Stopping Time

[Manic]

I realize this, and I'm not refuting that. But most science fiction also allows characters to change the past or future. The timeline has already occured, future, past and present are relative, everything already has happened.


The best use of time is "The Watchmen". Therefore we are not changing the outcome of our timeline regardless of what we become aware of or do, because if we are aware it is only because history dictates that we become aware at that point. Nothing happens "regardless" of time.

That said, most science fiction writers are working with a pliable, workable frame. A fiction. They're not working within the realm of a realistic and probable representation of actual time control. To further this confusion, think about the common elements or themes associated with time travel or time control...

A.) In the future something bad happens and characters go back in time to stop it from occuring.
B.)Someone from the present/future goes into the past and changes things to alter the future.

Neither situation could happen because the story would start originally with the future already changed. How could a separate past lead up to a future that leads to an alternate past?

X-is our current status
Y-is the future
z-is the past

z=X, x=y, y=y-z? y-z=2x Yet somehow 2x=x? No.

Time travel pisses me off, because stories either display how self-defeating it is (by going back to attempt to change things, I caused them to happen! This whole story was pointless!), or don't make any kind of sense due to the 12,000 paradoxes they cause (I'm looking at you, The Terminator 1-3). Back when I was still watching Heroes, Hiro was my favorite character, but the very nature of his power was complete bull, even by "another character can talk to machines" standards.

 

[Addendum]

Time travel pisses me off, because stories either display how self-defeating it is (by going back to attempt to change things, I caused them to happen! This whole story was pointless!), or don't make any kind of sense due to the 12,000 paradoxes they cause (I'm looking at you, The Terminator 1-3). Back when I was still watching Heroes, Hiro was my favorite character, but the very nature of his power was complete bull, even by "another character can talk to machines" standards.

The best time travel story is "All You Zombies" by Robert Heinlein

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Does that have anything to do with the question?

We're not talking about traveling through time, merely stopping the flow of time.

^Yeah, I'd love to weigh in on the time travel stuff brought up by Silverstein but:

1. I've already talked it to death on this message board.

2. This ain't the thread

 

[Bubonic]

I'd love to stop time in order to get as much sleep as I needed without chewing into my 24 hour day. Think of the things you'd get accomplished!

Oh, and I'd stop time for a lot of twisted reasons as well.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

The best time travel story is "All You Zombies" by Robert Heinlein

God, that one gave me a headache back during my time travel class

 

[Silverstein]

Does that have anything to do with the question?

We're not talking about traveling through time, merely stopping the flow of time.

^Yeah, I'd love to weigh in on the time travel stuff brought up by Silverstein but:

1. I've already talked it to death on this message board.

2. This ain't the thread

Time travel anomalies and flaws effect time control. I believe I said this. If not, my mistake. Manic and I were discussing the probability of occurrences within the capability.

But I discover, from your comments that my castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.

 

[Manic]

What an uncommonly colorful post for this board.

 

[Silverstein]

What an uncommonly colorful post for this board.

Thank you.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Time travel anomalies and flaws effect time control. I believe I said this. If not, my mistake. Manic and I were discussing the probability of occurrences within the capability.

But I discover, from your comments that my castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand.

It's def relevant but the thread was never intended to be quite so in-depth; if I may speak on behalf of the thread starter. We'll be talking about flux capacitors and continuum transfunctioners before we know it haha.

I agree with what you and Manic have said on the subject thusfar. But what I spent a great deal of time chatting about in other TT threads is that time may not be linear. Imagine traveling forward or backward in time but not ending up in the same timeline you left from. What if the second you began traveling, you branched off into an identical timeline where you could make serious changes like killing yourself, etc.

 

[November Rain]

well that's less time travelling specifically but travelling not only back in time but to another 'alternate timeline' where you could kill and old version of you but it wouldn't be you.

in a similar manner to jet li's the one.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

In such a scenario,; if you left your timestream to travel backward or forward, it'd be impossible to make it back to your original timeline. So you'd be stuck in a world where there are 2 "you's". Sucks