13 Favorite Time Travelers
Marty McFly (from Back to the Future) – Stuck back in 1955, Marty unknowingly alters his future. Easily, one of my favorite movies of all time.
Memorable Quote: Wait a minute, Doc. Ah… Are you telling me you built a time machine… out of a DeLorean?
Dr. Sam Beckett (from Quantum Leap) – Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Doctor Sam Beckett led an elite group of scientists into the desert to develop a top secret project, known as QUANTUM LEAP. Pressured to prove his theories or lose funding, Doctor Beckett, prematurely stepped into the Project Accelerator and vanished. He awoke to find himself in the past, suffering from partial amnesia and facing a mirror image that was not his own. Fortunately, contact with his own time was made through brainwave transmissions, with Al, the Project Observer, who appeared in the form of a hologram that only Doctor Beckett could see and hear. Trapped in the past, Doctor Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, putting things right, that once went wrong and hoping each time, that his next leap will be the leap home.
Memorable Quote: Oh, boy …
Admiral Al Calavicci (from Quantum Leap) – Al may just be the observer for most of the series, but he gets to do some traveling of his own in season 4.
Memorable Quote: Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. And if you do, take pictures.
The 4400 – According to the entity that took over Kyle’s body in season 1, beings from the future were responsible for abducting the 4400. They gave them all unique abilities and sent them all back at the same time and place, none of them having aged a day.
Memorable Quote: Shawn Farrell: Me and 4,399 of my closest friends popped out of a ball of light right about here.
Frank and John Sullivan (from Frequency) – Okay, they don’t exactly travel through time, but they do communicate across 30 years on a Ham radio.
Memorable Quote: Frank Sullivan: So what did ya wind up doing? You join the department?
John Sullivan: Actually I went the other way. I’m a cop.
Frank Sullivan: [laughing] What? You’re 3rd generation fire fighter. Come on I thought you were gonna grow out of that cop thing.
Star Trek – Just about every character in every series of Star Trek got in some time traveling. Who knew time travel was so easy?
Memorable Quotes:
Kirk (from Star Trek: The Voyage Home): May fortune favor the foolish.
Picard (from Star Trek: First Contact): Mr. Data, lay in a course for the 24th century. I suspect our future is there waiting for us.
Sisko (from Star Trek: Deep Space 9“Trials and Tribble-ations”): Kirk had quite the reputation as a ladies’ man.
Janeway (from Star Trek: Voyager, “Time and Again”): Young man, we’re here on a business trip and we have a lot of work to do.
Archer (from Star Trek: Enterprise, “Shockwave”): T’Pol: I still don’t believe in time travel.
Archer: The hell you don’t!
Superman – In Superman: The Movie, starring Christopher Reeves, he travels back in time to save Lois Lane. By flying around the earth really fast. Yep.
Memorable Quote: I’m here to fight for truth, and justice, and the American way.
Hermione Granger (from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) – In a strange subplot, it turns out Hermione was using a Time-Turner to be able to enroll in extra classes. Collecting the Biggest Nerd in History Award.
Memorable Quote: Is that really what my hair looks like from the back?
July 12th, 2007 at 12:44 am
Great list, and just in time for the new HP movie to come out. Happy TT.
July 12th, 2007 at 1:07 am
Back in the late ’70s, there was also a show called the Tomorrow People. It was UK based (a later version was US based) and they had the ability to travel through time as well…
Great list, and ours is up if you want to stop by and have a look…
July 12th, 2007 at 1:13 am
What a great list.
Especially Hermoine. That line was pretty funny. And Sam and Al were hysterical. I’ll never forget the episode where Sam leapt into the body of a monkey.
cjh
July 12th, 2007 at 4:31 am
I hope it will be as easy one day as Star Trek made it. I’d love to visit certain times and places!
My TT lists 13 things I can’t (or don’t want to…) live without.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Very fun list! I was trying to think if there were other television or film time traveler’s that you left out but nothing is springing to mind at the moment.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Darling, you didn’t include Doctor Who! I’m not sure if you’re a fan or not, but he is, hands down my favourite. The new show is “fantastic” and I’m totally hooked. The spin off, Torchwood, is a much darker version which I love as well.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:46 am
Burntofferings – Never heard of it. Must have not had to many reruns in the States.
Christine – No. I tried to watch the first couple episodes of Dr Who when it began on the SciFi Channel. But it was way too cheesy for my taste. manequin arms chasing people and a trash can that ate a boy? I felt like I was watching a B movie. I’m not into B movies, unless it’s via MST3000.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Star Trek is my hubby’s ultimate fave show…he couldn’t get enough! great list…mine’s up, hope u could visit…
July 12th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Ah Angela, I guess you get past that after a bit. I grew up watching Doctor Who and got hooked on the character. It will always hold a place in my heart.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:27 am
I really liked the move, Frequency. It was one of those rare movies that I had heard nothing about before seeing it, and I was totally engrossed in it.
I do like the newer Dr. Who though. I don’t watch regularly, but it’s the kind of campy, silly fun that the 1960s Batman show had.
