ALtered or Parallel Timeline????

[Gryffindorian]

Re: ALtered or Alternate Timeline????

The point is that what you, the viewer, believe to be a "single timeline" is actually the personal timeline of the viewpoint character in a particular episode, who moves from one timeline to another, but remembers both.

You saw Yar and Spock changing history, then remaining in that new timeline, so for those specific people, yes, it seems like they have "altered" their "own" pasts (i.e., the events they are witnessing are different from the ones they remember), but for everyone else in the universe, events have only happened once, with only one outcome, whether they are in the original or new timeline.

But than why did Guinan say things werent right? When Tasha went back in the past the altered Universe continued to exist???Why even change anything at all? If it still exists. I thought they sent the Enterprise C back to restore the timeline??

Well, if you have seen all 730 episodes of "Star Trek," then you know that Guinan's life is a convoluted timeline unto itself:

Around 1900 in San Francisco ["Time's Arrow, Part II"], Guinan from Timeline A, met Picard from Timeline B, who had already met both Guinan from Timeline B, as well as seen Lt. Yar from Timeline B die. They spent several hours trapped in a cave, presumably discussing time paradoxes.

Around 2300 ["Star Trek Generations"], after her world, El-Auria, was destroyed by the Borg, Guinan and Soran were briefly trapped in the timeless Nexus, where Guinan again met Picard from Timeline B (after Soran destroyed the sun and the crew of the Enterprise-D was killed), and Picard again informed Guinan that she was aboard the Enterprise-D with him.

After Guinan was rescued from the Nexus by the Enterprise-B, she would again meet Picard around 2360 in both Timeline A and Timeline B, where their relationship would be "beyond friendship and beyond family." ["The Best of Both Worlds."] (Picard's first meeting of Guinan in 2360 must have been strange for him, since Guinan had already met his future self twice.)

Later in Timeline A, during the Federation-Klingon war ["Yesterday's Enterprise"], Guinan looks around at the Warship Enterprise-D, the uniforms, and people, and realizes that the crew, and especially Picard, on this ship are not going to be the ones she has already met in 1900 and 2300. So when the Enterprise-C appears in the time rift, she sees the opportunity to "restore" the timeline of the Picard from Timeline B whom she has already met twice.

So, in 2366 of Timeline A, Guinan convinces Lt. Yar to go back with the Enterprise-C and change history, thus creating Timeline B in 2346, averting the Federation-Klingon war, and allowing Guinan then to meet the same Picard of Timeline B for a third time.

Later in Timeline B, Picard would meet Guinan for his second time (her first time) when he goes back to Timeline A in the causality loop ["Times Arrow, Part II"].

Then, after Soran destroys the sun and kills the Enterprise-D crew ["Star Trek Generations"] Picard from Timeline B meets Guinan for his third time (her second time) inside the timeless Nexus. She tells him about Kirk and how to change the past, so Picard and Kirk then go into Picard's past and stop Soran from destroying the sun and the Enterprise-D, thus creating Timeline C.

Thirty years later in Timeline C, Admiral Janeway steals a Klingon time machine and goes back in time to save the Voyager ["Endgame"], thus creating Timeline D. A year later, Admiral Janeway of Timeline D sends Picard and the Enterprise-E to Romulus to meet Shinzon ["Star Trek: Nemesis"].

Ten years later in Timeline D, Ambassador Spock and Captain Nero are sucked through a black hole into Timeline E, where Nero destroys the U.S.S. Kelvin and planet Vulcan.

So, to answer your question, Guinan in Timeline A had already met Picard from Timeline B twice during events seen in "Yesterday's Enterprise," so she had her own personal motives for sending the Enterprise-C back in time to change history.

(For the sake of simplicity, I have ignored a dozen other alternate timelines from various episodes, but you get the idea.)

TrekGuide, you have a good grasp/understanding of the different timeline dynamics. You'd make an excellent Temporal Mechanics professor at the Academy. I was going to mention Admiral Janeway/Captain Janeway as an illustration, but you got that covered, too. (Would the older Janeway have really changed history by going back in time? Not hers, apparently, but it would just effect a new reality altogether).

You bring up some very good points about the different Picards, Janeways, and Spocks in the Prime Universe (as most people would describe it). I always postulated that the characters we knew in the Prime Universe were all from the same timeline (e.g., exclusively Timeline A), but now that I think about it, you're right. According to Michael and Denise Okuda's Star Trek: Chronology of the Future book, the Ensign Harry Kim abord Voyager and the Chief Miles O'Brien on DS9, both technically died and were replaced by counterparts from different timelines (I'm too lazy to look up episodes for references right now, but most viewers will remember the ones I'm talking about). The same can be said of other characters.

 

[TheGeneral]

Star trek has always portrayed time travel and the changing of past events as directly affecting one's own original time line, Yes it creates an altered or alternate time lime, but in the end both those terms are the same thing, a new different time line replacing the original one. It's the way it's always worked on trek.

Sooo, i like to think of this as a completely different parallel universe instead, even Spock prime and the events occurring in the 24th century (IE the destruction of Romulus), all happened in that paralel universe's future rather than in the prime Star Trek universe we know.

Meaning that if they ever chose to start telling stories in that prime universe again Romulus could very well still be there beyond the 24th century as if none of the events of the new Movie occured, and the same would be true of Vulcan.

 

[WeAreTheBorg]

They clearly imply in the movie that it's a separate timeline. Think about it - if the original timeline was erased, old spock wouldnt still exist.