All Those Cool Buildings in Vancouver

Not too long ago I read an obituary of a Canadian architect named Arthur Erickson. I knew that one of the locations in Battlestar Galactica (the riverwalk in Caprica City) was actually the campus of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. In fact, I am pretty sure that campus was used in some other Sci Fi shows. In any event, I learned that Erickson was the architect.

I am a big architecture fan anyway, so I did a little research, and it turns out that the really cool office where Roslin's doctor tells he she has cancer (you know, the office with the triangle - pyramidish sort of entrance and the slanted glass wall) was also designed by Erickson. It is called "Waterfall House" and is located, not surprisingly, in Vancouver. It has also been used in one of the Viagra commercials, I am not entirely clear why since a pyramid doesn't strike me as an obvious phallic symbol.

I also think but I am not sure that Baltar's house (you know, the fabulous house with overlooking water) is "Graham House" in West Vancouver. I am not really sure because I couldn't find that many photographs on the net, but based on a sketch that I found in a book ("Arthur Erickson - Critical Works" page 21) I would say that this is a reasonable guess.

The building that looks really interesting, IMHO, is the University of British Columbia's Museum of Anthropology. If I ever got to Vancouver I will definitely check it out. The building is quite spectacular.

Gaius Baltar

Even though Baltar plays a significant role in the Miniseries, I postponed discussing him until "33." Part of the problem is that I just wanted to move past the miniseries and I think "33" is a reasonable place to start a discussion on Baltar, since he more or less comes into his own in this episode. I also kept getting stuck writing about him because I was caught up on the sleeze / coward factor, and so I was running out of things to say.

Although a large part of Baltar's character is defined by deceit and rampant egotism, focus on this makes him pretty one-dimensional. Baltar is actually a pretty complicated guy, and his belief system changes radically over the course of the series.

So let's focus on the nasty bits first, because that is where the fun lies.

In the Miniseries Baltar immediately comes across as untrustworthy when he flirts with the news anchor interviewing him. (To quote from My Fair Lady, "Oozing charm from ev'ry pore, he oiled his way across the floor.") Baltar is a womanizer (I realize some male readers of this blog might not consider that a bad thing). A large part of his womanizing is characterized by "do anything, say anything." (I suppose, actually, that is a defining feature of womanizing.) This explains, of course, why he inadvertently participates in the death of billions by giving away the defense mainframe codes to some babe so that she would sleep with him.

He is, however, capable of great charm, which is not always obvious in the series, but certainly explains his success with women. His flirtation with Starbuck over a card game ("Water") is fun to watch, and he is one of the few people who actually beats her at cards. There is a strong air of sexual frisson throughout, and she is very provocative when she blows cigar smoke in his face. Of course Starbuck is a strong personality and can pretty much give as good as she gets from Baltar, which I assume increases their mutual attraction.

As we all know, Baltar's personality is dominated by self-interest. (At the end of the Miniseries he says, "I am not on anyone's side.") He is cowardly and he lies constantly, although he is caught often enough to make me wonder why he continues to do it. I wonder if he is modeled on Zachary Taylor from "Lost in Space," but I haven't seen the original Battlestar Galactica, so I have no idea how closely he resembles the original Baltar. Two or three times each season, though, he shows great compassion or says something that demonstrates genuine concern for others. (For example, his conversation with Boomer during "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1.") It is something of a surprise when this happens, but it saves Baltar from being a complete caricature.

In the Miniseries, as Baltar escapes Caprica, the Six that only he sees makes her first appearance. (BTW, for the purposes of this blog I will simply refer to her as "Six," since all the other Sixes have names. This Six is called "Sarah" by Baltar, but only once ("Home, Part 2"), and I didn't even catch that until something like the 400th viewing of the episode in question.

Six is very beautiful, very sexy, walks like a model, and usually wears amazing dresses. With her white-blond hair she is radiant in contrast to Galactica's grubby surroundings. This is beautifully shown in "33" when she is setting next to Baltar on Colonial One, looking at the couple opposite. Baltar is rumpled, sweaty and a total mess. She is serene, beautiful, and relaxed, as if this was an ordinary flight.

