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| − | A '''predestination paradox''', also called a [[causality loop]], is a paradox of [[time travel]]. The idea is that when one travels back in [[time]], one may influence events while in the past, such as causing, or undoing, the original reasons for the journey. |
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| + | A '''predestination paradox''', or '''time loop''', is a phenomenon in which an event of [[temporal mechanics|time travel]] can become part of events which have already occurred, and can even lead to the initial event of time travel in the first place. |
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| + | ==Examples== |
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| − | Suppose a man travels back in time and impregnates his great-great grandmother. The grandmother would thus give birth to one of the man's great grandparents, who would then give birth to his grandmother or father, who would then be able to give birth to one of the man's parents, and finally to the man himself. As a result, the man's very existence would be pre-determined by his time traveling adventure, and therein lies the paradox. |
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| + | In [[2268]], after having traveled back in time from [[2373]], [[Doctor]] [[Julian Bashir]] speculated that the events in which he was participating constituted a predestination paradox when he met {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}} crewmember [[Lieutenant]] [[Watley]]. Realizing that his great-grandmother's name was Watley, and that nobody ever met his great-grandfather, Bashir began to suspect that he was destined to fall in love with Watley and become his own ancestor. Bashir's suspicions were later proven incorrect, however, in that he did not pursue a relationship with her, a decision which had no effect on the timeline. After the incident, agents [[Dulmur]] and [[Lucsly]] of the [[Department of Temporal Investigations]], also known as Temporal Affairs, sent to investigate the incident professed to hate predestination paradoxes and were relieved to find out that the incident was not one of them. ({{DS9|Trials and Tribble-ations}}) |
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| + | In [[1968]], the crew of the ''Enterprise'', who had traveled back in time from [[2268]] to perform historical research, encountered a [[Human]] named [[Gary Seven]], who was attempting to [[sabotage]] a [[nuclear warhead platform]]. Fearing that Seven was an alien from the future attempting to manipulate the timeline, the ''Enterprise'' crew attempted to stop him, but Seven was eventually able to convince them that he was indigenous to the [[20th century]], and that he was in the employ of a benevolent race of aliens attempting to protect [[Earth]]. Later, upon checking their historical records, [[Commander]] [[Spock]] discovered that the crew of the ''Enterprise'' was, in fact, always a part of this series of events, and that, by interfering, they were simply fulfilling their role in history. ({{TOS|Assignment: Earth}}) |
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| − | The Predestination paradox is very closely related to the [[Grandfather paradox]]. |
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| + | On several occasions [[Captain]] [[Jean-Luc Picard]] attempted to avoid a predestination paradox from forming by ordering the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} to stay on the course it was set on, fearing that changing course to avoid a time loop may be the very thing that got the ship stuck to the loop in the first place. ({{TNG|Time Squared|Cause and Effect}}) |
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| − | One of the possible examples of this paradox is the [[death]] of [[Edith Keeler]]: if [[Doctor]] [[Leonard McCoy|McCoy]] does not travel back in time accidentally and change the [[timeline]] by saving her, [[Captain]] [[James T. Kirk|Kirk]] does not follow him, does not fall in love with Keeler and does not leave her in the way of that certain [[truck]]. |
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| − | {{bginfo|The possibility remains, however, that the vehicle originally striking Keeler was different from the one that eventually did via Kirk and McCoy's interventions.}} |
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| + | In another predestination paradox, two time traveling [[Vorgon]] thieves from the [[27th century]] arrived back in time to [[2366]] to obtain the [[Tox Uthat]] from Captain Picard who was known to have discovered and destroyed the device on his holiday on [[Risa]]. Their attempt to obtain the device was in the end the reason why Picard destroyed the Uthat, so that it would not fall into the Vorgons hands, thus completing the paradox. ({{TNG|Captain's Holiday}}) |
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| − | A predestination paradox may exist in {{film|4}} when McCoy and [[Montgomery Scott|Scotty]] give [[Nichols (Doctor)|Dr. Nichols]] the formula for [[transparent aluminum]]. McCoy comments that if they do so, they may [[Temporal Prime Directive|alter the future]] but Scotty asks how do they know he didn't invent it? McCoy seems satisfied with that. |
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| + | A predestination paradox occurred on Earth in the year [[1893]], when ''Enterprise''-D crewmember [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Data]], who had traveled back in time from [[2368]], became trapped in a [[temporal vortex]] and had his body separated from his head, which remained in a cavern under the [[Presidio]] in [[San Francisco]] until 2368. In that year, Data's head was discovered, leading the crew of the ''Enterprise'' to mount an investigation. This investigation led to the very time travel event which transported Data back in time in the first place, thereby completing the time loop. ({{TNG|Time's Arrow|Time's Arrow, Part II}}) |
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| − | {{bginfo|The ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (novel)|Star Trek IV novelization]]'' expands on this scene and shows that Scotty indeed knew that Nichols invented transparent aluminum and that it may well be essential that they give him the formula for it, which would cause a predestination paradox.}} |
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| + | Captain [[Braxton]], a [[Starfleet]] officer from the [[29th century]], described this type of paradox as "A leads to B leads to C leads to A," when attempting to explain the series of events which led to the destruction of [[Sol system|Earth's solar system]] in his time to the crew of the {{USS|Voyager}}. Finding debris from ''Voyager'' in the aftermath of the [[temporal explosion]] which destroyed the solar system, Braxton came to believe that ''Voyager'' was somehow responsible for the incident. In an attempt to change history and prevent the explosion, Braxton traveled back in time to [[2373]] to destroy ''Voyager''. This action led to both ships being transported back to 20th century Earth, where Braxton's [[timeship]] was appropriated by an unscrupulous industrialist named [[Henry Starling]]. It was at this point that Braxton realized that it would be Starling who would cause the explosion, by taking the timeship to the 29th century without properly recalibrating its [[temporal matrix]]. This time loop was eventually broken when the crew of ''Voyager'' was able to destroy the timeship moments before it traveled to the future. ({{VOY|Future's End|Future's End, Part II}}) |
