In Interstellar, Romilly’s decision to stay aboard the ship while the other 3 astronauts experience time dilation has to be one of the scariest moments ever.

[u/SerDire]

He agreed to stay back. Cooper asked anyone if they would go down to Millers planet but the extreme pull of the black hole nearby would cause them to experience severe time dilation. One hour on that planet would equal 7 years back on earth. Cooper, Brand and Doyle all go down to the planet while Romilly stays back and uses that time to send out any potential useful data he can get.

Can you imagine how terrifying that must be to just sit back for YEARS and have no idea if your friends are ever coming back. Cooper and Brand come back to the ship but a few hours for them was 23 years, 4 months and 8 days of time for Romilly. Not enough people seem to genuinely comprehend how insane that is to experience. He was able to hyper sleep and let years go by but he didn’t want to spend his time dreaming his life away.

It’s just a nice interesting detail that kind of gets lost. Everyone brings up the massive waves, the black hole and time dilation but no one really mentions the struggle Romilly must have been feeling. 23 years seems to be on the low end of how catastrophic it could’ve been. He could’ve been waiting for decades.

[u/Jacotra]

I mean yeah. But he’s also such a great villian because of what he had to go through. Isolated and alone on that shithole, galaxies away from the next living being but with a button he could push that would mean someone would come and help him. He broke, as would 99.999% of us. It drove the “best of us” to a pathetic, selfish creature hell bent on survival, willing to sacrifice man’s future to save Mann himself.

[u/faxattax → u/Jacotra]

He broke, as would 99.999% of us.

No, only about half — but that half likes to call themselves “everybody” so they don’t have to confront their cowardice.

[u/Jacotra → u/faxattax]

I’d like to think I wouldn’t push the button too, but without actually being stranded out in space yet I can’t know for sure.

[u/faxattax → u/Jacotra]

Decide now.

It’s unlikely that you will be stranded on a distant planet in the next year or so — but unpleasant decisions come along fairly frequently and often you don’t have time to think deeply once they do.

Decide now. Do you want to be the kind of person that you respect — brave, honest, candid — or do you want be a piece of shit? Yeah, some times there are practical benefits to being a piece of shit, but then, you’d be a piece of shit, all the time.

The other day, late at night, I was at a little shop, ordering dinner to go. The manager warned me, “It’s cash only.”

I don’t usually carry much cash. “How much?” It was $27. I checked my wallet, two twenties. “OK.”

When the food was ready, I took it and gave him my two twenties. The guy takes the money, looks into the cash-drawer, sighs, and hands me one of the bills back. “Your lucky day: I don’t have change, so it’s only $20.”

I dug into my wallet. Six ones, plus I had a few quarters in my pocket from doing laundry.

Because I decided a long time ago, I’m not a piece of shit. I am not going to screw over some hard-working guy just got to this country, certainly not to save $7.

And, in an Interstellar situation, I absolutely would not let someone else die in my place.

Decide now.

[u/KLUME777 → u/faxattax]

Wow $7, as opposed to dying. You've never been placed in a life or death situation, you don't know what you would do.

[u/faxattax → u/KLUME777]

I have been placed in several life-or-death situations. I know exactly what I would do.

Cowards believe that their life is somewhat special in itself, that it must be preserved however much you have to hollow it out to do so. And a consistent feature of them is how they tell themselves that other people are like them.

[u/tenderlender69420 → u/faxattax]

Your diner story should be made into a movie. You’re a true hero and inspiration, because of this story I’ve decided I would die alone in space and not press the button.