semisimian

Wordle 1,396 3/6

⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛

🟩⬛⬛🟩🟩

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

When we talk about time travel in fictional universes, almost all of the narratives follow one of three "truths:"

1. Time is one linear thread. What you do now will have consequence X and if you do something different it will have consequence Y. A simple illustration is the movie Sliding Doors. But the same can be said for Back to the Future or Bill and Ted's. If you make a change to the prime timeline, it will ripple into the past/future. Your cousins will disappear from the 3x5 photo!

2. Time has branches, a truly infinite number of universes and possibilities. Really, as far as I'm concerned, the best example of this idea is Rick and Morty. That show has the freedom to both cook our brains about the concept and also hold a mirror to its ridiculousness. You also see it more famously in the MCU, with their multitude of Lokis and such, though the TVA is still hell-bent on a prime timeline. But the multiverse is the natural order, with only 80s inspired bureaucracy to keep it in check.

3. Time is a combination of the two, which leads us to Trek. Time is linear, so Jake Sisko can tell his dad to dodge a beam that travels at light speed. But time is also non-linear, so... I dunno... most of Voyager. When Seven came aboard with her temporal node all bets were off as far as what could even be considered a prime timeline.

Moreso, the mirror universe is a parallel to our own, marching along at the same pace and whose characters are developing at the same rate as the prime timeline. So, there is no prime timeline, and no multiverse. Just the clean-shaven and the goatee universes.

And to answer your question: yes, I think Trek trends toward a "prime" timeline. It's honestly the way our brains work. With all the posturing of the wormhole aliens, we just don't work in a non-linear fashion. And maybe more importantly, good stories don't work that way either, Kurt Vonnegut aside. Time travel is wearing plot armor in EVERY movie and show because no one has a handle on it.

Thank you for bringing this up. It's something I think about too much.

MST3K or RiffTrax. Takes me back to high school.

For reference: https://youtu.be/WgQI655FqtM

Wordle 1,394 3/6

🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛

⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Musically, this is not their most cohesive album. Their top 5 on Spotify is a good introduction to the hits. It's not my speed, but Uriah Heep has been consistently in my Dad's top 3 since I was a kid. He does that High Fidelity John Cusack thing where he fills empty air with "alright, top 5 70s artists in order of discovery" or something similar.

1/5, but I mistook "1st mate" for "1st officer." Still worked, but I think I watch too much Trek.

Connections Puzzle #668 🟨🟨🟨🟨

🟩🟩🟩🟩

🟦🟦🟦🟪

🟦🟦🟦🟦

🟪🟪🟪🟪

Wordle 1,390 4/6

🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛

⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩

⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Wordle 1,389 4/6

🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛

🟨⬛⬛🟨⬛

🟨🟨🟩🟩🟨

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

My Thermador is no different, shitty ice maker.

There are a bajillion, but maybe you are looking for a specific genre that nails it on the head.

As someone mentioned, there are thousands of social drama films that could've easily happened. The success of that type of film is selling a "day in the life" plot.

Someone else mentioned Office Space. That film is a satire, but it condenses and delivers refined representations of the banality of cubicle life that we all can easily relate to. The characters truly seem to be facsimiles of people we've known in our working lives.

Someone else mentioned Michael Clayton. It's an excellent thriller with flawed characters with believable motives that yes, it could be real. And maybe something like that has happened?

What genre will help us answer your question?