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| − | Another paradox in {{film|4}} is Kirk's glasses. He hands them to an antiques dealer, and when [[Spock]] protests that they were a present from McCoy, Kirk says "They can be again". This means that when Kirk received them, they could have been a lot older than they appeared - although the damage caused by [[Khan Noonien Singh|Khan's]] [[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan|attacks]] had been repaired. |
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| − | In order to stop him making advances on her, [[Beverly Crusher]] told [[Berlinghoff Rasmussen]] that she could be his 4th great grandmother. ({{TNG|A Matter of Time}}) |
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| − | The [[Temporal Investigations]] agents [[Dulmur]] and [[Lucsly]] hated predestination paradoxes. ({{DS9|Trials and Tribble-ations}}) |
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| − | A predestination paradox exists when [[Henry Starling]] reverse-engineers the time ship that crashed on Earth in the 1960s. When {{USS|Voyager}} travels back in time, [[Kathryn Janeway|Captain Janeway]] discovers that the computer revolution of the late 20th century should never have actually happened if the time ship had not crashed. ({{VOY|Future's End}}) |
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| − | ===References=== |
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| − | * {{TOS|The City on the Edge of Forever}} |
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| − | * {{TAS|Yesteryear}} |
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| − | * {{DS9|Trials and Tribble-ations}} |
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| − | * {{VOY|Relativity}} |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Moebius]] |
*[[Moebius]] |
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| + | *[[Pogo paradox]] |
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*[[Temporal causality loop]] |
*[[Temporal causality loop]] |
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| + | |||
| + | ==External link== |
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| + | * {{wikipedia}} |
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| + | [[fr:Paradoxe de la prédestination]] |
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| + | [[ja:プレデスティネーション・パラドックス]] |
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[[Category:Time travel]] |
[[Category:Time travel]] |
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Revision as of 13:18, 13 November 2013
AT: "xx" A predestination paradox, or time loop, is a phenomenon in which an event of time travel can become part of events which have already occurred, and can even lead to the initial event of time travel in the first place.
Examples
In 2268, after having traveled back in time from 2373, Doctor Julian Bashir speculated that the events in which he was participating constituted a predestination paradox when he met USS Enterprise crewmember Lieutenant Watley. Realizing that his great-grandmother's name was Watley, and that nobody ever met his great-grandfather, Bashir began to suspect that he was destined to fall in love with Watley and become his own ancestor. Bashir's suspicions were later proven incorrect, however, in that he did not pursue a relationship with her, a decision which had no effect on the timeline. After the incident, agents Dulmur and Lucsly of the Department of Temporal Investigations, also known as Temporal Affairs, sent to investigate the incident professed to hate predestination paradoxes and were relieved to find out that the incident was not one of them. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
In 1968, the crew of the Enterprise, who had traveled back in time from 2268 to perform historical research, encountered a Human named Gary Seven, who was attempting to sabotage a nuclear warhead platform. Fearing that Seven was an alien from the future attempting to manipulate the timeline, the Enterprise crew attempted to stop him, but Seven was eventually able to convince them that he was indigenous to the 20th century, and that he was in the employ of a benevolent race of aliens attempting to protect Earth. Later, upon checking their historical records, Commander Spock discovered that the crew of the Enterprise was, in fact, always a part of this series of events, and that, by interfering, they were simply fulfilling their role in history. (TOS: "Assignment: Earth")
On several occasions Captain Jean-Luc Picard attempted to avoid a predestination paradox from forming by ordering the USS Enterprise-D to stay on the course it was set on, fearing that changing course to avoid a time loop may be the very thing that got the ship stuck to the loop in the first place. (TNG: "Time Squared", "Cause and Effect")
In another predestination paradox, two time traveling Vorgon thieves from the 27th century arrived back in time to 2366 to obtain the Tox Uthat from Captain Picard who was known to have discovered and destroyed the device on his holiday on Risa. Their attempt to obtain the device was in the end the reason why Picard destroyed the Uthat, so that it would not fall into the Vorgons hands, thus completing the paradox. (TNG: "Captain's Holiday")
A predestination paradox occurred on Earth in the year 1893, when Enterprise-D crewmember Lieutenant Commander Data, who had traveled back in time from 2368, became trapped in a temporal vortex and had his body separated from his head, which remained in a cavern under the Presidio in San Francisco until 2368. In that year, Data's head was discovered, leading the crew of the Enterprise to mount an investigation. This investigation led to the very time travel event which transported Data back in time in the first place, thereby completing the time loop. (TNG: "Time's Arrow", "Time's Arrow, Part II")
Captain Braxton, a Starfleet officer from the 29th century, described this type of paradox as "A leads to B leads to C leads to A," when attempting to explain the series of events which led to the destruction of Earth's solar system in his time to the crew of the USS Voyager. Finding debris from Voyager in the aftermath of the temporal explosion which destroyed the solar system, Braxton came to believe that Voyager was somehow responsible for the incident. In an attempt to change history and prevent the explosion, Braxton traveled back in time to 2373 to destroy Voyager. This action led to both ships being transported back to 20th century Earth, where Braxton's timeship was appropriated by an unscrupulous industrialist named Henry Starling. It was at this point that Braxton realized that it would be Starling who would cause the explosion, by taking the timeship to the 29th century without properly recalibrating its temporal matrix. This time loop was eventually broken when the crew of Voyager was able to destroy the timeship moments before it traveled to the future. (VOY: "Future's End", "Future's End, Part II")