Back to the Future

Work Title: Back to the Future
Medium: Film
Episode Title:
Year: 1985
Writer(s): Robert Zemeckis
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s): Bob Gale
"Original" Writer: Yes Writer(s):
"Original" Writer: Own work?: No

Summary:

Marty Mcfly is an average teenager living in 1985, where things in his life are seemingly going well. Marty is recruited by his friend Doc Brown to witness a test run of his time-traveling DeLorean. Although, conflict arises and Marty is accidentally sent back to 1955 the year his parents first met. The Delorean is low on plutonium and in need of repairs so Marty seeks out the younger Doc Brown. Marty unknowingly intercepts the catalyst event that leads to his parents meeting. While Marty helps Doc fix the Delorean he must also get his parents together in order to stop himself and his siblings from ceasing to exist.

  • Self-Written?: 1
  • Source Name:
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Era/Year of Portrayal: distant_past

Distinctive characteristics of the world in portrayal:

The time-traveling DeLorean, the use of plutonium to power Marty going back in time then the use of lightening to send him back, everyone wears clothes and acts relevantly towards the era although Marty's clothing, lingo, and music taste intercepts with him blending in


Technology

  • Name of portrayed presence-evoking technology: The DeLorean
  • Description of the technology: The DeLorean is an uncommon car that Doc Brown refurbished into a time machine. On the outside it appears as a regular car but inside there's clocks to set the "time destination" and in the trunk there's a mechanism to insert tubes of plutonium. The DeLorean runs like a normal car but when it hits 88 MPH that makes the time travel possible.
    The only person that truly knows how to use the DeLorean is Doc, whereas Marty is just proficient. For Marty the DeLorean's advanced technology is the reason he accidentally got sent into the past. The car is so powerful that when it launches into a new time it leaves a trail of fire in its wake.
    For the time it was made the quality of the DeLorean was pretty vivid, and the fact that Marty initially is critical of the car's use actually allows the audience to accept the technology as plausible.
  • Nature of task or activity: When Marty goes into the past his task is to help Doc get the DeLorean ready before the clock tower is struck by lightening to send him back to 1985. In addition to that Marty has to get his parents to meet so that they can one day marry and have him.
  • Performance of the Technology: The DeLorean in this movie as well as the following is arguably unreliable. The user has to be going down a road long enough to hit 88 MPH and the car is powered by Plutonium which wasn't only difficult to get in 1985 but was also impossible to acquire in 1955.
  • Description of creator(s): Dr. Emmet Brown is the creator of the DeLorean. Doc's age is always undisclosed and vague, he appears old in 1985 but almost equally as old in 1955. Doc is seen as a brilliant but "mad" scientist, his behavior is very erratic and silly. His hair is always wild and outfits are usually flashy. It's never explained how Doc and Marty met but it's evident they have a special bond.
  • Major goal(s) of creator(s): Doc created the time-travelling DeLorean to gain knowledge, it's stressed he isn't interested in time travel for any selfish gains. In fact Doc states that it's important to directly interact as little as possible as to not alter timelines.
  • Description of users of technology: Marty is a 17-year-old boy and has no apparent job, and is a high school student. Marty is depicted as "attractive" and wears the trendy clothes of 1985. He's good friends with Doc and has a girlfriend Jennifer that isn't relevant until the cliff-hanger end of the movie.
  • Type(s) of presence experience in the portrayal: social_presence
  • Description of presence experience: Marty being a teenager of 1985 experiences a completely different kind of presence interacting with high-school students in 1955. The experience is completely immersive because Marty briefly lives in that era and must assimilate in order to blend in.
  • User awareness of technology during experience: Even though Marty doesn't exactly understand how the DeLorean works, he's very much aware of its use. Marty knows the general operations of the car and that it has the capacity to send him to any time, future or present.
  • Valence of experience: Until the very end of the film the DeLorean is a necessary nuisance to Marty since he never intended to go back in time. As stated above the technology is finicky which creates a headache for Marty throughout the film. The positive thing about the experience was that Marty slightly altered events in the past that benefited people in the future. For example, his parents are happier and more successful and most importantly Doc lives because of Marty's interception.
  • Specific responses: The actual experience of time-travelling in the DeLorean is shown as a bit unpleasant for Marty. Although as stated above the experience improves Marty's self-awareness, saves Doc's life and alters Marty's family's financial and social circumstances for the good.
Long-term consequences:

The consequences of the time-traveling DeLorean are slightly touched on in this movie, but more heavily presented in the following films. The warning Marty is given is to interact as little as possible when time-travelling and when he doesn't follow this he nearly prevents his parents from falling in love. The consequence of this is that it sets in motion a chain reaction where his parents never date and therefore never get married and have Marty or his siblings. We see this in the film as Biff steps in on Marty's father and mother dancing and Marty's arm begins to disappear which is meant to represent him ceasing to exist. Although, his father stands up for himself which thus sets another chain reaction that benefits Marty and his entire family back in the future. Moreover, since Doc stole the plutonium from terrorists for the DeLorean he is shot dead from this action. Marty warns Doc in 1955 about this and he rips up the letter, but we find out in the end Doc taped it back together and protects himself from the shooting in 1985.

Other:

Coder name: Allie Amato
Coder email: ahamato7@gmail.com
Coder affiliation: Temple University