This is one of my favourite science fiction related stories
I admit it, I was a big Babylon 5 nut. When the series was in its first run during the mid-nineties, I was addicted to it. I never missed an episode, no matter what else was going on in my life. It came on at seven in the evening for me, and everything stopped during that time.
It was early in season four when my girlfriend at the time decided to call around that time. I told her that I really like to watch the show and I would call her afterwards. She took that as a challenge and called me again at seven in the evening the next day.
There was a fight going on, and she wanted me to pick spending time with her, over spending time with my favourite science fiction show. It was right at the height of the Shadow War, and I was really into the show. I stopped paying attention to her and eventually she hung up.
By the time the episode named Into the Fire aired, I no longer had a girlfriend. She realized that I had chosen Babylon 5 over her.
The only regrets I have over the whole thing is that first off, I couldn’t convince her to call at a different time. Secondly, had I know the conclusion was going to be so much the opposite of what I had hoped, I might have just taped the episodes to watch them later. Who knew that the Shadows and the Vorlons were basically going to run away. I wanted to see the ultimate fight. The civil war later in the season was much more interesting.
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I remember when that happened. It was hilarious (sorry, but it was…). I still maintain that you made the right choice.
I’ve gotten into fights with girlfriends over my TV time. But none of them ever broke up with me about it.
It was really my fault… I should have been listening better, but to me, at the time, the show was much more important. I ended up seeing her again later in life, and she was doing well, had a daughter, and fairly happy. She still mockingly calls me her “romeo”.
I just didn’t answer the phone.