Wouldn't 1955 be changed significantly by the 1931 trips?
In BTTF1, Marty spends a week in 1955, and as a result, changes 1985 in significant ways due to his actions both direct AND indirect. His interactions with George, Lorraine and Biff COMPLETELY changes the destiny's of the McFly and Tannen families.
Which got me thinking, Marty spends quiet a lot of time in 1931 across 4 months! He interacts with Arthur McFly AND Kid Tannen and thus his actions affect the destinies of the McFly and Tannen families again...what is more, he affects Emmett Brown's life as well, by improving his relations with his father...
Which makes me wonder, if Marty's actions in 1955 resulted in a very different 1985, wouldn't his actions in 1931 result in a very different 1955 as well? What I mean is, wouldn't the events of BTTF1 be affected significantly by the changes made to 1931?
I mean, take Biff for instance. In the original timeline, he lives with his grandma (who's implied to be a pain) and as such becomes this bully who hassles George McFly and other kids and is a great big jerk until George punches him...but now that he has Edna Strickland as a step-mother wouldn't this have possibly affected his life and personality? If Edna had been strict enough with him, wouldn't be have been a lot better behaved by 1955 than in the original timeline?
Also, take George...in the original timeline, as strongly implied by the novelizations and even the Game, George's wimpish personality was owing to his father's wimpish personality? But Arthur McFly becomes a lot more confident and assertive in the altered 1931...so wouldn't this affect George's personality in 1955 as well? And since the plot of BTTF1 hinges a lot on George's persona...wouldn't this affect the events of the movie? Plus, since Arthur and Sylvia marry earlier, wouldn't George have more siblings, possibly?
And I feel Doc might have recognised Marty when he turned up on his doorstep in 1955...
Which got me thinking, Marty spends quiet a lot of time in 1931 across 4 months! He interacts with Arthur McFly AND Kid Tannen and thus his actions affect the destinies of the McFly and Tannen families again...what is more, he affects Emmett Brown's life as well, by improving his relations with his father...
Which makes me wonder, if Marty's actions in 1955 resulted in a very different 1985, wouldn't his actions in 1931 result in a very different 1955 as well? What I mean is, wouldn't the events of BTTF1 be affected significantly by the changes made to 1931?
I mean, take Biff for instance. In the original timeline, he lives with his grandma (who's implied to be a pain) and as such becomes this bully who hassles George McFly and other kids and is a great big jerk until George punches him...but now that he has Edna Strickland as a step-mother wouldn't this have possibly affected his life and personality? If Edna had been strict enough with him, wouldn't be have been a lot better behaved by 1955 than in the original timeline?
Also, take George...in the original timeline, as strongly implied by the novelizations and even the Game, George's wimpish personality was owing to his father's wimpish personality? But Arthur McFly becomes a lot more confident and assertive in the altered 1931...so wouldn't this affect George's personality in 1955 as well? And since the plot of BTTF1 hinges a lot on George's persona...wouldn't this affect the events of the movie? Plus, since Arthur and Sylvia marry earlier, wouldn't George have more siblings, possibly?
And I feel Doc might have recognised Marty when he turned up on his doorstep in 1955...
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It's never confirmed what happens in 1955 in the games timelines, the only time it is mentioned is Doc saying that Emmett will not get the inspiration for time travel for another 24 years and the events we see are referenced- george punches out biff in the brief tannen crime family timeline but he does not in the FCB timeline (so 1955 would have been very different during that timeline).
I'm thinking Kids crimes were serious enough that in any of the timelines he gets caught he's still in prison in 1955. Biff has no association in the FCB timeline which either means Kid is still in prison (which is quite possible given that it's a police state), dead (unlikely but possible given how safe it is), or Biff doesn't associate with him. And remember Biff gets conceived while Kid is in prison so he grows up without a father which likely means in most timelines he would consider his father estranged.
Not sure if they get married in prison but I seriously doubt Biff would take to a step mother WITHOUT his dad in his life. What probably happens is Biff starts out the same bully he is, gets punched out by george and at some point during his wussification takes to his dad/step mom.
Now docs life is obviously different with his father still a part of it but it's possible not different enough to change the events of 1955.