I wish I had $5 for every time I’ve watched any of the Back to the Future movies, but the original one, I can still watch repeatedly, more than the next two.
I was never able to get into any of the Star Treks after the original series. My Mother in Law loved them all, but I couldn’t even get into Next Generation and I love Patrick Stewart.
Oh well, I did go to Louisiana public schools and I never liked the Beatles either, so what do I know.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:34 am
No Doctor on the list?!? He’s the greatest time-traveller of them all…
Give the new series another chance..and get some Tom Baker eps on DVD!
See why we all love the good Doctor so.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Christine – I can see how he’d be a fun character, I just can’t get past the cheesy storylines and bad special effects! I probably would feel different if it was on here when I was a kid.
JAM – I still watch Back to the Future over and over. That’s one I’ll never get sick of.
Michael – I doubt I’d find them to rent anywhere around here. And I couldn’t justify buying it in hopes that I may enjoy it.. lol
July 12th, 2007 at 11:05 am
That movie Frequency with Dennis Quaid was a great movie.
And Quantum Leap was a great show.
Good list (except for Superman) Sorry, never was a Superman (Christopher Reeve) fan.
July 12th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Great list…I forgot some of those:) Happy TT.
July 12th, 2007 at 11:27 am
In no particular order:
1. Christopher Reeve as Richard Collier in Somewhere in Time, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081534/
2. Time Bandits, THE time travelers movie, “Don’t touch it, it’s evil!” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081633/
3. Oh, how could you NOT mention 12 Monkeys http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114746/
4. Yeah it’s a chick flick, but I still like Kate & Leopold, embarrassingly, I like it quite a bit, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035423/
5. I also loved The Butterfly Effect, but stick with the director’s cut, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035423/
6. The Final Countdown has more testosterone, so may save me, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080736/
7. For the ad nausea of time travel see Groundhog Day, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/
8. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is perhaps the only movie where Keanu Reeves’s “acting” works, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096928/
9. Despite the bad press, I still liked Timeline, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300556/
10. I have to mention Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court starring Bing Crosby, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041259/
11. No Arnold? The Terminator, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088247/
12. Les Visiteurs, better than the U.S. remake, much better, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108500/
13. And, ignoring the scores of others, I at least have to mention The Time Machine (1960), http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054387/
July 12th, 2007 at 11:35 am
What a great list! Back to the Future is still one of my favorites!!
Have you seen Order of the Phoenix yet? We went last night. It was really good!
July 12th, 2007 at 11:52 am
LOVED Back to the Future! And the moments from Quantum Leap where he’d come into things that weren’t at a strolling pace always amazed me, both from a writing standpoint and for the character. Always loved the City on the Edge of Forever episode of original Star Trek.
July 12th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Stephanie – I did! I went last night. I just wrote up a review that I’ll post tomorrow morning. Absolutely loved it. My sister said she cried a few times!
July 12th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Torchwood is a must see… I too find Dr Who a bit cheesy, though my brother is a major fan of both old and new series.
And I loved Quantum Leap, or did I love sam?
Remember the Tomorrow People. And old enough to remember Time Tunnel! And movie-wise- Malcolm McDowall in Time after Time – H G Wells travelling to the future to stop Jack the Ripper – great movie!
July 12th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
I love this list, but I’m with Christine. Doctor Who is so much better than it used to be, and this doctor is deeper than he ever was when my husband watched it as a kid.
My list is up, too!
July 12th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Greg – Great list! I can’t believe I forgot about Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure! That definitely should be on my list. And of course, Terminator and the old Time Machine movies…
I wasn’t a fan of 12 Monkeys or Butterfly Effect. Too dark and disturbing for my taste.
July 12th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
My favorite has got to be Somewhere in Time, but I also liked Time After Time.
July 12th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Voyager had a lot of time travel. Janeway was told off by those in the 29th Century.
July 12th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
love the back to the future movies.
angela, you’re such a movie buff… lol
July 12th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Last three and first one I all knew … haven’t seen the rest. Ya, it’s an inherent thing about Star Trek and time travel. That’s how Voyager ended with future Janeway saving the past and bringing them … whoops hope I didn’t blow something for someone.
Happy TT!!
July 12th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
Okay, I wish I could go back in time and delet that first linkey.
(I just knew I was going to do that sooner or later).
I’ve watched the Back to the Future movies so many times I’m starting to like the second one.
And the Star Trek “Voyage Home” I about burst a gut when they were interrogating Checkov.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
I liked the episode on 2nd Gen where the guy ( use to play Max Headroom- can’t remember the actors name) took a time machine from a time traveler who was in the past and went to the future to steal stuff and go back to his time and sell it as his inventions. ‘Natch Data ratted him out! And I remember a movie about people who would go into the past and watch famous events, like it was a big ol party and they got trapped in the past….no idea what the title was.
July 13th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Lisa – I deleted the blank one for ya. I love all 3 BTTF movies, but the first one is probably the only one I can watch as many times as I do..
Olga – Matt Frewer! He’s great.. and on Eureka now. That was a great episode!