There are several unique or special planets in the game. Of course any information about them is highly spoily. The special planets are truly the most interesting part of the game; exploration, ship combat, and fighting alien lifeforms is a lot of fun, but the special planets are fascinating in a variety of different ways. If you haven't found many special planets yet, consider: wouldn't it be better to discover them yourself?
Please note that not all planets are listed here. You don't want to completely spoil your experience, though, do you?
Descriptions from Orbit[]
Harmless[]
There is a settlement on this planet. Humans.
There is a ship here sending a distress signal
A human settlement dominates this planet. There is a big shipyard too.
This is the most boring piece of rock I ever saw. Just a featureless plain of stone.
This planets surface is covered completely in liquid.
Mostly Harmless[]
There is a huge lutetium deposit here.
I am getting very, very high radiaton readings for this planet. Landing here might be dangerous.
A tribe of small green people in trouble (this is the retirement screen's description; there is no description from orbit)
Extremely high winds and severe lightning storms on this planet
Caution[]
(no description, but a highly entertaining forest)
There is a human colony on this planet
The atmosphere of this planet is very peculiar. It only lets light in the UV range to the surface
There is a planet orbiting the wormhole!
Extreme Caution[]
I got some strange sensor readings here sir. cant make any sense of it
A beautiful world with a mild climate. There is one big artificial structure.
A world devastated by war (this is the retirement screen's description; there is no description from orbit, though you'll notice that the world is made of overlapping impact craters with tunnels drilled through them)
Ruins of buildings cover the whole planet, but I get no readings on life forms
Suicide Mission[]
This small planet has no atmosphere. A huge and unusually deep crater dominates its surface.
I don't know why, but this planet has a temperate climate now. There are signs of life and a huge structure on the western hemishpere.