Jane Espenson

This story contains MINOR SPOILERS for the upcoming Webisodes of "Battlestar Galactica," which premiere online Dec. 12.

They’re not part of the episodes that will begin airing in January on SciFi Channel, but it doesn’t mean the "Battlestar Galactica" Webisodes that begin Friday online aren’t part of the overall story.

Following on the success of the "Battlestar" Webisodes that led into Season 3, the online shorts are back again, this time focusing on a new member of the crew — Alessandro Juliani’s Gaeta — which not only will strengthen the character’s role in the final episodes of the series, but shed some light on what exactly makes Gaeta tick.

Including his sexuality.

"Actually, this makes sense," Webisodes writer Jane Espenson told SyFy Portal’s Michael Hinman. "Give Gaeta a boyfriend and everything kind of gets richer and more interesting. And we don’t have that sense that we are taking away a character that people embraced."

Juliani has always played Gaeta with some ambiguity, which has done nothing but fuel speculation of the character’s sexuality throughout the show’s four-season run, Espenson said. That only made it easier to define his character even more.

"I knew that fans has seized on that dynamic and were sort of already identifying Gaeta as a gay character," Espenson said during an interview recorded for the Dec. 17 broadcast of SyFy Radio. "I mentioned to [showrunner Ronald D. Moore] the possibility of addressing the issue head on, and he told me to check with the actor. Alessandro was fine with it, and I wrote it in. It works very, very well, and I’m really glad that we did it."

The Webisodes won’t be focused solely on Gaeta’s sexuality. In fact, in a recap posted on AfterElton, the reference exposing Gaeta’s sexuality is almost fleeting.

"We actually learn Felix and Hoshi (played by Brad Dryborough) are a couple in the very first Webisode when Col. Tigh (Michael Hogan) sends Gaeta away for some rest and relaxation," AfterElton’s Michael Jensen said. "As Felix is leaving the deck, he runs into Hoshi. Felix apologizes for leaving on such short notice, but Hoshi only says, ’Go. Feel better. I’ll be waiting.’ The two then share a brief but sweet kiss indicating they have been a couple for quite some time."

Gaeta’s sexuality had not been formally a part of his character from the start in the writers room, but not every aspect of the canon has to originate there, Espenson said.

"It had never been consciously written in by the writers, but ’Battlestar’ is an extremely collaborative show," Espenson said. Elements are added because "actors put them in, directors put them in."

"I didn’t feel that I was adding something to that character," she said. "I feel that I was making something explicit that the character already had."

The "Battlestar Galactica" Webisodes premiere Friday at noon ET. They will be broadcast in three- to four-minute chapters on SciFi.com, the Web site said.

Called "The Face of the Enemy," the Webisodes focus on a stranded Raptor that includes Gaeta, a Cylon played by Grace Park, and is a murder mystery that would challenge some of the best whodunits.

Espenson was joined by Seamus Kevin Fahey as writers of the Webisodes, and will lead to the Jan. 16 premiere of "Battlestar Galactica."

SyFy Radio airs the full interview with Jane Espenson, which includes talk about the new Joss Whedon series "Dollhouse" and other aspects of her career Wednesday, Dec. 17 beginning at 10 p.m. ET at SyFy Radio.