My Back to the Future Journey!

Enter Jamie and Doc

Doc: Great Scott Jamie!

Jamie: What's up Doc?

Doc: You haven't ever seen the Back to the Future franchise before October of this year!?

Jamie: That's right Doc.

Doc: But they're classics! Millions of people grew up with it as part of their childhood!

Jamie: I know.

Doc: How did people react when you told them you had only seen them all for the first time recently?

Jamie: Surprised and shocked and rightly so.

Doc: Of course!

Jamie: It would have been worse if I hated it or not even been aware of it's existence. 

Doc: That's true! 

Jamie: And it's only fitting that I watched it on the 30th anniversary in 2015.

Doc: Of course! Who got you to watch them then?

Jamie: My great friend Simon. I owe him many thanks.

Doc: True. Is that all your going to do, just leave at watching them once then?

Jamie: No, I'm getting the films for Christmas. I want to watch them again and let other Trekkies know why I loved it so much!

Doc: How do you plan on doing that?

Jamie: Writing a blog about it of course!

Doc: What's a blog?

Jamie: A blog is...never mind, I need to write this now. I can't travel Back to the Future like you!  

Doc: Your right! Great Scott, you better hop to it then! 

Jamie: Thanks Doc!

Doc exits and Jamie muses and starts writing his blog.

Hello Trekkies and welcome to my last blog of 2015! As you may have gathered from that conversation between me and Doc, this is a special one for me on my reflecting on watching the classic Back to the Future franchise a couple of months ago in October!

30th Anniversary

Yes I know a few of you may be charging up your Phasers at that confession. (But please leave them on stun!) However being a first time watcher especially on the franchise's 30th anniversary gives me a unique opportunity in exploring my thoughts and feelings about BTTF. In reading this blog the feelings of nostalgia of viewing it for the first time may come back for you and remind you why you love it so much! So let's get stuck into it and go back to the...well in my case the past where it all began!

How I got into it!

It started with my confession to Simon that I had never seen any of the films before, which shocked him. So he made it his mission to get me to watch all three. Later that day after my confession he expressed his surprise on our podcast Facebook page, which got some responses that mirrored Simon's reaction (and rightly so which is understandable considering how much I enjoy watching movies)

Response 2

So the next time I went round Simon's he sat me down to the watch the first film and I loved it so much we eventually had the BTTF marathon watching the whole trilogy back to back in one day!

I expressed my gratitude to Simon for getting me into the franchise afterwards via Facebook and Twitter.

Twitter

Facebook

So that's how I came to watch the films. Now I'm going to tell you why I love them!

Why I love Back to the Future.

There are many things I love about Back to the Future, the characters, story and the concepts, but it all comes down to three reasons.

1. It's really fun escapism!

I know this can be said for a lot of movies and franchises, it's a pretty generic reason, but for me it's the truth. Sitting there for six hours back to back watching all three films made me forget about my real life as I became absorbed into the world of Marty, Doc and the times that traveled to. It's a franchise that knew how to have fun and embrace it with where everyone involved looks like there having a whale of a time, so as a result, you feel as the viewer that you are too!

In particular the DeLorean car as a time machine! It just looked so cool and amazing with the style and the way Doc had designed it, that quite simply it's awesome! I've definitely got to get me one of those!


 

The DeLorean building up to a temporal displacement. 

Yes I know I sound like a little kid here (clear throat) anyway it's looks nice. But also how how fast it drives especially when Doc revs it round the parking lot near the start of the first film! It's also great with the variety that the three films offer in terms of the times he and Marty travel in, 1955 (the decade my dad was born in) 2015 (where we're at now) and 1885 (Western era) of what was. This makes it even more fun going into essentially different worlds due to their ability to time travel, which brings me onto my second reason of loving BTTF.

2. Time/Time travelling.

How the movies navigate time travel and especially the periods of time that Doc and Marty end up in really resonated with me. With the time travel aspect BTTF does a good job of messing with your head especially as the time travel has that knock on effect on all three films with them going back and forth to 1955 and then to 1985, onwards to 2015 and then... oh wait 1885 anyway.

The fact is I enjoyed being challenged trying to make sense of the time travel with the different paradoxes and having two Marty's and two Doc's etc. The movies don't insult your intelligence, but just show you. And even if you don't understand the time travel elements, (I'm still not sure I do, I sometimes just get a headache thinking about it) there's plenty else to sink your teeth into. This diagram explains the different timelines created much better than I ever could.

Back to the Future Trilogy timeline/time travel explained 

I know it's quite a mouthful isn't it!

Anyway what also resonated with me is how much of an impact BTTF has had on my life simply by the time it was made and times that Marty and Doc travel to, both past (1955) and future (2015 or in our case now the current present) With Back to the Future coming out in 1985 and the sequel in 1989 (the year I was born) these movies give me a brief glimpse into what life was like in the 1980s with the clothes people wore and the cars they drove. A look at the tail end of a decade I was born in, but can never remember.

