Time travel episodes

[ascan1984]

What are the best time travel episodes of any scifi show. mine are both from quantum leap season 4. The one sam gets back to the future and the one sam leaps into Al as a young fighter pilot. Other non quantum leap episodes are from TNG and charmed.

 

[CalliArcale]

There are loads I can think of. Of course, I am a Doctor Who fan, and that series was all about time travel! It might be simpler to list the episodes that didn't involve time travel....<br /><br />There are some that come to mind as doing interesting things with time travel, though:<br /><br />THIRD DOCTOR<br />"Invasion of the Dinosaurs"<br />The FX are amazingly corny in this one, but if you can look past that, it's an interesting story. The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith return to London and find it deserted -- well, almost deserted. Martial law has been imposed; only the Royal Army, a UNIT taskforce, and looters remain in the city. The reason is that dinosaurs have been popping up all over the city, terrorizing the locals and then mysteriously vanishing. Nobody sees them appear, and nobody sees them disappear either -- except the Doctor, who as a Time Lord is aware of time going backwards when they disappear. Someone is pulling the beasts forward from the Mesozoic Era as part of a plan to create a utopia on Earth.<br /><br />FOURTH DOCTOR<br />"City of Death"<br />One of the all-time most popular episodes, this was the first to be filmed outside of Great Britain; a few outdoor scenes were shot on location with a small crew in Paris. The Doctor and Romana stumble into an investigation into high-stakes art theft (including a plot to steal the Mona Lisa) which turns out to be financing dangerous and unstable experiments in time travel. But the villain behind it, Count Scarlioni, clearly already has some ability to travel in time -- he's got six genuine Mona Lisas that have been bricked up in his cellar for four hundred years, painted by Leonardo da Vinci himself, and that's one heck of a coincidence. So why does he need to finance time travel experiments if he was able to get Leonardo to paint him some copies and leave them for himself to find in 1979? Watch for a hilarious cameo appearance by John Cleese.<br /><br />FIFTH DOCTOR<br />"Mawdryn Undead"<br />The TARDIS is <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[chriscdc]

'Trials and tribulations' from DS9<br /><br />I rather dislike time travel episodes as they seem to follow the same plotline. I wonder how many of the writers have relatvies that work in fancy dress stores, especially the ones that stock nazi uniforms?

 

[vogon13]

If you feel Leonard Shelby is experiencing events in reverse chronological order in the movie Memento, then it is a pretty interesting (and different) kind of time travel movie.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[hracctsold]

The one, of the many, many, that sprang to mind was an old movie about a modern aircraft carrier that got carried back to the day before Pearl Harbor, and all the entrigue that happened then.<br /><br />Should they interfer with the normal course of events and change history or not and see it happen all over again. But one of the lead characters gets involved with a female lead from that time, and gets stranded on an island while the attack happens. Then when the ship gets carried back to the present, -without being able to defend the base of course-, they find that that officer they left in the past was the one who helped to develop and pay for many of the features on their aircraft carrier.<br /><br />But the name escapes me now. There was, I think, Kirk Douglas, as the captain, and some others. But it was nicely done with all the ideas and thoughts that were presented there. What would you do if you knew what was going to happen and it seems you could do something about it?

 

[vogon13]

Final Countdown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

I am so surprised that nobody has mentioned the Star Trek (TOS) episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever."<br /><br />Dr. McCoy -- followed by Kirk and Spock -- travels back to 1930s Earth. McCoy, driven temporarily insane by bad drugs (this was a 1960s show, after all), manages to save the life of a social activist named Edith Keeler. In doing so, he opens the door for Keeler to slow the entry of the U.S. into World War II -- leading in turn to a Nazi victory in the war. And also leading, by the way, to a timeline in which the Federation did not exist.<br /><br />Keeler is played by Joan Collins. And the original script was written by Harlan Ellison, who devoted tons of time and energy later to complaining that the final product was not at all what he had in mind. He even wrote a book that contained the original script, along with his own version (ad nauseum) of what happened during the filming of the show.<br /><br />Kirk falls in love with Keeler, only to realize finally that he will have to allow her to die in order to preserve everything else he cherishes -- including the Federation itself.<br /><br />What makes the episode especially noteworthy, in my view, is the very convincing sorrow that Kirk exhibits at Keeler's death. The scene is rich in pathos. It is the one certifiable instance in the entire series of William Shatner actually <i>acting</i>. And he did a fine job of it, too.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[tohaki]

The Doctor Who story <i>Horror of Fang Rock</i> with Tom Baker.