And Doc also would have recognized Marty in 1955, given that he had a pretty big influence on him in 31. Which of course by Doc's logic would have created a paradox, because the events in 55 from the first movie couldn't possibly have taken place in exactly the same manner with all the tampering that was done in the game.
It just goes to show how badly thought out the game is. TT just released a game full of inconsistencies and logic flaws with no regard towards the content that is actually canon.
Also, in response to caeska's comment about Doc recognizing Marty in 1955, don't forget that you begin to forget things after 20 or so years. Plus, even if he did make the connection in his brain, Emmett never did figure out that Marty was a time traveler, and he never even KNEW about time travel until that night Marty came to visit him. So, Doc, being a man of logic, probably would have made the assumption that this is not the same person, and therefore did not know him. So, the events of Back to the Future 1 probably would have played out the same way, except after a while Doc would realize "Hey, this is the same guy! But, I should probably neglect to mention it because it could cause a paradox."
But yeah, the point about Kid being in prison is valid. Even if Edna got out much before him, its likely she never became part of the Tannen fold till MUCH after 1955...or StrongBrush1's explanation is equally valid as well...since there's no REAL reason in the game why either Kid or Edna would become 'nice guys'.
I still feel George should have become more confident even before Marty's intervention in this timeline owing to his father Arthur's confidence...however it is possible that he still remained a wimp inspite of his father (he'll have to have, for the events of BTTF1 to still make sense in the new timeline).
The point about Doc is valid as well...I feel that Doc would be suspicious and find Marty familiar, but he doesn't really figure things out till 1986. I wrote a fanfic once about how Doc suspected in 1955 that the two Marty's were the same, but decided it COULD be a coincidence and in any case, it was better not to think too much about it and let time run its course.
That said, I have another (somewhat convoluted) question regarding the new Doc's memories.
This may be mostly a fan theory, but it is generally accepted that when time traveller's make a trip in a new timeline which they made in a previous timeline, the newer version of the time traveller is erased and replaced by the earlier version who remembers the old timeline (and some people, like me, believe the older version eventually remembers both timelines). Now apply this in Doc's case...suppose the new timeline's Doc (who we assume has been through the same time travels of BTTF1, 2 and 3) makes the first time trip the original Doc made...he should logically have been 'replaced' by original Doc with memories of the original timeline (not dating Edna or meeting Marty in 1931, getting inspired by watching Frankenstien, bad relationship with father etc). Later, after returning to 1986 he would have gained (or rather regained) his memories of the new timeline. Now the Doc who we see in Episode 5 obviously remembers his history in the new timeline...but shouldn't he remember his history in the old timeline as well? After all, Marty still remembers his dad being a milksop? So why should Doc be so surprised at the idea that he never returned to the 1980's after BTTF3...shouldn't he remember a history where his dad and he had a bad relationship and he had no family legacy to honour?
The whole thing gets confusing...
There's also the paradox that since Marty didn't get into the car accident in 1985, he likely had a much more successful life, therefore his kids wouldn't grow up to be, at least in Marty Jr.'s case, losers, and then there would have been no reason for Doc to take Marty and Jennifer forward to save Marty's kids, then Biff wouldn't have stolen the time machine, then they wouldn't have gone back to 1955 where the DeLorean was struck by lightning, sending Doc back to 1885, etc. etc. ad nauseum.
The point is, the movies and the games follow MARTY'S personal timeline. Since his previous time travels have already happened for him, nothing about them has changed.
As for 1955 Doc recognizing Marty...why would he? 1986 Doc even states when he comes back to get Marty, "So, you were the same Marty. Funny how time plays tricks on your memory." Influential or not, Doc still didn't piece it together. He needed the final piece of the puzzle, the newspaper clipping Marty gave him, in order to figure it out. As much of a genius as Doc Brown is, he's still scatter-brained.
That's another thing that's just not believable. Keeping a tiny newspaper clipping for 50 years without ever reading it? And then somehow remembering in 1986 to read that scrap of paper you got 50 years earlier?
If it had been me, I would have read the newspaper clipping as soon as Marty's back had been turned.
I agree...and that's where the whole idea of alternate timelines and alternate Marty's comes in.
