Futurepedia
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*In Dakota Season Three, a character says he must go Back to the Future.
 
*In Dakota Season Three, a character says he must go Back to the Future.
 
*There is a PS3 trophy for The Sims 3 entitled "[[Great Scott]]!", which is obtained by building a "[[Flux Capacitor|flux combobulator]].
 
*There is a PS3 trophy for The Sims 3 entitled "[[Great Scott]]!", which is obtained by building a "[[Flux Capacitor|flux combobulator]].
  +
*As in the film, there is a [[Flux Capacitor]] present in the cab of the locomotive in The Polar Express Video Game.
   
 
==Anime==
 
==Anime==

Revision as of 15:33, 20 November 2011

This page is for references to the Back to the Future trilogy in movies and television.

For a list of movies and television shows that were referenced in the Back to the Future trilogy, see Homage.

Movies

Death Becomes Her

  • In this film (also directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis) Helen took her magic potion on October 26, 1985, the pivotal date from the first film.

Fanboys (2009)

  • In a film largely referencing Star Wars, Hutch, while making it with a lady in bed in Las Vegas, claims to possess a "flux capacitor" and that the 1.21 gigawatts "don't come cheap".

Ghost Rider (2007)

  • When Ghost Rider's bike breaks the sound barrier, the license plate falls off and spins.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

  • In the scene where the Grinch is building his sleigh, his dog Max gets him a wrench from the toolbox. The Grinch yells ""I asked for 3/4, not 5/8, Stay Focused!".
  • In a deleted scene, the license plate of the sleigh falls off and spins in place.

I Love You, Man

  • In the scene where the two characters are playing "Rush" in their garage, one of the characters yells out, "Hey, Chuck, you know that new sound you were looking for?" and falls over before he can finish the quote, while is playing a solo on guitar.

Knocked Up

  • Ben Stone played by Seth Rogan, who impregnates Katherine Heigl's character Alison Scott, sits at dinner and begins to discuss Back to the Future with his friend, including references to the DeLorean time machine and the flux capacitor. His fiance's friend then uses similar references to shut him up.

Kopps

  • In the last scene of this Swedish movie, two guys get into a police car (a Volvo V70) that has been modified into a pizza delivery car; they back up, the wheels come out, and it flies away, swings back and goes right toward the camera. Videoclip

Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh

  • At the parade, Crazy Steve pulls up to Drake and Josh's float in a DeLorean DMC-12 and then, the camera makes a close-up examination on the front of the DeLorean similar to the one seen in Back to the Future. When Steve gets back into the car, he immediately steps into the car and drives away. When the car drives away quickly, the license plate falls off and spins around before falling down flat on the roadway.

National Lampoon's Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj

  • During the Hastings Cup Trivia Challenge, one of the answers to a question is "The Flux Capacitor"

Paul

  • As Paul enters his spaceship to return to his planet, he tells Tara that she is coming with him. Tara hesitates, saying, "I forgot to bring my toothbrush." Paul responds, "Where we're going, we don't need teeth."Also, in one scene of the movie, they park their RV behind a sign similar to liyon estates sign in 1955.

The Pagemaster

  • When Richard enters the library and meets Christopher Lloyd's character, their interaction is an homage to Lloyd's scene in Back to the Future when Marty meets Doc from the 50's. Doc uses a strange machine on his head to guess what Marty has come to him for, guessing again and again incorrectly and not letting him speak. In The Pagemaster, when Richard meets Lloyd's character the librarian he also interrupts him and tries to guess what kind of book Richard has come for, also incorrectly and not letting him get a word in.

The Polar Express

  • In a scene in the Robert Zemeckis-directed film, the train stops and the frontal tip of the locomotive comes uncomfortably close to the camera. This is a reference to the finale of Back to the Future Part III where the scene is exactly the same.
  • Later, on board the train Hero Boy (in The Polar Express) pulls the blow horn multiple times saying "I've wanted to do that my whole life!". This is the same line that Doc Brown delivers after he a pulls the blow horn multiple times as well.
  • There is a Flux Capacitor in the cab of the locomotive.

A Christmas Carol (2009)

  • Near the beginning of this 2009 time-travel film directed by Robert Zemeckis, two boys are seen holding onto the back of a carriage as they skate on ice-covered streets through town waving at people, and Scrooge himself does the same near the end of the film, in the same way as Marty when he was late for school in Back to the Future. Also, the Ghost of Christmas Past reveals the name and dates on Scrooge's tombstone by sweeping away the snow one line at a time, in the same dramatic way as Marty sweeps the weeds away from George's tombstone in Back to the Future Part II.

