# Back to the Future 2... wait?..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 5, 2001, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2-wait/48501 "2001-01-05T01:55:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![sk8rixtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@sk8rixtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sk8rixtx)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2-wait/48501/41 "2001-01-10T02:52:59Z")
Why did they all travel to 1885, 1955, 1985, and 2015. Why not some off numbers? Like 1953 or '56. Always with a five at the end… ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2-wait/48501/42 "2001-01-10T10:24:53Z")
1955 was when Doc Brown first had the idea of the Flux Capacitor. It was entered into the DeLorean as an example. 1985 was the year the movie came out. 2015 is 30 years in the future, a round number chosen randomly. 1885 is similarly 100 years past, a random choice of round numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Doubleclick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Doubleclick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubleclick)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2-wait/48501/43 "2001-01-10T23:23:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GuanoLad \* > \*\*Actually, the Old Sick Biff thing was a plot thread that wasn’t pursued. Probably on the cutting room floor (it may be explained on the DVDs which are supposed to come out this year) but something was meant to happen that suggested Biff had foolishly sentenced himself to death by his greedy actions. Or something like that. > \*\* IIRC, Old Biff was shot. What was why he was stumbling out of the car. This was left out but was explained in the “Making Of…” In that cut bit, you actually see Old Biff ‘vanish’ after he gets out of the Delorian. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2-wait/48501/44 "2001-01-10T23:38:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Five \* > **You know, petroleum was available in 1885, and a guy as resourceful and inventive as Doc Brown certainly would’ve been able to refine it into a proper grade of gasoline for the DeLorean.** I suppose that, as a character in a movie, Doc could have done that, but in the real world, it’s not so simple. For one thing. what _is_ the proper grade? I doubt that very many people even in the oil industry could, by themselves, refine engine-grade gas. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-to-the-future-2-wait/48501.md?page=2)