Great Scott: Unraveling the Time-Warping Paradoxes in Back to the Future Trilogy

There's nothing quite like hopping in a DeLorean, cranking up the flux capacitor, and taking a joy ride through the whimsical world of the Back to the Future Trilogy. We're not here to argue; this trilogy is as close to perfect as it gets. It's got heart, it's got humor, and it's got a skateboard chase scene that still gets our pulses racing.

However, as much as we adore Marty, Doc, and the whole time-hopping gang, we can't ignore the elephant in the room. Or should we say, the DeLorean in the timeline? Time travel, as much as it tickles our imaginations, is a tricky business and tends to leave behind a trail of paradoxes and plot holes. It's not a flaw, it's a feature! Let's grab our hoverboards and dive headfirst into these time-travel anomalies from our beloved trilogy.

Posted by Nimrod Aldea

1
Biff's Paradoxical Return to the Future

In Back to the Future II, Biff steals the DeLorean, gives his younger self the sports almanac, and then returns to the unaltered future and disappears. But hold on to your flux capacitors, folks! That future should have changed into the dystopian reality where Biff is rich, and Hill Valley is a wreck. How did he come back to a future that wasn't there? And why didn't the entire future disappear with him?

Via Universal Pictures
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2
The Case of the Unrecognized Son

George and Lorraine McFly, Marty's loving parents, seem to have no recollection of their son's crucial role in their past. As we all remember, Marty traveled back to 1955 and played a significant part in bringing them together. Yet, they never seem to recognize their son as the young man who had a key role in their courtship. If we were George we would be very suspicious as of why our son looks so much like the guy Lorraine had a crush on in highschool.

Via Universal Pictures
3
DeLorean Double in 1885

This one's for the detail-oriented among us. When Marty travels back from 1955 and Doc from 1985, logically there should be two DeLoreans present in 1885. One is the car Marty uses to get back to the past, and the other is the one Doc had hidden in the mine after getting stuck in the Wild West. However, the film only ever shows us one of these time-traveling machines.

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4
The Almanac Heist Mishap

Marty and Doc's plan to steal the almanac from Biff just as he gets it seems a bit rushed. If they had simply waited until Biff went to sleep or just left it in his room, stealing it might have been a whole lot easier and less risky. After all, they weren't in any rush to get it. Sometimes, patience is indeed a virtue, even in time travel.

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5
The Absence of Marty and Jennifer

When Marty and Jennifer depart 1985 to straighten out their future kids' problems in 2015, they create a potential paradox. By physically leaving their original timeline, they might inadvertently change their future, possibly leading to their kids not existing in the first place. It's a classic time travel conundrum—by trying to fix the future, you might end up erasing it!

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6
Doc’s Gasoline Conundrum

Doc, a man of science, is stuck in 1885 with no gasoline for the DeLorean. While it's true that gasoline stations weren't exactly a thing back then, couldn't Doc, with his scientific prowess, whip up some sort of alternative fuel? With substances like kerosene and alcohol readily available in the 1880s, there should have been a way for him to concoct something usable.

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7
The Paradox of the Time Machine’s Invention

Here's another thought-provoking one. In the alternate 1985, Doc is committed to an institution before he gets the chance to invent the time machine. But if the time machine was never invented in this timeline, how does it still exist for Marty to use? It's a chicken-and-egg situation that's enough to make anyone's head spin.

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8
Doc's Instant Knowledge Paradox

When Doc and Marty learn in 1985 about Doc's death in 1885, this information should be immediately known by the Doc in 1885, as he is the "future" version of doc, just in the past. Therefore, Doc could preemptively avoid his fatal encounter with Buford Tannen. The failure of this information transfer raises questions about the rules of time travel in the trilogy.

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9
Doc’s Incomplete Note

Once Doc discovers the time machine is damaged in 1885, one might wonder why he didn't update his note to Marty accordingly. He could have asked Marty to bring some spare parts and fuel along with him to 1885. While this might have made for a less dramatic plot, it certainly would have been a more practical approach!

Via Universal Pictures
10
The Lightning Strike Conundrum

This one's a classic. Marty knows about the upcoming lightning strike in 1955 because it famously stopped the clock in the Hill Valley Clock Tower. Marty and Doc plan to harness this electrical surge to power the DeLorean. However, if they're successful, the clock should never get hit, creating a paradox. The very event they're depending on for their time travel solution would technically not have happened, leaving us with a mind-bending puzzle.

Via Universal Pictures