The Baltar-Six interactions also create a lot of comic relief as Baltar often carries on two simultaneous conversations and then has to try to integrate seemingly odd behavior and statements into the "real" conversation. (As Roslin says in "33," "He's a strange one.")

The billion-dollar question, of course, is who, or what, is this manifestation? Baltar himself doesn't know, although he sometimes seems to believe that she is "an expression of my subconscious mind working itself out in a waking state." (Miniseries) Season 3 also implies a psychological origin, since there are references to Baltar taking meds ("Collaborators" and "Torn"). The settings for Baltar's conversations with Six also veer back and forth between Baltar's physical location and other, more pleasant, virtual locations that exist, presumably, in Baltar's imagination.

Galactica, in general, is wildly inconsistent about Six. It doesn't make sense for her to be an illusion cooked up by Baltar's psyche because she knows a lot more about Cylon strategy than Baltar can possibly know. She is clearly tied to actual events, and often seems to control the outcome (Miniseries and "33" to name but a few examples), but later in the series it is clear that the "real" Cylons aren't aware of her either. She also has moments when she is unseen but physically present. For example, in "Epiphanies" she pulls up Baltar's tie, and in "Escape Velocity" she literally props him up.

A large part of the tension in "33" hinges on whether there is a Cylon agent in the fleet who is responsible for the repeated attacks. Six alerts Baltar to this possibility. Baltar's life also hangs in the balance since a witness to this involvement in the Cylon attack is on the same ship as the Cylon agent. Whether this threat to Baltar is removed is dependent on his response to Six's questions about his relationship with god (sort of like having a Jehovah's Witness on your doorstep). When Baltar finally states that he accepts the Cylon god, Roslin decides to shoot down the ship, eliminating the Cylon agent, and also killing the only person who could tie Baltar to the Cylon attack.

This sequence of events raises some pretty tough questions. First, there is a strong sense that everyone is playing out roles that have been predetermined ("all this has happened before and all this will happen again"). Does this mean that Roslin's agonizing over her decision is pointless because she is meant to order Galactica to shoot down a civilian ship? If Baltar had not made his admission, would Roslin have made a different decision?

This scene plays itself out again in "Six Degrees of Separation" - Baltar repents and 2 seconds later the incriminating evidence is shown to be false and his accuser disappears.

Foxhole prayers are notoriously unreliable, is the Cylon god really so naive as to take them seriously? They are a recurring theme in Galactica, and they do seem to lead Baltar to a stronger commitment to the Cylon belief-system, but assertions of faith made under duress seem pretty untrustworthy to me.

Baltar also keeps making lucky guesses, which again, seem tied to his relationship with Six's god. He fingers Doral as a Cylon in the miniseries based only on speculation about how Doral is perceived by the rest of the crew. He is correct, although he doesn't find out until later. This happens again in "The Hand of God" when he randomly chooses a site on a surveillance photo as the correct target for blowing up the Cylon's trilium refinery. Both events raise questions about free will. What guides Baltar to make random choices that turn out to be critical to the survival of the fleet, given his ambivalence about his place in the human-Cylon war?

Despite the fact that Baltar is on a non-stop emotional rollercoaster, his world-outlook at the beginning of the saga is based on the scientific method. There is no place for constructs such as faith, or belief in an intangible higher power. As the series progresses, Baltar's intellectual foundation crumbles and is rebuilt with a fundamentally anti-intellectual outlook based on conversion to the Cylon god. It's hard to pinpoint a defining moment where he crosses the line. I think finding Hera on New Caprica is a significant point, as well as his experience in the Temple of Jupiter. By season 4.0 he has actually managed to convert some humans, and is worshipped by them as god's mouthpiece. His sermons are mixed with beautiful imagery ("Faith") and completely self-serving statements ("God loves us as we are because we are perfect."). This understanding of god's will also absolves him of any responsibility for the nuclear holocaust on the twelve colonies ("Hub").

As of this writing, the second episode of Season 4.5, Baltar is disillusioned and angry at his god. In "The Disquiet that Follows My Soul" he is preaching while drunk, and sits back drinking and smoking, while ignoring a fistfight. To my mind, Baltar's behavior is reverting back to his old persona from before he became a religious prophet.

