Killing time (travelers)

[cdave]

Complaining about bad physics in time travel movies is pointless (but good fun afterwards), but there's a character reaction that always breaks my suspension of disbelief.

There's a trope in time travel stories where the viewpoint character jumps back into to their own body, changes the past, and then returns to their body in present day. They

Comments

[alias_sqbr]

I've noticed this weird trend with science fiction including multiple selves where as long as ONE version survives then it's not considered a big deal if others die/vanish, and in fact it's at least subtextually preferable to merge/winnow them than end up with multiple versions hanging around long term. Wiping out alternate selves via time travel is a subtle example, but it comes up more explicitely with clones etc. The Prestige is one of the few stories I can think of where a character thinks this way but the narrative doesn't.

[coth]

I think Alice would be devastated. But the film and Bob probably wouldn't care because most sf films treat women (not only women, but women in particular) as things that only exist when men are looking at them.

You could try Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon for a treatment of multiple selves that actually considered the ethics.

[cdave]

That's why I put the example in the most clichéd way possible. However in the case of Xmen: Alice is Prof. Charles Xavier. Leader & genius.

[coth]

Ha! Got me!

I stand by my comment. It probably looks like weaseling to say that that is covered by "not only women"...oh well.

[alias_sqbr]

Absolutely. I was originally going to comment saying much the same thing but got sidetracked.

Altered Carbon is one of those books where I read and moderately enjoyed it but for some reason the plot fell almost entirely out of my head afterwards. But yes I vaguely remember that.

[cdave]

The time travel in Continuum has generally been well thought out, but it's physical not mental so not part of this trope.

Their handling of time clones is a bit more interesting.

[alias_sqbr]

I really must get around to watching that show.