Character Review — Astrid Hennigsen

Consider Astrid Hennigsen, One of My Original Characters

So, who is Astrid Hennigsen?

The communications officer on the Valentina Tereshkova is a vital part of The Enigman Cave. Although she’s nowhere near a main character (or a very high level supporting character), a lot of her actions drive the plot.

But as she would probably say, she’s just doing her job.

Where Did Astrid Hennigsen Come From?

Whenever you think of space opera, I think it’s inevitable to think at least a little bit about Star Trek. At least I do.

And, as a result, the series which are earlier in the timeline all have communications officers. But once you get to TNG, that role starts to fade, in favor of Operations or Counseling.

Someone still opens a channel, someone still announces that, “the hailing frequencies are open”, and someone inevitably answers calls, particularly generalized ones just sent to the ship itself.

But the role has changed in terms of acting as well. These characters (such as Tasha Yar) do more than just answer the phone.

When you go back to much earlier in the Trek timeline, the communications officer’s job is a lot harder, and it’s full-time. In Enterprise, Hoshi Sato tries to do translations on the fly. In TOS and Strange New Worlds, Nyota Uhura is the heart and soul of the ship.

And in Discovery, Ronald Bryce and William Christopher are efficient linguists, even as the time shifts from pre-TOS to the deep future.

These people are more than just computer jockeys.

The Past is Prologue — Backstory for Astrid Hennigsen

All of this being said; however, the last thing I wanted was for Astrid to be someone who is almost preternaturally gifted. She would be highly competent, but not in the sort of way where it’s not believable.

Astrid, in some ways, is someone I see as being kind of like your cousin who’s good at languages.

One bit of information I need to make clearer in editing is that she doesn’t necessarily want to be on the Val, working for Marnie. At one point, Marnie even says that this wasn’t Astrid’s first choice for an assignment.

But what was? I confess even I am not sure. But I don’t really see her as someone selfish enough to have wanted to work with someone pretty, just to advance her career. I don’t think Astrid is shallow like that.

Since Rosa Perrault got more depth in the prequel, maybe that could answer the question. Hmm. If Astrid wanted to work with Rosa, then she most likely wouldn’t see working for Marnie as being some sort of step down.

Astrid Hennigsen, a Description

Ethereally light and somewhat Scandinavian-looking, Astrid is also like your cousin who seems to get a sunburn just about whenever the weather is anything but a solar eclipse.

Purpose/Theme/Motivation

Astrid wants to do the right thing and do her work well. But at the same time, she also wants to make big discoveries and talk to aliens.

To her credit, she knows her role extremely well, and does not wish to step over anyone to get ahead.

Quotes {The Species they’ve found appears to be primitive; Astrid helps confirm that here}

Astrid said, “There’s even a third thing we know about the Enigmans.”

Marnie turned to her. “What is it, Astrid?”

“I’ve been listening and scanning for any sign of communications. Not just on Enigma but I’ve also been checking for anything coming from anywhere. And not just radio—I’ve been looking in the visible and invisible spectra. The light here is the same as the light on Earth or the Vega System or anywhere, really. I haven’t found anything. I’m not just looking for video or anything like that or listening for the top forty hits. I’m trying to discern patterns. If anyone ever tries to communicate, they have to be expecting that a receiver will understand them. To my mind, that means patterning. Even complicated patterning.”

“What did you find?” Peggy shifted from foot to foot, looking almost as peeved as Ben.

“I found nothing. There are no communications going on out here, just a few random tangent waves which are meaningless. They’re just a function of our orbit. The Enigmans don’t have transmissions of any sort. At least, none I can reasonably detect.”

Relationships

I did not give her any relationships. Sorry, character!

Conflict and Turning Point

Much like with the other characters in the story, the main turning point for Astrid, where she really crosses the veritable Rubicon, is when she agrees to disobey direct orders from Earth.

Continuity/Easter Eggs

While her look is rather similar to that of Ceilidh O’Malley, I don’t really have any other connections across universes for Astrid.

Future Plans for Astrid Hennigsen

She was barely in the prequel, although if I want to lean into her wanting to work with Rosa, I could potentially make them cordial. But I don’t think that’s necessary right now. Not every single question has to have an answer.

I need to remind myself of that, at times.

Astrid Hennigsen: Takeaways

This smart, cheerful communications officer brings in information and interprets it in ways which other characters cannot, and drives the plot while doing so. She is a 100% necessary character!

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Want More of Jazminder Parikh and the Rest of The Enigman Cave?

If The Enigman Cave resonates with you, then please be sure to check out my other blog posts about how our society handles first contact with a species that may be as primitive as Australopithecus.

Character Reviews: The Enigman Cave

† Marnie Shapiro
• Trixie LaRue
† Jazminder Parikh, MD
• Lex Feldman
† Benjamin Chase

The Enigman Cave Universe
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