The Planning Phase is the first phase of the round. During the Planning Phase, each player secretly sets a maneuver for each of their ships. To set a ship's maneuver, the player takes a dial matching the ship's type and rotates the dial until the arrow points at the desired maneuver. Then the dial is placed facedown in the play area next to the matching ship.
The phase ends when each ship has a dial assigned to it and both players agree to proceed to the System Phase.