Recently an episode of Stargate Universe(Twin Destinies) had an episode featuring the Destiny(the ship where the show primarily takes place) going back in time and changing the course of time. This past week an episode aired(Common Descent) in which a group of people were encountered who were revealed to be descended from the crew of the Destiny.
I've noticed several IMDb posters suggesting that this produces a paradox. But I do not believe that is true, and here is my attempt to prove it.
Let's call the ship that did travel back in time Destiny A and the one that didn't we'll call Destiny B.
The only way Destiny B can avoid becoming Destiny A is if Destiny A comes from a parallel universe. Otherwise it comes from "nowhere", which is a paradox.
The solution is kind of complicated however. The timelines diverge at the exact moment Destiny A appears in Destiny B's universe, but before that, everything is kosher.
Basically, the people from Destiny A had already ended up on Novus roughly 1999 years before the crew ever arrived on Destiny. It isn't until Rush travels back in time on Destiny A that the timeline splits and Destiny B chooses not to open the gate and thus continue to exist.
I'm not sure if that will help or cause headaches, but that's my answer.
Bob, love the new layout! Much easier to read. I don't watch SGU, but I'm a bit of a time travel nerd, and what you say sounds correct. Basically, it seems that SGU is using a "branching timeline" model of time travel, like in the film Deja Vu. The moment you travel into the past, you create a new branch of the timeline, allowing changes to the future with no logical paradox.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, that does seem to be the case. As of yesterday I was still arguing with someone who believes this somehow produces a paradox. I think some people have a hard time working out where Destiny A came from.
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