The Astral Express crew,[Note 1] also known as the Trailblazers, is a subgroup of the Nameless which operates out of the Astral Express. They follow the Path of Trailblaze and serve as the protagonist faction of Honkai: Star Rail.
Overview[]
Previous Crews[]
While the full extent of previous crews are unknown, there were particular members at varying points in the crew's time that stood out amongst others. The majority of these members were navigators and either retired or passed away, appointing another as their successor.
When Oakley boarded the train as a passenger, the former navigator and passengers disappeared due to an anomaly when it passed Frati, resulting in Oakley serving as an interim navigator at the conductor's behest, finding the missing passengers and bringing in new ones before she left when enough had boarded.[1]
At one point, the crew consisted of Mikhail, Tiernan, and Razalina. When they visited Penacony and saw the destruction wrought by the Stellaron, they decided to disembark and remain on the planet in order to help it recover.[2]
Current Crew[]
Long after the Nameless abandoned the Astral Express due to the star rail's deterioration at the hands of Stellarons, a young Himeko came across the train. After several years, she managed to repair it and began her journey across the universe.[3] Along the way, she encountered and rescued Welt and his blond companion, Void Archives, who eventually left the crew.[Note 2] Pom-Pom also appeared on the Astral Express at some point, although none of them know exactly when — not even whether they appeared before or after Welt joined.[4]
After Dan Heng was exiled from the Xianzhou Luofu, he attempted to escape from Blade by constantly traveling between different starships. However, Blade pursued him without fail and consistently destroyed vessels he stowed away on. One day, after Dan Heng coincidentally saved a ship which the Astral Express was traveling alongside, Himeko went to thank him and invited him aboard the Express. Since then, he has been traveling with them as a guard and an archivist.[5]
Some time after, while traveling across the galaxy, the Astral Express crew encountered a large chunk of Six-Phased Ice containing a girl. After reeling in and thawing the ice, they found that the girl within had complete amnesia. She took on the name March 7th, after the day she was discovered, and joined them.[6]
During the events of Honkai: Star Rail, Kafka leaves the Trailblazer on Herta Space Station to be discovered by the Astral Express crew. After fighting alongside March, Dan Heng, and Himeko, they eventually choose to join the crew.[7]
The crew's first stop would then be Jarilo-VI, where the Trailblazer, March, and Dan Heng explore the planet. After learning of the planet's Stellaron crisis, they resolve it and seal the Stellaron before continuing their travels.[8]
Later, the crew would head to the Luofu after being informed of another Stellaron crisis aboard the ship by Kafka, though this was actually in part due to the Stellaron Hunters' script dictating that the Trailblazer would need allies in their fight against Nanook. Dan Heng does not go with the Trailblazer and March aboard the Luofu due to past experiences, but is eventually forced to go after learning of Blade's presence. The crew eventually resolves the Stellaron crisis and are gifted an abacus by Jing Yuan to call the Luofu in times of need.[9]
The crew's next stop is Penacony, which was their intended destination before getting involved with the crisis on the Luofu. They are eventually dragged into a plot exposing the remnants of the Order, and help both resolve it and seal the Stellaron that had been causing havoc on the planet.[10]
Sometime after the Penacony incident, Black Swan appears on the train and overhears the crew talking about fuel issues. She claims that if they laid a track to Amphoreus, they would never have to refuel again.[11] Soon after, Sunday, having been freed by Jade as part of a deal she made with Robin, discovers the Express had not yet left Penacony and joins the crew as a passenger after resolving traces of disharmony in the Dreamscape. Additionally, the crew is commissioned by Ruan Mei to bring Tingyun, now Fugue, back to the Luofu, which they do before they depart for Amphoreus.[12]
Upon arriving outside Amphoreus, the crew decides to split up once more, as they know virtually nothing about the planet. March 7th becomes suddenly ill upon arrival to the system's outskirts, causing her to stay behind while Dan Heng and the Trailblazer descend down to the planet, with one of the train's cars being detached to serve as their transport. During their descent, the car is destroyed by an attack from Nikador, though both assumedly survive the crash-landing. They soon discover life on the planet and learn of the planet's woes from Aglaea. Due to their lack of communication, Himeko and Welt decide to return to Herta Space Station to consult Herta, only to find the station seemingly abandoned. Welt and Sunday investigate, only to accidentally intrude on Herta's attempts to communicate with Nous. They tell her about the situation on Amphoreus, which catches her attention. Meanwhile, Himeko monitors March, shocked to discover she's being enveloped in Six-Phased Ice.[13]
In her mind, March is approached by the Garden of Recollection in the Path Space, but Cyrene drives them away, telling her that they have malicious intent behind their words. March nonetheless continues into Amphoreus, knowing that her friends need her help. This results in her restoring some of her actual memories, and she later meets with the Trailblazer with a new appearance, calling herself Evernight.[14] She hands the Trailblazer Kephale's Coreflame, promising that she would answer their questions in their next meeting. While the Trailblazer fights Lygus, Dan Heng confronts Evernight, demanding that she leave March's body. Evernight states that she is March, who had simply remembered "her" memories.[15]
