BSG: Gaeta Discussion [Open Spoilers for recent season]

Cafe Society
1

I know the CS is a bit top-heavy with BSG threads lately, but I figure this will be a controversial subject, so I didn’t want to put it into any ongoing thread. Anyway:

I just started watching the webisodes that preceded the current run of episodes for BSG. I have read in the past that many fans speculated if there were any gay characters on this show, and Gaeta was mentioned as a possibility. Now, finally in the webisodes, it’s definitely confirmed that Gaeta is gay, and is in a relationship. Just how open he is (was) to other Galactica crewmembers seems unclear.

Then, almost immediately after the webisodes take place, Gaeta’s character is changed from dependable, loyal CIC functionary to treacherous mutineer. True, he’s not nearly as cold-blooded as Zarek, but he is shown to betray everyone near & dear to him. Despite his bluster about Adama letting the fleet down, it’s pretty obvious that Gaeta is acting out of his own petty vengeful resentments rather than any real concern for the fleet. He’s lashing out emotionally, and wants someone to pay for all the things that happened to him personally.

I can’t help but wonder about the timing of all this. While not a major character, Gaeta has been one of the most prominent secondary characters since the mini-series. He’s had major parts to play in many of the big storylines - the election, New Caprica, Starbuck’s search for Earth. In four years, the writers never addressed his sexuality (but certainly took the time to show us plenty of hetero action), until just before they turn him into a major, royal bastard.

Also consider the only other gay character that we know of who was in the fleet - Admiral Cain. She is an obsessive, power-driven control freak who cold-bloodedly shoots an officer on her own bridge, and allows her lover to be imprisoned, and subjected to severe, prolonged torture including allowing her to be sexually assaulted repeatedly by numerous crewmen. (Yes, her lover was a spy, but contrast that to the treatment Boomer received on Galactica. No way would ‘the good guys’ allow such brutal treatment of a prisoner - even if she’s a Cylon). In short, Cain behaved in the stereotypical way a lesbian is depicted - as a grade-A nasty bitch.

The current mutiny storyline was interesting, and there was plenty of backstory to justify it. But my gripe is why, after not dealing with it for so long, did the PTB decide to toss in the fact that Gaeta is gay just before they make him a villain? Nothing came of the revelation. We never got to see any aspect of Gaeta & Hoshi’s relationship. The subject of how the 12 colonies dealt with homosexuality was never addressed. We do know that some Tribes have a fundamentalist bent and some are vehemently opposed to abortion. How would those factions of the fleet react to gay survivors of the holocaust living amongst them in such cramped quarters? All we do know is that the only two gay characters in the fleet we’ve seen were villains.

The bottom line is that the webisode revelation just seems to validate the argument of every anti-gay military officer who opposed gays in the military: gay people are inherently treacherous and untrustworthy. They do not belong in the military.
So, your thoughts?

2

Why should gay characters be any different than straight ones? BSG is full of “less than perfect” people. 2 people isn’t a sufficient sample.

3

They shouldn’t, but that is precisely my beef. They ARE being shown as different from straight ones. We get to see heroic straights, villainous straights, selfless straights, selfish straights, straight people who always act in a respectable manner, straight people who contemptable cretins. We only get to see one type of gay person.

The only gay characters we see are much more than “less than perfect.” They’re are clearly, uncontrovertable BAD GUYS. And I think that there is something fishy about the fact that the writers went out of their way twice to show two villains that we the audience are supposed to root against in lip-locks with people of their gender.

4

If you count Hoshi, there are three gay people in the colonies. 2/3 were scum, but at least one can be assumed to be a decent fellow.

In the webisodes Hoshi asked Tigh for permission to go find him, and it seemed evident to Tigh he wanted to rescue his boyfriend and if anyone was going to have old-fashioned values, it’d be Tigh.

Anyway, the webisodes are someone’s dream that may or may not have even happened. I don’t know why they snuck in another gay character after they’d already finished filming the finale. It is unfortunate the two central characters they picked to be gay were also soon-to-die scum.

I think Moore may have just shoved the gay part in to shut people up about “where are the gays???”

5

I seem to recall there was a passing shot of two guys sleeping together in one of the bunks at some point. Frankly, I think trying to find a hidden agenda here is pretty silly. Homosexuality in the BSG universe has always been treated as pretty unremarkable. There have only been so many romances shown on screen, how many of those need to be gay to satisfy some interpretation of even handedness, anyways? And Gaeta’s character arc was far from sudden. He’s an idealist, and he’s been shown becoming more and more disenchanted with how things are going. He opposed Roslin stealing the election, saw Baltar’s administration as corrupt, was nearly executed despite trying to help the resistance, and lost him leg for opposing Starbuck’s wild goose chase for Earth. Before the mutiny, his objections to a cylon alliance are summarily shot down. There’s been a pretty steady character progression leading to this point. Yeah, he was a force for bad, but that was mostly because of his naivete and unwillingness to look hard at what he’s doing, not maliciousness. It’s not quite fair to simply say he was a gay villain.

The important thing is that the gay relations that show up are treated as pretty much unremarkable.

And I have no clue where the idea that the webisodes were a dream is coming from. Yeah, they were filmed after finishing the series, but by every indication they are canon.

6

I would say that Gaeta is bisexual. We have seen him have 2 romantic relationships: one with an Eight on New Caprica, and Hoshi. That spells bi to me. I don’t think that affects your argument either way, but I thought I’d mention it.

ETA: I never liked Gaeta and was not surprised by his mutiny. He’s always been sort of a whiny, self-righteous little shit. Being gay is incidental, as it should be. Not really an issue either way.

7

Seems like I’d have heard about that. Remember what ep?

