The Mercy Seat: A Felix Gaeta Video Tribute

[falafel_musings]

Title: The Mercy Seat
Song/Artist: 'The Mercy Seat' by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica 2003
Description: A tribute to the hysterically tragic life of Felix Gaeta. This video includes surreal religious depictions of Felix's own personal idol, Gaius Baltar, a few shady characters like Zarek and Crazy Eight who like to kill people

Comments

[daybreak777]

Yay, your first vid! There's nothing like the accomplishment of finishing the first one. I am sorry that it's taken me so long to comment. This was a complex vid and I had to chew on it a while. As someone said above this vid reminds me of your fic, deep, emotional, and a layered emotional ride.

Wow, and the song is kind of brutal! It took me a while (and a few days) to listen to it several times. When I did, I did found humor (Gaius’ manger) and apt clips (Felix’s face on ‘bright eye’). The lyrics are kind of relentless going toward their conclusion as was Felix’s arc going towards its conclusion. It has taken me a while to realize but once Felix set out on his path (like once you are in an electric chair) there really was on only one way out.

I like Gaius as Jesus and Felix as kind of his Judas or maybe the other way around considering who got ‘crucified’. Oooh, see? This vid makes me think such painful thoughts! Felix may have been an atheist but he was righteous as Jesus in the marketplace in planning the mutiny, and Adama makes an interesting Herod, goodness. It is an interesting vid that makes my mind go down paths it never would have without viewing it. I will still be thinking about this vid for a while.

I have some vidding questions too. What software program did you use? I think it's an accomplishment to master any vidding program since they are not easy. I also want to know, how did making the video affect your feelings about Felix? I have several vids in me about Felix and I had a few vid-bunnies for him from before, months ago before BOTS. The truth is, I’m not really past his death or will be anytime soon. Just watching vids about him or the episodes is hard and I stop in the middle and go back several times. I hope that finishing even one vid about him will get him temporarily out of my head. Did that happen for you? What I love about each of the Felix vids out there is everyone has their own Felix and we get to see it.

Your Felix is dark and torn and painful and brave which is everything we saw on screen. Thank you for sharing this with us. And again, first vid! You’ll never forget this one.

[falafel_musings]

Oh, wow. Thanks so much for the feedback! I was just pleased to learn you had seen this, because your own Gaeta vid 'Broken' was a big inspiration for me. It was a good vid to reference because it didn't have effects, just really good editing, a strong narrative and your character study worked so well with the lyrics.

It has taken me a while to realize but once Felix set out on his path (like once you are in an electric chair) there really was on only one way out.

Yes, that is a great observation! Felix did commit to his mutiny. He knew that it was a dark path there could be no turning back. He had to see it through or die trying.

I'm all over the Baltar/Jesus and Gaeta/Judas symbolism. Especially because in Gnostic readings of the Bible Judas is seen as the one who makes the bigger sacrifice, because he has to play the traitor role, the double agent (like Gaeta) so he can act as a catalyst of great change. But unlike Jesus, Judas recieves no worship or salvation. He is condemned and damned even though he is part of God's plan just as Jesus is part of the plan. It's an interesting subtext reading.

I used Windows Movie Maker. I don't have any other vid editing programs on my computer. Luckily my vidder friends helped me to master it.

how did making the video affect your feelings about Felix?

Well, I think this vid is an incomplete view of Felix, since I didn't include any clips from S1 and S2. Those were the seasons when I felt Felix was an innocent and this vid is really about his loss of innocence. Along with truth and justice, I think betrayal is also a major theme. Felix is executed as a traitor, but this vid really focuses on how he was betrayed by all the people in his life - Gaius and the Eight on New Caprica, the Circle, the Demetrius crew, Adama and Roslin, Dee betrayed him in a way because her suicide hurt him so deeply, and Zarek betrays his trust too. Hoshi is the only real exception.

So the vid chronicles all that betrayal and trauma that Felix goes through which have led to him being on death row. It just makes me feel very sad for him, because he was a good person who tried too hard to do the right thing, who was so broken by his experiences. But like you say Felix is brave too. He holds true to his moral core and his ideals. He finds the strength in them to face his execution without fear.

Thanks again for your feedback. It means so much. I love your comment on how we get to see each fans own version of Felix in their vids. That's so cool!