Poll of the Day > I Back to the Future...

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As the photograph is fading how did Marty's sister exist as 2 legs without a connecting body, and later just a pair of shoes?

Both the photograph and Marty's memory are forms of storing information. If the photograph was changing to fit the new timeline why didn't Marty's memory of his siblings fade along with the photograph of them?

Why do George and Lorraine wait until their 3rd child to name one in honor of the person that helped get them together?

In part 2 Doc says if they go to 2015 again it will be a different 2015. So why was Biff able to return the Delorian to the same timeline he left from, after his actions in 1955 created a new timeline in which Doc never built it?

Marty traveled to 11/5/1955 and stayed until 11/12. Future Biff travels to 11/12/1955 and returns the same day. Marty had 7 days before the timeline changes reach his departure date in 1985. Why don't Biff's timeline changes take 14 days to propagate to 2015?

What happened to the original Jennifer when the timeline she was left in got overwritten after Marty burned the almanac?
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Flubbed the title.
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SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

As the photograph is fading how did Marty's sister exist as 2 legs without a connecting body, and later just a pair of shoes?

Both the photograph and Marty's memory are forms of storing information. If the photograph was changing to fit the new timeline why didn't Marty's memory of his siblings fade along with the photograph of them?

Why do George and Lorraine wait until their 3rd child to name one in honor of the person that helped get them together?

In part 2 Doc says if they go to 2015 again it will be a different 2015. So why was Biff able to return the Delorian to the same timeline he left from, after his actions in 1955 created a new timeline in which Doc never built it?

Marty traveled to 11/5/1955 and stayed until 11/12. Future Biff travels to 11/12/1955 and returns the same day. Marty had 7 days before the timeline changes reach his departure date in 1985. Why don't Biff's timeline changes take 14 days to propagate to 2015?

What happened to the original Jennifer when the timeline she was left in got overwritten after Marty burned the almanac?

Yes.
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I flew from Narita to San Diego today. Departed at 5pm on Thursday and arrived at about 11am the same day.

I back to the future.
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A wizard did it.
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SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

As the photograph is fading how did Marty's sister exist as 2 legs without a connecting body, and later just a pair of shoes?

it's in between two states, as the timeline transitions

Both the photograph and Marty's memory are forms of storing information. If the photograph was changing to fit the new timeline why didn't Marty's memory of his siblings fade along with the photograph of them?

more than his memory was fading, his entire existence was fading. the photo is transitioning from one state to another because it still existed in the new timeline. Marty didn't have a second state to transition into and was being removed altogether.

Why do George and Lorraine wait until their 3rd child to name one in honor of the person that helped get them together?

doesn't really need an explanation

In part 2 Doc says if they go to 2015 again it will be a different 2015. So why was Biff able to return the Delorian to the same timeline he left from, after his actions in 1955 created a new timeline in which Doc never built it?

to be able to get the time machine back so that Marty and Doc could use it (ie: plot reasons). note that old Biff is erased from existence moments after arriving.

Marty traveled to 11/5/1955 and stayed until 11/12. Future Biff travels to 11/12/1955 and returns the same day. Marty had 7 days before the timeline changes reach his departure date in 1985. Why don't Biff's timeline changes take 14 days to propagate to 2015?

probably just plot reasons

What happened to the original Jennifer when the timeline she was left in got overwritten after Marty burned the almanac?

yes? can't decipher what you're asking. she would have transitioned from one state to another, or something, yes.
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Never think too much about time travel in fiction.
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As the photograph is fading how did Marty's sister exist as 2 legs without a connecting body, and later just a pair of shoes?

Both the photograph and Marty's memory are forms of storing information. If the photograph was changing to fit the new timeline why didn't Marty's memory of his siblings fade along with the photograph of them?

Marty was the instigator of the change, the memories of everyone else would have faded, and eventually
marty would have faded as well, but since he was still back in time and could still fix what he had done (as he actually did) the changes were not set in stone yet....so he had time to correct them. Up until the
point of no return (where he could no longer exist) he still would remember the original future. The sister
fading etc was just a way of the universe showing marty he was running out of time (literally and figuratively).

Why do George and Lorraine wait until their 3rd child to name one in honor of the person that helped get them together?

It's never specifically mentioned but he could have been named after another family member (one of marties grandparents) etc (Dave that is...the older brother), also it's kinda central to the theme that marty was trying to keep his family from going poof, and it kinda makes sense that they wouldn't have actually
had any reason to name their first child after Marty, when he was originally born (and while they would
have after Marty went back in time, doing so would prevent marty from being called marty...and prevent
them from naming Dave after him. Basically it was a paradox for them to name Dave after Marty, so they couldn't/didn't.

