The star in A* doesn't have anything to do with the algorithm itself. It just means optimal. Q star would mean optimal Q. If that is even what the star is ref

The star in A* doesn't have anything to do with the algorithm itself. It just means optimal. Q star would mean optimal Q. If that is even what the star is referring to. There is still no way to know if the Q is the quality factor, query value, question, something else, or just a placeholder name that doesn't reference its structure at all