowser, Bowser Jr., the Lumas, and all life in what I assume was the surrounding universe died then and there, but was reborn through the big bang that produced all of the new star dust. Presumably, Rosalina had some part to play in it too and likely saw a lot of worth in the life that she observed and wanted Mario and friends to continue their stories. The ending is such a roller coaster of emotions, as I am deeply attached to the Comet Observatory, Mario, Peach, and her Castle that seeing everything destroyed right before my eyes genuinely hurts. But then, it ends on this hopeful note that all life will eventually continue despite the collapse.

It’s not really so much the concept that perplexes me, I think they make it quite clear what happens, but rather why would this be implemented in Mario game at all. What incentivized them to take this creative risk when telling the story of Mario Galaxy when Peach and Mario could have easily returned home? What’s more, what I just said was the EXACT ending we got in the sequel as well as in the Mario Galaxy movie. They took an interesting creative approach to Super Mario Galaxy, but subsequent material ends in a more expected way. I guess this is where some people theorize Mario mandates came in, but that’s not really what I am wanting to discuss right now. More like, what is the whole message that the story is trying to communicate with us and why they wanted to tell it?

Is the message that all life even in our reality caries some type of meaning and life to that when we die, some element of us will continue to live on forever? Is Mario Galaxy really making a commentary on the nature of life and death as it might apply to our world? If so, why? What made them want to take this direction with the story of Mario Galaxy 1? It’s theorized that the sun will explode in on itself in millions of years destroying all life on earth as we know it, but is the idea here that life will manage to find a way to continue regardless? That’s some deep and hopeful commentary about the state of the universe and our meaning within it and is very unexpected for a Mario game. It’s like, yes, we all die, but we all manage to make an impact in the grand scheme of the universe. This kinda hits deeper when you think about Rosalina’s story and how she had to come to terms with the death of her own mother, which is heavy for a little girl.

What is Message Behind the Ending of Super Mario Galaxy?