I am not a mathematician. I am an Economist but I still don’t know much about Chaos Theory. I do know a little something about Game Theory and Murphy’s Law. With that being said, let us continue…
Little things annoy me about time travel films that screenwriters overlook. Like loose ends that never get dealt with by the time the film ends. Time travel, whether for a moment or a week, would wreak havoc and the screenwriters seem to not know or not care in their films. Let me explain:
Back to the Future (1985) is a great/terrible film. Great if you like the story line but terrible if you are paying attention. From the moment Marty crashes into a barn in 1955 he causes ripple effects that should wreak havoc in the future. One example is when he is getting directions to Doc Brown’s house and says something like “That’s on John F. Kennedy Drive.” Then they say “Who the hell is John F. Kennedy?” Okay. Here is a name this family has never heard before. Later John F. Kennedy runs for president. Whether or not they recall fully to where they heard that name before, the name is implanted.
Another example is when Marty claims he is Darth Vader from the planet Vulcan. His father goes on to write a sci-fi romance novel. Is the character Darth Vader from Vulcan mentioned? In this new alternative universe, is there a Star Wars film and if so is Darth Vader a character? If Darth Vader is a character, did George Lucas have to get permission from Marty’s dad to use the name? Is there a Star Trek show without Vulcans?
When Marty goes back to the future, is he going into an alternative universe that doesn’t have Star Trek and Star Wars? Was JFK president?
I think screenwriters should keep in mind It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) when figuring out the outcomes of every moment a character goes back in time. They have to figure out every ripple effect and how it would change the future.
Another example: Marty’s mom. She drinks in the future but Marty tell her younger self she shouldn’t because she might regret it in the future. What if she got pregnant after a night of drinking? Isn’t it possible that the lack of drinking might cause her to have less kids? Telling her to not drink might make him an only child.
If a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a storm somewhere else, then can’t a DeLorean landing in a barn do much worse?
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