By: Tony

This article is the second in a series that I will be tentatively referring to as “How-To’s That You Didn’t Ask For.”

Let’s face a harsh reality: if you are reading this, it is highly unlikely that you will be a primary time traveler. That is to say, that you will not be the person who discovers or invents a mode of time travel. You, dear reader, might still be exposed to time travel in some way, as minuscule of a chance though it may be (we have no illusions about how many people read our content). We here at TrashCollective are dedicated to arming our followers with as much knowledge as possible.

I have done extensive research on time travel. By that, I mean I have seen a lot of movies and shows, read a lot of stories, and had a lot of dreams and, erm, “thought experiments” on the subject. I have been known to give impromptu lectures on the topic, usually at about three in the morning after a daunting number of gin & tonics.

The Basics

There are different types of time travelers, and different modes of travel. It is very important to know what you are dealing with. Primary/secondary/tertiary travelers, mobile/immobile and transferable/non-transferable travel devices.

A primary time traveler is the person that discovers or invents the mode of travel. This is usually a scientist or wizard -type person that is invested in the discovery. They will usually have an intimate knowledge of the time machine they used, be well prepared for time travel, know when they would like to go, and what they would like to do. These are the more conventional types of time travelers, and interactions would probably be the most straightforward. These would be the Doc Brown types.

A secondary time traveler is a person that knows someone who has discovered or invented time travel, and for some reason is the person who ends up actually traveling (usually because of some story hi-jinks). This would probably be the most commonly seen time traveler: Marty Mcfly (Back to the Future, duh), James Cole (12 Monkeys), various Star Trek and X-Men characters, the cast of Futurama, Terminator, Looper, etc. These people can be wild cards; they know what they would like to accomplish, but aren’t as prepared or well-planned as primaries. They are prone to messing things up worse than intended, and will often travel multiple times before they get it right.

Tertiary time travelers are kind of anybody else. They stumble into time travel without really being aware of the consequences, and often completely unintentionally. This would be Phil Connors (Groundhog Day), the cast of Lost, Frank the Rabbit (Donnie Darko), several characters in Dark, Jake Epping in 11/22/63, Ashton Kutcher in The Butterfly Effect, Owen Wilson in Midnight In Paris, various Star Trek and X-Men characters. These are probably the messiest time travelers, but possibly also the easiest to deal with. They will be going almost completely off trial-and-error and will be the most grateful for help and sage-like wisdom. They may also behave erratically and are the most prone to lashing out at the world in order to track the consequences of their travel, so be careful.

Mode of transportation is very important. Did the time machine travel with them, or is it more a gateway-portal type situation? Is it a one-way journey? Is it an exact science, or more of a feel-it-out sort of method? Can the travel be shared with others, or is it non-transferable? Can it be broken? All time travel has quirks or requirements to make it function, so it is important to know what the time traveler needs in order to leave. If the trip was one way, keep in mind that the traveler is probably prepared to die in order to accomplish their goals.

There are also different types of time travel. This means what rules are set in the type of time travel you are coming into contact with. Ultimately, it boils down to one important question: Can we change the future? This cannot be easily answered, and it is likely that the time traveler will not know the answer. It would be a good idea to find out and test theories if able. It would be best not to make any large life-changing decisions until determining if the future can be changed.

Assume There Are Other Time Travelers

If one person can travel back in time, then more people invariably can as well. There might be time cops, powerful time-traveling villains, or even plucky, well-meaning protagonists that are just trying to prevent world war three. They are probably already in your when and they are out there doing all kinds of things. If a time traveler is talking to you, it is possible that they are going to attempt to recruit your help against another time traveler. Remember that the situation might be different than one person says, and they are likely going to try and trick you. One of the best survival skills for a time traveler is deception.

Do Not Trust Other Time Travelers

In the event that you meet multiple time travelers, you will notice that they can have widely differing goals and motivations. Even two versions of the same person might have goals that directly oppose each other. They might not be as obvious about it, like in Terminator “Come with me if you want to live” fashion. They might play like they are on the same side and then ruin everything at the worst possible moment. They will do this because they likely know way more than you do, because time travel. This doesn’t mean you should take any drastic measures, just be wary of any two time travelers with aligning goals.

Take Meticulous Notes

This applies to people who have any amount of contact with a time traveler. Obviously this is very important if you end up time traveling yourself. If not, you will have a solid record of the events, so if you meet another time traveler, you can help them piece together what the first traveler was doing. This can sometimes be the only thing stopping the universe from collapsing in on itself.

Avoid Contact With Yourselves

It might seem fun in a time-paradoxy sort of way, but it is very rare that something good will come of it. You might cause a paradox that erases your existence (Project Almanac, Back to the Future). You might remember how stupid you were as a kid. You might do a lot worse (Predestination). Yes, it might be fine. You might just go up to them and talk and everything is normal. I don’t know if I would risk that right out the gates without knowing the consequences. Also Time travel and homicide can often go hand in hand, and your other self might end up needing to be killed, which doesn’t sound like the ideal way to see how your life ends.

As a sidenote, I have a personal password just in case of time travel. I think you should do the same. This is a special word that you would only share with someone in the event of time travel. They could say this password to you, your past self, and gain some trust. This can also be handy when trying to tell if someone is actually a time traveler or just a con artist.

Prepare As Much As Possible

If you decide to travel through time (which you should), then you are going to want to prepare as much as possible. Research game results for getting quick funds, research the tech level at the destination time, any language or mannerism differences, societal norms or customs that may be obstacles for success.

This last one can be often overlooked, but is very important. I might be that another time had differing stances on race, religion, government, science, or medicine. All of these can get in the way of a time traveler accomplishing their goals. On the inverse, it is important to be aware that a time traveler might be foreign to your stances on these. This can be a great concept philosophically, as you can learn from another time. In an applied way, it would be useful to point out customs or commonplace practices that the time traveler might not be aware of.

In Conclusion

Time travelers can be trouble, but with the right approach, you can get something out of the encounter. Keep alert and don’t fall easy prey to time travel shenanigans. Remember, if someone says they are from the future, you might want to go along with it, at least until you get the whole story.