The Evolution of LGBTQ+ Representation in Battlestar Galactica

The Need for Change

The next time Battlestar Galactica gets updated for a modern audience, the producers need to fix one of the biggest problems from the acclaimed 2004 reboot. In all its incarnations, Battlestar Galactica revolves around a future war between humans and androids of their own making called Cylons. A revamp of the Battlestar Galactica franchise, either as a feature film or another TV series, has been in and out of development for years. It’s only a matter of time before this beloved sci-fi property makes a comeback, and when it does, the new version needs to correct one of the most glaring representational issues from the 2004 series.

The cast of Battlestar Galactica season 2 poses for a photo.

The 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica was widely praised by critics and proved to be a hit with audiences, too. It was hailed as one of the greatest shows of the post-Sopranos “Golden Age of Television” and ran for four seasons consisting of a grand total of 76 episodes (as well as two made-for-TV movies and a miniseries). It was a great show, but it wasn’t perfect. As with any popular franchise, it’s not a matter of “if” a reboot will get made; it’s a matter of “when.” And when that reboot does get made, it needs to fix the 2004 show’s biggest problem.

Helena Cain on the phone in Battlestar Galactica

The Lack of LGBTQ+ Representation

The biggest issue with the 2004 version of Battlestar Galactica – an issue that needs to be addressed in any future revival – is its lack of LGBTQ+ representation. There were a couple of queer characters, but their queerness was mostly downplayed or simply implied. Helena Cain, played by Michelle Forbes, was the show’s only openly gay character, revealed to be in a relationship with Gina Inviere, and the writers did a good job of not making a big deal out of the fact that they were in a same-sex relationship. But other than that, the show was seriously lacking in its LGBTQ+ representation. Even most of the Cylons are depicted as heterosexual.

Gaeta looking off-screen in Battlestar Galactica

The series did confirm that Lt. Felix Gaeta, played by Alessandro Juliani, was a gay man in a relationship with Louis Hoshi, played by Brad Dryborough. But this information wasn’t revealed in the actual TV show; it was relegated to the webisode series “The Face of the Enemy.” Anyone who was only watching Battlestar Galactica’s output on television – i.e. most of the show’s fan base – remained unaware of Gaeta’s sexuality. If there’s ever another reboot of Battlestar Galactica (which seems likely, given the success and popularity of the franchise), then it needs to include more LGBTQ+ representation than its predecessor.

Helena Cain being held at gunpoint in Battlestar Galactica

The Shift in LGBTQ+ Representation

The scarcity of LGBTQ+ characters wasn’t just confined to Battlestar Galactica; it was an industry-wide issue in the 2000s. In the late 1990s, shows like Ellen and Will & Grace went a long way toward normalizing the presence of queer characters on television, but LGBTQ+ representation was still a rarity in the media landscape throughout the 2000s. Openly gay characters on TV were still few and far between. TV shows often had just one gay character, like Oscar Martinez in The Office, and that one token gay character was often the butt of constant homophobic jokes, like Ari Gold’s assistant Lloyd in Entourage.

Gaeta in front of a radar in Battlestar Galactica

2015 marked a major turning point when the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 U.S. states. This national acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community allowed shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Sex Education, and The Sex Lives of College Girls to explore diverse LGBTQ+ representation beyond mere tokenism. These shows all have rounded, three-dimensional characters representing the LGBTQ+ community. If Battlestar Galactica was rebooted today, the classic sci-fi series would return to a very different TV landscape. Its portrayal of the future of human society would feel incomplete without acknowledging the wide spectrum of sexual orientations.

Helena Cain smirking in Battlestar Galactica