I don’t think there was an agenda, more of a clumsy handling of it. RM said at one point he was waiting to introduce a gay character because he “wanted to do it right.” I think what happened is he never got around to it so he did a little retconning.

Gays in the BSG universe were completely unknown of, if that’s what you mean by “unremarkable.” Except, lots of people started remarking about their absence.

Except the whole premise behind the webisodes is that it was three days after they found earth, Cavil showed up and the fleet had to emergency jump. When did that happen in the regular series?

Cain got kinda retconned in, Gaeta’s orientation will never be established outside of the webisodes, which many people who watch the show will never see.

8

Just about every character in BSG is wound so tightly, their sexual preferences take a distant second place to their neuroses.

Gaeta turning to the dark side was kind of like Annakin Skywalker’s. Constant paper cuts to his integrity finally pushed him over the edge. Even if he was known to bugger dead goats, his sexuality hardly figured into it.

9

Right, Roslin & Adama’s heterosexual relationship throughout the series has been completely unimportant and unremarkable.

But it was there, for us all to see.

10

I’ve read heard (and participated in) many discussions about both Cain and Gaeta. Too many to agree that they’re “clearly uncontrovertable BAD GUYS” (Gaeta much moreso than Cain).

Even in a show full of some of the most complex characters on TV, Cain and Gaeta both stand out. That complexity is was makes them so interesting, not their sexuality. As Rubystreak mentioned, their gayness is just incidental, as it should be.

Are there selfless, heroic straights? Maybe Helo. But he’s bland as toast.

11

I’d like to point out that Gaeta went evil after being betrayed by his GIRLfriend.

I wouldn’t call either Cain or Gaeta villains though. They were people doing what they thought was right, that just happened to not be what was within Adama and Roslin’s viewpoint as right.

12

Peoples’ orientation isn’t incidental until we know it exists. I can imagine Apollo & Helo getting it on all I want, but that’s nothing more than slashfic if we aren’t made aware of it.

Moore made us aware of it with Cain. He could have dropped it there. But for some reason he decided to do it again.

Over the years of the show I haven’t asked for a Big Gay Episode. They had an abortion/birth control ep, and they could have worked same-sex couples in there, but they didn’t. Whatever. All I’ve asked for is a nonchalant acknowledgment of SS partners.

Starbuck in lockeroom: “Hey Joe, how are you and Steve working out? Set a date yet?”
“Yeah, we’re thinking of adopting too.”

There, done.

13

I guess it’s too bad they didn’t have more of an acknowledgment of gay characters.

I think that Admiral Cain’s complete and utter lack of connection to the necessity of breeding in terms of the continuance of the human species would be an interesting topic to explore as it relates to her sexuality, but that cannot be done fairly in the absence of other lesbian characters who do not represent other ends of the spectrum.

14

That Eight thought that Gaeta was gay, too, not bi. Hence her telling him that he thought he loved her because he wanted to hope – despite her being a Cylon and a woman.

Of course, Gaeta’s problem has always been refusing to acknowledge what is obvious but which he does not want to deal with: started early with his hero-worship of Baltar when it was obvious the latter was pondscum, then apparently his “resistance” efforts on New Caprica, later his whole mutiny was based on his assumption that Zarek was a man who wouldn’t put the Quorum to the gun and would want Adama tried and convicted. So… messed up sex life seems right in line, really.

That didn’t happen in the webisodes, either. The fleet jumped because they thought they’d been found by the Cavilcade. Turned out, they were wrong, so they all jumped back.

It never happened in regular series because it never happened in the webisodes.

15

Gays and lesbians breed just fine. In fact, they can make it happen far easier than those Cylons apparently can.

16

I think that Cylon breeding problem comes more from their poor choice in models.

Think a Six or an Eight wants to get it on with a Cavil model? Eew. And since he only comes in pre-aged, they probably pre-installed prostrate problems, anyway. Shootin’ blanks.

So the next option is… a Leoben. Also, eew. And, obsessed with Kara, so he’s probably off wanking… er, “talking to the Hybrid”… with his fantasies. Also, not so much an option.

They could maybe have gotten some luck with a Simon model. If they could’ve found any of 'em. Seriously, I think they’ve lost all the Simons. They should put up some posters, or something. Milk cartons. “Have you seen this Cylon?”

Which leaves… the Doral models. Natty corduroy jackets and excessively manscaped. Maybe Gaeta would’ve had a shot with a Doral, but not those poor Cylon chicks.

It’s no wonder all the Eights are hanging around naked together doing “exercises”, and the Sixes are going after anything human in pants. And the Threes, well… we’ve all seen Xena, I think, and no more need be said on that.

17

Gee, I guess that means the makers of BSG are blatantly homophobic. I should have known.

18

I’m not sure that rules out his bisexuality. It means his sexuality is less important than his desire to self-delude.

19

Wow. What an amazing post.

20

The only woman shown to be in command of a ship turns out to be a maniacal bitch. Clearly the show is telling us that woman aren’t fit to be in command. The only black main character shot herself. Clearly the show is telling us that blacks are weak willed. Tyrol, representing the knuckle draggers, had a dysfunctional relationship with his wife. Clearly the show is telling us that blue collared workers have abusive relationships.

Obviously, I’m being facetious. Yeah, it might have been nice if the show had included a more obvious “being gay is fine” message, but it’s portrayal is well within statistically acceptable parameters. In fact, the relationships themselves were shown to be genuine, affectionate, and healthy. Cain is indicated to have cared for Gina, and it was only after being betrayed that she went “evil.” Gaeta and Hoshi seemed to be doing well, the latter going to great lengths to save his beloved. It was after he broke it off that Gaeta went to the dark side. Hell, it could be argued that homosexuality is portrayed very positively, since these characters appear well adjusted while in relationships, but let their dark sides out once they’re alone.

This whole thing is pretty silly, I think.