question about time loop episodes

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

By time loop episodes, I am referring mainly to "Time Squared' and "Cause and Effect".

Why is it that Picard says they should not change their course unless they have reason to. Sure, the loops might be unavoidable no matter what, but I can't figure out why these are the default positions

 

[Holdfast]

The in-story logic is that since you don't know what you did that started off the loop, there's no point trying to second-guess it, as for all you know it was doing something different from the norm as a result of the loop that actually kicked off the paradox.

It's never struck me as the soundest of logic, since one would think that even a paradox should have an "in-ramp" for want of a better phrase, and the in-ramp would be as a result of your usual predictable actions... but then again, I'm not a fan of temporal mechanics.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

yeah that's my thought exactly. If, in "Time Squared" they know the big e will hbe destroyed in 6 hours, they can possibly prevent it by just staying put for that long, listen to some music, talk about the star charts. Once the six hours passes, then they can decide what to do.

 

[Kelthaz]

I just saw Time Squared yesterday, and I was thinking the exact same thing as you while watching it. Picard's decision was a bit of a head-scratcher.

 

[Neutral Zone]

Good as he was, Picard didn't always make sense, guess Captains are allowed to do that!

 

[T'Girl]

I think Picard's point was, no matter how innovative and unusual a change they made, it might still be a change they made in the last time loop.

Problem i have with this is, why would they have made any change the first time? The whole point behind (Riker's?) suggestion to change course was to avoid doing what they did the first time through. As it turns out, Riker was correct, and Picard was wrong.

 

[Jerikka Dawn]

I think Picard's point was, no matter how innovative and unusual a change they made, it might still be a change they made in the last time loop.

Problem i have with this is, why would they have made any change the first time? The whole point behind (Riker's?) suggestion to change course was to avoid doing what they did the first time through. As it turns out, Riker was correct, and Picard was wrong.

Yeah. It seems to me the best way to get out of a time loop that you know you're about to be caught up in is to stop doing what you're about to be doing. If there's no time loop, you won't change your decision, therefore, your change in decision cannot be what causes you to be in the time loop.

 

[CobraCommander]

At least the Ent crew figured out what was happening and broke the cycle. It only took them 17 days. On the other hand, Kelsey Grammar and company kept blowing themselves up for 80 years! (Allright.. the same 17 days for them too)Cobra


P.S... The most perfect incidence of time travel was in ST IV where Kirk and crew went from the present.. to the past.. and back to the immediate future. No paradoxes/ alternate timelines were created as a result.