Sunday, 5 June 2022

Knowledge Of Alternative Timelines

How much does the Time Patrol know about alternative timelines? First, they have experienced some:

"A man from the Scientific Renaissance had another point to make. Granted, the survivors' plain duty was to restore the 'original' time track. But they had a duty to knowledge as well. Here was a unique chance to study a whole new phase of humankind. Several years' anthropological work should be done before - Everard slapped him down with difficulty. There weren't so many Patrolmen left that they could take the risk."
-Poul Anderson, "Delenda Est" IN Anderson, Time Patrol (Riverdale, NY, 2010), pp. 173-228 AT 8, pp. 220-221.

Wanda Tamberly is shown records of:

"'Consequences of time gone awry.'"
-Poul Anderson, The Shield Of Time (New York, NY, 1991), PART FOUR, 1990 A. D., p. 253.

When Keith Denison has returned from the alpha timeline, he says:

"'In due course I may write a book or two.'"
-The Shield Of Time, PART SIX, 18,244 B. C., p. 365.

Secondly, the Patrol analyses its own timeline:

"'...that particular milieu is critical. Mr. Gordon showed me the analysis. I couldn't follow all those symbols, but he said it was a very dangerous century to tamper with.'"
Poul Anderson, "Brave To Be A King" IN Time Patrol, pp. 55-103 AT 2, p. 62.

If the analysis identifies a moment at which the timeline is most likely to be altered, does it also indicate the course of events in a potential altered timeline? We will return to this thought.

7 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Besides records of timelines gone awry, might the Patrol also have documentation of HOPEFUL timelines? Which were still "deleted" because they did not lead to the Danellians? That would be very questionable behavior on their parts, if so!

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

I think that a very great deal more could be written about the Time Patrol. Just think of the differing assessments of real world phenomena like the British Empire or US foreign policy.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I agree. Esp. since I believe both the British Empire and US foreign policy (aside from the blunders of Democrat presidents), to be far better than many critics concede.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Of course you do but my point is just that there are many views, some diametrically opposed. The same would apply to the Time Patrol and the Terran Empire.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I agree. But I also believe some views are just plain wrong, not conforming to facts.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

Well, yes. We all believe that but we also disagree about which views are wrong.

Paul.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

That is taken for granted, surely. Every time I refer to Bojo, I don't add "And, by the way, I think that most of his views are wrong, contrary to facts."