Gate station

Gate stations were armed space stations that were placed in orbit of worlds where free travel was limited. Unauthorized spacers were often instructed by the gate station's operators upon entrance into the star system to board the station in order to receive permission to enter the planet's atmosphere. Spacers were typically allowed to use their own vessel to land on the planet's surface after receiving clearance, though if the vessel did not meet local regulations the spacer in question was required to use a public transport during their stay in the system. If the spacer was wanted in another system, the gate station's operators had the authority to turn the spacer in to their nearest Sector Ranger office. Most gate stations were controlled by local planetary governments, though during the Imperial era the Imperial Department of Interstellar Travel oversaw the operations of most gate stations within the known galaxy.