The future in which Marty raced Needles and ended up as a loser, Hell Valley, the reality in which Doc was buried at the Boot Hill Cemetary, the Tannen Mob ruled Hill Valley and the Citizen Brown reality are all alternate timelines which DID exist, in meta-time terms, and are only remembered by the time travellers who visited all of them at some point during his time travels...namely, Marty. Marty himself retains his memories of the original timeline (where his father was a pushover and Biff a bully)...therefore the Marty who grew up with successful parents simply 'merged' with him, the original Marty, later.
So my question is-would the same happen with Doc? Wouldn't the new timeline Doc also have 'merged' with the original Doc at some point and remembered both timelines?
Yes, but you're not Emmett Brown.
Doc wouldn't know the picture is actually of him until the event in the picture happens to him 50 years later.
I think the newspaper clipping clearly mentions that DR. EMMETT BROWN is being given the Key to the City...plus, even if Emmett didn't read that and assumed the picture was of Carl Sagan, by the 1950's at least, he should have begun to notice the resemblance between himself and Carl Sagan...
No, I think we're supposed to assume that he somehow DOESN'T see the picture in the clipping for 55 years (65 years actually, counting his time in the Old West).
Yes he most certainly would see the connection immediately. I'm always open to the possibility that anyone I encounter in my daily life is a time traveller, as everyone should be, including Emmet.
He would just think "Oh, clearly he's from the future, it all makes perfect sense now." It's a miracle that young Emmet didn't know that already from the first episode.
Starting in 1955 he's also holding a letter he cant open until 1985.....
I mean, Marty, a guy who should already remind him of his friend from 24 years ago with the SAME name, gives him a letter he's only supposed to open at a certain point of time years later. JUST like the other Marty gave him the newspaper clipping! And then there's the whole Western Union letter his future self trapped in the past sent Marty...there's a clear pattern here which Doc should figure out...
The reason why its so darn confusing is that we follow the series from Marty's POV only and experiance events/timelines in the order that he experiances them. And because Marty interacts with various versions of Doc during his travels, if you try to put together Doc's perspective in terms of HIS personal timeline...things can get REAL convoluted.
Also, the Marty we're following can still be considered the Original Marty...in the sense that we're supposed to believe he's the same Marty who grew up with loser parents, then went through various time travel adventures, including 2 trips to 1955, a trip to 2015, to 1885 and various trips to 1931, altering the destiny of Doc, Biff and his family several times over. He may gain new memories of the new timelines he's created, but ultimately he's the same kid who we see walk into Doc's lab at the start of BTTF1.
Whereas Doc's personal timeline has been rewritten so many times over the course of the films, especially with regards to his 'deaths' being erased, that we really aren't following ONE version of Doc throughout the series, but SEVERAL different versions of him.
In the films, we have Twin Pines Doc, who was killed by Libyans. We have Lone Pine Doc, who met Marty in 1955, survived the Libyans, goes through the time travels of BTTF2 and gets trapped in 1885 and shot by Tannen. We have the Doc of Hell Valley, who ends up in an asylum. We have Shonash Doc, who saw his own tombstone in 1955 and sent Marty back to 1885. We have a fourth Doc (Eastwood Doc, possibly) whom Marty saved in 1885, and who married Clara and had kids, and is presumably the Doc we begin with in the game.
And then in the game alone, we also have Citizen Brown. And we then have the Doc of the final timeline.
You find that paragraph confusing...you bet! THAT'S how confusing its SUPPOSED to be when you think it through logically...
Agreed...the Telltale game is only 'semi-canon' at best and the trilogy's continuity is as such 'unaffected'...
However, within the context of the Telltale game itself, the events of the three films are supposed to have still happened...and it is in that sense, that I'm wondering how the events of the three films played out in the final timeline of the game, given that Doc's personal history has changed.
I don't think it's fair to assume Doc didn't figure it all out until 1986. His comments at the time didn't indicate disbelief, but rather that he was confirming a theory, one which he probably came up with some time ago (from his perspective.)
Regarding the newspaper clipping in 1931, he obviously trusted Marty a great deal at the point he obtained it. After all, Marty was responsible for a complete transformation in his life, and from "Emmett's" perspective, he NEVER would have become a scientist without Marty's help.
