Timing

Star Trek. Was. Awesome.

I have a complaint though: I don't understand time travel.

Hypothetical situation time.

Let's say that there's an interplanetary war going on, which began when you said something impolite to some high-and-mighty Romulan (this isn't the plot of the movie, so no spoilers, just a big mess of confusion that I can't talk myself out of). Naturally, if the option was available, you'd go back in time and stop yourself from saying whatever it was, right? I would. So, you go back and stop yourself, and the war is averted. Which means that there was never a crisis, and therefore no need for you to go back in time to stop yourself from saying anything. But if you don't go back and stop yourself, you've got a war!

Alright, let's say you've wised up a bit. You've realized that, war or no war, you need to go back and stop your big mouth. Present-you is about to blab, when future-you pops up and says, "Shut up. Okay, two weeks from now, you're gonna zip back here and stop yourself from saying what you're about to say. If you didn't (or don't?), I wouldn't (or won't?) be here. And then Earth is doomed." Aside from the fact that you've now created two of yourself, you have also, either, A) Made time into a loop (what with continually having to go back and stop yourself, present-you has no choice but to go back at the same point that future-you did), or B) Proved the multiverse theory.

Personally, I find B much more probable because it means that rather than travelling through time in one universe and disrupting everything that defines it, time travel is just an interaction between two beings from separate universes founded on the same reality. Plus I just like the multiverse theory. But really, it's the only feasible way for time travel to be possible, isn't it? I mean, option A is just a convoluted way of explaining multiple universes; every time you go back, you're creating another path to be followed.

Multiverse theory also allows for some wicked speculation on electron particle/wave duality. Sure, Schrödinger had a cat, but I'm talking interuniversal relationships on a subatomic level!

Heh, wow. I think this whole post needs a disclaimer. Or three.
1. I'm not crazy
2. I don't submit to the multiverse theory, I just like speculating.
3. I loved Star Trek and honestly, the time travel thing was so inane that it doesn't even matter. And I'm still not crazy.


P.S. I secretly adore Spock.