James Callis is just a terrific actor. Baltar is such a mess of contradictions, but Callis manages to make him coherent. In spite of the many facets of Baltar's personality, Callis creates a sense of consistency about his character. In each manifestation Baltar is completely recognizable as Baltar (I'm not sure if that makes sense).

My prediction about Baltar's fate, btw, is that he is going to die before the end of season 4.5. It's kind of weird to think about that becaue he is a lot like Rasputin - people keep trying to kill him, and he always manages to survive. 

Felix Gaeta

Right now (the end of Season 4) my third favorite character is Felix Gaeta. I think he is just someone I would like to have on my side. He doesn't have a big mouth (unlike some Viper pilots I could name), he's smart, he doesn't let his ego get in the way of his decisions, he has good judgment, and he is courageous.

Gaeta starts out as a minor character in the miniseries and Season 1 (according to Ron Moore's podcast Gaeta doesn't even have a first name until D'Anna appears interviewing everyone for the Fleet News Service in "Final Cut"). But he plays an increasingly important role as the series progresses, and I think this is because Gaeta's personality is so different from the Viper pilots, and he and Dualla both give some variety to the cast of characters. (I don't think it hurts that Alessandro Juliani, who plays Gaeta, is a very good actor.)

Gaeta grows up in the course of the series. Although he is an adult, when the series starts he has some childlike qualities that are very sweet. (He looks totally goofy when he is dancing during the celebration of Baltar's election as vice president during "Colonial Day.") He is hardworking and very smart, loyal, and trusting (which gets him into trouble later on). When he makes a mistake he is much harder on himself than any of his superiors would be ("Scattered" and miniseries). He has a lot of responsibility in the CIC (and included in a lot of the decision-making) even though he looks about fifteen. (IMHO he wouldn't get served in a bar without first showing ID.) 

Based on Seasons 1 and 2, several things are clear about Gaeta: He worked very hard to get where he is. His life experience is pretty limited and maybe even kind of sheltered. Like everyone else, his aspirations for the future are destroyed by the Cylons. He is doing on Galactica what most of us did in college (or, if you were precocious, high school) - smoking, drinking, and getting a tattoo ("Final Cut"). BTW, I have a tattoo in approximately the same place as Gaeta and he lies, it DOES hurt.

I would guess that Gaeta is either the only child of older parents or the son of alcoholics, but I'm not sure I know how I arrived at that conclusion. Many characters have backgrounds outlined for us, but Gaeta is not in this group.

Gaeta and Baltar

OK, so who waltzes into the life of this trusting soul? Gaius Baltar, the genius who is also the embodiment of duplicity, narcissism, and about a hundred other bad qualities. Gaeta makes his first (and maybe only) big mistake when he equates Baltar's extraordinary intellect with moral stature. Another way of looking at this is that Gaeta hero-worships Baltar for his achievements and then projects onto Baltar his own ethical values. In "Six Degrees of Separation," after he clears Baltar of the accusation that he colluded in the Cylon attack, Gaeta hugs Baltar and says "I knew you weren't that kind of man." The problem, of course, is that Baltar IS that kind of man.

There has been some discussion on the internet about whether the Gaeta-Baltar relationship has a homoerotic element. Well, duh. However, I think that most of the discussion is putting the chicken before the egg. James Callis is a nice-looking guy, but not incredibly handsome, and Baltar has terrible haircuts. So looks are not the basis of this attraction. I think that Gaeta is gay, so it makes sense that his admiration for Baltar has a sexual undercurrent.

IMHO, as soon as Gaeta starts to see Baltar for what he is (in the last epdisode of season 2.5, "Lay Down Your Burdens, Part 2"), the sexual attraction disappears along with his illusions. At the end of this episode Gaeta looks disgusted with Baltar, his sleazy lifestyle, and his indifference to the responsibilities of political office. As soon as the Cylons arrive Gaeta immediately starts working against both the occupiers and Baltar (and apparently even colludes in an unsuccessful assassination attempt in "Occupation).

