Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
02-12-24 | 01:43 PM
#26
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
My chocolate bar fell into your peanut butter kinda thing! I see that happen on Pornhub all the time. How romantic!
02-12-24 | 07:04 PM
#27
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
I just had a friend here in North Carolina get killed as she was walking across the street at a crosswalk. She couldn't drive so she had to rely on public transport. The elderly driver wasn't paying attention and ran right into her. Her father, who she lived with, had just passed away four months ago and she had just moved in with her best friend a few weeks prior to the accident. She had met her best friend about nine years in a Meetup/ social group that I had created and was crossing the street to get on the bus to go to her best friend's house. Had I not created the group, they likely would not have met and she wouldn't have been at the bus stop at that time.
I've had other people meet through the group and become friends or started dating. One couple that met in the group got married and had a child. People could be alive today due to being in the group I created, so I guess it balances out. Somebody in the group could have been lonely and was contemplating suicide but decided not to after attending a meetup and feeling better about themselves,so it works both ways.
02-12-24 | 08:18 PM
#28
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
movieguru; Did you write this?
02-12-24 | 08:25 PM
#29
DVD Talk Legend
02-12-24 | 08:36 PM
#30
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
It was an incredibly minor thing that I shouldn't remember more than thirty years later, but about ten minutes later when the girl got to the other side of the town she was stopped at a red light. When the light changed to green, she proceeded into the intersection and got hit by a large construction truck that couldn't stop because the brakes failed. She ended up in a coma for five months before she died.
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02-13-24 | 01:39 AM
#31
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
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Crocker Jarmen (02-13-24)
02-13-24 | 07:48 AM
#32
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
m the event.
I've always felt even a very minute, minor change in an action will grow exponentionally the further you get from the action. For instance, when I was in my senior year of high school, I was leaving my school parking lot and there was a girl in another car trying to get into my lane so she could leave. I decided to be nice and let her into my lane that day, because I knew if I didn't she would have a long time to wait until there was no one else in my lane or someone else let her in.
It was an incredibly minor thing that I shouldn't remember more than thirty years later, but about ten minutes later when the girl got to the other side of the town she was stopped at a red light. When the light changed to green, she proceeded into the intersection and got hit by a large construction truck that couldn't stop because the brakes failed. She ended up in a coma for five months before she died.
When I was watching The Butterfly Effect, I had thought about this incident and how that one act of letting her in front of me altered a lot of lives and will continue to many times over in the future. Not only did her life end, but the children she could have had don't exist now, and their children and so on. Also, everyone that would have interacted with her or her children would be different because of it. I Then, if I didn't let her in front of me that day, the car behind her would likely have been hit by the truck killing the occupant(s) of that car affecting their lives, their families' lives, and anyone that would have interacted with them.
It's weird to think that no matter how insignificant someone thinks they are, they don't realize how much even their minor actions can affect the lives those around them. Deciding to go to a grocery store and pick up something could stop someone else from meeting the love of their lives if you end up in between them in line at the checkout preventing them from interaction.
I've always felt even a very minute, minor change in an action will grow exponentionally the further you get from the action. For instance, when I was in my senior year of high school, I was leaving my school parking lot and there was a girl in another car trying to get into my lane so she could leave. I decided to be nice and let her into my lane that day, because I knew if I didn't she would have a long time to wait until there was no one else in my lane or someone else let her in.
It was an incredibly minor thing that I shouldn't remember more than thirty years later, but about ten minutes later when the girl got to the other side of the town she was stopped at a red light. When the light changed to green, she proceeded into the intersection and got hit by a large construction truck that couldn't stop because the brakes failed. She ended up in a coma for five months before she died.
When I was watching The Butterfly Effect, I had thought about this incident and how that one act of letting her in front of me altered a lot of lives and will continue to many times over in the future. Not only did her life end, but the children she could have had don't exist now, and their children and so on. Also, everyone that would have interacted with her or her children would be different because of it. I Then, if I didn't let her in front of me that day, the car behind her would likely have been hit by the truck killing the occupant(s) of that car affecting their lives, their families' lives, and anyone that would have interacted with them.
It's weird to think that no matter how insignificant someone thinks they are, they don't realize how much even their minor actions can affect the lives those around them. Deciding to go to a grocery store and pick up something could stop someone else from meeting the love of their lives if you end up in between them in line at the checkout preventing them from interaction.
02-13-24 | 01:34 PM
#33
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
m the event.