In part 2 Doc says if they go to 2015 again it will be a different 2015. So why was Biff able to return the Delorian to the same timeline he left from, after his actions in 1955 created a new timeline in which Doc never built it?

The past and the future are different and 2015, being the future could and would easily change based on
actions. The past though requires you to make changes before that specific timeline, so Biff could still go back (even after creating a timeline where the delorian didn't exist...because he still HAD the delorian
from the other timeline). If biff went back before 1955 and made changes, then he would not be able
to go back to the same 1955 after that, he didn't, so he could.

Marty traveled to 11/5/1955 and stayed until 11/12. Future Biff travels to 11/12/1955 and returns the same day. Marty had 7 days before the timeline changes reach his departure date in 1985. Why don't Biff's timeline changes take 14 days to propagate to 2015?

Because Biff did not STAY back in 1955, once he left, his changes were done (unless he returned again
during the 7 day period). Also it has to do with intent, marty WANTED to reverse the changes and was
working to do so, Biff didn't, so there was no chance of them being reversed, so no 7 day period to do so.

What happened to the original Jennifer when the timeline she was left in got overwritten after Marty burned the almanac?

Jennifer is kinda complicated but....the future jennifer was based on Marty having an accident and messing up his hand, which she prevented from happening. The original Jennifer ended up marrying
marty and having kids, but we don't ever really get to see their new future timeline. I believe there is
an animated series that talks more about what happens to them (I never saw it). Anyway it was all
pretty much wrapped up and everything was put back right (with minor differences based on Marty's
parents being more confident due to the events of the first movie).
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GanonsSpirit posted...

Never think too much about time travel in fiction.

I thought BTtF did it pretty well, the first movie especially was INSANELY good, I saw it on release as a kid
and thought it was incredible.

Still love the first movie.....need to watch part II and III over again though as it's been forever (probably saw the first within the last 10-15 years, but I don't think I ever watched part II or III again after they were released.
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Oh yeah there was a animated show as well. I had completely forgotten about that.

I think I remember it being kinda decent though.
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Sahuagin posted...

SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

Both the photograph and Marty's memory are forms of storing information. If the photograph was changing to fit the new timeline why didn't Marty's memory of his siblings fade along with the photograph of them?

more than his memory was fading, his entire existence was fading. the photo is transitioning from one state to another because it still existed in the new timeline. Marty didn't have a second state to transition into and was being removed altogether.

Marty (and his memory) didn't have a second state but the photograph did.

So it would have just been a photograph of a well? Or something else entirely? The camera would have been owned by an entirely different person than the one taking the photograph originally.

Why would the photograph be in 1955 without Marty to carry it there?
Why would the Delorian be in 1955 without Marty to take it there?
How are some transported objects permanent while others aren't?

Sahuagin posted...

SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

What happened to the original Jennifer when the timeline she was left in got overwritten after Marty burned the almanac?

yes? can't decipher what you're asking. she would have transitioned from one state to another, or something, yes.

In the Biff altered timeline there would have been a separate Jenifer that didn't go to 2015 with Doc and Marty. They bring Jenifer with them from the original timeline into the new one. There should now be 2 Jenifers. When the Almanac is destroyed the Jenifer belonging to the altered timeline would change along with it. So what happens to the Jenifer that was brought from another timeline?
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Hey vsauce, michael jere

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Again, marty's changes had not become permanent yet, because the possible future could still involve
him existing and eventually traveling back in time. I will admit that in this universe/time travel method, it's obvious the universe tries to keep things along the original timeline or avoid changes as much as possible.
That is because Marty's parents had sex for the first time at a different time, so sperm marty would not have existed inside Marty's dad when his mom got pregnant...but....I guess the universe just altered to make sperm marty (and egg marty) both exist later, when his parents did have sex (or his parents just still had sex at the same time even though things were changed).

As far a Jennifer, just like marty before her, she changed to be the new Jennifer (unlike marty it just changed her experiences etc and because of that it was not painful or even noticed). The jennifer that traveled with them, became the other jennifer and always was (At that point) the other jennifer.

Marty's experience was unique in that he was basically wiping himself out of existance AND was responsible for doing it, so he felt/saw the effects of his actions and was able to act to reverse them.

