Who gets to time travel?
Question of the Day: which type of characters get to go on time travel adventures in mainstream movies and shows?
That’s a question I often ask as I re-watch familiar time travel movies or seek out new ones. For starters, it’s mostly cis white people (Looper; The Time Traveler’s Wife; Outlander) and of those white folks, primarily straight men (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Back to the Future; About Time; Hot Tub Time Machine; and The Time Machine).
Timeless and Hot Tub Time Machine each feature a main black character. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow has a rotating cast of BIPOC and queer characters. Overall, though, BIPOC characters don’t get to play much in mainstream time travel movies and shows.
See You Yesterday, with its two Black leads and gender parity, is an exception as well as a welcome addition to the genre. As of this writing, the situation is still pretty dire, but at least Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred has been optioned for a television series.
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Back in 2013, Anna Smith wrote an article for The Guardian titled, "Why can't women time travel?":
From The Terminator to Back to the Future to Richard Curtis's new film About Time, movies love time travel – but it's strictly for men. Anna Smith wishes she could turn back the clock
Here's a follow-up question: how much has changed for female characters in time travel movies since 2013? As I survey the movie and streaming landscape, I can only conclude, not much.
Furthermore, rare to the point of nonexistent in mainstream time travel movies and shows: LGBQT+ characters of any skin tone. We don’t yet have a sapphic Kate & Leopold or a gay Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure—let alone one that's on track to become an icon in the genre.
We all know why the lack exists. Chipping away at the extreme power imbalance and gatekeeping that results in the scarcity of queer character time travel movies and shows will depend on changing numerous factors about Hollywood. At the very least, we’d need an established screenwriter who a) has enough clout, b) wants to do a time travel movie/show with queer leads, and c) can obtain funding.
If nothing else, we have books. And our imagination. Even if we can’t write the stories down, we can spin the tales in our heads and/or with fellow fans, or write diverse time travel fanfic.
One huge advantage of books is their “unlimited budget” because they can depict worlds with any amount of detail and any type of characters. Plus, there aren’t as many pesky gatekeepers trying to shut out marginalized voices.
Hence, there are time travel books with queer characters (with or without romance) such as This Is How You Lose the Time War (Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone); Scatter by Molly J. Bragg, The Time Slip Girl (Elizabeth Andre); One Last Stop (Casey McQuiston); Yesterday Is History (Kosoko Jackson); and The Fog of War (A.L. Lester).
Scatter by Molly J. Bragg
Wanting to see myself reflected in a time travel adventure, I recently added a queer-flavored time travel romance to the list: Julie & Winifred’s Most Excellent Adventure. It features a biracial, bisexual MC and a white lesbian MC. Other rep includes trans, aro-ace, and additional bi rep.
I wrote this story to entertain and also expand on what’s come before. No one book can represent everyone, which is why this genre can benefit from authors of all LGBQT+ flavors writing diverse time travel stories.
That concludes my article about who gets to time travel in mainstream movies and shows. Let's hope the situation improves in another decade or so. Thanks for visiting!
Keep reading to learn more about my book…
Julie & Winifred’s Most Excellent Adventure by Heather Massey
About Julie & Winifred’s Most Excellent Adventure
The queer geek flag flies in Julie & Winifred’s Most Excellent Adventure, a whimsical f/f time travel romance featuring a diverse cast of big personality characters, tender romance, quirky humor, and smart social commentary. Think: a sapphic Kate and Leopold.
Jump into the adventure:
In 1838 England, spinster mathematician Winifred Blackburn helps her inventor brother build a time machine as an instrument of good for science, only to discover his diabolical plan for using it to manipulate history. To stop him, she steals the device. But when her heist goes wrong, she uses the time machine to avoid capture—and accidentally leaps to the year 2030.
Meanwhile, in 2030 America, Julie “Queen of All Geeks” Sherman enjoys a lucrative job, an adorable cat, and a treasure trove of comic book collectibles, but finding the love of her life is the one achievement she hasn’t been able to unlock. What good is her golden nest egg if she can’t share it with anyone?
One fateful day at a comic con, Julie encounters a disoriented Winifred and helps her recover. The situation takes a wild turn when Winifred proves she’s a genuine time traveler.
This time-crossed couple wins the romance jackpot, but danger threatens their happily ever after when a mysterious intruder appears, bent on stealing the time machine at all costs. To help Winifred escape back to Victorian London, Julie has to act fast—even if it means losing the woman of her dreams.
Julie & Winifred’s Most Excellent Adventure will captivate fans of geek-flavored romances like Olivia Dade’s Spoiler Alert and Seressia Glass’ The Love Con, as well as time travel ones like Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop.
Watch the most excellent book trailer!
Romance book trailer for Heather Massey’s f/f time travel romance and buddy comedy Julie & Winifred’s Most Excellent Adventure. Features the plot information, the illustrated romance book cover and bonus book art of the Disaster Pets by artist Eileen Widjaja, romance tropes, time travel footage, and other fun visuals, all set to the adventure comedy indie rock trailer music of musician Leslie Brown.
Meet the Disaster Pets
This story features two adorable pets, a pampered Pomeranian named Shelby and Spritle, a mischievous American Shorthair. Enjoy the whimsical illustration of the Disaster Pets by artist Eileen Widjaja:
Pomeranian Shelby and American Shorthair Spritle, the Disaster Pets from Julie & Winifred’s Most Excellent Adventure
Buy the Book
About the Author
Heather Massey (she/her) is a geek mom who's the proud parent of a terrific daughter and married to the love of her life. Heather is best known for her sci-fi romance blog The Galaxy Express.
Though she’s neither an award-winning nor bestselling author (thank you for not judging!), her stories provide quality entertainment by way of fantastical worlds, action-adventure, and larger-than-life characters who fall in love while battling evils such as classist jerks, corporate greed, the patriarchy, and corrupt politicians.
Website: heathermassey.com
Twitter: @thgalaxyexpress
About the Illustrator
Eileen Widjaja is a writer and artist currently working and living in Indonesia. She has worked for numerous clients throughout the years and contributed to a great variety of projects. Eileen is always looking for new projects and experiences, especially in the comic industry.
Website: https://www.eileenwidjaja.com/
Twitter: @eileenwdj
