J. J. Abrams

writer, director
TV Series

Felicity

High school senior Felicity Porter follows Ben to college in New York and mopes around him for four years before he cheats on her, so (in the final five episodes of the series) her friend Meghan casts a spell to send her back in time where she can be with Noel who’s always had a crush on her although now he’s not quite so certain since, after all, there is that Hannah girl.
Next time be a more responsible time traveler.
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  • Undetermined
  • Audience: YA and Up
  • Definite Time Travel
TV Series

Lost

Sadly, I never bonded with Lost, the six-season story of plane crash survivors on a supernatural island, but Tim assures me that I must list it with at least four stars.
Sayid: Radio waves at this frequency bounce off the ionosphere. They can travel thousands of miles. It could be coming from anywhere.
Hurley: Or any time . . .
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  • Eloi Bronze Medal
  • Fantasy
  • Definite Time Travel
TV Series

Fringe

When smart and beautiful FBI Agent Olivia Dunham is recruited by Homeland Security to investigate strange happenings on the fringe of science, she’s given free rein to choose any colleagues she wishes, which leads her to the slightly mad (but kindly) scientist Walter Bishop and his jaded son Peter.

I didn’t get around to watching this until it appeared on Amazon Prime after the series finale. It’s a little too violent for my taste, but the three main characters have become favorites of mine just as much as Myca, Pete and Artie on that other show; and as I watched into the first half of season 3, it became more and more addictive. By the time it reached the middle of season 4, it became my favorite long love story ever.

The first glimpse of time travel was in Episode 10, when Walter tells of the time travel machine that he built to save Peter as a boy, although that episode didn’t see any actual traveling.
After all, I was the scientist; and my only son was dying and I couldn’t do anything about it. . . I became consumed with saving you, conquering the disease. In my research, I discovered a doctor, Alfred Gross—Swiss, brillant physician, he’s the only man that had ever successfully cured a case of heppia. But there was a problem: he had died in 1936. And so, I designed a device intended to reach back into time, to cross the time-space continuum, and retrieve Alfred Gross.
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  • Eloi Silver Medal
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Star Trek XI

Star Trek

Young Kirk and Spock meet future Ambassador Spock who has come back in time to stop Nero from destroying Vulcan.

Tim and I saw this reboot in the theater on opening day. —Michael Main
You know, coming back in time, changing history . . . that’s cheating.
Head shots of Chris Pine (as Kirk), Zachary Quinto (as Spock), and Zoë Saldana (as Uhura) look down on Kirk motorcycling under the Enterprise.
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel
Feature Film

Star Trek XII

Star Trek: Into Darkness

There’s a little-known rule that says that any time Spock Prime gets to talk to new Spock, the movie is counted as possessing time travel under a grandfather clause, even if said movie contained no actual new time travel.

For me, the dark aspects of the movie were nothing but forced melodrama, although it did have great special effects, terrific casting of the principles, and fun Trekker jokes. Those positives, though, weren’t enough to cover up the plot holes and Kirk’s questionable decisions. Good grief, just blast the bad guy with a photon torpedo rather than blasting your way through a bunch of Klingons (who never harmed you) to give the guy a fair trial. And if you don’t do that, at least blast him to bits on the bridge of that dreadnaught. —Michael Main
As you know, I have made a vow never to give you information that could potentially alter your destiny. Your path is yours to walk and yours alone.
The Enterprise descends in flames through the atmosphere of a blue planet.
  • Science Fiction
  • Definite Time Travel