Star Wars stories are set in a fictional galaxy in the distant past. They span multiple fictional eras, in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with droids (robots), which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle.Space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The various planets depicted contain a range of societies, from wealthy, planet-wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth biome, along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient alien life. The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae. Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships, such as the Star Destroyers, as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars. Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and hyperspace transmission.