About time travel mechanics
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About time travel mechanics
This is a favourite topic of mine, nerdy as it is. How does time travel work in Dragonball? How does it work exactly?
It's well known that Dragonball works with multiple timelines that are a lot like parallel worlds or dimensions. If you go to the past, you create a new timeline while the old one continues to exist. The matter I'd like to focus on is what exactly happens when you travel to the future. Yeah, you wouldn't create a new timeline, but there's more to it.
To explain it, it's good to first ask how time flows in one timeline from the perspective of another. It seems reasonable to assume that time flows synchronously between timelines - i.e. that when a year passes in one timeline, a year also passes on the other(s). It fits the idea that timelines are like parallel worlds.
The alternative would be that time stands still in the other timeline from each other's perspective... but that's absurd, because then we'd have multiple timelines that both do and do not stand still in time. It seems that this theory is logically contradictory. Ok, you might ask, but what's the point of this bit?
When you travel to the future, you might think that the destination timeline is 'fast-forwarded'. No new timelines are created, but time is ffwd'd to the destination age. Let's take a look at this in-universe: Trunks' second trip went from 785 to 767. Just before Trunks left, the main timeline was at 765, so time in that timeline would be ffwd'd two years. So far, it all sounds familiar.
But the main question is: what happens to time in Trunks' future? Does it remain at 785? If so, then apparently trips to the future ffwd the time of the destination timeline only. From the perspective of someone living in the main timeline, Trunks' future would stand still for two years. Weird, but there's no logical contradiction... yet.
Suppose someone in the main timeline had a time machine, as well, and used it in 765 to move to 787. What would happen? Since, at 765, Trunks' future was at age 785, the destination of this trip lies in the future of that timeline. Time would be ffwd'd in the other timeline, which means that both timelines would stand still from each other's perspective.
An observer in 786 in Trunks' future would see the main timeline standing still, while an observer in 766 in the main timeline would see Trunks' future standing still... simultaneously. This is a logical contradiction.
It seems to me that the only possible option is that time travel works as follows: if you travel to the future, all timelines are ffwd'd the same amount of time (as if the traveler was in stasis). Trunks' second trip ffwd'd the time on the main timeline to 767 and the time on his own timeline to 787, two years in each case.
In the canon, there were three years between Trunks' return from his second trip and Cell's appearance in 788, placing his return at 785. This means that a) my theory is crap, b) Trunks created yet another timeline in that instance or c) he somehow did return at 787. What do you think?
It's well known that Dragonball works with multiple timelines that are a lot like parallel worlds or dimensions. If you go to the past, you create a new timeline while the old one continues to exist. The matter I'd like to focus on is what exactly happens when you travel to the future. Yeah, you wouldn't create a new timeline, but there's more to it.
To explain it, it's good to first ask how time flows in one timeline from the perspective of another. It seems reasonable to assume that time flows synchronously between timelines - i.e. that when a year passes in one timeline, a year also passes on the other(s). It fits the idea that timelines are like parallel worlds.
The alternative would be that time stands still in the other timeline from each other's perspective... but that's absurd, because then we'd have multiple timelines that both do and do not stand still in time. It seems that this theory is logically contradictory. Ok, you might ask, but what's the point of this bit?
When you travel to the future, you might think that the destination timeline is 'fast-forwarded'. No new timelines are created, but time is ffwd'd to the destination age. Let's take a look at this in-universe: Trunks' second trip went from 785 to 767. Just before Trunks left, the main timeline was at 765, so time in that timeline would be ffwd'd two years. So far, it all sounds familiar.
But the main question is: what happens to time in Trunks' future? Does it remain at 785? If so, then apparently trips to the future ffwd the time of the destination timeline only. From the perspective of someone living in the main timeline, Trunks' future would stand still for two years. Weird, but there's no logical contradiction... yet.