So considering this is still Doc Brown we're talking about, it's not unreasonable to believe he put it in an envelope in a scrapbook somewhere and labeled it "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU GET THE KEY TO THE CITY."
If I had to pinpoint exactly when Doc figured it all out, it would probably have been in 1955, after Marty showed up on his doorstep, seeking help to get back to 1985. Not instantaneously, mind you, because you have to remember Doc Brown was largely skeptical of Marty until Marty told him the Flux Capacitor story. And remember that time has a way of warping memories, just as 1986 Doc later said, "Funny, I remembered you being much taller." So just because "Marty McFly" shows up on his doorstep, it would only make a suspicious Doc more suspicious, especially since this Marty would be addressing him as "Doc," not "Emmett." No reason for him to initially assume that it's the same Marty and not some kind of trick.
Then, once Doc learns Marty is a time traveler, he would probably start to wonder if this Marty is THAT Marty, but he'd never ask directly because of his fears that it would mess up the space-time continuum. (Which it might, considering that THAT Marty is still about a year away from going back to 1931.) In fact, now knowing that 1931 Marty never told him about the time travel, would only serve to help confirm Doc's theories on the subject.
You might, at this point, be asking "well then why did Doc read the letter from Marty which warned him about the Libyans?" Simple. Because Marty TOLD HIM TO. Doc was forced to choose between two contrasting beliefs: that knowing future events could be disastrous, and the possibility that NOT listening to his time-traveling friend, Marty, could be equally disastrous. But in the first case, Marty told him not to read the newspaper clipping. In the second case, Marty told him to read it and that his life depended on it. So he read it.
And by the way, Doc could have potentially decided to go back and read the clipping from 1931 at virtually any time thereafter, or even preceding, and it would have had little to no effect anyways. Suppose you read an article about something that will happen to yourself 50 years from now. Unless you knew for a fact that it was real and it was bestowed upon you by a time traveler, you'd think it was a prank. And if it was good news, what would you even do about it? You'd do nothing, because there'd be nothing you could do, you'd just keep living your life.
That's probably why Marty remained the main character throughout the entire game. I remember speculation at one time after episode 1 that episode 2 would have you control Doc since Marty was fading out but I knew it wouldnt fit well with the theme of the films; while Marty isnt onscreen in several films, we're pretty much always seeing Marty's TOV (time of view). About the longest shots we see of a time period marty isn't in are biff seeing the flying delorean time travel from 1985 to 2015 and the train fall off the cliff in 1885.
I'd imagine if you were able to view the 1955 events under the current timeline you may see it go down slightly differently; we're not sure if Marty encounters Arthur or Sylvia in 1955 (it isnt shown onscreen but he is at georges house helping him with laundry), they may or may not recognize him. Edna may or may not still be in jail for arson, its likely if she's out she may be a part of Biffs life. But from docs perspective it's possible he may falsely assume Marty has already gone through the 1931 trip. Now one key thing to note is in 1931 marty tells him not to open the pic until he receives the key to the city, he does not indicate it will be 1986 (he does mention several times not to open the letter til 1985 though).
Yeah, I guess it is plausible that Doc figured it out in 1955 but kept his mouth shut about it...though I personally believe its also likely he only SUSPECTED but didn't actually KNOW until the day he received the Key to the City.
That said, this whole thing just makes Doc's life and his memories all the more messed up. So, in the final timeline, while testing the Delorean at Lone Pine Mall for the first time, Doc already KNOWS that the Libyans will try to kill him and that Marty will end up in 1955 for a week. He knows that after Marty's return he time travelled to the early 21st century and had the Delorean upgraded with hover-conversion and Mr. Fusion AT MINIMUM (I don't know if Marty told him about the rejuvenation). He knows that at some point, he and Marty will return to 1955 to get 'a book from Biff' and that he will get struck by lightning and sent back to 1885. And he also knows that at some point, Marty will make a trip to 1931, befriend him as a teenager and ensure he becomes a scientist, and that an alternate version of HIMSELF will also go back to 1931 and kidnap him as a teenager!
All this he knows before the Delorean has even been TESTED...
Weird!
Well, actually the Doc from the beginning of the game WOULD have 1955 Doc's memories.
