The Devil of the Western Sea

by Philip M. Fisher

I was always drawn to the idea behind [Error: Missing '[/exn]' tag for wikilink]

— Michael Main

But the main point I desire to make is that this neutralization was to be effected by a combination of the ordinary wave impluse with the Callieri Cool Wave. The combination, you understand. It had never been tried on a large scale—it was a virgin experiment.

So the professor was given a free hand, and went below. It was past nine o’clock.

I remained on the bridge enjoying a cigar with the officer of the deck, and chatting over a coming boar hunt we were to have south of the canal during the coming weekend. we had been talking for perhaps ten minutes in the darkness of the bridge, with the black satin of the Caribbean spreading out ahead and about the ship, and the diamond stars projecting just above our heads as though ready for any plucking hand, when suddenly we found ourselves half blinded by a dazzling light in the west.

“The Devil of the Western Sea” by Philip M. Fisher, in Argosy, 5 August 1922.

Sands of Time 2

Coils of Time

by P. Schuyler Miller

You’ll need some patience with “Coils of Time," seeing as how it takes the hero, Rutherford Bohr Adams, twenty-some pages before you’ll realize that the story is a sequel to “The Sands of Time,” and it’s going to fall to space pilot Adams to travel through the 60-million-year coils of times into the future and the past, saving Earth from the evil Martians and their zombies, while also saving his own boss’s beautiful daughter from a fate worth than death.

— Michael Main

It’s another form of the space-time field that I use in the Egg to bridge the gap between the coils of time.

“Coils of Time” by P. Schuyler Miller, Astounding Science-Fiction, May 1939.

Weird Fantasy #13 (1950)

Only Time Will Tell

by Al Feldstein et al.

Start by reading Heinlein’s “By His Bootstraps” (1941), and then read this one. You’ll enjoy both and stretch your mind around the first ex nihilo idea that we’ve spotted in comic books. Note that the half blueprint itself does have an origin, and you can trace it’s timeline from that origin to the past and back again. It’s only the concept expressed in the blueprint that has no origin.

— Michael Main

—are the same piece!

“Only Time Will Tell” by Al Feldstein et al., Weird Fantasy #13 (EC Comics, May/June 1950).

Journey into Mystery #36

Something Is Happening in There

by unknown writers and Carl Hubbell

Yes! They had sf nerds even back in the 1950s, but they called them “born fools.” In this case, the born fool is Ebenezer, who believes that a secretive new stranger is building a time machine.

— Michael Main

It’s just like this picture . . . of a time machine!

“Something Is Happening in There!” by unknown writers and Carl Hubbell, in Journey into Mystery #36 (Atlas Comics, July 1956).

The Time Travelers

written and directed by Ib Melchior

Using their time viewer, three scientists see a desolate landscape 107 years in the future, at which point the electrician realizes that the viewer has unexpectedly become a portal. All four jump through, only to have the portal collapse behind them, whereupon they are chased on the surface by Morlockish creatures who are afraid of thrown rocks, and they meet an advanced, post-apocalyptic, underground society that employs androids and is planning a generation-long trip to Alpha Centauri.

The film draws in at least four important additional time travel tropes: suspended animation, a single nonbranching, static timeline (with the corresponding inability to go back and change it), experiencing the passage of time at different rates, and a trip to the far future. And according to the SF Encyclopedia, the film was originally conceived as a sequel to the 1960 film of The Time Machine.

— Michael Main

Isn’t it obvious? The war did happen. You never did go back with your warning.

The Time Travelers written and directed by Ib Melchior (at movie theaters, USA, 29 October 1964).

Star Trek (s01e28)

The City on the Edge of Forever

by Harlan Ellison, directed by Joseph Pevney

After a delirious Bones hurtles through a time portal to the 1930s, Kirk and Spock follow to save him and stop dangerous changes to the timeline, no matter the cost.

— Michael Main

Star Trek (s01e28), “The City on the Edge of Forever” by Harlan Ellison, directed by Joseph Pevney (NBC-TV, USA, 6 April 1967).

Star Trek (s03e23)

All Our Yesterdays

by Jean Lisette Aroeste, directed by Marvin J. Chomsky

The three principal Trekkers find themselves on a planet where everyone is being evacuated to the past to escape an impending supernova.

— Michael Main

Spock! You’re reverting into your ancestors, five thousand years before you were born!

Star Trek (s03e23), “All Our Yesterdays” by Jean Lisette Aroeste, directed by Marvin J. Chomsky (NBC-TV, USA, 14 March 1969).

Time Travelers

by Jackson Gillis, directed by Alexander Singer

ABC-TV picked up this failed pilot (a proposed revival of The Time Tunnel) and aired it as a made-for-TV movie in which Dr. Clinton Earnshaw and his government-sent sidekick Jeff Adams venture back to 1871 to track down a cure for a modern-day epidemic.

— Michael Main

He didn’t tell you that we do time research here? That you’re going to travel back in time to 1871?

Time Travelers by Jackson Gillis, directed by Alexander Singer (ABC-TV, USA, 19 March 1976).

