Time travel stories don’t always have the hardest set of rules but there are some universal “truths” if you will. Some stories involve something known as the Butterfly effect whereby time travelers explain that they cannot change the past without altering the future. This is why you don’t often see stories of people killing bad figures of the past (e.g. going back in time to kill Hitler). Other stories involve the concept of being careful not to create a paradox, such as by meeting your past or future self. While these aren’t necessarily “law” when it comes to time travel, they are generally accepted in movies and television.
Legends of Tomorrow tends to stretch these rules a little bit further. Several characters on the show have interacted with their past selves and with regards to a timeline switch, the show lets some small things slide as long as the history stays in tact. The bottom line is that this is a show and if you can’t be a little flexible some story lines simply don’t work out. As a viewer it’s OK to let some things slide as long as they don’t completely screw up the narrative. However, in the series finale called “Aruba” it appears that one of these travel “rules” is going to have to be broken. Here’s the official synopsis that was released today.
“Aruba” – (8:00-9:00 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV) SEASON FINALE – As the Legends are about to take off for their next destination, a massive timequake rocks the ship. In order to try and fix what has happened, they are forced to break the one cardinal rule of time travel. But if they are able to destroy the spear, they will face the ultimate consequence. Victor Garber, Brandon Routh, Arthur Darvill, Caity Lotz, Dominic Purcell, Franz Drameh, Nick Zano and Maisie Richardson-Sellers. Rob Seidenglanz directed the episode written by Phil Klemmer & Marc Guggenheim (#217). Original airdate 4/4/2017.”
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