Suppose someone in the main timeline had a time machine, as well, and used it in 765 to move to 787. What would happen? Since, at 765, Trunks' future was at age 785, the destination of this trip lies in the future of that timeline. Time would be ffwd'd in the other timeline, which means that both timelines would stand still from each other's perspective.
An observer in 786 in Trunks' future would see the main timeline standing still, while an observer in 766 in the main timeline would see Trunks' future standing still... simultaneously. This is a logical contradiction.
It seems to me that the only possible option is that time travel works as follows: if you travel to the future, all timelines are ffwd'd the same amount of time (as if the traveler was in stasis). Trunks' second trip ffwd'd the time on the main timeline to 767 and the time on his own timeline to 787, two years in each case.
In the canon, there were three years between Trunks' return from his second trip and Cell's appearance in 788, placing his return at 785. This means that a) my theory is crap, b) Trunks created yet another timeline in that instance or c) he somehow did return at 787. What do you think?
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- TheDevilsCorpse
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Re: About time travel mechanics
The timelines exist parallel to each other with the past, present and future all existing. Everything else is just a matter of perspective. The timelines aren't actually staggered or anything, that's just the perspective that's being presented by the events we're viewing. Trunks is perfectly capable of traveling back 17 years into the past while Zamasu hops through both time and timelines to accomplish his goals. That doesn't affect anyone else's view of the events besides the ones doing the time traveling.
Re: About time travel mechanics
So once a link between a future timeline and a past one is created, you can go back and forth without making new time-lines provided you don't go back further than the first time you went back.
I used to think they were then tethered and both had to play out in real time, but we can see in the android saga that Trunks goes back to help our Dragon Team against the androids 8 months after visiting them, whereas it's been 3 years from Goku and his allies perspective.
Weirdly in super, they don't act like just "returning seconds after you got back" is an option, acting like they have to go back to dark timeline as soon as they have the fuel, rather than training for as long as they like, then returning after they left.
So we have a weird situation where Trunks can come and go to the past in random intervals of time, but his timelines must age in real time....
Lets call the present P and the future F.
You can go from F100 to P90.
You can stay there for a year and go to F101 from P91.
You can then randomly got to P96, (you can't go back further than P91) and stay for two years and then go back to F103, you now can't go back to anything before P96.
Does that make sense? It's weird.
It might not work that way and they just didn't want to admit there should not be any tension for the black arc if they could take their time.
I used to think they were then tethered and both had to play out in real time, but we can see in the android saga that Trunks goes back to help our Dragon Team against the androids 8 months after visiting them, whereas it's been 3 years from Goku and his allies perspective.
Weirdly in super, they don't act like just "returning seconds after you got back" is an option, acting like they have to go back to dark timeline as soon as they have the fuel, rather than training for as long as they like, then returning after they left.
So we have a weird situation where Trunks can come and go to the past in random intervals of time, but his timelines must age in real time....
Lets call the present P and the future F.
You can go from F100 to P90.
You can stay there for a year and go to F101 from P91.
You can then randomly got to P96, (you can't go back further than P91) and stay for two years and then go back to F103, you now can't go back to anything before P96.
Does that make sense? It's weird.
It might not work that way and they just didn't want to admit there should not be any tension for the black arc if they could take their time.
Yamcha almost certainly did not cheat on Bulma:
He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
Alternate future Trunks is not a reliable source.
Toriyama wanted new SSJ Kids and not make new characters.
He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
Alternate future Trunks is not a reliable source.
Toriyama wanted new SSJ Kids and not make new characters.
