Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is back for more cosplay in the cosmos. She virtually attended FedCon, a huge sci-fi convention, from aboard the International Space Station. Dressed as Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, no less. So frakking cool. And Katee Sackhoff approves of this badass move paying tribute to her one of her beloved characters.
Cristoforetti gets the shirt and backwards tank just right, along with Starbuck’s dog tag glinting around her neck as it floats in zero gravity. She hints that maybe kickass Viper pilot Kara Thrace got bored on Earth and ended up back in space after BSG‘s finale. Seems plausible, maybe even preferable, to the fate the show hinted at.
We saw this awesome cosplay on ComicBook.com, which also reminded us that Cristoforetti previously dressed up on the ISS back in 2015. Back then it was as Captain Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager. Another total badass.
Her viral tweet about the arrival of the ISS’s first ever espresso machine quoted Janeway, a known coffee lover. This was years before Janeway returned to Star Trek in Prodigy, so it was great to have the reminder of that strong female presence amongst the stars. Like female astronauts throughout history, Cristoforetti is undoubtedly inspiring young people to pursue their dreams of going to space. And geeking out with all of us science fiction nerds along the way.
The European Space Agency (ESA) shared Cristoforetti’s convention message on YouTube. The description includes that, “While we may not yet have invented a faster-than-light drive as used in Battlestar Galactica, ESA turns science fiction into science fact every day.” A worthy goal! So say we all!
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.