Evernight attempts to destroy Amphoreus in order to protect the cosmos from the Lord Ravager Irontomb, attempting to convince Black Swan and later the Trailblazer and Dan Heng. March, having anticipated her motives, moves her into a Memory Zone with the help of both Sunday and Cyrene, where she has a heart-to-heart with her. Cyrene additionally points out the flaws of her plan, which would release Irontomb and also make the trio victims of Destruction in a newly born Irontomb. As Evernight sought to protect March, she abandoned the plan and went dormant, though promising to lend March her powers when needed. Back on the train, Welt and Himeko were prepared to take on Irontomb, while Black Swan informed them that the Xianzhou Alliance would be willing to send support. Additionally, she told them that Amphoreus' causality had disappeared from the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, which she interpreted as Nous' calculations drawing closer to the world.[16]
Members[]
Leaders[]
Crew[]
- Welt
- Dan Heng
- March 7th
- Trailblazer
- "Shush" — Drinksmith Robot
Former Members[]
- Bob †† — Navigator[17]
- Capy Baba — Navigator[17]
- Dolly †† — Navigator[17]
- Falcon Amundsen †† — Navigator[17]
- Granholm †† — Navigator[17]
- Isee — Navigator[17]
- Mikhail Char Legwork †† — Mechanic[18]
- Oakley — Navigator[17]
- Razalina †† — Surveyor[18]
- Sam-3000 †† — Navigator[17]
- Tiernan †† — Express' Guard[18]
- Void Archives[4]
Passengers[]
Former Passengers[]
Faction Mentions[]
Character Stories
| Character | Stories |
|---|---|
Character Voice-Overs
| Character | Voice-Overs |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| |
|
Occurrences
Achievements[]
There are 3 Achievements related to Astral Express Crew:
|
|
Name | Category | Description | Hidden | Version | 
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
One Big Happy Family | Moment of Joy | Win 1 battle(s) with a team comprising Himeko, Welt, Dan Heng, and March 7th | Yes | 1.0 | 5 |
|
|
Family Portrait | The Memories We Share | Take a family photo of the Express Crew at the photo board in Clock Studios Theme Park | Yes | 2.1 | 5 |
|
|
Family Cinema | The Memories We Share | Use the projector on (The Radiant Feldspar/The Trailblaze's Stern/The Tatalov/The Soaring Clock Hand) and invite the Express Crew to take a look | Yes | 2.3 | 5 |
Trivia[]
- According to Himeko, the Express spends seven standard days at each stop and its passengers are allowed to do as they deem fit during that time.[19]
Notes[]
- ↑ "Astral Express Crew" (with a capitalized C) is uncommonly used in-game. In story content, there is no fixed name for the Astral Express crew in the original Chinese text, but most phrases referring to them have been consistently localized as "Astral Express crew" (with a lowercase c).
- ↑ According to March 7th in Trailblaze Mission The Voyage Continues, she implies it was Void Archives who discovered her trapped in Six-Phased Ice along with Himeko and Welt, not Dan Heng. This is later retconned in both Dan Heng's character story and Companion Mission Total Recall.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Astral Express Crew |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 列车组 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 列車組 |
| Japanese | 列車運営チーム |
| Korean | 열차팀 |
| Spanish | Tripulación del Expreso Astral |
| French | Équipage de l'Astral Express |
| Russian | Экипаж Звёздного экспресса |
| Thai | ทีมขบวนรถไฟ |
| Vietnamese | Đội Tàu Astral |
| German | Astralexpress-Besatzung |
| Indonesian | Kru Astral Express |
| Portuguese | Tripulação do Expresso Astral |
References[]
- ↑ Event: Cosmodyssey Report: Messenger of the Cosmos
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, In Our Time: Then Wake to Weep
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Himeko: Character Story: Part I
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Data Bank, Characters, Himeko: Character Story: Part III
- ↑ Data Bank, Characters, Dan Heng: Character Story: Part III
- ↑ Companion Mission, Vita Infinita: Total Recall
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Today Is Yesterday's Tomorrow: The Voyage Continues
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, In the Sweltering Morning Sun: In the Dangerous Muddy Swamp
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Karmic Clouds Faded, War Banners Folded: Obsequies Performed, A Long Road Ahead
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, In Our Time: And on the Eighth Day
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Trailblaze Mission, Farewell, Penacony: Stranger in a Strange Land
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Trailblaze Mission, A New Venture on the Eighth Dawn: A New Venture on the Eighth Dawn
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Heroic Saga of Flame-Chase: Hero, Bear Thy Coreflame
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Before Their Deaths: Wanderer, Decipher the Waxen Imprints
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Before Their Deaths: Captives, Behold the Expanse Beyond Light
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Back to Earth in Evernight: Great Tomb, Hide the Secrets of Incarnations
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 Event: Cosmodyssey
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Trailblaze Mission, The Sound and the Fury: Long Day's Journey Into Night
- ↑ Trailblaze Mission, Windswept Wanderlust: Devising Stratagems