Dear Johnny Fanboy,

I know I probably shouldn't take the time-travel complexities of the Back to the Future trilogy too seriously, but having just watched the whole series of movies, I find I have quite a few nits to pick.

Towards the end of the first film, the 1955 Lorraine remarks that Marty is a nice name. The joke is that she will go on to name Marty after himself! Why, then, does she wait until her second son is born before using the name? What I mean is, why doesn't Marty, upon returning to 1985, discover that everyone calls him Dave (for example) while his older brother is now called Marty?

At the end of the same film, due to Marty's influence in 1955 his family are no longer losers. This being the case, would Marty still have sought the company of a crazy old inventor? That is, it seems highly unlikely that he and Doc Brown would still be friends in the amended 1985, yet clearly they still are. Why?

Also due to Marty's interference in 1955, Biff is no longer a bully at the end of the first movie. However, he sure sounds mean at the start of Back to the Future - Part II when he says, "What the hell is going on here?" And by 2015, he has well and truly returned to his old bullying self and picks on Marty (believing him to be Marty junior). Why does Biff become a bully again?

Near the beginning of the first film, as he prepares to take a trip to 2010, the Doc comments that he will "be able to see who wins the next 25 World Series." This seems like a real double standard, because in Back to the Future - Part II he severely reprimands Marty for attempting to get rich using foreknowledge about sports results.

When changes in history cause a person to be dead or to never have been born, they fade out of existence. This nearly happens to Marty in the first Back to the Future film and it also happens to the 2015 Biff in a deleted scene from Back to the Future - Part II. This phenomenon affects objects too, although they tend to change into something else rather than disappear - for example, Biff's matchbook in Part II. In the alternate 1985 of Part II, the Doc is institutionalised, presumably before he got the chance to build the time vehicle. Why, then, doesn't the vehicle fade away when it enters the alternate 1985, or at the very least revert to being an ordinary DeLorean car?

In Back to the Future - Part III, the 1985 Doc (now living in 1885) asks Marty who dressed him in the stupid cowboy costume he is wearing. Marty laughs, "You did!" Great joke, but why doesn't the 1985 Doc remember what his 1955 self did?

Good luck with all those!

Eric Matthews

Johnny Fanboy replies:

Some of my later theories might make your brain hurt a little, Eric, but your first question has a reasonably straightforward answer. I would suggest that Lorraine and George McFly called their first-born son Dave because somebody called Dave had an even greater impact on their lives than Marty did. Perhaps Dave was the name of the doctor who delivered their first child.

As for Marty and Doc Brown still being friends, Marty's family being losers or otherwise may have had very little to do with it. The Doc has a cool sound system, which would be certain to appeal to the teenager. Remember also that the Doc would have taken every possible step to ensure that he and Marty became friends, in order to preserve future events. (Though how the inventor managed to befriend the young boy without seeming like an old pervert is something that I cannot explain!)

Regarding the attitude of Biff, bear in mind that it is George McFly who tames him by punching him out in 1955. It would appear that it is only Biff's fear of George that keeps him in check. When George isn't around, Biff tends to misbehave. He even tries it on at the end of the first movie when he fails to apply two coats of wax to the 4x4 until George reminds him to do so. The same goes for his bullying ways - when George isn't around, Biff bullies other people.

There are a number of possible explanations for the Doc's double standards regarding his World Series comment. First of all, he might have simply been joking. Alternatively, his interest might be one of pure curiosity - he never said he was planning to use the knowledge to get rich. Also, remember that double standards are not entirely out of character for Doc Brown. This is the man who tore up Marty's warning about future events, only to later think "What the hell?" and stick the letter back together again! This is also the man who ordered Marty to destroy the time machine upon his return to 1985 in Back to the Future - Part III because he considered that time travel had become too dangerous, but ultimately built himself a time-travelling train!

Your question about why the time vehicle doesn't fade out is a very good one. I can only suppose that Doc Brown somehow managed to shield the car from the side effects of time travel. This theory is borne out by the deleted scene you mention - even though Old Biff vanishes upon his return to 2015, the head of his cane, which snaps off and is left behind in the car, remains unaffected.

Your final question is perhaps the most complex of all. Bear in mind that whenever the time travellers alter the course of history, their memories remain unchanged. For example, Marty realises that his family is different at the end of the first Back to the Future because he remembers what they were like in the original timeline. When the Doc arrives in 1885, he does not know that he is destined to be shot by Buford Tannen (otherwise his letter to Marty would have read "Fix the time machine and get me the hell out of here!"). When Marty and the 1955 Doc discover that the 1985/1885 Doc has been murdered, and Marty decides to mount a rescue, they create a new timeline. However, the 1985/1885 Doc's memories are not affected, so he doesn't remember what his younger self learned during his second encounter with Marty in 1985.

Phew! I think you'll agree that's quite enough time-travel theory for one day!

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