The Doc from the beginning of the game would differ from the one at the end of the game in the following respects-
1. Original Doc would have remembered being inspired to become a scientist by watching the movie 'Frankenstein'...New Doc wouldn't have watched Frankenstein but was instead inspired to become a scientist upon observing lightning from atop the Clock Tower at the end of Ep 4.
2. Original Doc wouldn't remember ever dating Edna Strickland (if he ever even KNEW her)...New Doc dated her for two months before Marty broke up their relationship.
3. Original Doc wouldn't remember meeting anyone called Marty/Michael Corleone/Sonny Crockett in 1931...New Doc not only remembered but even kept a newspaper clipping Marty had given him on the day of the Expo.
4. Original Doc and his father would have continued to have had an acrimonious relationship and probably never made up...New Doc and his father made up, thanks to Marty, at the time of the Expo and had a much better relationship.
5. Original Doc never returned to the 1980's after the end of BTTF3 and thus his possessions were being sold off by the bank...New Doc returned to the 1980's after the events of BTTF3 to run his father's foundation; he and Clara settled down in 1986 with the kids.
6. Original Doc traveled to 1931, assumed the identity of Carl Sagan, was accused of being the speakeasy arsonist, was arrested, and went through the events of Episodes 1 and 2...New Doc did not travel to 1931 and on May 14th was instead attending the Key to the City ceremony; he only traveled to 1931 when he deduced that Marty was stranded there.
Not quite. The doc at the beginning of the game WOULD remember the 1955 events from part I, and traveling back from the biffhoric 1985 to 1955 but would not remember his second encounter with marty at the beginning of part III
So for instance when we see the 2 Doc's having a conversation with each other in 1955, doc would remember having the conversation with his younger self but would not remember the older doc helping him with his 'weather experiment'
Yeah, some people would assume that. However, if you believe that time traveller's eventually remember the new timeline (for example, Marty remembering his successful parents), then Doc would eventually remember his second encounter with Marty.
I think the game does sort of validate the idea that time traveller's will eventually remember the new timeline...the very fact that the new Doc remembered Marty from 1931, and dating Edna and basically his life in the new timeline indicated that he had memories of the new timeline...
Of course, the game also confirms that time traveller's retain their memories of the original timeline they come from...so by that logic, if Marty remembers a reality where his parents were losers, why can't Doc remember a reality where he and his father weren't on good terms and he didn't return to 1985/6 with Clara? Or the issue of the two Doc's somehow different from the TP/LP Marty issue?
And the whole 'they never get memories of the new timeline' thing doesn't make sense after a point...its obvious LP Marty and the Doc who dressed Marty in 'that ridiculous outfit' had to go SOMEWHERE...they might have been erased from existence, but would it make sense for them to be erased and the original versions to remain when its now THEIR timeline which is the 'current' one...it makes more sense that they merge with the original versions.
It's never confirmed nor denied whether marty eventually 'remembers' the new timeline. It's been 6 months for him and he doesnt even cite anything that happened in the new timeline that he 'remembers'
Does Doc remember dating edna at one point in episode 5? I thought i recalled him being surprised to find that out by i could be wrong. I guess he should because this doc obviously has a different timeline due to his interaction with his father.
Generally the key to a person remembering a former timeline would be that the time traveler should be the only one who remembers the old timeline. So marty has always been the time traveler but in docs case it's tricky since he was time traveling when the timeline was changed to the FCB timeline but faded out and then 'kind of' came back in episode 5. It seems this doc does not remember the FCB timeline or the previous of the timeline; he doesnt remember being gone for six months.
It's never been establish what would happen if you were to go back to 1955 and see what happens after the delorean gets struck by lightning. Do doc and marty go back there at all since the biffhoric timeline has now been avoided? Marty from part I would still show up since he doesnt go to the past to change the timeline. Likewise doc went to 1931 originally for information (martys grandmother) NOT to change the timeline so that travel likely still happens.
Doc does mention having dated Edna as a teenager in Ep 5, when he and Marty encounter her in the 'Burnt Hill Valley' 1931...