- TheDevilsCorpse
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Re: About time travel mechanics
The manga version of Super presents the time machine trips as having to happen in real time, because Future Bluma is the only one who knows how to change the settings on the time machine and still have it show up in the desired timeline/parallel world. So in the Artificial Humans Arc, while Trunks can change his destination year he travels to thanks to his mother (meaning time doesn't have to pass at the same rate between them when a time machine isn't in use), once in the past, he has no choice but to return home with the same number of days having passed. During this Black & Zamasu scuffle, Trunks doesn't even have that luxury at all since Future Bluma died. Thus he has no choice but to let the events of his trips play out in real time, with that 17 year gap.TobyS wrote:I used to think they were then tethered and both had to play out in real time, but we can see in the android saga that Trunks goes back to help our Dragon Team against the androids 8 months after visiting them, whereas it's been 3 years from Goku and his allies perspective.
Weirdly in super, they don't act like just "returning seconds after you got back" is an option, acting like they have to go back to dark timeline as soon as they have the fuel, rather than training for as long as they like, then returning after they left.
So we have a weird situation where Trunks can come and go to the past in random intervals of time, but his timelines must age in real time....
However, the anime doesn't really have that excuse? Since Bluma found her future self's notebook with all the theories, software, etc needed to maintain the time machine, she should arguably be able to change the settings on it too. I guess the only excuse at this point would be that even with the notes, she doesn't want to risk potentially screwing things up...?
Re: About time travel mechanics
Holy shit I love it when there's an in universe explanation. That makes sense. I think it's plausable for the notes not to have contained every little detail and potential tweak like that.TheDevilsCorpse wrote:The manga version of Super presents the time machine trips as having to happen in real time, because Future Bluma is the only one who knows how to change the settings on the time machine and still have it show up in the desired timeline/parallel world. So in the Artificial Humans Arc, while Trunks can change his destination year he travels to thanks to his mother (meaning time doesn't have to pass at the same rate between them when a time machine isn't in use), once in the past, he has no choice but to return home with the same number of days having passed. During this Black & Zamasu scuffle, Trunks doesn't even have that luxury at all since Future Bluma died. Thus he has no choice but to let the events of his trips play out in real time, with that 17 year gap.TobyS wrote:I used to think they were then tethered and both had to play out in real time, but we can see in the android saga that Trunks goes back to help our Dragon Team against the androids 8 months after visiting them, whereas it's been 3 years from Goku and his allies perspective.
Weirdly in super, they don't act like just "returning seconds after you got back" is an option, acting like they have to go back to dark timeline as soon as they have the fuel, rather than training for as long as they like, then returning after they left.
So we have a weird situation where Trunks can come and go to the past in random intervals of time, but his timelines must age in real time....
However, the anime doesn't really have that excuse? Since Bluma found her future self's notebook with all the theories, software, etc needed to maintain the time machine, she should arguably be able to change the settings on it too. I guess the only excuse at this point would be that even with the notes, she doesn't want to risk potentially screwing things up...?
Yamcha almost certainly did not cheat on Bulma:
He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
Alternate future Trunks is not a reliable source.
Toriyama wanted new SSJ Kids and not make new characters.
He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
Alternate future Trunks is not a reliable source.
Toriyama wanted new SSJ Kids and not make new characters.
- TheDevilsCorpse
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Re: About time travel mechanics
Actually, since the anime ends up having Trunks and company being forced to use Cell's time machine, I'm going to assume the notebook HAS to have that information. Because Cell's timeline should presumably be a separate from Trunks' (Super timeline and Time Ring confusion aside), and was also last set for a 25 year gap rather than 17...TobyS wrote:Holy shit I love it when there's an in universe explanation. That makes sense. I think it's plausable for the notes not to have contained every little detail and potential tweak like that.
Re: About time travel mechanics
I've always interpreted it that the time machine simply selects the timeline whose present age is closest to the destination age. For example, When Trunks set the time machine to 767, his future was at 785 and the main timeline at 765. Since 765 is closest to 767, the main timeline is the one where the time machine ended up. When they used Cell's time machine to go to the future in the Zamasu arc, this worked out the same.TheDevilsCorpse wrote:Actually, since the anime ends up having Trunks and company being forced to use Cell's time machine, I'm going to assume the notebook HAS to have that information. Because Cell's timeline should presumably be a separate from Trunks' (Super timeline and Time Ring confusion aside), and was also last set for a 25 year gap rather than 17...TobyS wrote:Holy shit I love it when there's an in universe explanation. That makes sense. I think it's plausable for the notes not to have contained every little detail and potential tweak like that.