I've always felt even a very minute, minor change in an action will grow exponentionally the further you get from the action. For instance, when I was in my senior year of high school, I was leaving my school parking lot and there was a girl in another car trying to get into my lane so she could leave. I decided to be nice and let her into my lane that day, because I knew if I didn't she would have a long time to wait until there was no one else in my lane or someone else let her in.
It was an incredibly minor thing that I shouldn't remember more than thirty years later, but about ten minutes later when the girl got to the other side of the town she was stopped at a red light. When the light changed to green, she proceeded into the intersection and got hit by a large construction truck that couldn't stop because the brakes failed. She ended up in a coma for five months before she died.
When I was watching The Butterfly Effect, I had thought about this incident and how that one act of letting her in front of me altered a lot of lives and will continue to many times over in the future. Not only did her life end, but the children she could have had don't exist now, and their children and so on. Also, everyone that would have interacted with her or her children would be different because of it. I Then, if I didn't let her in front of me that day, the car behind her would likely have been hit by the truck killing the occupant(s) of that car affecting their lives, their families' lives, and anyone that would have interacted with them.
It's weird to think that no matter how insignificant someone thinks they are, they don't realize how much even their minor actions can affect the lives those around them. Deciding to go to a grocery store and pick up something could stop someone else from meeting the love of their lives if you end up in between them in line at the checkout preventing them from interaction.
I've always felt even a very minute, minor change in an action will grow exponentionally the further you get from the action. For instance, when I was in my senior year of high school, I was leaving my school parking lot and there was a girl in another car trying to get into my lane so she could leave. I decided to be nice and let her into my lane that day, because I knew if I didn't she would have a long time to wait until there was no one else in my lane or someone else let her in.
It was an incredibly minor thing that I shouldn't remember more than thirty years later, but about ten minutes later when the girl got to the other side of the town she was stopped at a red light. When the light changed to green, she proceeded into the intersection and got hit by a large construction truck that couldn't stop because the brakes failed. She ended up in a coma for five months before she died.
When I was watching The Butterfly Effect, I had thought about this incident and how that one act of letting her in front of me altered a lot of lives and will continue to many times over in the future. Not only did her life end, but the children she could have had don't exist now, and their children and so on. Also, everyone that would have interacted with her or her children would be different because of it. I Then, if I didn't let her in front of me that day, the car behind her would likely have been hit by the truck killing the occupant(s) of that car affecting their lives, their families' lives, and anyone that would have interacted with them.
It's weird to think that no matter how insignificant someone thinks they are, they don't realize how much even their minor actions can affect the lives those around them. Deciding to go to a grocery store and pick up something could stop someone else from meeting the love of their lives if you end up in between them in line at the checkout preventing them from interaction.
So many things happened to her that put her in that place at that time - which allowed you to let her in your lane (ie. she could've been running early or late that day because of someone else, etc.)... and there were probably a bunch of things that happened between the time you let her in and when she got killed (ie. other cars could've let her pass them, or slowed her down - putting her at that intersection at that time). There's also the number of events that led the truck to be there at that exact time as well.
Life is a series of micro-events that happen second to second that you can't attribute a specific random event to one specific random person.
Last edited by Coral; 02-13-24 at 04:09 PM.
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02-14-24 | 11:20 AM
#34
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
"For Want of a Nail", indeed.
Every single choice you make, along with every single choice others have made (to varying degrees of impact/significance) have brought you to where you are right now, reading these words. The slightest derivation decades could have led to something wholly other.
Logically, Marty shouldn't even exist, nor should his siblings. But time travel as a concept is seldom logical. The "best not to think about it" concept is probably the wisest course.
I like the Looper idea. Once you start changing history, your memories of the past start to fuzz out a bit.
Every single choice you make, along with every single choice others have made (to varying degrees of impact/significance) have brought you to where you are right now, reading these words. The slightest derivation decades could have led to something wholly other.
Logically, Marty shouldn't even exist, nor should his siblings. But time travel as a concept is seldom logical. The "best not to think about it" concept is probably the wisest course.
I like the Looper idea. Once you start changing history, your memories of the past start to fuzz out a bit.
02-14-24 | 11:27 AM
#35
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
I feel like Marty and his siblings existing makes sense because George and Lorraine still wound up together. I can buy that their kids would still look mostly the same but be a bit different personality wise.
02-14-24 | 05:03 PM
#36
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
That's why the idea of "canon events" helps - the idea being that George and Lorraine are going to have Marty and his siblings no matter when they get together. So their jobs and house and entire personalities can be altered but they WILL have sex at these three times to have these three kids, full stop.
