A feature of Stargunner that gamers frequently overlook is that games may
be saved mid-level.  You may hit [F2] at any time to save your game.
Mid-level saved games are not uncommon in Apogee games, but it is
occasionally missed in Stargunner because the feature is not heavily
advertised within the game, and Stargunner's predecessor, Raptor, did not
have this feature.  Nevertheless, saving mid-level is often essential for
solving Stargunner, as the game can be very difficult even on the easiest
difficulty setting.

It is also worth noting that, since Stargunner keeps track of each individual
player that uses the game, it is able to provide eight saved games slots
*per player*.  And, since you are not given unlimited lives as with many
other Apogee games and must converse lives whenever possible, it is
highly recommended that you make use of each and every one of those eight
saved game slots instead of overwriting the previous saved game each time.
This way, if you ever get cornered in a spot where you absolutely cannot
proceed without more lives than you have, you can backtrack as far back as
necessary and try to do better.