All alone in the nightBefore The L Word gang, before Willow and Tara on Buffy, before Ellen, there was the ill-fated romance of Commander Susan Ivanova and commercial telepath Talia Winters.

The year was 2259 and the name of the place Babylon 5.

The amazing thing about sexuality on B5 was the casualness of it. Not for JMS was the cheap titallation of a first lesbian kiss or a publicized coming-out episode: a tactic used by forgettable later shows for temporary rating spikes. Ivanova is bisexual and that’s that. Sexuality just is — it’s not central to the plot. Homosexuality just isn’t a big deal in the 23rd century.

Said Claudia Christian:

What I like though, is that Joe just puts it in. He doesn’t make a fuss. Homosexuality’s been part of our society since the beginning of time and we should stop making such a big deal out of it. It’s ridiculous. [link]

Alas, like most lesbian affairs on TV, this one wasn’t meant to last. Talia Winters went off the show right afterwards. But Babylon 5 will be long remembered for arguably being the most intelligent work of science fiction in television history.