Back to the Future time travel question

[FFactory0x]

Ok so BTTF 1 and 2 was just on tv and it really got me thinking.

#1. I always thought that when Marty got in the time machine in #2 and went to the future basically he ciests to exist from the point he left the present until he ends up in the future. He however see's himself and Jennifer in the future. How could this be.

#2. If the first question can be answered and he still does exist in all those years leading up to the future, wouldnt it be impossible to ever return to the present only because he would have to arrive at the exact moment he left in order to not see himself. I mean if he leaves at say noon (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000000000000000 seconds), he would have to arrive exactly back at that time to the millionth fraction of a second in order not to see himself. If he arrives back at (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000002230000 seconds) he would see himself.


I KNOW ITS JUST A MOVIE, and it would be stupid to look that deep into it. Lets just say this is real life though. Would my assumtions hold true

 

[dighn]

these time travelling scenarios rarely make sense but i guess one way to think about it is

1. it's another timeline parallel to his own
2. he would be returning to his own timeline

 

[FFactory0x]

Originally posted by: dighn
these time travelling scenarios rarely make sense but i guess one way to think about it is

1. it's another timeline parallel to his own
2. he would be returning to his own timeline

Thats what i figured. I just thought that basically that Marty exists in ever microsecond of time and each microsecond is parallel to his so and a different timeline

 

[imported_LoKe]

Originally posted by: dighn
these time travelling scenarios rarely make sense but i guess one way to think about it is

1. it's another timeline parallel to his own
2. he would be returning to his own timeline

But how to the timelines coincide? I mean, at one point he goes into the past and then his actual future changes.

 

[TheChort]

1. the fact that he is in the future as his old self implies that he will eventually get back in the time machine, go back to his present time, and continue his life as normal. I'm sure if you talk to the future Marty, he can tell you about his memories of travelling through time and going to the future. That, or it's just a parallel universe and not the same one he is from.

2. you're thinking too hard

 

[Tobolo]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x
Ok so BTTF 1 and 2 was just on tv and it really got me thinking.

#1. I always thought that when Marty got in the time machine in #2 and went to the future basically he ciests to exist from the point he left the present until he ends up in the future. He however see's himself and Jennifer in the future. How could this be.

#2. If the first question can be answered and he still does exist in all those years leading up to the future, wouldnt it be impossible to ever return to the present only because he would have to arrive at the exact moment he left in order to not see himself. I mean if he leaves at say noon (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000000000000000 seconds), he would have to arrive exactly back at that time to the millionth fraction of a second in order not to see himself. If he arrives back at (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000002230000 seconds) he would see himself.

1. He see himself in the future. BUT just because he left at 12 on XXX day. He could have arrived back a day later and been fine. The marty in the Future would have known hed been through time. He just was returned previously. That being said the continuity in these movies suck. But the movies ROCK.

I KNOW ITS JUST A MOVIE, and it would be stupid to look that deep into it. Lets just say this is real life though. Would my assumtions hold true

 

[Slicedbread]

If he goes to the past to change the present and then returns to a different present, why did he go to the past with no reason to change it and how would he know something was wrong with it.

 

[FFactory0x]

Originally posted by: TheChort
1. the fact that he is in the future as his old self implies that he will eventually get back in the time machine, go back to his present time, and continue his life as normal. I'm sure if you talk to the future Marty, he can tell you about his memories of travelling through time and going to the future. That, or it's just a parallel universe and not the same one he is from.

2. you're thinking too hard

Great point. I didn't even think of that. Now it makes sense.

 

[UpgradeFailure]

This is what bugs ME and I am confused:

In the movies Doc always says no one should know too much about their own future. Don't touch anything, look at anyone, do anything. Do not change the future. Do not change the future for SELF GAIN (IE: The sports magazine) Yet the whole point of the first half of part 2 is to go into the future and save Marty's kids? WTF? Why go 20 years into the future to help his kids out then go back to the present? if that isn't messing with Time, then I don't know what is.

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x
Ok so BTTF 1 and 2 was just on tv and it really got me thinking.

#1. I always thought that when Marty got in the time machine in #2 and went to the future basically he ciests to exist from the point he left the present until he ends up in the future. He however see's himself and Jennifer in the future. How could this be.

#2. If the first question can be answered and he still does exist in all those years leading up to the future, wouldnt it be impossible to ever return to the present only because he would have to arrive at the exact moment he left in order to not see himself. I mean if he leaves at say noon (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000000000000000 seconds), he would have to arrive exactly back at that time to the millionth fraction of a second in order not to see himself. If he arrives back at (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000002230000 seconds) he would see himself.


