Sci-Friday is becoming a fixture here.
I grew up reading science fiction books and short stories, watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my parents (it was one show we could always enjoy together, regardless of my age), and loving the imaginative sci-fi films coming out during the 80s.
Today, I want to call attention to some fantastic time-travel paradox works. These films, TV shows, or writings are all “brain-stretchers.” They really make you think deeply about the nature of reality, something I have always loved about sci-fi in particular.
12 Monkeys
This movie gave me chills when I saw it in the theater. I was 19 at the time, so take that with a healthy dose of seasoning, but upon re-watching, Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece stands on its own. Gilliam was a member of Monty Python, the legendary comedy troupe that stole my heart 40 years ago.
Ever see Time Bandits? If you’re Gen X, you probably couldn’t get away from this imaginative adventure, nor did you want to. This was Terry Gilliam’s initial foray into time travel, and it was fantastic.
But 12 Monkeys took Gilliam’s imaginative vision of paradoxes much further.
It’s the near future, and a devastating virus has nearly wiped out humanity (too soon!). Bruce Willis is James Cole, a convict from the future who volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the virus's origins.
Cole’s fragmented memories aren’t much of a guide. Ultimately, he finds himself trapped, unable to change what happened in the past. Was Cole's time-traveling mission was always meant to happen? Is the future preordained?
Instead of diving too deeply into these questions now, I’ll just leave you with this beautiful trailer, showcasing Gilliam’s uniquely brilliant style:
In many cases, a TV will be made with the same name as the movie that inspired it, but with a very different storyline. Most of the time, these shows are complete garbage, but in the case of the 12 Monkeys TV show, they made something really cool. It’s also worth checking out.
Dark
Yes, I wrote about Dark previously. That’s because this show blew my mind.
It’s not for the faint of heart, and it’s not for leisurely watching. Dark demands your attention. And, it demands note-taking.
The bootstrap paradox is front-and-center here: can someone or something exist without a clear point of origin? It’s a classic chicken-and-egg situation, and it gets complicated quickly.
Dark is no mere sci-fi/fantasy thriller. It’s a deeply philosophical treatise on the importance of family, the bonds that develop between people, the idea that the unseen can be a great deal more than the seen.
Twist your brain into a pretzel.
All You Zombies
Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 short story showcases the predictive power of the imagination, and gives us a wonderfully unique paradox to consider.
"All You Zombies" introduces us to a time-traveling transsexual who has an affair with their younger self and becomes their own parent. The story follows the protagonist who is their own mother, father, and child.
It’s like a one-person family reunion.
Like Dark, Heinlein tackles heady subjects like identity and the self. He also takes on the concept of gender at a time when such conversations weren’t exactly dinner-table material in most of the world.
This really showcases how thoughtful sci-fi can be, and how it can inspire conversation and thought about social phenomena as well as natural phenomena.
More Sci-Friday Reading
It's clear that the topic of time-travel paradoxes is as fascinating as it is complex. With that said, I'm not the only one delving into brain-stretching subjects for Sci-Friday.
If you’d like to explore what some other authors who are also participating are up to, I’d highly encourage checking out:
Dré Labre writes Design Fiction Daily. He came to me with the original idea, and I liked it enough to put effort into coordinating other writers. Now, we’re in the double digits for weekly sci-fi lists like these.
Michael S. Atkinson, Alex S. Garcia, Rudy Fischmann, BrianAlfred1983,Jeff Kinnard,
, and Ross Bingham have all contributed in past (and are very likely contributing this week as well - check their stuff out!).Jumping on board this week are
, (Ben Kerschberg), , and . Each of these authors has an interesting presence on Substack, and I enjoy calling attention to good writing.What are your personal favorite time-travel paradoxes? I really had to whittle my own list down, and I might even do a follow-up piece on the same subject. Tell me what you’ve enjoyed, and let’s look forward to another Sci-Friday!
Shameless plug: If you like time travel, you might like my time travel story I put in for the Lunar Awards a few months ago!
https://gibberish.substack.com/p/its-about-time
> Today, I want to call attention to some fantastic time-travel paradox works. These films, TV shows, or writings are all “brain-stretchers.” They really make you think deeply about the nature of reality, something I have always loved about sci-fi in particular.
Shame on you for not mentioning "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989).
Bill: If only we could go back to two days ago before your dad lost his keys, and steal them.
Ted: Well, why don't we?
Bill: Cuz we don't have time, dude.
Ted: We could do it after the report.
Bill: Oh, yeah! Where should we put 'em?
Ted: How 'bout behind this sign?
Bill: OK... Whoa! It worked!
Ted: Right, so when we're done with the report, we have to remember to do this or else it won't happen... but it did happen! Wow, it *was* me who stole my dad's keys!