During the occupation on New Caprica, Gaeta makes a hard decision to stay in Baltar's administration so that he can pass information to the resistance. He manages to keep his role as the source of the material a secret to protect everyone involved, and has also managed to set it up so that he doesn't know who exactly is receiving the material (the logistics of how he managed this, actually, are a complete mystery to me). He is absolutely vilified for his seeming collaboration with the Cylons, and his frustration is evident after the conversation with Tyrol about Callie's detention, but he sticks to his plan and his actions are critical to the escape from New Caprica. This is a lonely role (the resistance fighters at least have the comfort of camaraderie), and a dangerous one, and Gaeta looks frightened when he leaves a message that Baltar won't be at the NCP graduation (one of the few times he leaves a message in daylight).

I think Gaeta feels complicit in Baltar's puppet administration under the Cylons. In "Exodus, Part 2" he threatens to shoot Baltar, and he reveals his disgust with himself for being blind to Baltar's true personality. I think it is also evidenced by his almost apologetic remark after he is wrongly accused of collaborating and comes close to being thrown out an airlock ("I did everything I could. I don't know what more I could have done."). I also think this is his motivation for waking in the middle of the night and trying to see Baltar ("Taking a Break From All Your Worries."). Roslin is right, Gaeta wants to kill Baltar and finish what he started during the exodus from New Caprica.

After the "Collaborators" episode, Gaeta starts to exhibit cynicism and anger. In addition to feeling betrayed by Baltar, I think he feels let down by his crewmates. Nobody believes him when he tells them his true role. His statements are dismissed out of hand, as if no one gave any consideration to what they know about him from all the years that he served with them. When Tigh returns to the CIC, Gaeta turns his back while everyone else is clapping. He is freer about expressing his own opinions ("The Road Less Travelled"). He becomes sarcastic (when he says "Right" his intonation is dripping with irony). The occupation serves as a painful rite of passage to adulthood.

I know that there has been a lot of discussion about Gaeta's sexual orientation. (In one of the Season 3 videoblogs Alessandro Juliani is pretty funny when he talks about Gaeta's virginity. His remarks are filled with double entendres that make pretty clear his opinion on the subject.) But I want to point out that by the end of Season 4, Gaeta is disabled and thereby joins an even smaller minority. After my experience getting services for my kids I can tell you that parents of disabled children are treated like shit, and the only group treated worse are disabled people themselves. To quote Anne Lamott ("Traveling Mercies," beginning of the chapter "Barn Raising") Gaeta is now a citizen of the Land of the Fucked. 

Whither Gaeta?

I really hope he gets laid in Season 4.5, since he could obviously use some sex, romance, and dare I say, love. Plus his disability makes it harder for him to do everything (I bet that battlestars are not compliant with the Americans With Disabilities act, or its Canadian equivalent), so it would be about time for the poor guy to have something good happen to him.

I am placing bets on Hoshi, based on the bear hug he and Gaeta exchange after the fleet finds Earth, but I am willing to be surprised. It would be just ghastly if it was Baltar. I think it would be kind of fun if Gaeta had a one-night stand with Dualla and she gets knocked up while Gaeta figures out which side of the street he walks on, and settles on men. That would meet the overwhelming necessity to increase the population while still respecting Gaeta's underlying sexual orientation. But it sounds too much like a very bad Madonna film that name of which has gone down in infamy. On the other hand Ang Lee did a very good movie ("The Wedding Banquet") on this same subject.

I also think that it would be hilarious if Gaeta walks into the Mess after his night of joy and everyone gets up and applauds and slaps his back and ruffles his hair like he is the Bar Mitzvah boy (everybody knows that there are no secrets on a battlestar).

But I digress.

I originally though that having a gay character would open the door to analogies with the US military and "don't ask don't tell," but I suspect that angle will not be pursued given that Admiral Caine was same-sex oriented.

When Gaeta lost his leg, my husband asked, "what the hell is this all about?" He then made the intelligent observation (which has been known to happen) that this is going to be a vehicle for Baltar's redemption. Somehow Baltar is going to help Gaeta (maybe save his life?), which will also provide some kind of closure for Gaeta.

In any event, I wish happiness for Gaeta, he certainly deserves it.