What do you mean by 'staggered'?TheDevilsCorpse wrote:The timelines exist parallel to each other with the past, present and future all existing. Everything else is just a matter of perspective. The timelines aren't actually staggered or anything, that's just the perspective that's being presented by the events we're viewing. Trunks is perfectly capable of traveling back 17 years into the past while Zamasu hops through both time and timelines to accomplish his goals. That doesn't affect anyone else's view of the events besides the ones doing the time traveling.
As for past, present and future existing simultaneously, I don't understand how that would work. If there's a parallel world "out there", it seems to me that it has to be at a certain age. The same is true for other universes, or the dimension of the RoSaT (though that last one has time flow at a different pace).
When it was 784 in Trunks' future, it was 764 in the main timeline. You could say that the main timeline runs 20 years slow on Trunks' future.
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- TheDevilsCorpse
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Re: About time travel mechanics
Trunks literally says he doesn't want to risk change the settings in order to ensure that he reaches the same parallel world. To him, the only other timeline that should exist is probably Cells, which would be ahead of his own and the main timeline. If the time machine worked like you suggest, then he should likely believe that he's able to change the settings to pretty much anything before his current year and end up in the timeline he wanted.Terra-jin wrote:I've always interpreted it that the time machine simply selects the timeline whose present age is closest to the destination age. For example, When Trunks set the time machine to 767, his future was at 785 and the main timeline at 765. Since 765 is closest to 767, the main timeline is the one where the time machine ended up. When they used Cell's time machine to go to the future in the Zamasu arc, this worked out the same.
Staggered -- arrange (events, payments, hours, etc.) so that they do not occur at the same time.Terra-jin wrote:What do you mean by 'staggered'?
As for past, present and future existing simultaneously, I don't understand how that would work. If there's a parallel world "out there", it seems to me that it has to be at a certain age. The same is true for other universes, or the dimension of the RoSaT (though that last one has time flow at a different pace).
When it was 784 in Trunks' future, it was 764 in the main timeline. You could say that the main timeline runs 20 years slow on Trunks' future.
It's exactly what you're suggesting, that time somehow runs 20 years slow between the main timeline and the future one... but we're pretty much shown that the opposite is true. They aren't staggered. Trunks' first trip was 20 years, all his later trips were 17 years. That right there means that time isn't slow by 20 years, because if (some version of) the future didn't exists in the main timeline, Trunks wouldn't be able to jump ahead to it. Events as we see them unfold in the series are merely from the perspective they need to exist for said story to be told, which in this instance is 17 years apart. That doesn't mean that it's not possible to have the gap be different.
Likewise Zamasu and Gowasu use the Time Ring to jump 1000 years into the main timeline's future (AGE 1780). Then later, once his evil gears are set in full motion, Zamasu jumps 1 year into the future (AGE 781), switches bodies with Goku, and then switches timelines/parallel worlds to to the one where Trunks exists (exact AGE unknown). Black and Future Zamasu then used the Super Dragon Balls to make the Shinjin body immortal, and jumped another year into the future (AGE unknown + 1) to destroy the the orbs (...an era that, by your logic, should technically already exist and be part of Trunks' past if the time gap between timelines is absolute). We don't know if they returned from that one year trip before moving forward with their plan or not, but they proceeded to spend an unknown amount of time wiping out life on other planets before finally arriving on Future Earth (AGE 796) and giving Trunks hell for a year (AGE 797).
All of that to say the the "gap" between events in the alternate timelines is only for story purposes. Were seeing the events of two specific eras play out in relation to each other because the events ARE related, but that doesn't mean the eras in time surrounding them (past and future, both) don't already exist.
