What it says, really. As far as I can see in the rules, the space dock can support three fighter, and therefore it should be able to transprot them, and one of our players think they should be able to transport ground forces too. I agree that this would be "in the spirit of the game" (floating cities should have space for some armies), but the rules seem to say that the SDs only support fighters.

Any clarification would be appreciated.

No, Space Docks cannot carry Ground Forces. Having the capacity to support and move fighters doesn't necessarily translate into GF capacity.

Stasis Capsules, for example, lets Cruisers and Dreadnoughts carry 1 GF. This doesn't mean they can carry a Fighter instead.

Only Carriers and War Suns can transport Ground Forces (and PDS units). Space Docks can only "transport" Fighters.

Can the Saar Space Docks even transport fighters from one system to another? It's been a while since I last played TI. I know the SD can support up to 3 fighters in system (like any race's SDs), but I don't remember the Saar special rules adding the ability to transport those fighters when they move. Supporting and Transporting are two different things, and I would not infer one from the other.

As far as the OP's question about GFs goes, that's definitely out. Even if the Saar SDs can transport figthers, that doesn't mean they can also transport other things. Sigma already gave the quintessential counter-example in the tech that gives Cruisers the ability to carry a GF.

Steve-O said:

I'm 99.9% sure that (in the old, better forum) Corey did rule that Saar Space Docks can carry Fighters with them; basically, I think the ruling was that anything that can support fighters can carry their supported fighters with them (which makes sense thematically and mechanically).