02-14-24 | 05:33 PM
#37
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
But the simple act of George and Lorraine getting together at the dance throws the whole thing out of wack. They'd still have to have had sex at the the exact same time with the exact same results for the kids to be born exactly the same.
That's why the idea of "canon events" helps - the idea being that George and Lorraine are going to have Marty and his siblings no matter when they get together. So their jobs and house and entire personalities can be altered but they WILL have sex at these three times to have these three kids, full stop.
That's why the idea of "canon events" helps - the idea being that George and Lorraine are going to have Marty and his siblings no matter when they get together. So their jobs and house and entire personalities can be altered but they WILL have sex at these three times to have these three kids, full stop.
The kids were different than originally because they were raised by parents who were happier and more successful in life.
02-14-24 | 05:52 PM
#38
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
I was just amazed that the 'new & improved' George and Lorraine apparently failed to see that their son is the exact same guy who brought them together back in high school in the first place ... 
02-14-24 | 06:04 PM
#39
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
And I also found it weird that at the end of the movie Marty's successful siblings were living at home in their late 20s.
02-14-24 | 06:04 PM
#40
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
Same goes for the other siblings, too.
Unless there's some kind of preternatural "hand of fate" involved.
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Draven (02-14-24)
02-14-24 | 06:07 PM
#41
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
That never bothered me. There are people I knew in high school that I wouldn't necessarily immediately remember/realize that my son looks just like (especially in a time before everyone having a camera in their pocket and sharing pictures on Facebook).
02-14-24 | 06:32 PM
#42
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
02-14-24 | 06:47 PM
#43
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
Yeah, that's always been a big flaw. I figured that at some point when Marty starts to look a lot like the 1955 Marty - George would've thought that Lorraine later hooked up and got pregnant by Marty.
And I also found it weird that at the end of the movie Marty's successful siblings were living at home in their late 20s.
And I also found it weird that at the end of the movie Marty's successful siblings were living at home in their late 20s.
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Toby Dramit (02-14-24)
02-14-24 | 06:57 PM
#44
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
First time seeing that ... 
02-14-24 | 11:04 PM
#45
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
It's why I always thought 12 Monkeys handled traveling to the past the best; everything already happened, you cannot go back and change it. Emphasized by Dr. Railley recognizing James Cole when they first meet; later in the film he's accidentally sent back to WWI and a battlefield photo is taken of him, a photo that Railley has been using in her research for years.
02-15-24 | 12:43 AM
#46
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
Not only that, but in order to produce Marty, that exact same sperm (out of hundreds of millions in that particular ejaculation) has to fertilize that egg, so even if Marty is conceived on that particular night, it's still unlikely that that one sperm would find that egg.
Same goes for the other siblings, too.
Same goes for the other siblings, too.
I always wondered what if George's new-found confidence and swagger lead him to ditch Lorraine and pursue a blonde cheerleader? Would Marty have been any happier with successful and more affluent parents?
The realistic ending would have Marty not be recognized by his parents as their child. Marty was a product of the first strand of time which was altered forever when he went back to 1955.
02-15-24 | 01:18 AM
#47
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
I think some people are thinking way too much about all this. It’s a movie and some things are just meant to be overlooked and not taken quite so seriously.
I will say regarding Marty looking like “Calvin Klein” while it may raise eyebrows to George and Lorraine realistically they both only spent a week of time with “Calvin” and then for all they knew he disappeared. They may not have remembered every detail about how he looked and whatnot but used his “nickname” as a name for Marty.
I will say regarding Marty looking like “Calvin Klein” while it may raise eyebrows to George and Lorraine realistically they both only spent a week of time with “Calvin” and then for all they knew he disappeared. They may not have remembered every detail about how he looked and whatnot but used his “nickname” as a name for Marty.
02-15-24 | 09:33 AM
#48
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
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Mike86 (02-15-24)
02-15-24 | 09:55 AM
#49
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
The bigger question is why would Marty have the black Toyota pick-up truck at the end? Just because he saw it earlier in the movie and it was established that Marty liked it?
02-15-24 | 10:14 AM
#50
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Back to the Future Question-- Marty's memories
They hadn't seen the time travelling Marty in thirty years. There was no Facebook, he wasn't in their high school yearbook, nor did they have any pictures of him. They may have thought that their son looked a little like the Mary they knew, but they'd have no way to reference the similarities without any pictures and after thirty years people will only have a vague recollection of what someone looked like that they only knew for a few days decades ago. They were also unaware of the time machine so they wouldn't suspect that it was their son they met years ago as they would realize that he would be 47 years old in 1985.