 

[lampblack]

Heck... <i>any</i> Dr. Who, as far as that goes. Especially with Tom Baker.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

Oh yeah, "The City on the Edge of Forever" -- probably the best classic Star Trek episode ever. It was written by Harlan Ellison; surprisingly, as good as he is with short stories, he's actually even better with screenplays and teleplays.<br /><br />Some more interesting time travel episodes come from "Red Dwarf". There were a few, but my favorite, bar none, would have to be "Tikka To Ride". This one even features the predestination paradox. I don't want to blow the story for people, but here's the short spoiler-free version:<br /><br />Lister is desperate for a curry, but Starbug is out of supplies. He swaps Kryten's head for Spare Head #2 and removes his guilt chip so he can persuade the droid to persuade the team to go recover the time drive that they'd specifically abandoned so as to avoid turning into losers in the future. (Long story.) He has Kryten set the controls for a curry house he remembers from Earth in the 23rd Century. But Spare Head #2 isn't as good at using the controls and deposits them instead in Dallas, November 22, 1963. And they're surrounded with boxes labeled "Texas Book Depository". And they've just accidentally knocked a certain gunman out the window.... As a consequence, Kennedy isn't assassinated and history is completely changed, leaving our heros with a serious paradox to resolve. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[tap_sa]

Babylon 5 - War Without End<br /><br />The whole series handled time travel in a very subtle and graceful way that managed to connect the dots well.

 

[5stone10]

The 'Time Tunnel', a precursor to Quantum Leap was a TV series which was all about time travel.<br />There were numerous good episodes in that series. <br /><br />And if we're opening this up to Time Travel Movies, there are several great ones including:<br /><br />-La jetée [never saw it but its supposed to be a classic]<br />-Terminator<br />-Planet of the Apes<br />-12 Monkeys<br />-Slaughterhouse Five

 

[vogon13]

Well................................. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

{ok, I confess, I watched all the episodes when Sci-Fi re-ran them}<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[pmn1]

<font color="yellow"> Final Countdown. </font><br /><br />Not a bad film though it would have been better if they could have found footage of a larger strike from an exercise - i mean 4 Intruders out of 12, 4 Corsairs out of 24, 4 Tomcats out of 24 and 4 Vikings out of 10-12 (and i'm not sure in Vikings could carry anything other than Anti sub torpedoes at the time) against 6 aircraft carriers, 2 battleships plus cruisers and destroyers - the actual ships and aircraft wont cause the USN aircrfat any trouble but the quantity of USN aircraft wont do all that much damage either....<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[pmn1]

Not been made into a film but I think it would be good if it were and wouldn't reqire expensive special effects....<br /><br /> ‘The Proteus Operation’ by James P Hogan, it involved time travel, WW2 and Hitler, this is what the back cover says<br /><br /><font color="yellow">‘Utopia was achieved in the 21st Century. But even in a world of prosperity and freedom there were malcontents. They called themselves Overlord, and their possession of time travel gave them the ability to change the past and shape the future according to their twisted desires. They built a time gate, then picked a crucial turning point in the previous century and travelled back to transmute an obscure figure on the lunatic fringes of German politics into an invincible conqueror. His name: Adolph Hitler. By the 1970’s, only North America and Australia remained free, but time was running out and both would soon be faced with a choice of surrender or nuclear annihilation.</font><br /><br /><font color="yellow">Then a ray of hope arose: American agents learned of the time gate, and smuggled technical information and defecting experts out of Europe. By 1975, the crash project – code name ‘Proteus’ – ordered by President John F Kennedy had successfully built a second time gate. Threatened with annihilation at any time, the Americans take the desperate measure of sending a team back to 1939. Their mission: stop Overlord before its agents give Hitler the weapons that will hand him the world on a silver platter!</font><br /><br /><br />Overlord's machine being fusion powered could go back fron 2026 to 1926 while Proteus's being fission powered could only go back from 1975 to 1939.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[hracctsold]

pmn1,<br /><br />Your book sounds interesting. And I am always looking for another good time travel book to get involved in, (that is when I can find the time with my schedule). Is it readily available, or should I look in the used book stores for it.<br /><br />You also reminded me of another oldies movie that I enjoyed, The Philladelphia Experiment. The first one was vastly better then its sequel, (where they take a stealth jet,(I think), back to Hitler's time,) but the first one blended all the sci-fi stuff from late night radio shows like Art Bell's, with the real life experiment, to make, I thought, a great movie.<br /><br />On the subject of books, I have been very close to checking out several of Harry Turtledove's books, but have not yet comitted to it. Are they as interesting as I have heard, and read on the jacket covers? I also do not like to have to weed through large amounts of cursing while trying to enjoy the book. I liked Timeline by Crichton, but did not enjoy the amount of cursing that was there. Are Turtledove's books like that as well? <br /><br />Long live the answer of 42!!!

 

[ascan1984]

There are some mor semi Time travel episodes in TNG. I emeber seeing one where in the hollodeck pickard was a person in th 20's or 30's called dicks. He was a private investigator. But then again it was not a real time travel episode.

