Maren Jensen Then And Now: Battlestar Galactica's Lieutenant Athena

|
Maren Jensen and Lorne Greene on 'Battlestar Galactica,' 1978. (Photo by Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images)

As Lieutenant Athena on Battlestar Galactica, Maren Jensen was part of the elite class of take-charge science-fiction heroines of the late '70s. The success of Star Wars (1977) had inspired studios to invest in science-fiction films and TV shows. Jensen's Battlestar Galactica, starring Richard Hatch, Lorne Greene and Dirk Benedict, premiered in 1978 and was NBC's first entry into the space race. (It was followed by Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, which was also an NBC show, and actually recycled some props and costumes from Battlestar.) Although Jensen was a highlight of the short-lived Battlestar Galactica, her career as an actress did not continue long after the show ended.