Gays & Galactica: Meme to Ron Moore

Galactica showrunner Ron Moore posted this on his blog recently, and gave a startlingly similar answer to the same question during this interview. Maybe the blogpost and the interview are related--or maybe he has a stock answer for this question.

Quote below is from the blog:

I think homosexuality definitely exists in the world of Galactica, but I frankly haven't found a way to portray it yet. It's a texture that I'd like to introduce into the series without doing "the gay episode." It's something that gets talked about internally periodically, but so far there hasn't been a good story or character arc or scene that's seemed like a good way to establish the fact without really hanging a big neon sign out that says, "See, we're doing a gay theme now!" Ultimately, it's probably a failure of imagination on my part and a reflection of the fact that I've never made this a priority for us, so pin the blame on me for not moving this bit of reality into our universe.

Meme to Ron Moore

Hey, Ron? Two words for you from someone who has been a fan of your work for the last 17 years (aka, since your first produced script):

Cop. Out.

I don't buy this "failure of imagination" line for one 'centon.' How much imagination would it have taken to show a regular or recurring character

• dancing with his same-sex partner during the ballroom scene in "Colonial Day?"


• Or huddled with his same-sex partner in fear with the other hostages in "Sacrifice?"


• Or sitting with his same-sex partner in a non-platonic way in the Officer's Lounge in any number of episodes?

This would be background stuff, man. No “big neon sign” needed--or desired, for that matter.

And if there was a story to tell about these characters down the road, so be it. If not, that would be OK, too.

This is what we were asking for on Trek for years--decades, even. And, back then, you felt free to agree with us that this was obvioiusly the approach that should be taken, but it wasn't your show, yada yada.

Well, now it is your show, and suddenly you don't know how to tackle this sucker without doing a "very special episode" (which I think everyone can agree should be avoided at all costs)?

Not buyin' it.

Certainly, you had no problem having Tyrol say, "Topography's for pansies" in last season's "Home Part II." So this line about wanting to "establish" that homosexuality exists in the Galactica verse is bunk (or memory lapse). Maybe that was an ad-lib, but, in any case, it's been established. Can't hate something that doesn't exist.

I found it rather telling, by the way, that Tyrol didn't think twice about uttering such a prejudiced remark in the presence of his commanding officer, and that Adama--the son of a civil liberties attorney, no less--didn't correct or discipline him in any way for it. To my way of thinking, there's stuff to be explored between those lines.

And now that homophobia has been so casually, so matter-of-factly established on the show--in fact, established in exactly the way we would like to see homosexuality dealt with--it seems only fair that we should see its object.

No?

Hat tips: Palochi, DWF