Anyone affected by marty though (and tons of people were affected by his actions multiple times), just had them happen instantly, and did not realize it. That happened to Jennifer as well, even when she traveled with them.
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Time travel from a mathematical standpoint would natural involve minimizing any changes, to the possible extent of ensuring time travel itself was never discovered/invented.

If it was invented though, it could make sense for the equation to balance itself and minimize any disturbances from time travel.

Variables (like Marty for instance), would be kept as constant as possible, which could explain why even if Marty's parents had sex at a different time (remember it wasn't the first time they had a kid but the third time...when there were significant changes to their actions/lives based on their new confidence/personalities) they still ended up having the same variable....or child.....Marty.

Time travel is actually possible, and provable, in a confined/regulated environment. If you had enough information you could predict anything in theory. We do not have nearly enough info to do that currently, but you could still do it to some extent looking back in time and using actions/event to predict the most likely outcomes (and then see if those outcomes actually occurred to determine your accuracy.

Interestingly BTtF kinda touches on this, at least to some extent.

All of us can, also use this in our own lives. Maybe not with high accuracy, but you know if you go out into a storm with alot of lightning for instance, there is a chance you could get hit. If you go out wearing a metal hat in a flat field, it's far more likely. You don't know how likely, but you pretty much know if you go into the basement of your home, you won't be getting hit by lightning, but if you run out into the field holding a tall metal pole straight up.......it's at least a possibility.

You can tell likely scenarios or possible futures. With enough information of the static build up in the clouds above you, metallic composition of the ground around you, the exact relationship of lightnings attraction to such metals etc, you could have a MUCH more accurate prediction of how likely you would be to get hit. With ALL the info, everything is available to you, you would know for a fact if it would happen or not.
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wolfy42 posted...

Again, marty's changes had not become permanent yet, because the possible future could still involve him existing and eventually traveling back in time. I will admit that in this universe/time travel method, it's obvious the universe tries to keep things along the original timeline or avoid changes as much as possible.

I don't see it as time trying to keep things the same. I see it as time itself having a rate of change. A sort of days per day. With 3 eras in part 2 the constant is how much time passes for the Delorian. Let's say it spent 12 hours in 1955. Biff returns it before the alterations catch up to 2015. A few hours later it travels to 1985 just as that year is altered. Not long after it's taken to 1955 to undo everything. So where at first it took 7 days for 30 years of time to change it now happens in under 2 days for twice the years.

Despite this rapidity, and being in a timeline where the Delorian should not exist, none of them are placed at risk of fading out like Marty was as the time changes caught up to his departure.
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SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

So it would have just been a photograph of a well? Or something else entirely? The camera would have been owned by an entirely different person than the one taking the photograph originally.

it would make no sense to show the photo in the movie transitioning into some random photo taken by someone else. a picture of a well with no people gets across the message to the audience.

SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

How are some transported objects permanent while others aren't?

changing the series of events changes (apparently) the states of the objects, not which time they currently exist in. no objects *move* because of time-travel related changes.
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quigonzel posted...

I heard that originally they had shot a scene where future Biff disappeared after returning with the Delorean.

They did, its a deleted scene on the DVD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=124-bZmfbPQ" data-time="
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SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

Marty traveled to 11/5/1955 and stayed until 11/12. Future Biff travels to 11/12/1955 and returns the same day. Marty had 7 days before the timeline changes reach his departure date in 1985. Why don't Biff's timeline changes take 14 days to propagate to 2015?

If you wanted to get deep into it, you could say Loraine and Georges love didnt officially start until they kissed at the enchantment under the sea dance. And when that didnt happen, he started disappearing.

But really its mostly just plot reasons. You shouldnt think too hard on time travel movies, as much as youd want to. Its the same with Avengers Endgame. Sometimes you just have to let things go to enjoy the movie
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FrozenBananas posted...

If you wanted to get deep into it, you could say Loraine and Georges love didnt officially start until they kissed at the enchantment under the sea dance. And when that didnt happen, he started disappearing.

And the other 2 siblings faded out of the photograph before that because...
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SKARDAVNELNATE posted...

And the other 2 siblings faded out of the photograph before that because...

other than it's an indication of the severity and completeness of the changed course of events (Marty only made a subtle change, not an extreme one; he didn't *kill* his dad or something), it could also indicate something like that they still ended up together somehow later in life and had one kid instead of three.

also notice that in the BttF universe, there seems to be little to no "butterfly effect". things tend to stay as much the same as possible, despite changes. (or in other words, something like changes only have the minimum necessary side effects.)
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