More On The Time Travel Discussion
Posted: Tue Feb 03, 2009 2:55 pm
I have no idea if the “rigid” form of time travel would really work, but I do believe that’s the way the writers on Lost want it to work. They want to show us historical events on the island. They want to show us that the losties/freighties (sci tri) traveling affected and/or caused many of the events on the island throughout the past 50 years. At the same time, they don’t want anything to be changed and they don’t want to create a paradox. I think the “rigid” form best accomplishes all these goals.
I think I can address all the issues you brought up on the podcast.
Hitler
You time travel to the past and decide you want to kill Hitler before he comes to power or even prevent his existence all together. With the “rigid” form we know that you will not succeed because we know that he was born and he did come to power. What we have to understand, though, is that it wasn’t time that stopped you from killing Hitler to prevent a change in history. It’s that Hitler was born and came to power only after you failed in your attempt to kill him.
World Ending Bomb
You time travel to the past with a world-ending bomb in hand. With the “rigid” form we know that you will not succeed in ending the world because we know that the world exists in the future. Once again, it wasn’t time that made the bomb malfunction (or whatever)...the world continued on only after your bomb malfunctioned.
Telling People in the Past About the Future
I thought you guys had me on this one. Say for instance you go back in time and tell someone about future events that will happen. That person decides they don’t want those events to happen so they’re going to sit around and do nothing to prevent the future from happening. Seems we found a flaw in the “rigid” form. Then I realized the answer was really simple. If telling someone about the future is going to lead him or her to create a different future, then we know that you never succeeded in telling him or her about the future. And of course, it wasn’t time that prevented you from telling the person, it’s that the future happened the way it did only after you failed to tell them.
Couple of other things...
1. There is proof that Richard remembered meeting Locke in 1954 before Locke even traveled back in time. When Richard came out of the jungle to give Locke first aid and the compass, he told Locke, “the next time you see me, I won’t recognize you.” This shows us that Richard remembers the meeting from 50 years prior. This also tells us that this is the earliest point they’ll run into Richard. They may go back further in time, but they won’t meet Richard there.
2. Desmond doesn’t remember the meeting until 7-8 years later. The writers have went out of their way to show us multiple times that those who time travel start to lose memories and have a hard time remembering. Dan can’t remember the cards last season, Charlotte can’t remember her mother’s maiden name, and Desmond can’t remember what year he visited Dan in the past. I don’t think it was a new memory, I think he’s lost memories and it took a nightmare to jog his memory of the meeting. How convenient that it happened just when they needed it too.
I think I can address all the issues you brought up on the podcast.
Hitler
You time travel to the past and decide you want to kill Hitler before he comes to power or even prevent his existence all together. With the “rigid” form we know that you will not succeed because we know that he was born and he did come to power. What we have to understand, though, is that it wasn’t time that stopped you from killing Hitler to prevent a change in history. It’s that Hitler was born and came to power only after you failed in your attempt to kill him.
World Ending Bomb
You time travel to the past with a world-ending bomb in hand. With the “rigid” form we know that you will not succeed in ending the world because we know that the world exists in the future. Once again, it wasn’t time that made the bomb malfunction (or whatever)...the world continued on only after your bomb malfunctioned.
Telling People in the Past About the Future
I thought you guys had me on this one. Say for instance you go back in time and tell someone about future events that will happen. That person decides they don’t want those events to happen so they’re going to sit around and do nothing to prevent the future from happening. Seems we found a flaw in the “rigid” form. Then I realized the answer was really simple. If telling someone about the future is going to lead him or her to create a different future, then we know that you never succeeded in telling him or her about the future. And of course, it wasn’t time that prevented you from telling the person, it’s that the future happened the way it did only after you failed to tell them.
Couple of other things...
1. There is proof that Richard remembered meeting Locke in 1954 before Locke even traveled back in time. When Richard came out of the jungle to give Locke first aid and the compass, he told Locke, “the next time you see me, I won’t recognize you.” This shows us that Richard remembers the meeting from 50 years prior. This also tells us that this is the earliest point they’ll run into Richard. They may go back further in time, but they won’t meet Richard there.
2. Desmond doesn’t remember the meeting until 7-8 years later. The writers have went out of their way to show us multiple times that those who time travel start to lose memories and have a hard time remembering. Dan can’t remember the cards last season, Charlotte can’t remember her mother’s maiden name, and Desmond can’t remember what year he visited Dan in the past. I don’t think it was a new memory, I think he’s lost memories and it took a nightmare to jog his memory of the meeting. How convenient that it happened just when they needed it too.