Starmie is a violet sea star-like Pokémon with a gold formation on its front. Starmie's jewel core, which can glow in seven colors, has developed to resemble a cut precious stone. There is second set of semi-attached arms on its back, which are able to spin 360°. Starmie can emit electrical waves from the core that are powerful enough to reach the furthest parts of the universe. It can sometimes launch itself out of the water and fly through the air for short periods, as seen in Pokémon Snap.
The multi-color glowing of its core is also believed to be a method of communication inside the species. However, Starmie’s core is most commonly seen as red in color. As seen in the anime, the core will go dark if Starmie is knocked unconscious, and will sometimes flicker if Starmie is low on health. Because of its body shape and habit of sending transmissions skyward, some people believe this Pokémon to be extraterrestrial. Starmie is rarely seen in the wild, but can be found in the deepest parts of the ocean. It is Lumineon's favourite food.
A Starmie appeared in Bye Bye Psyduck, under the ownership of Marina. It was used to battle Misty, facing off against a Golduck that was under her command at the time. It was defeated when the force of Golduck's Hyper Beam shattered its Light Screen.
Rudy's Starmie also appears in the manga adaptation. Like in the anime, Starmie battled Ash's Squirtle, and gave the Tiny Turtle Pokémon trouble with its Thunderbolt attack.
Misty sent out her Starmie for Satoshi's second Gym battle challenge. However, it could not battle as Satoshi had trouble dealing with water and the battle was officially called off.
When released from a Poké Ball, Starmie floats to the closest opponent and barrages them with Swift. Each hit does 3% damage, and touching Starmie itself does 12% damage.
Starmie's center section - the core - glows brightly in seven colors. Because of its luminous nature, this Pokémon has been given the nickname "the gem of the sea."
Starmie swims through water by spinning its star-shaped body as if it were a propeller on a ship. The core at the center of this Pokémon's body glows in seven colors.
Starmie's center section-the core-glows brightly in seven colors. Because of its luminous nature, this Pokémon has been given the nickname "the gem of the sea."
Starmie swims through water by spinning its star-shaped body as if it were a propeller on a ship. The core at the center of this Pokémon's body glows in seven colors.
Despite being a genderless Pokémon, Staryu and Starmie were programmed to learn Egg moves in Gold and Silver; however, due to being genderless, these were unobtainable. This was fixed in Crystal.
Also, they are one of the few genderless Pokémon able to learn Attract in Generation II, along with Mew.
In the Japanese exclusive Pokémon Stadium, Starmie seems to have originally been a lot more rubbery than it is now, as its limbs stretch when it's hit.
Origin
Starmie appears to be a stylized starfish. Given its ties to outer space, it may also be a pun on a literal star.
Starmie's gem being cut evokes the idea of some form of jewelry. Notably, the eight facets prominently witnessed upon Starmie's gemstone (adjacent to the center facet) would be called the star facets, were it a real jewel.
Starmie also bears some resemblance to the Star of Ishtar. Ishtar, also called Inanna, is known as Queen of Heaven.
Name origin
Starmie may be derived from star (referring to its shape) and mie, which may involve 珠 mi (gem or jewel), referring to its core. In English, mie may be a corruption of me (the personal pronoun), in contrast to the yu (you) in Staryu. This pun is not present in the Japanese names since Staryu's Japanese name is different from its English name.