Professor Noah’s Spaceship

by Brian Wildsmith

Professor Noah rescues all the animals from a dying planet, and during their journey of 40 days and 40 nights they plan to travel through a time-zone to take them hundreds of years into the future. At one point, the elephant must take a spacewalk to fix the time-zone guideance fin, which suggests that the time-zone is some sort of a wormhole or other time portal in space rather than mere reletavistic time dilation—and indeed there is actual time travel!

— Michael Main

He put on a special space-suit, went out through the air-lock, and pulled the fin into shape.

Professor Noah’s Spaceship by Brian Wildsmith (Oxford University Press, December 1980).

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann

by William Dear and Michael Nesmith, directed by William Dear

Now that I know that one of the Monkees wrote this time-travel yarn of a dirtbiker riding his motorcycle through a time portal and into the Old West, the universe begins to make sense.

— Michael Main

You shot it. What a bunch of dumb sons of bitches. You shot it—a machine, you butt-heads!

Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann by William Dear and Michael Nesmith, directed by William Dear (premiered at an unknown movie theater, Austin, Texas, 27 August 1982).

Terminator 1

The Terminator

by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd, directed by James Cameron

Artificially intelligent machines from 2029 send a killer cyborg back to 1984 to kill Sara Connor because, in 2029, her son John will lead the resistance against the machines’ rule.

The story has a classic self-defeating act: The Terminator goes back in time to kill Sara Connor, causing Kyle Reese to follow and become romantic with Sara Connor, causing John Connor to be born and eventually lead the revolution, causing the Terminator to go back in time to kill Sara Connor, . . .

— Michael Main

Kyle: [to Sarah at the Tech-Noir Club] Come with me if you want to live.

The Terminator by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd, directed by James Cameron (at movie theaters, USA, 26 October 1984).

My Science Project

written and directed by Jonathan R. Betuel

Not even the support of a young Fisher Stevens (Gary’s friend Chuck from Early Edition) could rescue this story of a high school motorhead who steals a power-sucking, space-time transforming orb from a military base for his science project.

— Michael Main

Now that sounds like we’re dealing with a time-space warp.

My Science Project written and directed by Jonathan R. Betuel (at movie theaters, USA, 9 August 1985).

Warlock I

Warlock

by David Twohy, directed by Steve Miner

A captured warlock in 1691 Massachusetts is thrown forward 300 years to Los Angeles with warlock-hunter Giles Redferne in hot pursuit. Twentieth century chase ensues with pretty nurse Kassandra aiding the hunter.

— Michael Main

A grand grimore? Here? Now?

Warlock by David Twohy, directed by Steve Miner (Cannes Film Festival, May 1989).

Millennium

by John Varley, directed by Michael Anderson

Cheryl Ladd plays Louise Baltimore opposite Kris Kristopherson’s Bill Smith in this movie adaptation of Varley’s novel (1983), although on-screen credit is given only to his earlier short story “Air Raid” (1977).

— Michael Main

For one thing, paradoxes can occur. Say you build a time machine, go backwards in time and murder your father when he was ten years old. That means you were never born. And if you were never born, how did you build the time machine? Paradox! It's the possibility of wiping out your own existence that makes most people rule out time-travel. Still, why not? If you were careful, you could do it.

Millennium by John Varley, directed by Michael Anderson (at movie theaters, West Germany, 24 August 1989).

Terminator 2

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

by James Cameron and William Wisher, directed by James Cameron

Once more, the machines from 2029 send back a killer cyborg, this time a T-1000 to kill young John Connor in 1995, but Resistance-leader Connor of the future counters by sending a reprogrammed original T-800 to save himself.

— Michael Main

The T-800: [to Sarah at the Pescadero State Hospital] Come with me if you want to live.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day by James Cameron and William Wisher, directed by James Cameron (premiered at an unknown movie theater, Los Angeles, 1 July 1991).

Sailor Moon (s02e36)

未来への旅立ち!時空回廊の戦い

Mirai e no tabidachi! Jikū kairō no tatakai English release: Journey to the Future: Battle in the Space-Time Corridor Literal: Departure for the future! Battle of the space-time corridor

by Sumisawa Katsuyuki, directed by Kosaka Harume

Sailor Moon and the gang travel to the Door of Space and Time where they hope to head to the future and rescue Chibiusa’s mommy. Sailor Pluto opens the Space-Time Door for them, which takes them to Planet Crystal Tokyo and a slew of baddies. Their adventure in the future is continued in the next few episodes, but we haven’t yet indexed those.

— Michael Main

So this is the Space-Time Corridor.

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You Wish (s01e09)

All in the Family Room

by Linda Mathious and Heather MacGillvray, directed by Jeff McCracken

Slighted by his sister, Travis uses Genie’s time travel portal to run away to a pirate ship.

— based on ShareTV

You Wish (s01e09), “All in the Family Room” by Linda Mathious and Heather MacGillvray, directed by Jeff McCracken (ABC-TV, USA, 29 May 1998).

