Have you ever considered how different your life would be had you changed just one thing that happened in it? It seems to be the consistent theme of many time travel stories. Someone makes a mistake and has a second chance granted to them. A do over to make things right. It's called Retrospective Determinism. It doesn't work. Basically, it's an "if only I had (blank) then my life would be (blank)" type of thinking that is best left to your dreams. And the Back to the Future film series is full of it.
In Part 1 of the series, Marty alters the events that lead to his parents getting together. He fixes things and the future finds them in far better shape than before. No big deal. Here's the big deal: Marty has created, or more likely been transported into, another dimension of the multiverse.
For example, we currently reside in what we refer to as the universe. There is only one plane of existence that we can occupy in our universe. In the multiverse, there are multiple planes of existence that we (or multiple duplicates of us) do occupy. There can an infinite number of multiverses as there are an infinite number of events in our universe to alter. Each universe in the multiverse creates its own universe that, in turn, creates its own multiverse. The process goes on like this forever.
Think about your own life. Consider all the decisions and choices you have made (and all the decisions and choices others have also made) in your life that have all happened to form your personal existence. There have been a lot. If only one thing was ever altered in your life, you would have a new existence. That will produce you have two existences. If only one event in your new existence was altered, you now have three existences. And the process could go on forever.
What if you were born in another town, state, or country? Which one? Millions of towns and cities, thousands of states, providences and regions, and hundreds of countries worldwide. that's already a lot of existences. Different schools? A different major in college? A different career? A different company to work for? A different person for your spouse? Different kids? What if your parents had different kids? What if you weren't born in all but one of your parent's existences? That is an infinite number of possible multiverses, right?
You reading this sentence is pretty unique if you think about it. But don't. It's all very confusing. I have probably confused you pretty good. So let's get back on topic and relate this all to Marty.
It is extremely improbable that in the whole multiverse, George and Lorraine would recognize Marty in the altered 1985, his older siblings would recognize him, his older siblings would look the same, that they would have the same names, they would live in the same house, and so many other things that have happened over the last 30 years to change the McFly family.
In the original 1955 timeline, George and Lorraine were somewhat forced together due largely in part to Lorraine's Florence Nightingale Syndrome. George went along with it because Lorraine was totally into him and she was pretty hot. In this 1985, (the original or Prime 1985) they seem to be stuck in a marriage of convenience. George has no backbone or ambition and Lorraine has let her beauty go. In the altered 1955, George wins Lorraine's love and respect. Thirty years later, they are still very much in love. They still go on dates and flirt with each other. One of the big differences in these universes is the change in the way George and Lorraine love each other.
Without getting too graphic, George McFly has produced a lot of sperm in his life. Marty was the result of just one sperm from George and just one egg from Lorraine. In the original timeline, he was their third child and born 13 years after their first date. There is reason to believe this is because the two of them just didn't get around to doing it a whole lot. George's lack of ambition and Lorraine's syndrome beginning to wain by this time affecting their love life. But with the events of the altered 1955 timeline, they seem much more in love, more flirtatious with each other, and more physically affectionate. They probably did/do it a lot more in this universe. There is simply a much better probability that they would have had their children a lot earlier in their lives (if not more) and therefore there shouldn't be a Marty in this universe. Or at least not the one we know.
The fact that in two universes the exact same sperm fertilized the exact same egg at the exact same moment to produce a son they give the exact name is highly improbable. But that it happened another two times with Marty's brother and sister is even more improbable. Without prior knowledge and precise timing, it is really unbelievable the coincidence this makes as this is the universe that Marty travels to.
The fallacy of Retrospective Determinism is that just because it happened, it isn't (or wasn't) always going to happen. You cannot assume that because Marty was born in one universe that he will exist (especially the exact same state) in another universe. He is unique to his own universe. The memories and events in his prime universe are his and his alone. Only he knows the difference between the two universes. Trying to adapt to his new universe, without any prior knowledge or memories, Marty may stumble and fail at this supposedly "better" universe. All he has ever known is completely gone. No memories of a better childhood with his parents and siblings. Only the old ones from an old universe he is no longer a part of that, for all purposes...is missing its Marty.
My wife and I lost our first child early in our pregnancy. Two months later, we were pregnant with our son, who just turned two this past week. I often wonder about our first child. Would they grow to be a boy or a girl? What would she look like? What would his birthday be? The fact is it isn't really anything more than a fantasy. That universe doesn't exist for me. What does exist is the fact that if that first pregnancy went to term and a baby was born, I wouldn't have my son, whom I love very much and can't imagine a world without him that doesn't break my heart. He simply wouldn't exist in another universe the way he is. I wouldn't want to exist there either.
George and Lorraine's prime universe, which wasn't that great to begin with, now has a missing child in their family that will never show up. Marty's better life and family in this new universe will lead to the ruin of his old family. That universe still exists as Marty is from there. His prime family still exists somewhere. And they're all wondering where Marty went.
The official story might be that Marty followed in the footsteps of his uncle "Jailbird" Joey and shot the old scientist he hung out with in the JC Penny parking lot at the Twin Pines Mall. He stole the dead Doc's car, never to be seen again. Much better than a poor family with a missing child.
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