Re: About time travel mechanics
Yeah so I'm going with the time machine can go at different intervals but Trunks isn't confident to try w/o bulma doing it.
Yamcha almost certainly did not cheat on Bulma:
He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
Alternate future Trunks is not a reliable source.
Toriyama wanted new SSJ Kids and not make new characters.
He was afraid of Women, Bulma was the flirty one.
Yamcha wanted to get married (it was his gonna be his wish)
He suggested they settle down in the Trunks saga.
Alternate future Trunks is not a reliable source.
Toriyama wanted new SSJ Kids and not make new characters.
Re: About time travel mechanics
Ah, scratch that theory then. So it's simply a matter of the correct settings. In that case, why would it be problematic that Cell's time machine doesn't end up in Cell's future? Apparently, you can simply select your destination timeline.TheDevilsCorpse wrote:Trunks literally says he doesn't want to risk change the settings in order to ensure that he reaches the same parallel world. To him, the only other timeline that should exist is probably Cells, which would be ahead of his own and the main timeline. If the time machine worked like you suggest, then he should likely believe that he's able to change the settings to pretty much anything before his current year and end up in the timeline he wanted.
Where does Trunks say that, by the way?
I'll get into the rest of your post later
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Re: About time travel mechanics
Hmmmm... it's still not clear how it would actually work. Let's back up to what you said about perspective. In your theory, if it's, say, 769 in the main timeline, what age would it be in Trunks' future? Or would it be inapplicable altogether to ask what age it is in another timeline?TheDevilsCorpse wrote:It's exactly what you're suggesting, that time somehow runs 20 years slow between the main timeline and the future one... but we're pretty much shown that the opposite is true. They aren't staggered. Trunks' first trip was 20 years, all his later trips were 17 years. That right there means that time isn't slow by 20 years, because if (some version of) the future didn't exists in the main timeline, Trunks wouldn't be able to jump ahead to it. Events as we see them unfold in the series are merely from the perspective they need to exist for said story to be told, which in this instance is 17 years apart. That doesn't mean that it's not possible to have the gap be different.
By the way, the gap should be 18 years after Trunks' second jump (785 to 767). If I recall correctly, DB Super states that the gap is 17 years.
Anyway, at what age is Trunks' future when the main timeline is at 769? Is it 789 or 787? Or...?
Here's the thing: if past and future both already exist, and there is no real gap to speak of, what determines whether a trip is to the future or the past? If this is the case, you'd expect every trip to create new timelines - which is stated not to be the case.Likewise Zamasu and Gowasu use the Time Ring to jump 1000 years into the main timeline's future (AGE 1780). Then later, once his evil gears are set in full motion, Zamasu jumps 1 year into the future (AGE 781), switches bodies with Goku, and then switches timelines/parallel worlds to to the one where Trunks exists (exact AGE unknown). Black and Future Zamasu then used the Super Dragon Balls to make the Shinjin body immortal, and jumped another year into the future (AGE unknown + 1) to destroy the the orbs (...an era that, by your logic, should technically already exist and be part of Trunks' past if the time gap between timelines is absolute). We don't know if they returned from that one year trip before moving forward with their plan or not, but they proceeded to spend an unknown amount of time wiping out life on other planets before finally arriving on Future Earth (AGE 796) and giving Trunks hell for a year (AGE 797).
All of that to say the the "gap" between events in the alternate timelines is only for story purposes. Were seeing the events of two specific eras play out in relation to each other because the events ARE related, but that doesn't mean the eras in time surrounding them (past and future, both) don't already exist.
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Re: About time travel mechanics
It's also interesting that the time machine can go back in time, but also can go between timelines.
For eg. Trunks could go to the past (when Frieza arrived with his father and Trunks changed some stuff and thus created new timeline). Also Cell went back to the past (one year before Trunks).
