I don't recall where I read it, but I have a recollection of reading something that said Gail wasn't supposed to be in EA at all, but the acting was so good, they made schedule adjustments to get him in
Yeah, that was the Kevin Van Ord stream (which has been taken down) - IIRC he writes for Lae'zel and Wyll.
I don't remember if the context of that statement is whether Gale wasn't supposed to be ready for the EA release, or not supposed to be in Act 1 at all (i.e. he's a companion you meet later). It does somewhat explain his somewhat abrupt introduction. I also remember him talking about how Wyll was initially going to look very different, but they completely overhauled his look to better match the voice actor because they loved him so much.
I'd be surprised if it was "not in act 1 at all," because he's got so much dialog, eg after the saza and the kid on the beach encounters
