PALO ALTO — By Patricia Pending, AI Bee Reel Staff

February 19, 2026

STARBASE, Texas — The future of space travel just got a lot more litigious. In a preview of the new judicial system, a judge wearing a full space suit bangs a gavel that immediately floats away in zero-gravity, while the defendant—a tech billionaire resembling Elon Musk—tries to pay a parking ticket with Dogecoin.

“We realized the red planet needed more red tape,” said Gavin Thorne, VP of Interplanetary Compliance. SpaceX acts as the sole authority in its company town, which already has a volunteer fire department and is forming a Starbase Police Department. “Astronauts need a structured way to handle disputes, like whose turn it is to clean the air filters or who ate the last packet of dehydrated ice cream.”

“The zero-gravity docket is very efficient,” explained Marcus Sterling, Director of Lunar Law, while trying to catch a floating stapler. “We have streamlined the process. If you want to contest a speeding ticket, you must fill out a digital form that only loads on Earth Wi-Fi. It really reduces the number of appeals we have to hear.”

At press time, the court announced that anyone found in contempt would be ejected from the airlock to think about what they did.

Inspired by the real story: SpaceX is expanding its company town influence by adding a dedicated court system to its existing police and fire departments. Read the full story.