But after he had created a new timeline, he could go many times to this new timeline.
And now, the time machine in which Cell arrived. It's from Cell timeline right? But, they could go with this time machine to the Trunks' future (which isn't the same timeline that Cell's) and they could go back, to the main timeline as well. So the "Cell's" time-machine has already been in three different timelines.
I think it's really interesting that this time-machine can go not only to the past (or future) but also to the parallel timelines. So, for eg. Trunks could possibly go to the Cell's timeline as well.
PS
Actually it could be nice ending to the saga, cause Cell's timeline is almost identical to the Trunks' one. So all survivors of Black's terror could go to the world that is almost like their world, but in which Black didn't appear
For eg. Trunks could go to the past (when Frieza arrived with his father and Trunks changed some stuff and thus created new timeline). Also Cell went back to the past (one year before Trunks).
But after he had created a new timeline, he could go many times to this new timeline.
And now, the time machine in which Cell arrived. It's from Cell timeline right? But, they could go with this time machine to the Trunks' future (which isn't the same timeline that Cell's) and they could go back, to the main timeline as well. So the "Cell's" time-machine has already been in three different timelines.
I think it's really interesting that this time-machine can go not only to the past (or future) but also to the parallel timelines. So, for eg. Trunks could possibly go to the Cell's timeline as well.
PS
Actually it could be nice ending to the saga, cause Cell's timeline is almost identical to the Trunks' one. So all survivors of Black's terror could go to the world that is almost like their world, but in which Black didn't appear
Re: About time travel mechanics
The 17 years thing is a mistake that has been perpetuated and it pisses me off, that it's officially part of the series' lore and we have to come up with explanations for it instead of it just being a simple straight forward "x years in one timeline is x years in the other timelines."
The manga never brings up Trunks having to go 17 years back in time on his 2nd visit, nor does it clarify anything about less time having passed in his timeline relative to the time passed in the main timeline. The only time 17 years is brought up, is in the special chapter, that deals with the events that transpired before he went back in time for the first time(completely contradicting that he came from 20 years ago, as told to Goku).
The guidebooks then put together a DB Calendar, that unfortunately is now fact as far as the franchise is concerned.
Ah, Toriyama why must you be so horrible with the details!
The manga never brings up Trunks having to go 17 years back in time on his 2nd visit, nor does it clarify anything about less time having passed in his timeline relative to the time passed in the main timeline. The only time 17 years is brought up, is in the special chapter, that deals with the events that transpired before he went back in time for the first time(completely contradicting that he came from 20 years ago, as told to Goku).
The guidebooks then put together a DB Calendar, that unfortunately is now fact as far as the franchise is concerned.
Ah, Toriyama why must you be so horrible with the details!
Re: About time travel mechanics
Wholeheartedly agreed. I don't wish to contradict canon, but it sure does throw a wrench in our efforts to surmise a logical, elegant theory on the mechanics of time travel in Dragonball. It's like Cell saying Trunks' cells would've been collected, when Trunks couldn't possibly have appeared there without making things overly convoluted.dbgtFO wrote:The 17 years thing is a mistake that has been perpetuated and it pisses me off, that it's officially part of the series' lore and we have to come up with explanations for it instead of it just being a simple straight forward "x years in one timeline is x years in the other timelines."
Oh well, I do kinda like the challenge of trying to make it all fit although it's difficult to do so without discounting or outright contradicting the canon in some way...The manga never brings up Trunks having to go 17 years back in time on his 2nd visit, nor does it clarify anything about less time having passed in his timeline relative to the time passed in the main timeline. The only time 17 years is brought up, is in the special chapter, that deals with the events that transpired before he went back in time for the first time(completely contradicting that he came from 20 years ago, as told to Goku).
The guidebooks then put together a DB Calendar, that unfortunately is now fact as far as the franchise is concerned.
Ah, Toriyama why must you be so horrible with the details!
