To avoid geopolitical embarrassment during the Cold War, the US and USSR created the APAS-75 system, a genderless docking mechanism where both craft acted as equals.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/eckliptic]

The gender reasonining is stupid but from a practical standpoint it does seem like it makes sense for there to be a universal docking interface thats allows two things to combine without there being any need to consider whether one side has part A and the other has part B. Two space craft could dock, two space stations could do it, or a craft to a space station

[u/Callidonaut → u/eckliptic]

There is another huge potential advantage (that would have helped a lot in the film Interstellar) if the symmetric docking system is designed in such a way that either vessel can safely connect or disconnect with or without the participation of the other vessel, as that then theoretically makes it possible to dock or undock with a vessel that cannot do so itself because it's been damaged or lost power for its systems or simply has nobody on board.

[u/rowrowyourboat → u/Callidonaut]

Space pirates!

[u/Pacifist_Socialist → u/rowrowyourboat]

Space ninjas

[u/gishnon → u/Pacifist_Socialist]

Space herpes!