semisimian

So, we are continuing the 'is it legitimate that an elite Red Squad exists in egalitarian Starfleet' argument? All signs point to no. Still, Nog, you go on with your bad self.

When we talk about time travel in fictional universes, almost all of the narratives follow one of three "truths:"

1. Time is one linear thread. What you do now will have consequence X and if you do something different it will have consequence Y. A simple illustration is the movie Sliding Doors. But the same can be said for Back to the Future or Bill and Ted's. If you make a change to the prime timeline, it will ripple into the past/future. Your cousins will disappear from the 3x5 photo!

2. Time has branches, a truly infinite number of universes and possibilities. Really, as far as I'm concerned, the best example of this idea is Rick and Morty. That show has the freedom to both cook our brains about the concept and also hold a mirror to its ridiculousness. You also see it more famously in the MCU, with their multitude of Lokis and such, though the TVA is still hell-bent on a prime timeline. But the multiverse is the natural order, with only 80s inspired bureaucracy to keep it in check.

3. Time is a combination of the two, which leads us to Trek. Time is linear, so Jake Sisko can tell his dad to dodge a beam that travels at light speed. But time is also non-linear, so... I dunno... most of Voyager. When Seven came aboard with her temporal node all bets were off as far as what could even be considered a prime timeline.

Moreso, the mirror universe is a parallel to our own, marching along at the same pace and whose characters are developing at the same rate as the prime timeline. So, there is no prime timeline, and no multiverse. Just the clean-shaven and the goatee universes.

And to answer your question: yes, I think Trek trends toward a "prime" timeline. It's honestly the way our brains work. With all the posturing of the wormhole aliens, we just don't work in a non-linear fashion. And maybe more importantly, good stories don't work that way either, Kurt Vonnegut aside. Time travel is wearing plot armor in EVERY movie and show because no one has a handle on it.

Thank you for bringing this up. It's something I think about too much.

There are a bajillion, but maybe you are looking for a specific genre that nails it on the head.

As someone mentioned, there are thousands of social drama films that could've easily happened. The success of that type of film is selling a "day in the life" plot.

Someone else mentioned Office Space. That film is a satire, but it condenses and delivers refined representations of the banality of cubicle life that we all can easily relate to. The characters truly seem to be facsimiles of people we've known in our working lives.

Someone else mentioned Michael Clayton. It's an excellent thriller with flawed characters with believable motives that yes, it could be real. And maybe something like that has happened?

What genre will help us answer your question?

"Screw 'em, do what you want" shall be the whole of the law.

It's been limping for a while, but the momentum was huge to begin with. The niche subreddits still had good participation, not great, but good enough. These latest shenanigans might be the final tipping point, though.

I'm a 12 year too and just switched over when they blocked Boost last week (so, right before this Luigi stuff). I have to say, after a little learning curve, I like this experience a lot better (still on Boost, BTW). Keep on tanking, Reddit; the more users that jump ship, the better. I'm planning on backing up my post/comment history before I delete my account, but otherwise I won't be looking back.