Yeah, you're right about the fact that the time traveller should be the only one who remembers the old timeline, and it makes perfect sense in the case of Marty and the original 1955 trip. But it gets tricky when one considers BTTF2 and 3. Marty and Doc both remember the original timeline (or rather Marty remembers the original timeline and Doc remembers the altered 'Lone Pine' timeline), although it is Biff who time travelled and created the new 'Hell Valley' timeline-although that's been explained away by saying that reality simply transformed around them because they didn't belong to 2015 (kinda what happens to Doc and Marty in 1931 in Ep 5). And then, in BTTF3, when Doc gets sent back to 1885, the same situation arises with Marty remembering the previous timeline (with the story of Clayton Ravine) even though he wasn't time travelling at the time, and Doc obviously remembers the original name of the ravine as well.
So throughout the movies, Doc remembers the original timeline HE came from (with Lone Pine Mall and Clayton Ravine) or rather the timeline in which he originally started time travelling.
However, the game confuses things because that time travelling Doc is erased, and we later have a new time travelling Doc who is clearly a product of the latest timeline and doesn't even seem to remember the original timeline he started from.
So that begs the question-if he ONLY remembers the altered timeline vis a vi the events of 1931 and his relationship with his father, then does he also now ONLY remember the altered timeline with respect to all the previous time travel trips?
For instance, did the new Doc in Ep 5 ONLY remember the ravine being called Eastwood Ravine? Did he ONLY remember a timeline where Marty visited him for the second time in 1955?
If Doc remembers Clayton Ravine and Marty NOT visiting him in 1955 for the second time, why shouldn't he also not remember having NOT moved back to 1986?
I think events in 1955 would proceed, for the most part, as we're familiar with, taking into account the final timeline of the MOVIES (not the game).
Marty from Part 1 would arrive from Twin Pines 1985 and would prevent his parents first meeting. He would meet Doc and they would spend the week trying to preserve his existence and figure out how to send him back to the future. Early in the morning on November 12th, the second Marty and Doc would arrive from 1985-A to get the Almanac from Biff. Later in the day, Old Biff shows up from Lone Pine 2015 to give himself the Almanac. Before Old Biff's departure there are thus FOUR Delorean's in Hill Valley (including the one in the Delgado Mine since 1885, which none of the characters are aware of as yet). Old Biff leaves, then Marty follows young Biff to the dance. The events at the dance happen as per BTTF1 and 2. Marty gets the book from Biff and burns it. Doc gets struck by lightning and Marty receives the letter from Western Union. Just after BTTF1 Marty is sent back to the future at the Clock Tower, BTTF2 Marty arrives and surprises Doc. He shows '55 Doc the letter his older self wrote. They uncover the buried Delorean from the mine.
Now here, I feel, things may differ a bit. Since there is no tombstone to find in the final timeline (since Doc wasn't killed), Marty needs another reason to go back to 1885. I think its possible Marty decides to look up Doc in the history books himself (its okay for him to find out Doc's fate, because its not HIS destiny). He goes to the library and finds the picture of him and Doc at the Clock Tower's inauguration. He realises now he was MEANT to go back, so Doc sends him back from the Drive-in once the Delorean is repaired. Once Marty travels back to 1885, he 'merges' with the Marty from the early part of BTTF3 who saw the tombstone and knows he needs to save Doc (kinda like how LP Marty is replaced by TP Marty).
Jumpin' jigowatts. I think I'd need a full 1.21 of those to stay awake much longer and think fourth dimensionally this part of the night/morning/space-time continuum...
*faints more violently than Doc on Marty reappearing after he sent him back to the future*
It would be impossible in meta-time, but not so in actual chronological time...
In meta-time, the picture with BOTH Marty and Doc didn't exist yet when they went to the library in 1955. It only came into existence when Marty went back to 1885 and then took the pic with Doc.
In actual chronological time however, in the final timeline, Marty and Doc took the pic together in 1885. Since the pic was taken in 1885, and 1955 is chronologically AFTER 1885, the pic would logically be present in 1955 and it should be possible for the Marty in 1955 to be able to see it, even before he travelled back to 1885. Once in 1885 however, he would not remember having seen the picture of BOTH him and Doc (but he would remember the tombstone).
