A Stellaris fan designed a biological orbital ring and the community loved it

The BioGenesis expansion brought living ships and biological technology to Stellaris, but one fan decided to take that idea even further. An artist going by Firemetal5 posted a concept on X for a biological orbital ring – a massive living structure that wraps around an entire planet in spike-like growths. The post quickly went viral, drawing dozens of enthusiastic comments.

In the image, an organic structure literally grows through a Gaia World called Prophet's Retreat, located within the Kritakkan Interplanetary Commonwealth. Enormous spines and bony protrusions envelop the planet from all sides, creating a biological counterpart to the orbital ring – one of Stellaris's signature megastructures.

According to the artist's vision, this structure would work very differently from its metallic equivalent. Instead of manufacturing it from alloys, players would activate a planetary decision that kicks off the "growth" of what's called a Spine Tower. The planet's brood queens would fully commit to nurturing the creature, consuming massive amounts of food and minerals in the process.

The growth would be tracked in the situation log, similar to how nanobot assimilation works. As it develops, the biological ring adds up to 25% devastation to the planet. Once complete, no manual upgrades are needed – like the living ships in BioGenesis, it grows automatically as new technologies are researched.

The concept also includes artwork for a construction ship and construction drone, both rendered in the same organic style – wings, tentacles, chitinous shells and all. The creatures look like something between an insect and a deep-sea organism, which fits right in with the biological ship aesthetic from the expansion.

Commenters were immediately on board. Many drew comparisons to the Tyranids from the Warhammer 40,000 universe – a biological race known for their planet-scale living structures.

Some also pointed to a similar concept from the 2001 strategy game Conquest: Frontier Wars:

One user suggested adding pods at the tips of the spines to house buildings, while another proposed turning the ring into a defensive mechanism that breaks apart into a swarm when attacked.

The concept fits naturally within the BioGenesis framework. The expansion, released in May 2025, added living starships, three genetic ascension paths, a new Wilderness origin, and the Deep Space Citadel megastructure – though not every megastructure received a biological equivalent.