Felix Gaeta

Felix Gaeta
Alessandro Juliani as Lieutenant Felix Gaeta
Race	Human
Gender	Male
Portrayed by	Alessandro Juliani
First appearance	Miniseries
Rank	Lieutenant
Affiliation	Colonial Fleet

Lieutenant Felix Gaeta is a character on Battlestar Galactica played by Alessandro Juliani.

Biography

Felix Gaeta is known for his friendly, encouraging, trusting, and feeling nature, although his youthful idealism is somewhat dented by the events on New Caprica in the early part of the show's third season (2006-2007). "You're an idealist. There's no sin in that," says President Gaius Baltar as the Cylons prepare their withdrawal from New Caprica.^[1] In college, Gaeta studied genetics, but joined the military to pay for his education. Once in the military, he applied himself to his duties with great dedication, putting his social life and other concerns "on hold."^[2] Based on Colonel Saul Tigh's comments about having "stood beside Gaeta in the CIC for almost four years", it is likely that Gaeta served on the Battlestar Valkyrie under William Adama's command.^[3] Gaeta serves as tactical officer on the Battlestar Galactica during the Cylon attack and subsequent escape.^[4] Following the rag-tag fleet's flight from the Colonies, he is given tasks suited to his level of intelligence and education, including helping his idol, Doctor Gaius Baltar, design a Cylon detector.^[5] Gaeta is on duty when Commander William Adama is shot in the Galactica CIC by the Cylon infiltrator Sharon "Boomer" Valerii.^[6] In the ensuing chaos, he forgets to check that the fleet has been issued with updated jump coordinates. As a result, the Galactica becomes separated from the fleet. However, Gaeta is also instrumental in solving this crisis: suggesting that the ship's computers be networked to allow a quick re-calculation of the fleet's position.^[7] After the discovery of New Caprica, Gaeta uncovers a plot (involving Colonel Tigh and Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla, among others) to rig the presidential elections in favour of President Laura Roslin over Gaius Baltar. Felix later serves as the latter's Chief of Staff during his presidency, and informs the President of the arrival of the Cylon fleet above New Caprica.^[8] Gaeta continues to serve as President Baltar's Chief of Staff throughout the Cylon occupation. However, he also acts as a spy for the resistance, providing them with information on security, personnel in the New Caprica Police, and radio frequencies. However, with his identity secret even from the resistance leadership, he is seen as a traitor by those he assists, and Chief Galen Tyrol remarks that the day would come when he and other collaborators would receive their deserved justice.^[9][10] Gaeta, for his part, feels profoundly let down by Baltar's lack of moral fortitude, and very nearly kills him during Galactica's rescue operation before giving Baltar one last chance to set things right.^[1] After the rescue of New Caprica's civilian population, Gaeta attempts to return to duty aboard the Galactica, but is treated as persona non grata on account of his apparent "collaboration". He is tried by a secret court known as The Circle and convicted in absentia of collaborating with the Cylon occupation and being complicit in the deaths of hundreds. He is sentenced to death and brought to a Viper launch tube to be spaced. Circle member Kara Thrace's angry taunting of Gaeta ultimately provides the means by which his innocence is proved; Tyrol confirms that Gaeta was the anonymous Resistance informant without whom the rescue by Galactica would have been impossible. Gaeta returns to duty, although he is still not exactly treated warmly by his crewmates.^[3] In the episode Taking a Break from All Your Worries, it is revealed that Baltar knows a secret about Gaeta. Gaeta offers to interrogate Baltar for Adama after Baltar's return to Galactica. Baltar discovers a camera in his cell and starts to provoke Gaeta. Gaeta stabs Baltar in the neck with a pen and attempts to strangle Baltar before being incapacitated by Adama. In the podcast for Taking a Break from All Your Worries, it was revealed that there were discussions about a subplot that involved Baltar being guilty of an incident before the Cylon occupation in which many, already discriminated, Sagittarons were killed. Ron Moore relates that Baltar threatened to implicate Gaeta, who had nothing to do with the incident, in that (the scene where Baltar whispers something inaudible in Gaeta's ear) and that this is what made Gaeta snap and stab Baltar. Moore also mentioned that Gaeta still had "issues" that related to his time working with Baltar and how the fleet at first viewed him as a collaborator because of that relation. Now that Baltar came back, Gaeta had had a difficult time accepting that, which later turned into rage during the interrogation. During the trial of Baltar (in the episode Crossroads (Battlestar Galactica)), Gaeta is put onto the witness stand. He lies outright to the court, claiming that he was there when Baltar signed the deathlists and that Baltar offered no resistance in approving them. Since Baltar and the humanoid cylons were the only ones actually present when that happens, there was no way to prove that Gaeta was lying. This event was further evidence in the changes to Gaeta's character from the man he was earlier in the seires.

Trivia

• During an interview in Portland, Ore., Katee Sackhoff, was asked about gay politics in the Galactica universe and who on the crew did she think was gay. Sackhoff responded, “We think it’s Gaeta.… The blooper reel from every single season has Gaeta always hitting on someone [who is] a man.”
• Additionally, writer Paul Florez from The Advocate wrote an article in which he listed the reasons why he suspected that Gaeta might be gay. Florez's article can be viewed at http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid42542.asp

External links

• Felix Gaeta at Battlestar Wiki

References