I KNOW ITS JUST A MOVIE, and it would be stupid to look that deep into it. Lets just say this is real life though. Would my assumtions hold true

I think this question is answered during the first movie. When he is about to leave the 50's Marty changes the time on the time machine so that he can get back 'early' and try to save Doc. He returns in time to see himself enter the car and go back in time. So he can exist in two places at the same time.

so:
1. Obviously the Marty that 1980's Marty sees in the future is version of himself who never went to the future. Doc, having seen the bad future returns in time and get Marty in an effort to change the future.

I guess you can say that Doc would not come from the future and get Marty if the bad future never happens. So events go along, and then they change the 'future' or 'past'

3. Sometime in the future I will go back and make this post make more sense.

 

[MrDingleDangle]

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure
This is what bugs ME and I am confused:

In the movies Doc always says no one should know too much about their own future. Don't touch anything, look at anyone, do anything. Do not change the future. Do not change the future for SELF GAIN (IE: The sports magazine) Yet the whole point of the first half of part 2 is to go into the future and save Marty's kids? WTF? Why go 20 years into the future to help his kids out then go back to the present? if that isn't messing with Time, then I don't know what is.

Well Doc blew that rule when he read the letter that Marty gave him in the first one

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: UpgradeFailure
This is what bugs ME and I am confused:

In the movies Doc always says no one should know too much about their own future. Don't touch anything, look at anyone, do anything. Do not change the future. Do not change the future for SELF GAIN (IE: The sports magazine) Yet the whole point of the first half of part 2 is to go into the future and save Marty's kids? WTF? Why go 20 years into the future to help his kids out then go back to the present? if that isn't messing with Time, then I don't know what is.

You forgot the number rule when regarding time travel movies. If you can make more money then to hell with the 'rules'

 

[thehstrybean]

The main point is this: If you go through a wormhole at the exact moment that a solar flare is occuring, the wormhole jumps back to the gate you dialed from, but you're in the future or the past, depending on when you stepped across the event horizon.

 

[fLum0x]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x
Ok so BTTF 1 and 2 was just on tv and it really got me thinking.

#1. I always thought that when Marty got in the time machine in #2 and went to the future basically he ciests to exist from the point he left the present until he ends up in the future. He however see's himself and Jennifer in the future. How could this be.

#2. If the first question can be answered and he still does exist in all those years leading up to the future, wouldnt it be impossible to ever return to the present only because he would have to arrive at the exact moment he left in order to not see himself. I mean if he leaves at say noon (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000000000000000 seconds), he would have to arrive exactly back at that time to the millionth fraction of a second in order not to see himself. If he arrives back at (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000002230000 seconds) he would see himself.


I KNOW ITS JUST A MOVIE, and it would be stupid to look that deep into it. Lets just say this is real life though. Would my assumtions hold true

i hated those movies....

 

[fLum0x]

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: dighn
these time travelling scenarios rarely make sense but i guess one way to think about it is

1. it's another timeline parallel to his own
2. he would be returning to his own timeline

But how to the timelines coincide? I mean, at one point he goes into the past and then his actual future changes.

watch donnie darko...they "collide" there too

 

[Drakkon]

I say jsut follow the movie rules and just "believe in the magic"

or south park...whcihever is more convincing:

Terminator rules. That is, it's one way only and you can't go back. This is in contrast, say, to Back To The Future rules, where back and forth is possible, and of course, Timerider rules, which are just plain silly.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: FFactory0x
Ok so BTTF 1 and 2 was just on tv and it really got me thinking.

#1. I always thought that when Marty got in the time machine in #2 and went to the future basically he ciests to exist from the point he left the present until he ends up in the future. He however see's himself and Jennifer in the future. How could this be.

#2. If the first question can be answered and he still does exist in all those years leading up to the future, wouldnt it be impossible to ever return to the present only because he would have to arrive at the exact moment he left in order to not see himself. I mean if he leaves at say noon (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000000000000000 seconds), he would have to arrive exactly back at that time to the millionth fraction of a second in order not to see himself. If he arrives back at (12th hour, 0 minutes, 0.00000000000002230000 seconds) he would see himself.


I KNOW ITS JUST A MOVIE, and it would be stupid to look that deep into it. Lets just say this is real life though. Would my assumtions hold true

The answer

 

[ElFenix]

i like timecop rules

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser
The answer

time mahine?