The Santa Clause 3

  • A sequence in this movie is very similar to Back to the Future Part II's but also harkens It's A Wonderful Life. When Jack Frost tricks Scott into wishing he was never Santa Claus by holding on to his snowglobe, they both travel back in time 12 years, to the point where Scott killed the last Santa and put on his suit. Jack Frost then becomes the one that distracts the Santa and takes his suit instead, vanishing. Suddenly, Scott is teleported back to the present but as his old self in a suit and tie, talking to a business associate. His ex-wife no longer talks to him, his son disowns him, and the man that married his wife is now divorced. Scott then finds that the North Pole has been transformed by Jack Frost (now Santa Claus) into a theme park, marketing Christmas for everyone's money (similar to Biff's machinations). After Scott tricks Jack Frost into holding the snowglobe and playing a recording of "I wish I never was Santa Claus", they both return to 12 years prior again. This time, Scott holds back Jack preventing him from stealing the suit, which Scott's younger self finds and wears. After younger Scott takes off in Santa's sleigh, both future Scott and Jack disappear back to the present. When Scott returns as Santa, everything is back to normal.

Teen Wolf

  • The scene where Scott is standing atop the "Wolfmobile" is the same street where Marty would later be hit by Sam Baines' car.
  • Teen Wolf was actually completed before Back to the Future but shelved for several months before release. This led fans of Michael J. Fox to wonder why he would star in a lower-budget film, unknowing that Back to the Future was shot after Teen Wolf wrapped. The producers of Teen Wolf took advantage of BTTF's fame, and the movie posters remarked "he's back from the future" (which would interestingly foreshadow one of the famous quotes from BTTF II). Fox's character of Scott Howard was even renamed Marty in the Italian language version to capitalize on the huge ticket sales of Back to the Future in Italy.

Yogui Bear Movie

  • In a scene in front and pointing Yogi says "break the barrier of Picnic," this may be a reference wing drill Doc Brown "We shall break the time barrier."

Television

3rd Rock from the Sun

  • In the episode "The House That Dick Built", Harry is seen reading the Tales From Space comic.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Go To the Movies

  • In the episode "Back to Our Future", Alvin, Simon and Theodore travel in a time machine back to 1957 when their group recorded their first song, and the 1950's Chipmunks take their places in the 1990. Although the 1990 Chipmunks' slang and singing are seen as strange in the 1950's, the 1957 Chipmunks don't want to leave 1990, until a "Battle of the Bands" between the two groups convinces them they belong in their own time periods.

American Dad!

  • 310px-ADDelorean1

    The Family Smith looking the DeLorean

    One episode is called, "DeLorean Story-An" which is focuses on DeLoreans and the race between Stan Smith and another DeLorean owner who is in search of a gull-wing driver's door to complete their unfinished DeLoreans. The voice actor of the rival DeLorean owner is actually a man who has built a replica of the time-traveling DeLorean and made a Marty McFly 1985 costume. Ironically, throughout the episode Stan built the DeLorean because he is a fan of their automotive design and has never seen Back to the Future, thus he fails to get everyone else's jokes, such as a state trooper who cautions him not to speed and remarks "you got all the time in world anyway, you are in a time machine!"

The Colbert Report

  • On The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert is said to "believe Back to the Future is a documentary".

Community

  • In Episode 201 "Anthropology 101", Abed wakes up in his room, where a Back to the Future Part II teaser poster can be seen. His first words are "And we're back."
  • In Episode 204 "Basic Rocket Science", Abed places a cardboard box around him like a vehicle and an image of a flux capacitor and "1.21 gigawatts" can be seen drawn on the back sheet.
  • In Episode 205 "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples", Abed compares Jesus Christ to "Edward Scissorhands and Marty McFly combined".

