Astral Queen: Difference between revisions

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{{Ship Data
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| image= Bsg-astral-1.jpg
| race= Colonial
| type= Civilian
| ftl= Yes
| cap= 1500 (approx.)
| role= Prison ship
| status= Flown into [[Sol]] with the rest of the [[The Fleet (TRS)|Fleet]] in "[[Daybreak, Part II]]."
}}
 
'''''Astral Queen''''' is a [[FTL]]-capable former starliner now given over to transporting prisoners between worlds. At the time of the [[Cylon attack]], she was carrying 1,500<ref>In the [[Miniseries]] the count was given as 500 and later retconned and increased to 1,500.</ref> male prisoners to their pardon hearings on [[Caprica (RDM)|Caprica]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Bastille Day]]"). It was captained by [[Wilkens]] and crewed by guards such as [[Seaborne]] and [[Starke]].
 
Following sabotage aboard ''[[Galactica]]'', which destroys the majority of the Fleet's water reserves ([[TRS]]: "[[Water]]"), [[Lee Adama]] is sent to ''Astral Queen'' to try and enlist the aid of the prisoners to help obtain fresh water supplies from an ice-bound moon. However, once on board, he meets with the prisoners' spokesman, [[Tom Zarek]], who orchestrates a break-out and hijacking of the ship ([[TRS]]: "[[Bastille Day]]").
 
[[Image:Bsg-1-03.jpg|thumb|left|[[Lee Adama]] and [[Tom Zarek]] on ''Astral Queen''.]]
The situation is resolved jointly by a [[Colonial Marine Corps|Marine]] assault from ''Galactica'' and by Lee Adama, agreeing to the core of Zarek's demands: that free and fair elections are held within the [[The Fleet (TRS)|Fleet]] to appoint a new president at the end of [[Laura Roslin]]'s term - some seven months from the date of the revolt on ''Astral Queen''. In return for his surrender and the assistance of the prisoners in obtaining the much-needed water ice for the Fleet, Lee Adama leaves Zarek and his men in control of ''Astral Queen'', much to the chagrin of both President Roslin and Commander [[William Adama|Adama]] himself.
 
After the colonization of [[New Caprica]], ''Astral Queen'' landed on the outskirts of [[New Caprica City]] next to ''[[Colonial One]]''. Another ship of the same design is still with the Fleet in orbit of the planet before jumping away ([[TRS]]: "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]"). It would later rejoin the Fleet following the [[Battle of New Caprica]], and later traverse the [[Passage (star cluster)|star cluster]] around the [[algae planet]] ([[TRS]]: "[[Exodus, Part II]]", "[[The Passage]]"). When the Fleet jumps to the [[Ionian nebula]], ''Astral Queen'' loses power and is hit by a Cylon missile in the ensuing [[Battle of the Ionian Nebula|battle]], causing slight damage to its forward section ([[TRS]]: "[[Crossroads, Part II]]", "[[He That Believeth In Me]]").
 
During the [[Gaeta's Mutiny|thwarted mutiny attempt]] led by Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] and Vice President [[Tom Zarek]], the ship attempted to hail ''Colonial One'' and asked for any ships if they were in contact with the vessel ([[TRS]]: "[[The Oath]]").
 
''Astral Queen'' later becomes home to a new set of prisoners: the surviving mutineers from the thwarted mutiny attempt.<ref>Confirmed by [[Podcast:Deadlock|the podcast]] for [[Deadlock]].</ref>
 
Following the discovery of [[Earth (RDM)|Earth]], it was flown by [[Samuel Anders]] into [[Sol]], along with the remaining ships in the civilian fleet ([[TRS]]: "[[Daybreak, Part II]]").
 
== Notes ==
*The ship is equipped with at least one "flare", launched upward from some point amidships and on the dorsal section ([[TRS]]: "[[The Farm]]").
*The design and function of ''Astral Queen'' is an acknowledgment of the [[Battlestar Galactica (TOS)|Original Series]], in which an identical design of vessel was defined as the [[Prison Barge (TOS)|Prison Barge]].
*In the DVD commentary for "[[Bastille Day]]", Ronald Moore and David Eick say that in hindsight they feel that "Astral Queen" was a very poor choice of name for a prison ship, and they now wish they had used a different name.
*According to this same DVD commentary, ''Astral Queen'' is named for [[MemoryAlpha:Astral Queen|the transport]] mentioned in the original ''[[MemoryAlpha:Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' episode "[[MemoryAlpha:The Conscience of the King|The Conscience of the King]]". 
 
==References==
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Revision as of 01:46, 30 December 2010

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