Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 1985?

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Aquehonga, Mar 7, 2009.

  1. Aquehonga

    Aquehonga Fleet Captain

    Just wondering?

    I haven't seen WATCHMEN nor read the 1980's graphic novel its based on. But I've read several reviews & some elements of WATCHMEN are the same as BTTF2 (1989).

    Namely:

    * Both take place in an Alternate 1985.

    * Both feature Richard M. Nixon still being President in 1985.

    In both, isn't Vietnam still going on?

    * What else is there:confused:


    WATCHMEN predates BTTF2 by about 3 or 4 years. It was published in 1985 or 1986 yes? I suspect BTTF2's having Nixon still being Prez was an allusion, or salute to "Watchmen".

    Your thoughts?
     
  2. Corran Horn

    Corran Horn Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    I don't know about Vietnam and BTTF2 but in Watchmen the war is over and Vietnam is pretty much the 51st state.
     
  3. ATimson

    ATimson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    No, Watchmen has Vietnam concluding roughly a week after Nixon is first elected.
     
  4. Hartzilla2007

    Hartzilla2007 Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Basically Doctor Manhattan and his amazing tank destroying and people frying mind powers had something to do with that.
     
  5. Psion

    Psion Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    One wonders how many poor "volunteers" Khrushchev and Brezhnev sent into the Soviet Union's own "intrinsic field subtractors" in a desperate effort to close the "Doctor Manhatten gap".
     
  6. Ethros

    Ethros Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Yes they are.

    In fact you know who there was a hoo hah over changing the ending of Watchmen, well rather than a giant squid the explosion is caused by young Jennifer meeting old Jennifer which causes a chain reaction that unravels the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroys the entire universe
     
  7. Roshi

    Roshi Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Whut?
     
  8. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    In the alt-1985 from BTTF II, there is a newspaper headline that reads something like "Nixon To Seek 5th Term...Vows To End Vietnam War By 1985". I suppose he could have succeeded... So maybe it is possible that the film's alt-1985 is the Watchmen 'verse. That would make Biff Tannen personally responsible for all that destruction. :lol:
     
  9. ATimson

    ATimson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Well, yes, but I was trying to be conscious of people who may have not read or seen it. :p
     
  10. ATimson

    ATimson Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Uh... if the Vietnam War is still going on in 1984 in BTTF2, then they can't be the same. Period, end of story. :confused:
     
  11. Nick Ryder

    Nick Ryder Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    And uhm... Marty told Doc in 1955 when he asked "Who's president in1985?" "Ronald Reagan." "Ronald Reagan?! The ACTOR! Who's secretary of state? Jerry Lee Lewis?"
     
  12. od0_ital

    od0_ital Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Ya never bothered to watch Back to the Future II?

    :confused:
     
  13. captcalhoun

    captcalhoun Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    actually he says JERRY LEWIS. someone COMPLETELY different...
     
  14. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    I don't get it. :confused: Watchmen took place in 1985, the same year as most of BTTF2 does.
     
  15. ITL

    ITL Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    In Watchmen, The Vietnam War was won by the USA in the early 70's.
     
  16. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Oh. Forget it, then. :alienblush:
     
  17. Aquehonga

    Aquehonga Fleet Captain

    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Ah well!

    One thing is certain:

    The Alternate 1985 Biffverse of BTTF2 & WATCHMEN's alt-'85 must share a very similar quantum signature.

    Their probabilistic/statistical natures share an amazing resemblance.

    But, the Vietnam Factor nips my theory in the bud huh:o

    Oh well, that's how the cookie dough ice cream melted.
     
  18. Gojirob

    Gojirob Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Re: Are "Watchmen" & "Back to the Future II" in the same Alternate 198

    Leseee...for the most part, no. But, if timelines sometimes merge as well as diverge, Biff, by winning huge from 55 on, could have caused a ripple effect. Let's say that, in every reality, there is a Jon Osterman working on this intrinsic field project. Some succeed, some fail, and in some small handful, he undergoes the change. Even in these, he mostly dissipates, unable to reform. The Watchmen universe is nearly unique in that he reforms and masters his powers.

    Big winnning Biff wins a lot of money that might have otherwise stayed in the hands of the rich people we know. This causes a tax problem in some areas (Biff isn't big on paying up) and in a budget crisis, Eisenhower orders cuts that take out the intrinsic field project. Now, none of the BTTF timelines include Osterman becoming DM. Maybe they never included the Minutemen either, or maybe they were just the kind of past fad that Marty & Jen might see on E! while channel-surfing. But because Biff's winnings are based on a timeline violation, a ripple effect occurs and some of the more Watchmen-leaning elements begin to emerge. Its not hard to think of Eddie Blake glomming onto a meal-ticket like Biff, whose rah-rah view of things would have him funding Nixon and right-wing groups. Eddie might have even shown Biff how to really use a gun effectively. Biff, with more money than he knew what to do with, would be a kind of funding-type DM, keeping protest groups down and helping manipulate public opinion into staying the course and keeping Tricky Dick afloat. To complete the picture, its possible that, by 1985, actual Russian troops would be on the VC side, keeping their adventurism in check as well.

    Once Marty and Doc destroyed the book, the timelines de-coupled. Eddie Blake likely died in a teenage brawl, and the intrinsic field project sadly went nowhere, only noted by people like Emmett Brown. In post-movie 1985, the only remnant of the merger is Marty being nudged hard by Jennifer for suggesting she dress up like Silk Spectre from that old superhero serial.

    But for the most part, no.

    Up Next : Could 'Shaun Of The Dead' have taken place in the early days of Max Brooks' 'World War Z'? :D