Discussion Main / TimeTravelersAreSpies

The two episodes of Star Trek cited result in a Canon Discontinuity, as one would think that Kirk's appearance in 1968 at a US military installation would have resulted in some sort of record being made which would have come up when he was caught again in 1969. All the writers had to do was change the date on "Assignment: Earth" (since "Tomorrow is Yesterday" aired first) to 1970 or later, and throw in a few lines about how Kirk's been caught before. Or better yet, have a different character get caught—Scotty would be a likely candidate, as he possesses the technical knowledge needed for the mission, and the time travel this time was deliberate (consciously introducing Spock to the past would create even more problems in the event of mission failure). Spock stays on the bridge, Kirk could still get a moment leading the heroic rescue, and the discontinuity could have been avoided.

Note on Doctor Who examples. As you can see from the first entry, examples of this trope in the series are a bit thin. As a Time Travel Long Runner everyone thinks it must have loads of examples, but actual specific instances are very hard to find (we have turned up only two possible instances from Lost Episodes in the Hartnell era (and one instance from the Pertwee one where someone unsuccessfully attempts to frame The Doc as this, without the Time Travel element). If you are going to add a Doctor Who example please mention the specific story it occurs. "turns up all the time" or similar just isn't enough.

Does Star Ocean 3, wherein Sufficiently Advanced Aliens Are Foreign Engineers, count as a variant?

There are a couple things I want to lift from the YKTTW but don't quite fit on the page. Surprisingly we haven't turned up any unambiguous Doctor Who examples, but a google search suggests these three candidates:

• "The Crusade": The Doctor Who Wiki summary includes "The Doctor and Vicki, back in the good graces of the King, are advised to leave court to avoid further entanglements. They use this opportunity to make a break for the TARDIS. The Doctor is caught by the Earl of Leicester, who thinks the Doctor is a spy for Saladin."
• "The Myth Makers": this page says: "Meanwhile, Steven and Vicki have been taken prisoner by the other side. The Trojans are convinced that Vicki is a spy - and to prove her loyalty she must concoct a plan to defeat the Greeks! Like the Doctor, she has just two days to do it."
• "The Time Warrior": If I'm reading this right, Sarah Jane tries to convince UNIT that the Doctor is a spy in her introductory episode, though as she's posing as her aunt at the time she might just be trying to throw them off her own trail.

Also, this comment about Star Trek IV is worth preserving: "Regarding the Trek IV example and just as complete natter I once read a fanfic which had a wonderful bit of Fridge Brilliance for leaving Chekov behind like that. The crew thinks that the Cold War due to a flaw in the way history is taught is a real shooting war, and that if Chekov is left behind he'll be treated as POW, but Uhura on the other hand is black and they know how black people were treated in 20thC America so getting her out is a priority.

The subtleties of each decade escape them, after all how many people know about the changing attitudes of the Victorian era."