Ulysses Moore 1

La porta del tempo

English release: The Door to Time Literal: The door of time

by Pierdomenico Baccalario

In this of the first Ulysses Moore books, three kids explore a house—once occupied by Ulysses Moore and his wife—and the surrounding cliffs and town of Kilmore Cove. Despite the title, La porta del tiempo, the door doesn’t manage to take the characters through time until the final chapter, ’Inizia l’avventura..” That particular door can take intrepid travelers whenever they wish, but the other books in the series have doors that lead to only one particular time and place.

— Michael Main

Non siamo più a Kilmore Cove.

“We’re not in Kilmore Cove anymore,” he said aloud.

English

[ex=bare]La porta del tempo | The door of time[/ex] by Pierdomenico Baccalario (Piemme, 2004).

Miri and Molly 2

Magic in the Mix

by Annie Barrows

After their first adventure united Miri and Molly as twins in the 21st century, the pair discover more about the magic of time travel via doorways and other openings in their house. Unfortunately, their twin brothers also go traveling, getting into hot water in 1864 Virginia.

— Michael Main

Molly, that’s totally crazy. You can’t stop yourself from existing because you do exist, you have to exist.

Magic in the Mix by Annie Barrows (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, December 2007).

Being Erica (s01e01)

Dr. Tom

by Jana Sinyor, directed by Holly Dale

Being Erica (s01e01), “Dr. Tom” by Jana Sinyor, directed by Holly Dale (CBC-TV, Canada, 5 January 2009).

Being Erica (s01e02)

What I Am Is What I Am

by Aaron Martin, directed by Chris Grismer

Being Erica (s01e02), “What I Am Is What I Am” by Aaron Martin, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 12 January 2009).

Being Erica (s01e03)

Plenty of Fish

by Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer

Dr. Tom: Ultimately, Erica, you just have to decide. You have to choose how are you going to be. I mean, you could spend the rest of your life caught up, in that fear. Okay. Or, you could face it. Take the leap. See what comes. Your ice cream’s melting.

Being Erica (s01e03), “Plenty of Fish” by Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 19 January 2009).

Being Erica (s01e04)

The Secret of Now

by James Hurst, directed by Peter Wellington

Dr. Tom: Do you think that it’s appropriate to address one of your life regrets through plagiarism?

Being Erica (s01e04), “The Secret of Now” by James Hurst, directed by Peter Wellington (CBC-TV, Canada, 26 January 2009).

Being Erica (s01e05)

Adultescence

by Daegan Fryklind, directed by Kelly Makin

Being Erica (s01e05), “Adultescence” by Daegan Fryklind, directed by Kelly Makin (CBC-TV, Canada, 2 February 2009).

Being Erica (s01e06)

Til Death

by Jana Sinyor, directed by Jeff Woolnough

Being Erica (s01e06), “Til Death” by Jana Sinyor, directed by Jeff Woolnough (CBC-TV, Canada, 11 February 2009).

Being Erica (s01e07)

Such a Perfect Day

by Michael MacLennan, directed by Ron Murphy and Mary Murphy

Erica: Leave my brother alone. Don't mess with the babysitter.

Being Erica (s01e07), “Such a Perfect Day” by Michael MacLennan, directed by Ron Murphy and Mary Murphy (CBC-TV, Canada, 18 February 2009).

Being Erica (s01e08)

This Be the Verse

by Daegan Fryklind, directed by David Wharnsby

Dr. Tom: It’s 1974
Erica: ’74? But how can that be? I'm not born until ’76.

Being Erica (s01e08), “This Be the Verse” by Daegan Fryklind, directed by David Wharnsby (CBC-TV, Canada, 25 February 2009).

Being Erica (s01e09)

Everything She Wants

by Aaron Martin, directed by Jeff Woolnough

Erica: I should have gone to her the next day and talked it through.

Being Erica (s01e09), “Everything She Wants” by Aaron Martin, directed by Jeff Woolnough (CBC-TV, Canada, 4 March 2009).

Being Erica (s01e10)

Mi Casa, Su Casa Loma

by Semi Chellas, directed by Chris Grismer

Erica: Our friendship, it’s still there. And I know that I’ll find my way back to it, but I need some time.
Ethan: What do I do?
Erica: Nothing. You just have to wait for me to be ready.

Being Erica (s01e10), “Mi Casa, Su Casa Loma” by Semi Chellas, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 11 March 2009).

Being Erica (s01e11)

She’s Lost Control

by Aaron Martin, directed by Phil Earnshaw

Erica: If I could go back, I would not kiss Ethan.

Being Erica (s01e11), “She’s Lost Control” by Aaron Martin, directed by Phil Earnshaw (CBC-TV, Canada, 18 March 2009).

Being Erica (s01e12)

Erica the Vampire Slayer

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Holly Dale and Susan Dale

I’m giving you one special power: shape-shifting.. . . You know, like Odo on Deep Space Nine.

Being Erica (s01e12), “Erica the Vampire Slayer” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Holly Dale and Susan Dale (CBC-TV, Canada, 25 March 2009).

