Okay, before I wrote this, I googled “time travel paradox” and a lot of what I read, I didn’t “grasp” so maybe one of you could enlighten me?
Here’s the way I always understood it:
A person travelling back in time to correct something cannot ever meet himself, since the two can’t exist in the same place at the same time. So if he stays out of sight of his younger self, maybe he’ll succeed.
This guy: Time Travel - Meeting Yourself contradicts me, it seems. He even has 2 bar graphs and a short story to go with it, with not one, but twoof the same person meeting their younger self.
I’m sure there’s an explanation as to how it was done in Trek so that the two Spocks could talk to each other face to face, but I may not have been paying attention, so that’s why I’m asking y’all.
First of all, that rule is true for only certain works. Definitely not true for All You Zombies by Heinlein.
Second, the new Trek is on a different time line. The Spock there is not the same as the Spock from the original timeline, will never become him, and, since the timelines have diverged, it is too late for any action by the old Spock to cause any harm,
It’s hardly an explored area of science. All you have to go on are some random theories and the inventions of some science-fiction authors.
Certainly many sci-fi shows allow a time-traveller to meet himself. Star Trek has clearly put itself firmly in that camp. It’s just as valid as any other sci-fi science.
I really like this topic, even though I don’t understand the physics involved.
I do understand the wormhole theory a bit, though. I may be wrong in my wording, but one enters the hole and enters into a space that is pliable (and here’s where I falter) and travels across/into it’s surface to the time he wants?
In the Star Trek commentary, J J Abrams does discuss it, but only to the degree of saying “It was fated that they meet.” Correct me please, in the unlikely event:):) that I’m wrong!
Not in TOS, but ther was an episode of the animated series where Spock had to go back to a time in his earlier life to keep himself from being killed at a young age.
There’s nothing special about a person meeting him/herself at a different point in time.
If you were to say that two of the same particle can’t meet itself at a different point in time, then that would pretty much make time travel impossible or at least very, very difficult.
There’s no inherent law of physics that says “one cannot meet thy self in the past,” because there’s no way to make it so we currently could send something back into the past.
I never thought of it as a scientific rule, cause it wouldn’t make sense. It’s not as if they’re actually occupying the EXACT same place and time; even as a kid, it sounded like a plot device, or more optimistically, a social science fiction, a moral guideline. Scientifically, it has never made sense to me even a little.
[ul]
[li]Rule 1 of time travel: Do not talk about time travel[/li]
[li]Rule 2 of time travel: Do not talk about time travel[/li]
[li]Rule 3 of time travel: Do not attempt to assassinate Hitler[/li]
[li]Rule 4 of time travel: After your first attempt to assassinate Hilter is reverted by another time travel agent, do not attempt to use other means to remove Hitler from the time line[/li]
[li]Rule 5 of time travel: After you’ve stopped attempting to use other means to remove Hitler from the time line only to have your attempts reverted by other agents, do not attempt to save JFK[/li]
[li]For rules 6 through double infinity +1, please consult your guidebook[/li][/ul]
that I’m wrong!