Chuck

  • In the episode "Chuck Versus the Gravitron", One of the characters mentions to his friend at Thanksgiving dinner that Chuck Bartowski would come walking right through the front door, and at that moment it happened. Wondering what else might come throu
    ChuckDeLorean

    Chuck Bartowski with a DMC-12

    gh the door, he wished for a "flying DeLorean".
  • Two episodes later, the title of the episode is "Chuck Versus the DeLorean," and the car features prominently in the plot.
  • In the episode "Chuck Versus the Ring", Jeffster get on stage at Ellie's wedding and before playing "Mr. Roboto," Jeff tells one of the band members to "watch me for the changes" just like Marty did before playing "Johnny B. Goode" in BTTF 1.
  • The ending of "Chuck Versus the Third Dimension" (ep. 212) cut to a screen of a "To Be Continued" card in the fashion of Back to the Future's.

Danny Phantom

  • In the cartoon Danny Phantom episode "Double Cross My Heart," a scene in a bookstore shows a book by George McFly. If Danny's voice sounds similar to that of Marty McFly from the animated series, it's because David Kaufman has done both roles.

Desperate Housewives

  • An episode of DH showed Felicity Huffman's character's oldest son reading the Tales From Space comic on their couch.

Drawn Together

  • In the episode "The One Wherein There Is a Big Twist", when the producer fires up his helicopter, it makes the "time circuits on" sound.
  • In the episode "Captain Girl", Wooldoor Sockbat takes off in a time traveling car called the Wooldelorean. Right after the car disappears leaving fire trails, another Sockbat clad in Western gear runs up behind where the car was, then fades out of existence. When Wooldoor arrives at his destination, the car is covered in ice, just as it was after making its first time travel trip in the first movie. He also runs over a male and female Sockbat, implying that their deaths erased the first Sockbat.
  • In the episode "A Tale of Two Cows", Toot Braunstein attends a dance called the Enchantment Under the Seafood dance, a reference to the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in the first film.
  • In the episode "The Drawn Together Clip Show", clips from past episodes are featured which are displayed with fake airdates which represent some historical or cultural event. One clip is stamped with the date November 5, 1955, the date of Marty's first time travel trip.

Doctor Who

  • In the episode "The Shakespeare Code" whilst trying to explain to Martha how the whole world could end in 1599, if they don't stop the Carrionites. The Doctor tells Martha how the situation is changeable, "like in Back to the Future." Martha incredulously asks "the film?" The Doctor sarcastically replies "no, the novelization. Yes, the film!"
  • In the Doctor Who spinoff audio "The Kingmaker," the Doctor's companion Peri uses Doc Brown's method of sending a letter into the future, mentioning she got the idea "from a film." The idea is reused (and spoofed) throughout the story.
  • In the episode "Blink" Sally Sparrow gets a message delivered to her by her best friend's Grandson. The message reads that she has been transported back to 1920 and is reminiscent of the one Marty receives at the end of Part II

The Fairly OddParents!

Fairlyoddparents-delorean

The DeLorean appears in front of an university.

DreadNBreakfast003

Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda in the DeLorean.

  • In the episode "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker", after Timmy Turner time-travels to the 1980's, the DeLorean time machine is seen. In the same episode, it is revealed that the worst day of Mr. Crocker's life, when he loses his godparents, happened March 15, 1972, one year before Biff shot George McFly in Part II.
  • In the episode "Moooving Day", Timmy gets on a Segway, he turns it on and it displays stuff on a screen. The last thing it shows before he moves is Flux Capacitor with a graph under it.
  • In the episode "Land Before Timmy," the gang is stuck in prehistoric times and the fairies' wands are out of power. Wanda says that the wands need "1.21 wish-o-watts (jigowatts) of power.
  • In the episode "Dread and Breakfast," Timmy, Cosmo, Wanda and Poof come into Timmy's room in the DeLorean with the flaming tire tracks and everything. But the portal was never used in any of the films.
  • At the end of the live-action telefilm adaptation A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!, as Timmy, Tootie, and the fairies drive off in their van, it takes off into the sky and flies at the camera the same way the DeLorean did at the end of Part I.

Family Guy

Familyguydeloreantimemachine

Peter Griffin in a DeLorean time machine.

  • In the episode "Perfect Castaway", Peter Griffin builds a time machine out of a DeLorean and intends to travel to the past. He crashes into a wall right after starting the car and gets out. When people run out of the building in flames, Peter says, "Everyone in 1955 was on fire! I never knew that."
  • In the episode "If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'", Peter Griffin remembers his cousin Rufus, who starred in a series of blaxploitation films including "Black to the Future" (said to be "from the people who brought you Caddyblack, Blackdraft, and Black Kramer vs. Kramer").
Familyguy-bttf2

This looks familiar.