Being Erica (s01e13)

Leo

by Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer

Dr. Tom: What have you done?
Erica: I . . . I didn’t have a choice.
Dr. Tom: Really?
Erica: Okay, fine. I did have a choice.

Being Erica (s01e13), “Leo” by Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 1 April 2009).

Being Erica (s02e01)

Being Dr. Tom

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Alex Chapple

Being Erica (s02e01), “Being Dr. Tom” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Alex Chapple (CBC-TV, Canada, 22 September 2009).

Being Erica (s02e02)

Battle Royale

by Jana Sinyor, directed by Mary Murphy and Ron Murphy

I don't want to talk to you about time travel or therapy or anything.

Being Erica (s02e02), “Battle Royale” by Jana Sinyor, directed by Mary Murphy and Ron Murphy (CBC-TV, Canada, 29 September 2009).

Being Erica (s02e03)

Mama Mia

by Shelley Scarrow, directed by Michael McGowan and Rosemary McGowan

Jude: [holding baby] You know I can’t stand these things, right?

Being Erica (s02e03), “Mama Mia” by Shelley Scarrow, directed by Michael McGowan and Rosemary McGowan (CBC-TV, Canada, 6 October 2009).

Being Erica (s02e04)

Cultural Revolution

by Karen McClellan, directed by Chris Grismer

Erica: My dream is to write fiction, and that will happen someday. I am not letting that go.

Being Erica (s02e04), “Cultural Revolution” by Karen McClellan, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 13 October 2009).

Being Erica (s02e05)

Yes We Can

by Aaron Martin, directed by Rick Rosenthal

Erica: [with Kai at her side][/actor]

Being Erica (s02e05), “Yes We Can” by Aaron Martin, directed by Rick Rosenthal (CBC-TV, Canada, 20 October 2009).

Being Erica (s02e06)

Shhh . . . Don’t Tell

by Jessie Gabe and Aaron Martin, directed by Jerry Ciccoritti

There is no shame in not knowing; the shame lies in not finding out.

Being Erica (s02e06), “Shhh. . . Don’t Tell” by Jessie Gabe and Aaron Martin, directed by Jerry Ciccoritti (CBC-TV, Canada, 27 October 2009).

Being Erica (s02e07)

The Unkindest Cut

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by David Wharnsby

You were expecting robots, flying cars, everybody in silver jump suits?

Being Erica (s02e07), “The Unkindest Cut” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by David Wharnsby (CBC-TV, Canada, 3 November 2009).

Being Erica (s02e08)

Under My Thumb

by Shelley Scarrow, directed by Chris Grismer

Erica must deal with her problems without time travel.

— Michael Main

Dr. Tom: I think it might be time to rip away the safety net. Erica, today you’re gonna solve your problems like the other six billion souls on this planet: all on your own.

Being Erica (s02e08), “Under My Thumb” by Shelley Scarrow, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 10 November 2009).

Being Erica (s02e09)

A River Runs through It . . . It Being Egypt

by James Hurst and Shelley Scarrow, directed by Phil Earnshaw

It’s amazing, you know? You stand beneath a car: There’s always so much more going on underneath than you’re aware of.

Being Erica (s02e09), “A River Runs through It . . . It Being Egypt” by James Hurst and Shelley Scarrow, directed by Phil Earnshaw (CBC-TV, Canada, 17 November 2009).

Being Erica (s02e10)

Papa Can You Hear Me?

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Phil Earnshaw

As Erica struggles with her feelings for Kai, the tables are turned on Dr. Tom whose therapist sends him back to his most difficult day.

— Michael Main

Dr. Tom: Why am I having the same fight with Erica that I used to have with my daughter?

Being Erica (s02e10), “Papa Can You Hear Me?” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Phil Earnshaw (CBC-TV, Canada, 24 November 2009).

Being Erica (s02e11)

What Goes Up Must Come Down

by Jessie Gabe and Lindsey Stewart, directed by Gary Harvey

Erica: If I woulda stayed, I woulda been rich in my twenties. I . . . I mean I could have paid off all my student loans, and I never would have needed to work at that stupid call center. I would have had the time and the means to dedicate to my writing, and my life—it would have been completely different.

Being Erica (s02e11), “What Goes Up Must Come Down” by Jessie Gabe and Lindsey Stewart, directed by Gary Harvey (CBC-TV, Canada, 1 December 2009).

Being Erica (s02e12)

The Importance of Being Erica

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer

It’s not complicated. You can’t stay in this hallway forever—you have to choose.

Being Erica (s02e12), “The Importance of Being Erica” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 8 December 2009).

The Girl Who Leapt through Time #3

時をかける少女

Toki o Kakeru Shojo English release: Time Traveller: The Girl Who Leapt through Time Literal: Time-soaring girl

by 菅野友恵, directed by 谷口正晃

In this second sequel to Yasutaka Tsutsui’s 1965 novel 時をかける少女 em]The Girl Who Leapt through Time[/em, Naka Riisa plays the daughter, Akari, of a grown-up Kazuko (the original “girl who leapt through time”). Akari tries to leap back to the time of her mother’s first love, Kazuo, in hopes that he can bring her mom out of a coma induced by a car accident.