When both Mary and Doc travel back to 1955 to get Marty's mum and dad to fall in love is where we get a true sense of what life was like in America and to an extent Britain as they both benefited from the same fashion, technology, music and hairstyles. It was a time my dad was born in and experienced it, which he has told me a lot about. BTTF shows us mullets, Rock and Roll (which Marty "introduces" to the crowd in one of my favorite moments of the whole franchise!) Jazz and more. 

It was an era of big change in music, fashion, technology and more and Back the the Future pays a great homage to it.

However the franchise, BTTF Part II more specifically has fun with imagining what 2015 (our current year) would be like with futuristic clothing and hoverboards. 

2015, the future clothing

It's fascinating seeing how BTTF thought 2015 would like and comparing to that year, which we are in now. Unfortunately we don't have fashion like that and we still need the use of roads! But the idea of using hover boards isn't totally out of the question as the BBC explain!

I also like the fact the BTTF Part 3 III goes further back into the past of 1885, back in the western era days.

Marty and Doc in the Wild West (1885)

It was simply nice to visit a different time and setting and I've always had a soft spot for the western genre, particularly having my Dad and Nan who watch the old Westerns all the time, especially the John Wayne ones like Stagecoach (1939), Rio Bravo (1959) and True Grit (1969) to name a few.

3. A Timeless franchise that hasn't aged.

This last reason is an obvious one, in terms of effects, the film has (even though they still look quite impressive 30 years on). But the style and substance it brings through the script, the storytelling and the acting makes this one for the ages. That rare type of franchise that has something for all ages and is always fun and enjoyable to watch no matter how much time has passed as evidenced with people still talking, remembering and watching it 30 years on.

I'm glad I have finally joined the crowd (should have done it years ago) and this is why I wanted to share what I loved about the franchise with all of you.

I wanted to send out a big thanks to Simon for the use of the pictures he gave me like the BFFT posters and the Facebook and Twitter ones. Thanks mate.

That's it for now! See you all soon!

Simon's Time Travel adventures (featuring the Tardis and DeLorean)

Hi #Treksters
In honour of the 30th Anniversary of Back To The Future this year, and because we also had the celebrations surrounding the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who two years ago with The Day of The Doctor.

I thought it was about time for me to release a new blog post for you to read through. Which (as you can tell from the title) is quite fitting!
So flicking through my list of ideas, I've decided to revisit one of my favourite interests history and time travel!!!

As (in this blog post) I will be talking you through all the times and places I would really love to visit if I had access to a time machine like The Doctor's Tardis (Doctor Who) or Doc Brown's Time Travelling DeLorean (Back To The Future trilogy).

Obviously because I'm dealing with Time Travel, I will be following some 'Time Traveller's Guidelines" (similar to these).
So that I can witness events without irritably changing the timeline.

Because I don't particularly want to get visited by Mulder & Scully's descendants from the Starfleet Department of Temporal Investigations, after my travels!
This is because I don't want to accidently cause a 'Butterfly effect' scenario or a 'Grandfather paradox'.
So as a precautionary measure, I'm going to exclude any historical event concerning my home county of Essex in this blog post.

 

On top of that I'm also going to say that in each situation I'm going to have access to period specific costumes, and access to the correct currency.
As that way my contamination of the timeline will be minimal...and I can still enjoy myself while I'm there!!!

Now that I've got all out of the way, I think it's about time I input my first temporal coordinates...

The White Star Dock (Berth 44), Southampton United Kingdom 11:45am 10th April 1912

  

 

The first place I would like to visit will seem very familiar to all of you avid #Trekster readers out there....as I'd want to see the RMS Titanic!

Unusually for me, I've actually come up with a couple of suggestions on how I'd do it. But as you'll see the first one is quite a safe option...whereas the second way definitely wouldn't be.

Anyone who reads my blog posts on a regular basis, will notice straight away that I don't usually writing down an unsafe idea.
As it's not very me...but I think that Jamie 'influenced' me when I was talking to Jamie on the phone about it. Because he thought it was a good idea! #JamieBadInfluence

 

Idea one

 



The first (safe) idea is that I would Ideally like to 'blend' into the dockside crowd (with the help of a period costume) watching the (RMS) Titanic steaming away, as it leaves Southampton on it's maiden voyage.

I think this is a moment I'd love to witness, seeing the 'hustle and bustle' of the people going about their way racing to get on-board.
With all that going on it would make it a very celebratory environment to be apart of!