From what we see in episode 5, it's implied the trilogy is unaffected by the events of the game other than the ending might have slightly altered to doc and the family staying instead of leaving (or maybe they went to go do more time traveling and eventually returned). They obviously do settle down in 1985 in the current timeline while the old one it was another time. In the timeline at the beginning of the timeline it's obvious clara has been to the 2020's (she wants one of the boys to attend school there) and not sure how well vernes video games would work in the 1800s.
Kind of off point here but if you recall in back to the future part II, marty goes into the gym and sees himself waving and looking at his hand (which he does to signify its not fading anymore). This probably implies that time travelers go through the same thing each time and their future time travels are not written; so if you were to look at marty I's picture it probably still fades and he still goes through the same discomfort on stage as we did see in the first film. So i dont think there is ever a timeline where marty finds his own picture in the library in 1955.
To tell you the truth, I can't completely disagree with what you're saying because it does make a BIT of sense, albeit in a somewhat convoluted way.
However, I feel that logically, the situation you've described in BTTF2, and the tombstone situation, are quiet difference.
In the case of the scene in BTTF2, nothing has changed before the night November 12th 1955 in the new timeline which would alter the events at the dance. In the original Lone Pine timeline, seen in BTTF1, Marty tries to get his parents together, Biff causes trouble, George punches out Biff, Lorraine and George dance, George nearly doesn't kiss Lorraine causing Marty to start fading out, and then George kisses Lorraine and Marty's hand phases back into existence.
In the new timeline, seen in BTTF2, the only things which are different in this scenario are the presence of an additional Marty (who's careful not to interfere with the events of the first film) and Biff having the Almanac...neither of these factors affect the events described above, so the BTTF1 Marty we see in the background will go through the same things that 'our' Marty went through in BTTF1 (and yet there is at least ONE difference-he sees Biff's goons knocked out in the wings, which 'our' Marty didn't).
Now in the case of the tombstone, all the events of the early part of BTTF3 in 1955 would have happened as we saw in the film because nothing Marty changed in 1885 would have prevented his earlier self from surprising Doc at the town square, showing him the letter, uncovering the Delorean from the mine etc. However, when we come to the point where Marty followed Copernicus to the field, events would logically diverge since there was no tombstone in this timeline. So in this case, Marty can't possible go through the same things in the Eastwood timeline that he went through in the Shonash timeline.
except that when we see Biff in 1955 it is now the Biffhoric timeline and he's left from a spot in time (2015) in which he's either dead or already rich with no reason to steal the almanac/delorean
Again that is totally different.
The fact of Old Biff's arrival from LP 2015 stays the same, but the timeline we see Old Biff experiancing in 1955 is not the same timeline Old Biff 'originally' experianced (in meta-time) when he travelled back to 1955. The timeline we see in 1955 is NOT the Biffhorific timeline (or the Hell Valley timeline as I prefer to call it) because it has ALREADY been altered by the arrival of Marty and Doc earlier that day. The only reason why Old Biff went through the same things as 'before' was because Marty was careful not to interfere with any of Old Biff's actions in the past, as per Doc's instructions. And yet, the very fact of Marty's presence ensures that Old Biff is experiencing a different timeline.
It's kinda like this-
1. Old Biff's 'original' trip: Old Biff travels to November 12th 1955 and gives Young Biff the Almanac. No one else overhears their meeting or is aware of the fact that Young Biff has the Almanac. Having succeeded in his objective, Old Biff returns to the future.
2. Old Biff's 'revised' trip (which we see in the movie): Old Biff travels to November 12th 1955 to give Young Biff the Almanac. Unknown to him however, Marty and Doc are also present in 1955 and aware of his intentions. Marty overhears the meeting and lets Old Biff assume he has succeeded in his objective. Old Biff then returns to the future.
So you see, it only went the same way for Biff because Marty LET it play out the same way.
Also you gotta note that plot script is not made by same writers who did the movies. Many of the movie scripts are developed for years before they even start the filming.
Well, naturally the BTTF scripts were in development for years, but the impression one gets from all the interviews and FAQ's is that the two Bobs were actively involved in every aspect of script at every stage of development.
And I agree with the 'fiction' argument...except that ALL inconsistencies in ANY movie can be handwaved with the 'fiction' argument and yet there are millions of people all over cyberspace who debate over the failure of logic in the plots of numerous films...BTTF is certainly no exception!