Hidden Truth Behind Back to the Future Time Travels
Even legendary movies have many unexplained moments.
Ever since Robert Zemeckis made his masterpiece in 1985, the classic film has had a huge and devoted fan base that is still trying to find little details that will shed light on the phenomenon of time travel.
And recently, an explanation of one moment appeared on Reddit, where user Ed_Derick_ tries to unravel a scene where the McFly family begins to disappear from the photo due to changes in the past.
In the course of the movie, the protagonist goes back 30 years and catches the introduction of his parents. But when ridiculous incidents happen, Marty makes his mother fall in love with him. Due to the disruption of events, his brother and sister begin to fade out of the picture, and then the main character himself.
Many fans wonder why all the McFlys didn't disappear at once. Why did it take several days? The simplest answer, of course, is that the writers did it for plot convenience, putting Marty in a race against time. But the Redditor has a different explanation.
It seems to the fan that the filmmakers did not clarify a complicated, but rather important aspect — probability. The viewer believes that the image in the photo changes slowly, because the probability of events in the picture decreases, starting from 100%, until it becomes 0%.
If Marty's mother, Lorraine, falls in love with him, it does not mean that George, his father, will never be attracted to her and have a son. At this point, the future is unknown, so there is always a chance of a different outcome. Anything that has a probability other than zero is going to happen sooner or later, if you give it enough time.
And the probability of events slowly decreases, because something can always influence Lorraine's decision and make her change her mind about Marty or George.
Fans agree with this theory. However, they point out that it is more of an actual plot of the movie than a mere guess. However, many viewers thank the Redditor for finally clarifying some unclear details about time travel in Robert Zemeckis' iconic film.
Source: Reddit