The actress Naka Riisa has another connection to time-leaping girls: In the first sequel to the original novel, , a 2006 anime adaptation, Riisa voiced the lead character, Makoto, who was Kazuko’s niece. So if I have this right: The original leaper is Kazuko; Kazuko’s niece Makoto is the leaper in the 2006 anime; and Kazuko’s daughter Akari is the leaper in the 2010 live-action movie. So in some sense, Riisa is her own cousin.

— Michael Main

So you believe me? You’re an SF geek, right?

[ex=bare]時をかける少女 | Time-soaring girl | Toki o kakeru shojo[/ex] by 菅野友恵, directed by 谷口正晃 (at movie theaters, Japan, 13 March 2010).

Being Erica (s03e01)

The Rabbit Hole

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Holly Dale

Erica: I feel ready to start phase two.

Being Erica (s03e01), “The Rabbit Hole” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Holly Dale (CBC-TV, Canada, 21 September 2010).

Being Erica (s03e02)

Moving On Up

by Kate Miles Melville, directed by Rick Rosenthal

What do you do when a piece of your life is suddenly missing? We know we’re supposed to move on, but how?

Being Erica (s03e02), “Moving On Up” by Kate Miles Melville, directed by Rick Rosenthal (CBC-TV, Canada, 28 September 2010).

Being Erica (s03e03)

Two Wrongs

by Sean Reycraft, directed by Holly Dale

Dr. Tom: And this time?
Erica: I’ll spend every second with Leo. No Trent, no distractions.
Dr. Tom: I wouldn’t count on it.

Being Erica (s03e03), “Two Wrongs” by Sean Reycraft, directed by Holly Dale (CBC-TV, Canada, 5 October 2010).

Being Erica (s03e04)

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

by Esta Spalding, directed by Rick Rosenthal

Kai: In a few weeks, I come back to 2010 on another regret, and while I’m here, we sleep together.

Being Erica (s03e04), “Wash, Rinse, Repeat” by Esta Spalding, directed by Rick Rosenthal (CBC-TV, Canada, 12 October 2010).

Being Erica (s03e05)

Being Adam

by Ian Carpenter, directed by Jeff Woolnough

Adam: I would walk away from Sean instead of hitting him, and that would change everything, Dr. Tom—and I know that’s not how this works.
Dr. Tom: Why don’t you let me worry about how this works.

Being Erica (s03e05), “Being Adam” by Ian Carpenter, directed by Jeff Woolnough (CBC-TV, Canada, 20 October 2010).

Being Erica (s03e06)

Bear Breasts

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Alex Chapple

Being Erica (s03e06), “Bear Breasts” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Alex Chapple (CBC-TV, Canada, 27 October 2010).

Being Erica (s03e07)

Jenny from the Block

by Aaron Martin, directed by Phil Earnshaw

Friendship . . . two people choose each other through some mysterious mix of alchemy and circumstance. On the surface, the reason for our choice seems obvious: They share our interests, they make us laugh—but isn’t there more to it than that? And do we ever really stop and wonder why this person and not another?

Being Erica (s03e07), “Jenny from the Block” by Aaron Martin, directed by Phil Earnshaw (CBC-TV, Canada, 3 November 2010).

Being Erica (s03e08)

Physician, Heal Thyself

by Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer

Erica: Can I change this? I mean, can I avoid sleeping with him ’cause Kai said it was gonna happen—which means it’s already happened for him, which means . . .
Darryl: . . . you have to go through with it to avoid creating a paradox.

Being Erica (s03e08), “Physician, Heal Thyself” by Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 10 November 2010).

Being Erica (s03e09)

Gettin’ Wiggy Wit’ It

by Jessie Gabe, directed by John Fawcett

Because using information that you have gleaned from a trip to the past to try to fix your life in the present contravenes the rules.

Being Erica (s03e09), “Gettin’ Wiggy Wit’ It” by Jessie Gabe, directed by John Fawcett (CBC-TV, Canada, 17 November 2010).

Being Erica (s03e10)

The Tribe Has Spoken

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Kelly Makin

Like twin phoenixes, we rise from the ashes—right?

Being Erica (s03e10), “The Tribe Has Spoken” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Kelly Makin (CBC-TV, Canada, 24 November 2010).

Being Erica (s03e11)

Adam’s Family

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer

Look at me. You went back there and you faced what happened, and now you have to face how it made you feel. And that’s how you break the pattern.

Being Erica (s03e11), “Adam’s Family” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 1 December 2010).

Being Erica (s03e12)

Erica, Interrupted

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Jeff Woolnough

Sent you back? No, Miss Strange, you don’t understand. You’ve been in a coma for two weeks.

Being Erica (s03e12), “Erica, Interrupted” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Jeff Woolnough (CBC-TV, Canada, 8 December 2010).

Being Erica (s03e13)

Fa La Erica

by James Hurst and Shelley Scarrow, directed by Érik Canuel

When Erica wakes up in Julianne’s 1980s body, I do wish she’d said “Oh boy” instead of “Oh my God!”

