Felix Gaeta’s Last Words Fit Battlestar Galactica’s Entire Theme

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When Felix Gaeta faces a firing squad, his final words capture Battlestar Galactica’s central theme. In Season 4, Episode 14, “Blood on the Scales”, Gaeta looks down at his missing leg in wonder, just moments before the firing squad carries out his execution. His final words—“it stopped”—seemingly referred to the constant pain and itching he’d experienced due to phantom limb symptoms.

Initially a minor character, Felix Gaeta (Alessandro Juliani) is a naive idealist whose belief in democracy leads him to cooperate with Baltar. By the time Battlestar Galactica season 4 ended, Gaeta’s role had developed considerably. Once the collaborationist nature of Baltar’s government becomes clear, Gaeta secretly helps the resistance. Despite being a vital conduit of information, he is viewed as a traitor by other officers in the fleet and haunted by guilt. In the episode“The Ties That Bind”, he loses a leg to Sam Anders and is denied the prompt medical attention needed to avoid the limb’s loss. On a path of ever-increasing resentment and despair, Gaeta turns against Adama and joins forces with the former terrorist, Zarek. His misguided mutiny is propelled more by personal feelings and a desire for vengeance, and he is horrified by its bloody outcome.

Related: Why Paul Campbell’s Billy Left Battlestar Galactica

Gaeta’s final words are so fitting because they encapsulate Battlestar Galactica’s theme of letting go. Having played their part in thwartingthe Cylon’s plans and getting everyone to Earth, the characters need to release the pain of their experiences. They cannot live a new life while haunted by the horrors and regrets of the past. Just as Gaeta lost a limb, the remnants of humanity were severed from all they knew. And although