Note: This example uses some Alien Species. Their special abilities are presented in more detail in the sections linked below.

Alastair (Terran), Eraka (Planta), Johanna (Mechanema) and Vernor (Hydran Progress) have already played a few Rounds, taking Control of Sectors and developing their civilizations. Alastair is the Start Player for this Action Phase.

Alastair decides to Build. He moves the leftmost Influence Disc from his Influence Track to the Build Action Space on his Action Track . Alastair then Builds one Cruiser and one Orbital for 9 Materials , moving his Materials Storage Marker nine spaces backward on his Storage Track. Alastair was able to Build the Orbital since he has Researched the Orbital Tech. He places the Cruiser and the Orbital on his Sectors . Alastair's Action is over, and it is Eraka's Action, as she sits clockwise next to Alastair.

Eraka Explores and moves an Influence Disc to the corresponding Action Space. She chooses the Zone she wishes to Explore and flips the top Sector tile from the corresponding stack: in this case, Middle Sectors (II). She decides whether to place the Sector or discard it, choosing to place it . She orients the Sector so that there is at least one Wormhole Connection between the new Sector and one of her Sectors. There is a Discovery Tile Symbol on the Sector, so she also immediately draws a random Discovery Tile. She reveals the tile and decides to keep it as VP, so she places it VP-side faceup next to her Species Board. Eraka then decides to take Control of the Sector, moving the leftmost Influence Disc from her Influence Track to the Sector’s Influence Space . Finally, she decides to colonize the Money and Science Population Squares on the newly placed Sector by flipping two Colony Ships facedown and moving one Population Cube from her Money and Science Population Tracks to the Population Squares on the Sector . Planta receives 2 Explore Activations per Explore Action, so Eraka Explores another Zone , this time in the Outer Sector (III) Ring. The Sector she flips from the stack isn’t to her liking so she discards it, placing it faceup next to the Outer Sectors (III) stack. When the Outer Sectors (III) stack is depleted, its discards will be shuffled into a new Outer Sectors (III) stack.

It’s now Johanna’s Action. She decides to Upgrade her Ships, moving an Influence Disc to the Upgrade Action Space on her Action Track. Mechanema’s special ability allows her to take 3 Upgrade Activations per Upgrade Action. She first returns an Electron Computer tile from the Interceptor Blueprint on her Species Board and then takes a Plasma Missile tile, a Positron Computer tile and an Ion Cannon tile from the Upgrade Tray. She places the Plasma Missile tile on her Interceptor and the Positron Computer and Ion Cannon tiles on her Cruiser . Johanna is allowed to take Plasma Missile and Positron Computer tiles, since she has Researched the related Techs .

Vernor Researches: he moves an Influence Disc to the Research Action Space and chooses Nanorobots from the Tech Tray. He already has four Nano Techs, which would grant him a discount of , but the minimum cost for Nanorobots is 2 Science . He Pays the Science cost, moving his Science Storage Marker 2 spaces backward on his Storage Track, and places the Nanorobots Tech Tile on his Species Board . As the Hydran Progress receive 2 Research Activations per Research Action, Vernor decides to also Research the Wormhole Generator. The discount is now so the cost is 8 Science . He Pays the cost and places the Tech Tile on his Species Board .