Why don't Marty's memories change?

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I've looked and I don't think this has been asked before. In Back to the Future 1, after Marty changes his parent's future, its obvious that he changes his own life and the life of his siblings drastically. He owns an awesome truck, has a date with Jennifer to go to the lake, etc.

So why doesn't he have any memories of these things? Shouldn't his memories be altered in the same way the photo of his siblings changes? Or an even better example: Doc's memories are different in that he now remembers Marty from the past and wears a bullet proof vest to the mall. And don't say that Doc always remembered Marty from the past and its a time loop because if that were true then Marty's family would always have been successful and his dad not a loser.



Best Answer

Marty was in the time machine when he came back. The definition of the time machine is that the machine (and what it contains) travel through time unaltered.

(My real question would be, why is there just ONE Marty when he comes back to 1985 after fixing his family. There should be one Marty that was born from his parents on his normal birthdate, and one that came back from 1955 to 1985. But that's another story!)




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Why does Marty go to the future?

The characters \u2014 Marty McFly and his friend Doc Brown \u2014 travel to the future in a time machine so that they can prevent Marty's son from hurting the future of McFly's family. Marty and Doc travel to October 21, 2015, in the 1989 film, which is a sequel to Back to the Future released in 1985.

How does Biff not recognize Marty?

Biff was a bigger part of their lives, having spent a number of years (assumed) in school with them. So it makes sense why she, George or Biff wouldn't remember Marty.

Did George McFly recognize Marty?

"Bear in mind that George and Lorraine only knew Marty/Calvin for eight days when they were 17, and they did not even see him every one of those eight days," he pointed out. Gale continued: So, many years later, they still might remember that interesting kid who got them together on their first date.



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More answers regarding why don't Marty's memories change?

Answer 2

Just so everybody noticed the memories don’t really matter. Marty could only change his perception of the past because if he goes back in time and his other stuff goes back in time just like he did it’s just like going back in time to look at your past self except you are going forward in time and you watch your past self go back in time. Just because he’s in another timeline that doesn’t mean the other timeline is nonexistent. He’s actually creating new histories from his point of view and the original histories still happen meaning that every non linear timeline also happens chronologically. Otherwise it would be a paradox if it was linear.

Answer 3

Marty's memories does and has changed. In fact, not only this, but Marty actually has two sets of seventeen years worth of memories. He remembers the childhood from which his mother was an alcoholic and he also remembers the childhood in which his father is a sci-fi writer and his mother is happy. According to my theory, sometime after Marty went to 2015 in Part II, these new memories caught up with him. Furthermore, the problem he had with being called chicken is a trait from the new timeline, as this didn't occur in Part one. By the end of Part III, Marty even commented how everyone was back to normal, indicating that his memories have completely caught up to him. But as a time-travelers, he'll always have the old memories, no matter what, as the old memories are dependent on him going back to 1955 in the first place.

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