After the title screen stops scrolling and the name starts flashing, quickly press Select, B, A, Right, Left, Up, Select, B, Down & Right before it stops flashing. If done right, you'll go to a Color selection screen for your ship and text.
There is a way to repair your ship without docking at a base. If you are very low on energy, and any of your systems are on "NG" status, hold A + B on the second player's controller, and use the microphone. If done correctly, a shuttle will appear and repair your ship as usual. This only works once per game.
In Adventure mode, if a planet or base gets damaged, it will turn black on the map grid. If you go into an asteroid field and destroy 32 asteroids, you will receive an Item Barrier, which will restore planets to their full strength. Unfortunately, this does not work on bases; once they are damaged or destroyed, that's it.
If you are in an asteroid field, shoot your weapon at the same asteroid eight times in a row. If you do this correctly, the enemy movements on the map will be slowed for a limited time. You won't know if it works except through sheer observation, however.