— Michael Main

I'm so sorry—I . . . I. . . I didn’t mean to dredge up the Ghosts of Christmas Past.

Being Erica (s03e13), “Fa La Erica” by James Hurst and Shelley Scarrow, directed by Érik Canuel (CBC-TV, Canada, 15 December 2010).

Pug

by Theodora Goss

In the time of Napoleon, a sickly English girl discovers a dog in her garden, and the dog leads her through a door to other times and places.

— Michael Main

(Imagine our relief to learn of Waterloo.)

“Pug” by Theodora Goss, in Asimov’s Science Fiction, July 2011.

The Last Musketeer 1

The Last Musketeer

by Stuart Gibbs

While chasing the cad who stole his family’s prized black crystal, young Greg Rich ends up back in AD 1615 where he and three future Musketeers must save Greg’s parents from Dominic Richelieu (the cardinal’s evil brother) and the deadly prison known as La Mort.

— Michael Main

When joined as a whole, the Devil’s Stone was rumored to perform many miracles: strike people dead in an instant, turn lead into gold, even open portals in time.

The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs (HarperCollins, September 2011) [print · e-book].

Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver

by William Butler and Muffy Bolding, directed by William Butler

This girl is an absolute megolithic throwback.

Gingerdead Man 3: Saturday Night Cleaver by William Butler and Muffy Bolding, directed by William Butler (direct-to-video, USA, 13 September 2011).

Dimensions

by Antony Neely, directed by Sloan U’Ren

Imagine you’re a young boy in 1921 Cambridge when your equally young first love dies in a deep well. What would you do? Naturally, you’d vow to become a great scientist in an artsy movie so you could go back in time to alter the tragic event.

Apparently, people in early 20th-century Cambridge espouse many wise thoughts about time, parallel universes that encompass every possible combination of events again and again, and something about every decision every made creating a branch point. In the end, it's difficult to make a cohesive model of time from the plotline of Dimensions, but we tried our best to do so in our plot notes.

— Michael Main

Annie: Are you ready to leave?
Stephen: Yes.
Annie: How long will it take?
Stephen: I don’t know: seconds, decades, an eternity.
Annie: An eternity? For a few moments together?
Stephen: Yes.

Dimensions by Antony Neely, directed by Sloan U’Ren (Cambridge Film Festival, 21 September 2011).

Being Erica (s04e01)

Doctor Who?

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Ken Girotti

Erica: So what do I do? Do I just go out there, hand him the card, and ask him how he’s handling the divorce?

Being Erica (s04e01), “Doctor Who?” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Ken Girotti (CBC-TV, Canada, 26 September 2011).

Being Erica (s04e02)

Osso Barko

by James Hurst and Shelley Scarrow, directed by Gary Harvey

Erica: It’s not that I’m not happy doing what I’m doing—I mean, I love my work. It’s just sometimes I wonder if I shoulda tried harder to be a writer.

Being Erica (s04e02), “Osso Barko” by James Hurst and Shelley Scarrow, directed by Gary Harvey (CBC-TV, Canada, 3 October 2011).

Being Erica (s04e03)

Baby Mama

by Julia Cohen, directed by Ken Girotti

Erica: My mother is my patient?!

Being Erica (s04e03), “Baby Mama” by Julia Cohen, directed by Ken Girotti (CBC-TV, Canada, 10 October 2011).

Being Erica (s04e04)

Born This Way

by Shelley Scarrow and James Hurst, directed by Gary Harvey

Being Erica (s04e04), “Born This Way” by Shelley Scarrow and James Hurst, directed by Gary Harvey (CBC-TV, Canada, 17 October 2011).

Being Erica (s04e05)

Sins of the Father

by Ian Carpenter, directed by Paul Fox

Being Erica (s04e05), “Sins of the Father” by Ian Carpenter, directed by Paul Fox (CBC-TV, Canada, 24 October 2011).

Being Erica (s04e06)

If I Could Turn Back Time

by Graeme Manson, directed by Phil Earnshaw

Being Erica (s04e06), “If I Could Turn Back Time” by Graeme Manson, directed by Phil Earnshaw (CBC-TV, Canada, 31 October 2011).

Being Erica (s04e07)

Being Ethan

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Kari Skogland

Being Erica (s04e07), “Being Ethan” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Kari Skogland (CBC-TV, Canada, 7 November 2011).

Being Erica (s04e08)

Please, Please Tell Me Now

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by John Fawcett

Being Erica (s04e08), “Please, Please Tell Me Now” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by John Fawcett (CBC-TV, Canada, 14 November 2011).

Being Erica (s04e09)

Erica’s Adventures in Wonderland

by Amanda Fahey and Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Paul Fox

Being Erica (s04e09), “Erica’s Adventures in Wonderland” by Amanda Fahey and Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Paul Fox (CBC-TV, Canada, 28 November 2011).

