Back to the Future

Our beloved BTTF, on whose special day we launched this site, is a classic example of avoiding the paradox by history "mysteriously" rewriting itself. We all remember Marty's photograph and how the change of events in 1955 are erasing him and his siblings from it.

IIt has been proposed that a kind of "lag" of the rewriting is tacitly introduced (and elevated to the category of "theory") to give Marty time to put things right and make that his parents meet and fall in love.

I think this "lag" is not necessary. Marty and Doc arrived some time before the meeting between the parents should take place, and the probem is that due to their presence it is gradually becoming more and more unlikely, wich is represented by Marty's siblings and himself disappearing from the photograph. The time available to Marty to make his parents meet is limited, but not due to an ad-hoc "lag".

However, even when he eventually achieves this, the "new" future is no longer the original one (history has rewritten itself due to their presence in 1955, but with Marty's parents still meeting and having him and his siblings), so Marty's photograph would not have happened either, but we don't want to be too nitpicky - do we?

Do you want some cracked ideas about this? - the watch this!

Scores: Genuine time travel? - 3; Scientific principles? - 1; Paradox: 2; representation of journey: 0