I just had an epiphany about Time Travel. 'Would You Like To Know More?' (Page 1/2)
rinselberg JUN 11, 05:10 PM
So I was just looking at a TV documentary about all of the art and other treasures and valuables that were looted, or criminally or otherwise distastefully acquired by the Nazis in the run up to World War Two and then during the war itself.

It's kind of like today's "Monuments Men", exploring the possibilities of tracking down some of these items that have not yet been recovered and made part of the restitution process. I'm not sure that I haven't already seen it, but as it plays out, they went to a museum here in the United States to look at some of the young Hitler's watercolor paintings, from his early years in Vienna, before the outbreak of World War One. The museum didn't want to have these paintings on public display, but they were filed away in the museum's basement, in a cabinet with slide-out drawers or shelves.

One of the museum's curators pulls the cabinet drawer or shelf open to reveal the watercolor paintings. I saw four of them come into view. And that's when it hit me.

Who isn't familiar with the idea of someone going back in time to assassinate Adolf Hitler? How many times has that been discussed, and how many times has it become part of some TV show or movie?

My idea is for someone to go back in time to find the young Hitler in Vienna and change what happened between Hitler and the Vienna Academy of Art. Or whatever the exact wording would be. (I'm not trying for perfect accuracy.)

So, instead of being told that his paintings, while somewhat meritorious, are not of a high enough artistic quality to take him to what would be the next step in his artistic pursuits—the oft-told story—he is given the opportunity to continue what was his nascent career as a painter of art. "The inanimate objects—the streets and buildings—all very good, Mr. Hitler. Just a little more naturalism in the foliage, and most of all, more life in the humans that inhabit your scenes. Where are the humans in your scenes? I know you have it in you ..."

I guess it's already been done. Although when it first hit me, it seemed altogether new and fresh.

How about the reboot of "Quantum Leap" that may be coming from NBC? An episode in the making.

What was happening in your life when you first had this same thought?

[This message has been edited by rinselberg (edited 06-11-2022).]

Patrick JUN 11, 06:59 PM

Have you been watching The Time Traveler's Wife? All sorts of weird time travelling possibilities have been presented.
rinselberg JUN 11, 07:50 PM
Hey, somebody's here..! A "Patrick."

I don't have hardly any current or recent appetite for fiction. It wasn't all that long ago that I was watching episodes of "The Man in the High Castle", and "Britannia" (fictional drama set during the Roman invasion of Britain) and certain other fictional movies and docudramas. I guess I'd still look at a docudrama, or something that is fictional but based very closely on history, but outright fictional... I hardly ever want any of that in my current manifestation.

I wonder if this epiphany, about going back in time to set the young Hitler onto the path of becoming an accomplished painter of art (instead of going back in time to kill him) is such a common experience that it qualifies for inclusion in the Jungian Collective Consciousness of universal human memories.

Of course, I am exaggerating. But it's just like I described. For at least a moment, I thought I had hit on something that I'd never thought of, before. After some further reflection, I think maybe I've seen something of this kind. Some kind of comedy where Hitler had become an artist instead of ... no need to fill out the rest of that sentence. But I can't say that for sure.

I have to think, though, that this is something that's already been done.

Sorry to say, I can't contribute any energy to this fictional direction that has just been expressed, about Time Travel. About "The Time Traveler's Wife".
RWDPLZ JUN 11, 08:24 PM
Depending which time travel theories you believe,

John Titor's World Line theory - Who's to say Hitler hasn't been killed hundreds, thousands, or millions of times in other world lines? By time travelers, soldiers, or choking on a piece of bread?

Destiny - If you believe history is predetermined, in 'destiny', no one can kill Hitler. Maybe there's a group of 'time travel police' that actively prevent time traveler's attempts to do so in order to preserve the timeline, a future where they otherwise wouldn't exist?

-Back to the Future rules - There's basically one time line you can alter to an extent. What if killing Hitler has such a dramatic impact on history that you're never born? Or the events following his death would have been such that you never invented a time machine? Creating a paradox

-Terminator rules - You can go back, but can't take anything with you or return to your own time. You would have to know how and where to find him, and kill him with the tools available at that time, and deal with the people in that time (no taking back an AR15, or escaping in the time machine).

Doctor Who rules - Now that's just silly...

There's ALSO the strong possibility that killing Hitler has little or no affect, and someone else would have simply taken his place. Perhaps with better results, perhaps with worse. He made a LOT of stupid decisions that caused the war to end earlier than it may have otherwise, before Germany could develop an atom bomb. Remember, the scientists who developed atomic weapons and space flight were primarily German. NASA and the Soviet space programs were basically a space race between who captured the best German scientists.


quote
How about the reboot of "Quantum Leap" that may be coming from NBC? An episode in the making.



If you haven't seen it, check out the Lee Harvey Oswald episode of Quantum Leap.

There are also some fascinating 'Star Trek' episodes that deal with historical 'what if's'
Patrick JUN 11, 09:09 PM

Maybe you guys are too young to remember The Time Tunnel from '66-'67. As a 11 year old kid back then, I quite enjoyed the series.

Raydar JUN 12, 01:00 AM

quote
Originally posted by Patrick:


Maybe you guys are too young to remember The Time Tunnel from '66-'67. As a 11 year old kid back then, I quite enjoyed the series.




Thanks for posting that. I was 9-10. This was, without question, my favorite program at the time.
MidEngineManiac JUN 12, 01:20 AM
I'm a lil busy right now....but give me all the details last week.
Valkrie9 JUN 12, 02:21 AM
A significant episode in the 1812 War.
The Last Patrol
Entertaining play acting, stimulating '50s generation teen's interest in history, and time travel, the possible future.
The ' Time Machine ' had the future's people imagining a world free from war, while witnessing Zeppelins bombing London.
Perhaps it is possible, to move in time, to the position where you are the only one who knows the future, yet, unable to change history, the Cassandra dilemma.
Josif Dzhugashvili doesn't make it out of the bank he robbed in Tbilisi,
shot point blank by a .70 cal flintlock pistol, never meets Vlad Ulyanov.
The Titanic takes the more southerly route, still arrives at New York in record time,
the First World War doesn't happen as a consequence.
Infinite threads of reality, Adolph Hitler's works of art still viewed as talented watercolors of pastoral scenes in galleries to this day,
his fashion brand's logo in red white and black emblazoned on 21st century sportswear, in the high Alps.


The Fiero improved for decades, still in production this year, better too !
maryjane JUN 13, 01:56 AM

quote
Just a little more naturalism in the foliage..
cvxjet JUN 13, 12:47 PM
For those who actually read books (Way back when) the best Time Travel (Short) story ever written is Robert A. Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps"....They really should make a movie of this story; Funny and....."Normal"....

He also wrote a more extreme time-travel short story; "All You Zombies" but that has some details that are a bit....."out there" (And of course, they did make a movie of that story; "Predestination")....Added little tidbit for those who "Know" the AYZ story; Heinlein originally offered the story to Playboy but they rejected it.

Also, if you wish to read the funniest book I have ever read, try "Who goes here" by Bob Shaw. A guy joins the "Space Legion" to forget his "Bad past"- they actually remove all memories of bad things from your brain so you are legally "Not Guilty" of them...But when he awakens, he remembers NOTHING of his past "You must have been a MONSTER!" "Stop saying that" The story does involve two forms of "Time Travel".....Suspended animation, and then actual reverse time travel.....And the Space legion contract- watch out for the "length of service" clause.....

[This message has been edited by cvxjet (edited 06-13-2022).]