Being Erica (s04e10)

Purim

by Amanda Fahey and Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by John Fawcett

Being Erica (s04e10), “Purim” by Amanda Fahey and Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by John Fawcett (CBC-TV, Canada, 5 December 2011).

Being Erica (s04e11)

Dr. Erica

by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer

Being Erica (s04e11), “Dr. Erica” by Aaron Martin and Jana Sinyor, directed by Chris Grismer (CBC-TV, Canada, 12 December 2011).

Immortal Descendants: Original Series #1

Marking Time

by April White

Seventeen year-old Saira Elian’s mother has disappeared, as she does for a few days every couple of years. But this time, Saira ends up searching for her—in time. Along the way she makes friends for the first time in her nomadic life, and she learns that Vampires, Seers, and Shifters are real. But she also makes enemies, including Jack the Ripper.

— Tandy Ringoringo

I was tracing a design that was etched into the wall, and it started glowing and humming. And then my whole body was being stretched and pulled, like I was a giant rubber band. And there was a sound that vibrated through my skin and into my stomach, which is probably what made me want to puke—er, vomit.

Marking Time by April White (Corazon Entertainment, October 2012).

A Swirl of Chocolate

by K. Esta

Charlie may be at a playground, but this is no laughing matter. People have disappeared.

— Tandy Ringoringo

. . . dragging space-time with it like a swirl of chocolate being stirred into a bowl of cream.

“A Swirl of Chocolate” by K. Esta, 365 Tomorrows, 11 May 2013 [webzine].

Monster High, Movie #10

Monster High: Freaky Fusion

by Keith Wagner, directed by William Lau

The animated gang of teen monsters travel centuries into the past to the first day ever at Monster High, but when they return they have each merged with another in the group creating freaky hybrid monsters all around. I’m not sure, but I’m betting that Mattel used this DVD release as an opportunity to also sell freaky hybrid fashion dolls.

— Michael Main

It’s 1814: They’ve never seen fashion styles like ours before.

Monster High: Freaky Fusion by Keith Wagner, directed by William Lau (direct-to-video, USA, 16 September 2014).

Arthur (s20e01a)

Buster’s Second Chance

by Ken Scarborough and Cilbur Rocha, directed by Greg Bailey

According to Brain, the past cannot be changed, but Buster still tries to do so when he’s thrown back to preschool by a time vortex.

— Tony Carr

Buster: What’s the square root of 49? [Buster thinks] I don’t know. I don’t know!. . . I’m baaaaack!

Arthur (s20e01a), “Buster’s Second Chance” by Ken Scarborough and Cilbur Rocha, directed by Greg Bailey (PBS-TV, USA, 10 October 2016).

2nd Door

written and directed by Umesh Verma

Two men—a garage shop owner and a mad scientist—loop through 13 days, meeting and shooting each other and themselves, but not so that we could understand much (beyond that there was a time portal made of hubcaps and blue electricity).

— Michael Main

This freak made a mess of our garage.

2nd Door written and directed by Umesh Verma (Youtube: 2nd Door Channel, 8 December 2017).

Out of Time

written and directed by Matt Handy

A government agent from 1951 follows three alien invaders through a time portal to 21st-century Lost Angeles where he teams up with a local cop to track the trio down before they can signal their cohorts.

— Michael Main

Sir: [pointing at a billborad of the Space Shuttle] That is why we leapt into the future. We fly that back to the armada and show them where this planet is.

Out of Time written and directed by Matt Handy (unknown release details, 2019).

In Another Time

by Jillian Cantor

Hanna Ginsberg—a young Jewish violinist in Germany during the rise of Hitler—awakens in a field in 1946 with no memory of the past decade.

— Michael Main

“Do you have a time machine,” he’d asked his father. It was hard to fathom, unbelievable even as he’d said it, but the idea fascinated him with little-boy wonder.

In Another Time by Jillian Cantor (Harper Perennial, March 2019) [print · e-book].

Terminator 6

Terminator: Dark Fate

by David S. Goyer et al., directed by Tim Miller

After the excitement of T2, you’d have thought that Sarah Connor and her son John could have settled down for a well-deserved, peaceful life. But, no: First a leftover T-800 Model 101 Terminator kills young John, and then 20 years later, Sarah meets two new characters—young Dani Ramos and an enhanced woman from the future—who are running from a new kind of terminator built by a new kind of Skynet. Certainly a fun T-romp, cast in the mold of T2, but really?!, if those johnny-come-lately millennial writers wanna live, they can’t be messing with the come-with-me line.

— Michael Main

Grace: [to Dani and Diego at the car assembly plant] Come with me or you’re dead in the next 30 seconds.

Terminator: Dark Fate by David S. Goyer et al., directed by Tim Miller (at movie theaters, UK and elsewhere, 23 October 2019).

Immortal Descendants: Baltimore Mysteries #1

Death’s Door

by April White

Ren (Alexandra Reynolds) owns a neighborhood bar in Baltimore. One evening, Edgar Allan Poe stumbles in—not an early Halloween reveler in costume, but the real thing. In the course of their acquaintance, both Ren and Poe learn more about themselves. Did I mention that Ren is descended from a freed slave mother and a white slave-owning father? And that Poe was an anti-abolitionist?