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- AvatarReiko
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Re: About time travel mechanics
Trunks has a time machine. He could return to the future a couple of seconds after he originally. He could have stayed in the present(after defeating Cell) for another 20 years and still return to his timeline the moment he left.
Re: About time travel mechanics
Well, the question is whether time flows synchronously between timelines. If that's the case, then if Trunks does what you described he would create a new timeline, because his destination would be in the past.AvatarReiko wrote:Trunks has a time machine. He could return to the future a couple of seconds after he originally. He could have stayed in the present(after defeating Cell) for another 20 years and still return to his timeline the moment he left.
I say that if a year passes here, a year also passes in the other timeline(s). Do you agree?
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- TheUltimateNinja
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Re: About time travel mechanics
Sure, and I'd also say that with the time machine you can move another timeline's time forward relatively speaking but not backward, i.e: Trunks skipping 3 years in our timeline even though only 8 months passed in his timeline.Terra-jin wrote:Well, the question is whether time flows synchronously between timelines. If that's the case, then if Trunks does what you described he would create a new timeline, because his destination would be in the past.AvatarReiko wrote:Trunks has a time machine. He could return to the future a couple of seconds after he originally. He could have stayed in the present(after defeating Cell) for another 20 years and still return to his timeline the moment he left.
I say that if a year passes here, a year also passes in the other timeline(s). Do you agree?
Re: About time travel mechanics
Ah, so from the perspective of the main timeline at age 765 to 767, what age is it at Trunks' timeline? If I understand you correctly, you imply that time stands still in Trunks' timeline when viewed from the perspective of the main timeline during 765-767. Is that right?TheUltimateNinja wrote:Sure, and I'd also say that with the time machine you can move another timeline's time forward relatively speaking but not backward, i.e: Trunks skipping 3 years in our timeline even though only 8 months passed in his timeline.
If so, that's where the second half of my opening post comes into play I've tried to demonstrate that this is impossible and that instead, when you move one timeline's time forward, you must move all timelines' time forward. Trunks' future would then be at 787, instead of 785. Would you agree?
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Re: About time travel mechanics
But clearly at that point not much time at all had passed in Trunks' timeline even after he made it back from the past, so this would suggest he can move forward in another timelines with minimal impact on his own timeline, therefore it seems that any time that passes in the main timeline has no impact on Trunks' ability to go further into the future.Terra-jin wrote:Ah, so from the perspective of the main timeline at age 765 to 767, what age is it at Trunks' timeline? If I understand you correctly, you imply that time stands still in Trunks' timeline when viewed from the perspective of the main timeline during 765-767. Is that right?TheUltimateNinja wrote:Sure, and I'd also say that with the time machine you can move another timeline's time forward relatively speaking but not backward, i.e: Trunks skipping 3 years in our timeline even though only 8 months passed in his timeline.
If so, that's where the second half of my opening post comes into play I've tried to demonstrate that this is impossible and that instead, when you move one timeline's time forward, you must move all timelines' time forward. Trunks' future would then be at 787, instead of 785. Would you agree?
Re: About time travel mechanics
You are correct, the canon does seem to specify that Trunks returned to 785, not 787. In the last part of my opening post, I addressed this problem.TheUltimateNinja wrote:But clearly at that point not much time at all had passed in Trunks' timeline even after he made it back from the past, so this would suggest he can move forward in another timelines with minimal impact on his own timeline, therefore it seems that any time that passes in the main timeline has no impact on Trunks' ability to go further into the future.
If it's indeed the case that trips to the future fast-forward time on all timelines, and Trunks went back to 785, then that necessarily means that he should've created a new timeline right there.
There is a way out of this, however! It does take some digging into the exact canonical time/age references and knowledge of the four timelines of the Cell arc. I'll expand this post later about this subject. It has to do with two incarnations of Cell and the exact age at which they appeared (788 and 790, respectively). Standby!
It's all GOOD