Takig the context from the album, and looking at it on the surface, this is about the thoughts of a convict being shipped out to life on a Mars colony. His thoughts about his loved ones, and what his own hopes and expectations have been turned into.
Take a Bow (the previous song in the album) is about him being sentenced to transportation for life, and Starlight is the journey to the colony.
Why Mars? Basically the last song (Knights of Cydonia) on the Album mentions Cydonia which is a region of Mars.
Takig the context from the album, and looking at it on the surface, this is about the thoughts of a convict being shipped out to life on a Mars colony. His thoughts about his loved ones, and what his own hopes and expectations have been turned into. Take a Bow (the previous song in the album) is about him being sentenced to transportation for life, and Starlight is the journey to the colony. Why Mars? Basically the last song (Knights of Cydonia) on the Album mentions Cydonia which is a region of Mars.