Background info: Set 26 years after Voyager has returned to earth. This was after 16yrs in space and 22 casualties (including 7 of 9 and Tuvoc's mind). Janeway at age 73 goes back to the past to find Voyager 3yrs into thier search for home and through various plot twists gets them home 13yrs early, losing her own life in the process. The 47 yr old Janeway lives on and brings future technology to the earth in what is her present. Everyone is delivered home safely.
Anyway, the subject of much debate is: Does the surviving Janeway have to do all this again at age 73 to ensure the continuing survival of those they might have lost OR has the timeline been sufficiently altered (my theory)?
2006-09-16 14:25:47 · 7 answers · asked by soulgirl76 4 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Television
The problem is that as soon as the older Janeway alters Voyager's history, she would cease to exist as that person. Instead, she'd be an alternate 73-year-old Janeway with a different history. And beyond that, the course of history would have been altered enough that the new Janeway probably couldn't go back the same way even if she wanted to (ex. with Voyager safely home, Starfleet stops looking for them and consequently doesn't find a critical wormhole). But as soon as the new Janeway doesn't go back, the she ceases to exist and is replaced by the older Janeway who appeared in Endgame. She goes back and saves Voyager, but then doesn't exist and can't save Voyager. This is known as the Grandfather Paradox (because the same thing would happen if I went back in time and killed my grandfather before my father was born), and is one of the major problems with time travel. The only way around it would be for Janeway (who, of course, fully understands the consequences of this paradox) to go back and save Voyager again when she reaches the age of 73, even though in her reality the crew already made it home safely.
However, the episode left me with the impression that through some convoluted logic, the alternate-reality Janeway dies, but the one who returned to Earth at the end of the episode doesn't have to go back and rescue Voyager. The main reason I think this is because the old Janeway experienced the version of history in which Voyager did not return home for another 16 years. If the younger Janeway would later have to return, she would have experienced the version of history in which Voyager was rescued by her future self, and would have returned because her future self had told her in her past that she had to go back in time and save Voyager, rather than because she had experienced first-hand the consequences of not doing so.
Basically, in order to be consistent with current time travel theory, the surviving Janeway would have to return, but within the show the course of history is somehow altered in such a way that she does not have to return.
However, if the creators of the show intended for the Grandfather Paradox not to apply, there would have been no need for the Temporal Prime Directive, so the show's not entirely consistent on this.
2006-09-16 14:46:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
if one looks at time as a fractal line heading off into infinitely different directions with each major event, then No . The time line would have been established through the actions of the 73 yr old Janeway, setting the Voyager crew on to another totally different pathway.
2006-09-16 14:41:58 · answer #2 · answered by artistformerlyknownasloader 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Timeline WAS altered. Tu'vok can now go to Vulcan and get the Treatment he needs (a simple mind meld would have fixed him) but he was out where there were no other Vulcans. So, his problem is now fixed.
Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix One and Chakoty live happily ever after.
Janeway can live her life as an Admiral and not worry about losing anyone except how they will die NOW in the "new present" which she doesn't know, because the "Janeway who died didn't know either, being as most of them were already dead" and the timeline was altered. So, the "present" to her was new also and ALL she has to worry about is working for Starfleet and helping out in whatever position they have for her. She now has NO REASON to go back as all her friends have been saved and the Borg Collective defeated.
2006-09-16 14:47:33 · answer #3 · answered by AdamKadmon 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's been done once, and that's all that is necessary to set things straight. She can go on to enjoy her restored life in that particular timeline, without "return Voyager crew home 13 years early" on her to-do list. Otherwise she could tangibly fail in every other attempt, or succeed better, which would mean a lot of instability to the space-time continuum......let sleeping dog-stars lie?
2006-09-17 15:31:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
My wife and I have had This discussion before. Do you remember the STNG episode where Worf experiences "shifts" in reality? His shuttle had inadvertently flew threw a time hole? (Parallels- Season 7)
The concept in That show was (its Also a Real theory) that there are an Infinite number of realities/universes that fracture out of every possible action taken. If you believe this theory then concepts of time paradoxes becomes moot because there is Always a reality/universe to accommodate the changes done by a "time traveler"!
Man! You've set my mind on Geek OVERLOAD!
2006-09-16 14:42:09 · answer #5 · answered by thart090 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it fairly is the suitable episode, Endgame. they don't injury the wormhole, they are utilising it to get lower back to the Alpha Quadrant. quite i think of they permit themselves to be tractored into the Borg deliver and blow it up from the interior.
2016-12-15 09:08:54 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm good question, I think that time line has been altered enough and that it would turn out right after what she did...but that's just my opinion =)
2006-09-16 14:29:28 · answer #7 · answered by Vulcan Chic 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