Predestination Paradox-Y Do So Many Time Travel Stories Focus On It?

[Dayton3]

The "predestination paradox" involving time travel seems to be at the core of so many Star Trek time travel stories (and other time travel stories such as "Terminator").

That is, someone goes back in time, changes things, and the changes they make turns out to be what causes the very events in the future that motivated the time travel in the first place.

It seems to me that virtually every story involving time travel includes some variant of this idea.

Why is that?

It seems to me that the ability to travel into the past would be interesting enough.

Although it could be attributed to a hidden desire by writers that the "past is not fixed and is in fact changeable". Including the fact that mistakes from the past can be prevented or disasters averted.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Re: Predestination Paradox-Y Do So Many Time Travel Stories Focus On I

Well, the idea behind a predestination paradox is that the past IS fixed. People go back in time, but, when they go back, only find out they're part of the history back then anyway and have only set these events in motion.

Some of the interesting ones are the ideas that big historical events are caused by our heroes in the future. I'm not sure what the appeal to that is, but it's not really any different than aliens causing it, I suppose.

 

[2 of 10]

Re: Predestination Paradox-Y Do So Many Time Travel Stories Focus On I

At times it may be nessassary to intervien in past events, I DS-9 episodes
Past Tense pts 1 and 2. Sisko found it nessassary to take Mr. Bells place in order to maintain the time line, and preserve the positive inpact the the Bell riots did accomplish.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Re: Predestination Paradox-Y Do So Many Time Travel Stories Focus On I

The predestination paradox makes a nice self-contained story. So does the "setting the timeline right" plotline. So those are the ones Star Trek falls back on consistently.

Other time-travel plotlines mess things up too much to work within the confines of Star Trek (unless they are willing to confuse and annoy the audience). How about a story where you go to the past so that when you get back, everything is permanently changed? How about a story where you go to the future and change things to suit your own idea about how the future should be, regardless of what anyone else wants?

How about a story where you try to set the timeline right, but just end up messing things up more, which is actually more realistic than the idea that a timeline, once messed up, can ever be restored to its pristine original condition. Timelines should be like Humpty Dumpty - once they break, there's no fixing them.

 

[TEH BABA]

Re: Predestination Paradox-Y Do So Many Time Travel Stories Focus On I

Somehow i think giving jedi pseudo time travel powers was bad idea. i dont mind prescience but time travel.