Idea two

The second (risky) idea is that I would board the ship at Southampton (on the 10th April 1912), most likely as a 1st Class passenger. Before disembarking at Cobh (Queenstown), which was Titanic's final destination before New York on the morning of the 11th April 1912.
That way I could then enjoy staying on-board the ship, whilst generally experiencing the ambiance of life on-board ship.
Obviously this would be amazing....but the chances of changing history (and contaminating the timeline) would be huge.

Although I would enjoy the excitement of witnessing the event (either way) I would also be filled with mixed emotions...know the ships ultimate fate.
Making it feel deeply sobering for me, whilst simultaneously also making me feel 'good' knowing that huge advances in marine safety that would come out of the disaster.
It would also make me think that we take modern day marine safety for granted these days!

I input my second temporal coordinates...

Moving forward 54 years to

 

The Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel, Cleveland United States of America 1st-5th September 1966

 

The second place I would like to visit is somewhere else, which will be no great surprise to any of you...as I've chosen a Star Trek convention!

But this is no ordinary Star Trek convention, as the 24th Tricon World Science Fiction Convention was the first official convention for the franchise.

Again this is somewhere else I could 'blend' into the crowd seamlessly (and easily due to my extensive Star Trek wardrobe).

This is something I would love to attend, knowing the significance (and history) Star Trek would go on to have in the decades to follow...and the impact it will have on so many peoples lives (including myself)!
It would also be amazing meeting 'The Great Bird of the Galaxy' Gene Roddenberry, as that is something I would have loved to have done.
To make the convention even better he promoted the first two pilots of Star Trek: The Original Series(uncut version of "The Cage" and "Where No Man has Gone Before") before they aired!
Can you imagine that?!

Being one of a few hundred people watching Star Trek for the first time...and afterwards getting to hear Gene Roddenberry's thoughts and feelings on the pilots.
Making it an amazing few days in the history of the franchise we all love, which is something I would like to be apart of!

With that in mind I don't think there's nothing else I can really say apart from...there is no better way to live and breathe Star Trek for 120 hours straight!!!

 

 

I input my third (and final) temporal coordinates...

 

Moving forward another 3 years to

 

Kennedy Space Centre, Florida United States of America 19th-22nd July 1969

 

  

The third place I would like to visit is one of (if not) the greatest human achievement ever. So much so that I've already spoken about it in a previous blog post.
Obviously I'm talking about witnessing the Apollo 11 Moon landing!

 

 

This is something I would love to witness from start (launch) to finish (splashdown). As it would be amazing being able to watch the three astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin & Michael Collins) historic progress to the Moon, and their journey safely back to Earth...live (as much as you could back in 1969).

I would so enjoy seeing the massive Saturn V rocket lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre on Wednesday (16th July) at 13:32:00pm (1969-07-16UTC13:32Z) UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

Shaking the ground below it, and starting off the staggering 953,054 miles (1,533,791.737km) roundtrip to the Moon!

 

And then being able to keep up with the latest television updates on their slow progress, joining in as the world held it's collective breathe!  

This would then be instantly changed by a feeling of global excitement. Which would slowly grow, as the days slowly tumbled by.

Until Sunday 20th July (Day 4), when the Lunar Module ("Eagle") landed on the Moon at 20:18:04pm UTC.

 

However, it wasn't until 02:56:15am UTC on Day 5 (Monday 21st July) that man actually walked on the moon for first time...and those immortal words were uttered by Neil Armstrong to the estimated 600 million people watching worldwide:

"That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind"

After spending 21 hours, 36 minutes on the moon's surface Armstrong's & Aldrin's work was done. So understandably after a busy day's work, they then slept for a well earned seven hours in the Lunar Module.

They then returned to Lunar orbit after jettisoning the Lunar Module's ("Eagle‍") ascent stage at 23:41pm UTC.
This was then followed by a reunion (via docking) with their colleague Michael Collins (piloting the "Columbia" Command Module).
With all the astronauts back together (and the samples safely on-board), they could now think about completing their mission...and begin their journey back home.

 

After another three days of travelling (Day 8), the "Columbia" Command Module finally splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 16:50:35pm (1969-07-24UTC16:50:36Z) UTC on July 24th 1969. To the relief of millions around the world.

Making U.S. President John F. Kennedy's 'dream' "of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" a reality!

Whilst making the three astronauts who went on this momentous journey heroes across the world!!!




I would really enjoy watching one of the most pivotal (and defining) moments of the 20th Century unfold before my own eyes. As I've always had to settle with hearing about on history programmes (and history books) 'out of context', which really isn't the same.

There's just no real way (or words for that matter)that I can describe to you how much I'd love to see these events happen in real-time!

 

 

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog post, and have got you starting to think about all the historical events you'd like to go back and witness....as trust me, you'll have plenty of choice!

Which I found out the hard way researching for this blog post!!! #OverwhelmedTrekkie

 

This is Simon from The Engage Podcast signing out!