Confusion About Trunks

[Rawring Ninja]

So, I'm thoroughly confused about Trunks and his timelines. This is hard for me to explain, because I hardly have a grip on what I'm trying to ask. Basically I need a clear and precise explanation about all of the alternate timelines.

I know this much.

____________________________________ Timeline A
\_____________________ Timeline B

Timeline A being from where Future Trunks is from, where Androids 17 and 18 killed everyone, and Timeline B being where Future Trunks goes back in time and gives Goku the antidote, creating an alternate timeline.

But isn't there a third timeline? Where Cell kills Trunks and goes back in time? And what reason would Cell have to kill Trunks and go back in time? Aren't Androids 17 and 18 there for him to absorb? And what timeline did Trunks go back to, because he killed Cell? If he went to the timeline where he was about to be killed by Cell, wouldn't there be two of him in that timeline?

As you can see, I'm very confused. Clarification would be very appreciated.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

Cell came from a timeline where Trunks had traveled into the past and discovered the plans for the Jinzoningen, thus he came back to his own time and destroyed them after deactivating them with the remote. Because he did things this way and didn't go through all the training we see during the lead up to the Cell Games, he wasn't strong enough to actually challenge 17 and 18, let alone defeat Cell.

[Rawring Ninja]

Okay, so that explains where Cell came from, but what about the Trunks that came back for the Cell games? And that doesn't explain what timeline Trunks went back to after the Cell games was over.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

I won't be explaining those parts, because the way I interpret Trunks and his time traveling isn't exactly how everything else in the series or guidebooks tries to explain it. Most people say that new timelines are created only when he goes back in time, but I don't think you even need a time machine for a new timeline to be created, only to travel between the alternate universes. It makes infinitely more sense IMO than trying to work out how everything works with the detailed we are given in the series, books, etc.

[Dorexx]

I think most people get confused because they don't understand how Cell's time traveling worked.

The original time-line is a devastated future where the androids terrorize the planet. Trunks goes back in time creating a different time-line by changing history. Cell steals Trunks' time machine and goes back in time to find the androids, creating another different time-line. This is an alternate version of the alternate time-line created by Trunks, meaning there will have to be a Trunks showing up from the future. This future becomes different from the original future because by traveling to the altered present, Trunks ends up taking different actions.

The main story's time-line is the time-line created by Cell.

[ThunderPX]

I simply don't get how people keep getting confused about this. Cell explains exactly how it works when he first appears.

[rereboy]

I won't be explaining those parts, because the way I interpret Trunks and his time traveling isn't exactly how everything else in the series or guidebooks tries to explain it. Most people say that new timelines are created only when he goes back in time, but I don't think you even need a time machine for a new timeline to be created, only to travel between the alternate universes. It makes infinitely more sense IMO than trying to work out how everything works with the detailed we are given in the series, books, etc.

I agree with you and your explanations.

In fact, here is how I explain the timelines. I have a feeling you will agree.

[Rawring Ninja]

Ah! Thank you rereboy! I assumed it worked out someway like that, I just couldn't get the exact details right. Everything makes sense now.