Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Babylon 5

When I first met Smart Guy, he was living in San Francisco and I was living in Boulder. We met through the skydiving internet (rec.skydiving), first making contact through email, then phone calls, and finally beginning to meet one another in person in 1992. It was amazing to me to meet another person my age who would let me talk about skydiving as much as I wanted (remember I had only begun to skydive late in 1990), someone who loved backpacking and the outdoors, and who was a science fiction aficionado just like me!

He moved to Boulder in 1993, and in 1994 we were married in freefall, but that's another story. During the same time frame, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) created the Babylon 5 universe as a television series and the new drama was first aired in January 1994. The most startling thing about the five-year-long series, to me, is that the entire story arc was conceived by Straczynski in a flash. According to that B-5 Wikipedia link above, JMS writes,
Once I had the locale, I began to populate it with characters, and sketch out directions that might be interesting. I dragged out my notes on religion, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, science (the ones that didn't make my head explode), and started stitching together a crazy quilt pattern that eventually formed a picture. Once I had that picture in my head, once I knew what the major theme was, the rest fell into place. All at once, I saw the full five-year story in a flash, and I frantically began scribbling down notes. (1995)
The locale that JMS is talking about here is a space station set in the 23rd century, Babylon 5, populated with many alien races and with characters that I have grown to know and love as though they were family. In our first years of being married, the two of us watched the original television series in our apartment, and we looked forward to each episode with incredible anticipation. I had never seen a show like this one, and although the Star Trek series has a similar appeal, this one is deeper and more complex than anything I had seen before.

The final show, "Sleeping in Light," was first shown in November 1998, and our marriage had finally settled into something that both of us believed would continue (after a very rocky start). I still remember both of us holding hands and crying our eyes out while we watched that final episode. We watched additional TV movies and reruns of the shows for years, but that first viewing of a very special episode ending five years of struggle that resonated so deeply with our own journey, well, it was unforgettable.

Smart Guy was so taken by the series that he bought the DVD special collection, and it traveled with us in 2008 from our home in Boulder to our new home here in Bellingham. The collection sits in a special place, but we didn't take it off the shelf for years, waiting for the right time to present itself. He paid $300 for the entire set, and I see it's now half price on Amazon but still available. There is an entire website dedicated to followers of the show, "The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5." Obviously I am not the only person who believes in its continued relevance.

Well, here it is, the middle of 2011, and today we watched "Sleeping in Light" again after revisiting all 110 episodes, once each day. I have arrived in this place where I am filled again with admiration for all the wonderful people who populate the B-5 universe, and JMS for his genius in creating this marvelous story. So many of the issues he raised are even more pertinent in today's political climate, and I feel grateful that I can look forward again, probably in a few more years, to experiencing this very special tale being told to me once again. It is bittersweet for me to realize that several of the actors have died since the show was produced in the 1990s, reminding me that time moves on, and that nothing stays the same. In fact, one of the actors, Jeff Conaway, died at the end of May, while we were watching the DVDs.

Although our life together has deepened and strengthened because of our commitment to one another, sharing something like this together as we have just done is beyond priceless. If we continue on this trajectory of love and light, I have no fear of where we will be in twenty more years.
:-)

19 comments:

  1. Interesting how some of the books,movies etc. describe the future and how bang on they were that we read them years after the time. I always liked Future Shock. Neat how you relate this to your own life and relationship.

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  2. You were married in FREEFALL? Didn't know that!

    I've just ordered the pilot of Babylon 5 on Netflix. Thanks.

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  3. The only part I really DIDN"T enjoy of the whole series was the first pilot, Linda. But it does give you an idea of the series, although it's weak compared to the rest...

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  4. DJan,
    My husband and I are active TV film watchers. By active, I mean we comment, laugh, criticize, point out continuity errors, guess what else the actor's been in, etc. Some of our best TV times are when we look forward to a favourite series, laugh at the same moment, or turn to look at each other with the same eyebrow raise. I can relate to your love of a favourite show...and now I'm intrigued by Babylon 5! Thank-you!

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  5. nice...loved babylon 5...mainly for boxlietner (totally botched the name) as he was in another show from my youth "bring em back alive" a kinda indiana jones spin off...but there was so much as well through out the series...

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  6. I think you guys are really a matched set. This is great.

    I don't think I knew you were married in free fall either. I will read the entry.

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  7. Married in freefall?! Wow. Though you two were already committed to the joys of skydiving. Was the celebrant? Or was it his/her first experience?

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  8. This is so romantic! I'm thrilled you found such happiness with your Smart Guy. :-) I've never watched Babylon 5. It sounds like something my husband would totally love.

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  9. I've never seen any of those programmes, nor would I want to because it's just not my thing. However I know Larry loves sci-fi. He is a trekky too I believe. Having said that, I am listening to 'Journey into Space' on BBC radio4 extra at the moment. It's so old-fashioned that it hardly could be called sci-fi although it was very ahead of its time.
    When I read your posts I find out how very different two people can be and yet remain such firm friends, albeit across the wires or wireless I should say. I don't get many comments on my Blogs but I nearly always get one from you and I look for it. Thank you for your continuing friendship.
    I can almost see you in a spaceship, exploring new universes, if you had your life over again. You certainly have the guts for it.
    Me? no! I'd be the one at home, waiting with my apron on and a pot of tea ready for your return (oops, no, I mean a cafe latte, don't I!)

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  10. I am not much of a TV/movie viewer, but can appreciate your enthusiasm for this show. Twenty years, huh? That would put you near 90 yrs old... Keep on keeping on!

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  11. I met my guy in 1993 and we were married in 1994. Our first few years together were very busy as we moved around the West Coast but we always managed to catch the latest episode of Babylon 5.

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  12. I am not surprised you were married in FREEFALL - I feel somehow that is just how u r. Nice to read story and love the sciFI too - can understand the whole thing of sharing the series, as we love it too. You're quite a gal kiddo and am happy to read your blog - luv it :)
    Lilly

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  13. I have a friend who never missed an episode, but I didn't get into it. I do like sci-fi, so I will have to give it a chance, especially now that I can go from episode to episode as quickly as I want.

    Sci-fi offers a glimpse into all the possibilities. I find it so interesting that you share this passion. It says a lot about both of you and how/why you found each other.

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  14. Would love to hear about being married in freefall! I enjoyed B5, too. Sounds like you and Smart Guy have figured things out well beyond what many couples do!

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  15. One of our daughter's is a vegetarian and doesn't eat meat. Her partner eats fish but no other kinds of meat.

    We eat mostly pork and beef and chicken. No lambs, ducks, goats, horses, or squirrels and rabbits.

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  16. I taught a senior high elective some years ago based on Alvin Tofflers book. What fun. The kids would fall on the floor in stitches when I had them try to explain to me (a person from the 15th century) what a microwave oven was and how it worked)

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  17. I've never heard of B5, and I will have to look into finding the DVDs.
    Married in freefall? Can't wait to hear about that one. "So happy together", the Turtles sang that one...remember? It came to mind when i was reading this. I'm glad you found each other....wishing you many more memorable moments with that smart guy.
    Hugs....xo

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  18. I haven't seen that series. Maybe we will take on that one after we finish the complete collection of the Star Gate series. We borrowed that set and have become addicted. We watch one episode per night so this is going to take a long time with ten years in the series of SG-1. We don't know if we want to get tied into Star Gate Atlantis and another spinoff series.

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  19. One of those series I've been meaning to see for years, but haven't. Someday I'll come across another SciFi fan (and yet another thing we have in commong DJan, yay!) who will have them on dvd and can loan them to me. Fingers crossed!

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