— Tandy Ringoringo

The notepaper was faded with age, and although I’d never seen it before, I knew he’d hidden it there the night I met him again, so many, many years before.

“Death’s Door” by April White (Corazon Entertainment, May 2020).

The Speed of Time

by Russ Nickel and William J. Stribling, directed by William J. Stribling

Johnny Killfire of the year 2055 (the buff version) comes back to 2020 to stop his younger self from making a killer pizza-delivery app.

— Michael Main

You know that pizza app you’re working on to reduce delivery times? You designed it too well.

The Speed of Time by Russ Nickel and William J. Stribling, directed by William J. Stribling (Youtube: Dust Channel, 17 September 2020).

An Hour

written and directed by Prasanth Kumar

Young, unemployed Nanna seems to take everything in stride, even the arrival of unexpected package containing an artistic hourglass with the power to take him back or forward one hour in time.

The audio is mostly Telugu, but there are subtitles in broken English.

— Michael Main

What is this? Is it time machine? If it is a time machine, then who will send it to me?

An Hour written and directed by Prasanth Kumar (Youtube: Andhra Pradesh Channel, 2 October 2020).

The Other Emily

by Dean R. Koontz

A decade after David Thorne’s wife goes missing on a solo trip to northern California, her exact duplicate shows up—without having aged a day and claiming not to be Emily—at a bar in one of David’s favorite restaurants.

— Michael Main

Equally in the grip of dread and amazement, David Thorne began to awaken to a previously unthought-of truth, the ramifications of which were devastating and numberless.

The Other Emily by Dean R. Koontz (Thomas and Mercer, March 2021).

Time Traveler at the Grocery Store circa 1992

by Kristian Macaron

Twentieth-century grocery store aisles provide a vision of a world of dust that's coming.

— Michael Main

Some days it’s hard to believe that there’s not something wrong with the lettuce.

“Time Traveler at the Grocery Store circa 1992” by Kristian Macaron, Asimov’s Science Fiction, March/April 2021.

Loki, Season 1

by Michael Waldron et al, directed by Kate Herron

Hang on to your Tesseracts! Apparently, in Endgame[/em], when the Avengers traveled back to 2012 to swipe various things from the 2012 Avengers, they inadvertantly started a branch in time where Loki ended up with the Tesseract. Of course, once that occurred, the Time Variance Authority quickly spotted him as a Deviant and quickly recruited him to help in their fight against even more deviant Deviants.

— Michael Main

Appears to be a standard sequence violation. Branches growing at a stable rate and slope. Variant identified.

Loki, Season 1 by Michael Waldron et al, directed by Kate Herron (Disney+, worldwide, 9 June 2021 to 14 July 2021 [6 episodes]).

Secret Agent Moe Berg #6

Billie the Kid

by Rick Wilber

In an alternate history leading up to a 1945 atomic bomb in southern California, young Billie “the Kid” Davis grows up in the mid-20th century, playing shortstop better than any of the boys, flying B-25s with her Dad, and eventually—with Moe Berg and the woman-with-many-names—taking on that bomb.

— Michael Main

This is your moment, Billie. Coming up right now. Save the worlds, Billie. Change everything. You can do it.

“Billie the Kid” by Rick Wilber, Asimov’s Science Fiction, September/October 2021.

Paean for a Branch Ghost

by Filip Wiltgren

In the far future, a woman who had lived through the Sobibor extermination camp manipulates the system to go back and rescue the rest of her family.

— Michael Main

“Twentieth century,” said Davos, and I whistled, long, and low, and falling. “Special assignment,” he said, and I whistled again. I’d never heard of anyone going that far back.

“Paean for a Branch Ghost” by Filip Wiltgren, Future Science Fiction Digest #14, March 2022 [e-zine · webzine].

The Adam Project

by Jonathan Tropper et al., directed by Shawn Levy

In 2050, time jet pilot Adam Reed steals a jet and heads back to 2018 to save his stranded wife, but he gets waylaid in 2022 where his 12-year-old self is the only hope to save the mission.

— Michael Main

Young Adam: I mean if this is happening to me, that means that it already happened to you—right?—unless it works more like a multiverse where each ripple creates an alternate timeline—
Middle-Age Adam: It isn’t a multiverse! My god, we watch too many movies.

The Adam Project by Jonathan Tropper et al., directed by Shawn Levy (Netflix, worldwide, 11 March 2022).

The Hero of Your Own Story

by Anthony W. Eichenlaub

A bad egg creates chaos by leaving time portals open between various times in various parts of the multiverse.

— Michael Main

Your time portals are not big enough for any of the really exciting monsters.

“The Hero of Your Own Story” by Anthony W. Eichenlaub, Daily Science Fiction, 23 May 2022 [webzine].

Fusco Brothers, `7 August 2022`

Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen

by J. C. Duffy

You’re listening to the soothing sounds of Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians. . .

Fusco Brothers, “Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen” by J. C. Duffy, 7 August 2022.