* CreatorBacklash: While his overall opinion on the game was still very positive, Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto disliked the addition of Rosalina's backstory in the game (even though he did approve it when director Creator/YoshiakiKoizumi presented it to him), due to its darker tone and him feeling Mario should be lighthearted and [[NoPlotNoProblem more focused on the gameplay than the story]] (especially since other Nintendo franchises such as ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' already fulfill the story quota in his mind). This would lead to him [[ExecutiveMeddling forcing the team]] to scrap their story related plans in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' in favor of a traditional LighterAndSofter ExcusePlot. Years later, ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'' would [[FlipFlopOfGod bring back]] the story elements in full force.
* CreatorsFavoriteEpisode: In [[https://www.gamesradar.com/legendary-mario-voice-actor-charles-martinet-on-his-favorite-characters-and-why-he-now-dreams-in-2d/ a 2022 interview]], Creator/CharlesMartinet listed ''Super Mario Galaxy'' as one of his favorite ''Mario'' games.
* DummiedOut:
** The sheer amount of unused stuff found upon cracking the game open is enough to make one's head spin. Everything from unused boss designs to unfinished planets can be found in there.
** An almost-finished planet, the Starman Fort, resembling an excavation site, still has its files inside the game, albeit with messed-up gravity, but nevertheless is much more complete than some of the planets that made it to the final version. It was even supposed to house a bunch of missions, and even the first boss battle according to concept art!
** There is also the alternative hub planet shown at the E3 2006, and an urn-shaped planet with a question mark on it. Another planet has a dozen climbable poles with some spiked urchins on them.
** Mario himself has some unused moves, such as punching and tennis moves. An unused 3D model for a kart exists also, along with ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongJungleBeat'' models.
** Lots of bizarre unused enemies, characters, and creatures, including remakes of the Bully and Big Bully from ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' and strangely alien-looking larvae and flies.
* FollowTheLeader: Since ''Galaxy'' first came out, there has been a large influx of gravity-based Flash games across the Internet and on consoles, including ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'''s own spin on the concept with ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''.
* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: While secondhand copies can be purchased at an affordable price, the game itself is no longer digitally available with the Wii U eShop closed and 3D All Stars no longer being available as of March 2021.
* KillerApp: ''Super Mario Galaxy'' is one of these for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} ([[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2 its sequel]], ''VideoGame/WiiSports'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', ''VideoGame/MarioKartWii'', ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' being the other major ones).
* NoExportForYou: Prior to ''Super Mario 3D All-Stars'', a high definition UpdatedRerelease of the game was released in 2018 for the Nvidia Shield TV, but only in China. Interestingly, the ''3D All-Stars'' version is based on the Nvidia Shield TV version and features the same improvements. Making its way overseas in that form.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Mahito Yokota initially came up with a more Latin soundtrack--up to 28 pieces had been composed--because he believed it fit in line with the music of previous games. Creator/KojiKondo told him it wouldn't work. Yokota allegedly admitted that the initial direction he took with the music stemmed from his misconception that the Mario games, as "[[AnimationAgeGhetto kids]]" games, ought to have cutesy tunes. After being told by Kondo that is not the case and that they are "[[https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/super_mario_galaxy/2/1/ cool]]" games with wide demographical appeal, he created a brand new orchestral soundtrack which emphasized the game's grand scale and the rest is story.
** Rosalina had a [[https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/2/20/Princess_Rosalina_Concept_Artwork.png/291px-Princess_Rosalina_Concept_Artwork.png drastically different]] more fairy godmother esque design early on.
** According to the Prima guide for the game, the team originally considered making Rosalina a relative of Peach's, however this direction was scrapped for unknown reasons. Her final design reflects this idea.
** One of the earliest pieces of concept art made for the game was an [[https://www.mariowiki.com/images/b/bc/SMG_Concept_Art_5.png unused fortress level]] known internally as "Starman Fort", which the team fell in love with and remained as far in development to where it was actually programmed into the game until it was ultimately scrapped. Aspects of the level were used throughout the final game however and [[DummiedOut parts of the fortress]] do still exist in the game's files, both of which actually led to the level getting later [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=v0Ej58VE9bc reconstructed by a fan]], giving us an rough idea of what the level could had been.
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