- Lieutenant Athena
BSG Character
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name=Athena
race=Human
gender=Female
callsign=
rank=Lieutenant
colony=Caprica
affiliation=Colonials
portrayed=Maren Jensen Lieutenant Athena is the name of a fictional character in the original "Battlestar Galactica"
television series which ran on ABC from1978 to1979 . The role was portrayed byMaren Jensen .Athena is
Commander Adama ’s only daughter, and serves as both a bridge officer on the Battlestar "Galactica" and as a pilot. She also is seen working as a teacher, providing education to some of the Colonial Fleet's children, in what appears to be an elementary school setting.She had two brothers,
Captain Apollo who was featured in the series, and Zac who died in the opening episode. Ila her mother died off screen during the Cylon sneak attack onCaprica .Before the destruction of the
Twelve Colonies she was romantically linked toLieutenant Starbuck , but later drifted apart, particularly after Starbuck met the ex-socialator Cassiopeia. In a memorable sequence from "The Long Patrol ", Starbuck continues to try and date the two women, even on the same night, but ultimately Cassiopeia seemed to win out in the rivalry for Starbuck's affections.Athena also expressed some concern that Starbuck might eventually not return from a mission, and questioned whether they should continue their relationship. In "
The Return of Starbuck " episode of the sequel series "Galactica 1980 " we learn that Athena's concerns were perhaps justified.The role of Athena was originally intended to be central to the series, but Maren Jensen was not an experienced actress, and despite considerable improvement over time, her screen time was gradually reduced. First, the role of Cassiopeia began to expand to fill the role Athena has been designed to play, and then the character of
Lieutenant Sheba was introduced midway through the season. Athena was the only major recurring character not to appear for the entire run of the show, as Maren Jensen left the series after "Greetings From Earth".Although we never did see Athena again after this point, she was mentioned later in "
The Return of Starbuck ".Athena's rank
In the episode "The Long Patrol", a readout on one of the computers lists Athena's rank as Lieutenant. In other parts of the series she is referred to as an Ensign. However, depending on which order the episodes were filmed (vis-a-vis broadcast order), it is likely that she was promoted at some point.
Origin of name
The name
Athena was based on a goddess fromGreek mythology who was equivalent to the RomanMinerva , also known asAthene .Analog in the new Battlestar Galactica
The character of Athena does not appear in this capacity in the 2004 TV series (see
Athena (Battlestar Galactica) for her direct counterpart), however several characters in the new series encompass major elements of Jensen's character. Sharon Valerii andKara Thrace take on the piloting and romantic elements of the character and are also treated as "surrogate daughters" byWilliam Adama , who has no biological daughter in the reimagined version. Eventually, the copy of Valerii married to Karl Agathon is given the callsign Athena to distinguish her from the copy who had the callsign Boomer. Athena's role as a bridge officer is carried by the character ofAnastasia Dualla .External links
* at the
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