 

[drwayne]

I read that book a long time ago. I don't think I have it anymore though....<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /><br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[pmn1]

<font color="yellow"> Your book sounds interesting. And I am always looking for another good time travel book to get involved in, (that is when I can find the time with my schedule). Is it readily available, or should I look in the used book stores for it. </font><br /><br />From what Amazon say on their site it looks like it is available from the shops.<br /><br />http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ref=sr_sp_go_as/202-7296437-3911845<br /><br /><font color="yellow">You also reminded me of another oldies movie that I enjoyed, The Philladelphia Experiment. The first one was vastly better then its sequel, (where they take a stealth jet,(I think), back to Hitler's time,) but the first one blended all the sci-fi stuff from late night radio shows like Art Bell's, with the real life experiment, to make, I thought, a great movie. </font><br /><br />Ahh the great Philadelphia experimnet conspiracy, yes i agree , good film, pity they had to spoil it with a lousy sequal.<br /><br /><font color="yellow">On the subject of books, I have been very close to checking out several of Harry Turtledove's books, but have not yet comitted to it. Are they as interesting as I have heard, and read on the jacket covers? I also do not like to have to weed through large amounts of cursing while trying to enjoy the book. I liked Timeline by Crichton, but did not enjoy the amount of cursing that was there. Are Turtledove's books like that as well? </font><br /><br />Never read any of Turteldove's books, have read Timeline and it makes intresting reading , didn't translate to film so good though...<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>-La jetée [never saw it but its supposed to be a classic] <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />I have a copy of it, actually. It's very good. But it's a bit strange, mainly becuase it's done as a slideshow with narration, not a normal motion picture. "12 Monkeys" is closely based on it, although the recent film is much expanded, replaces nuclear holocaust with a bioweapon, and does not have our main character go into the future at all. But the central themes are the same.<br /><br />One thing made clearer in "La Jetee" than in "12 Monkeys" is that the reason the protagonist was chosen for this job was because of his unusually sharp memory of an event that happened before the world went to heck, when he was a young boy. It's the memory of a man being shot at the airport. (In "La Jette", this happens on the jetty -- observation platform -- at Orly airport, hence the title.) Because of this, the scientists sending him through time reason that he has a better chance than most of remembering his mission; apparently memory loss is a common side-effect of their time-travel technology. This produces an interesting twist on the predestination paradox, although to go into it further would require spoiler protection. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<font color="yellow">There are some mor semi Time travel episodes in TNG. I emeber seeing one where in the hollodeck pickard was a person in th 20's or 30's called dicks. He was a private investigator. But then again it was not a real time travel episode.</font><br /><br />Yeah... Picard becomes Det. Dixon Hill.<br /><br />I love the Star Trek holodecks. They allow an opportunity for quasi-time travel scenes without all the plot baggage that goes with a time travel story. Like Picard being a detective. Or like Janeway conferring with Leonardo Da Vinci. Or like Rom's son (what's his name?) running a 1950s nightclub.<br /><br />And holodecks provide a way for the actors to stretch in ways they don't get to do normally -- or for the writers to try out plot twists that would be interesting, but wouldn't ever really fly. I'm thinking of the Seven-of-Nine character singing in a 1940s German pub -- who would have guessed that Jeri Ryan could sing so beautifully? And about the Seven of Nine character's use of the holodeck to explore her development as a human being. Including -- as I recall -- a bit of romance that led to a night in the sack with a holodeck version of Chakotay.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[drwayne]

One of my favorite Star Trek books, "Ship of the Line" uses a holodeck to allow Picard to work out some of his doubts about command after the crash of the Enterprise D, and before his taking command of the Enterprise E.<br /><br />Picard is given some holoprograms by Riker that are training programs developed by...Admiral James T. Kirk.<br /><br />In the programs, which cover several important stories from the original series, and Kirk addresses some important ideas<br /><br />What a ship really represents<br /><br />Why Kirk insists on going on the landing parties<br /><br />The nature of leadership by example<br /><br />Its fascinating reading - at least - I think so.<br /><br />Wayne<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[lampblack]

<font color="yellow">Its fascinating reading - at least - I think so. </font><br /><br />It's been awhile since I've read any of the Star Trek novels -- I'm overdue. I think as soon as I can scrape together a few dollars (as I'm a debit-card-only kind of guy), I'm gonna pop over to Amazon and order that bad boy.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#0000ff"><strong>Just tell the truth and let the chips fall...</strong></font> </div>

 

[tomnackid]

One of my favorites was a kind of sequel to "City on the Edge of Forever". Its "Yesteryear" from the Star Trek animated series. While experimenting with the Guardian of Forever scientists accidently create a new timeline where Spock was killed as a child and so doesn't exist in the present. The adult Spock has to journey back to his childhood on Vulcan and, posing as a distant cousin of his younger self, has to restore the timeline by saving young Spock's life. <br /><br />You get to learn a lot about Vulcan customs--if I'm not mistaken this is the first time in Star Trek mythos where it is revealed the Vulcans DO have emotions but have ruthlessly trained themselves not to show them. And you see Spocks troubled childhood. You also finally get to see Spocks childhood pet--described in "Journey to Babel" as a "teddy bear with 6 inch fangs".