  • In the episode "Meet the Quagmires", Brian draws a sketch on a blackboard that parallel's Doc drawing the timeline with 1985A skewing downward.
  • Later on in the above mentioned episode, Brian sings "Never gonna give you up" by Rick Astley at the country club dance, just like Marty did with "Johnny.B.Goode" at the prom in BTTF1. And while he is singing, a boy picks up the phone to let his cousin hear, just like the injured Band member did, also in BTTF1.
Familyguy-bttf1

Doc, Marty, and Jennifer cameo.

  • In the episode "Mind Over Murder", Stewie builds a time machine. When someone finds his drawings they recognize it by noting "A time machine. Sure. Here's where the flux capacitor goes".
  • In the episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father", Stewie imagines Doc Brown at the end of the first film telling Marty and Jennifer "something's gotta be done about your kids." However, Doc goes further, telling them their daughter marries a black man. This news does little to offend Marty, although Doc's racist attitude alienates Marty and Jennifer.
  • In the episode "Road to Germany", when Brian and Stewie travel back in time to the start of World War II, the familiar light pulse and fire trails are seen, although they have no car. Later there is a parody of the skateboard chase from the first movie, including use of Alan Silvestri's score, but with Nazis instead of Biff and his gang. The Nazis also crash into manure.
  • In the episode "Baby Not on Board", Peter rides to school on his skateboard. This is basically a shot-by-shot remake of the scene from BTTF1, including the soundtrack "The Power of Love".
  • In the episode "The Man with Two Brians", Peter wearing the brain-wave analyzer: "It means that this damn thing doesn't work at all!"
  • In the episode "The Juice is Loose", while Stewie is stuck on the roof, Marty McFly appears, shouting "I have to tell you about the future. On the night I go back-". Stewie interrupts him: "Wait wait wait, no no no, hang on Michael. I have to tell you about your future."
  • In the episode "Three Kings" (uncut DVD version only), during the re-enactment of "Stand by Me" (which is set in the 1950's), Cleve Brown (Cleveland) says: "Whaddaya think about the new kid at school, Marty McFly? Seems like he just showed up out of nowhere."
  • In the episode "Business Guy", while Peter and Lois watch the video wills of Lois's Dad, Mr. Pewterschmidt, he says "If you're watching this one, it means the train wasn't able to push the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour and I am still stuck in 1885." (BTTF part 3)
  • In the parody for The Empire Strikes Back, titled "Something, Something, Something Dark Side", Leia says to Luke, "I don't know what it is, but when I kiss you it's like kissing my brother", a line from Back to the Future when Lorraine kisses Marty. Leia and Luke are in fact brother and sister. This line was read as part of a Easter Egg preview of SSSDS in the DVD Commentary for "Blue Harvest".
  • Also, the ending to "Something, Something, Something Dark Side" is a spinoff of the ending to Back to the Future Part II, when Marty receives the letter from Doc, who was in 1885. The voice of the man who delivers the message was performed by Joe Flaherty, the same actor who played the part of the Western Union man in the movie.
  • The letter was parodied again in the episode The Big Bang Theory when Stewie froze himself to the present after becoming trapped in the Renaissance. Stewie sent Brian a letter to tell him where to dig. Flaherty reprised his role once again as the letter's deliverer.

Friday Night Lights

Get a Life

  • In the episode "1977 2000" Chris is idly wondering which of many options for time travel he should use to fix his friend Gus' past. One of the potential time machines he considers is his friend Steve's DeLorean, but he decides not to use it because the left blinker is out, and a hand signal at that speed would ruin his Lee Press-On nails. Instead, Chris chooses to make a drink he calls "time juice", and one of the ingredients is a lock of Michael J. Fox's hair.

Glenn Martin, DDS

  • In the episode "Amish Anguish", when the Martins are leaving the Amish town, Glenn says "Jackie let's take this thing up to 88mph. We're going back to the future!" where then you see the RV leaving a trail of fire and the license plate spinning, imitating the Delorean Time Machine's first travel.

Heroes

Tales from space

Tales From Space makes another appearance.

  • In the episode "Genesis", Hiro exclaims that he has broken the "time/space continuum"
  • In the episode "Six Months Ago", Hiro, while in the past in Texas, attempts to call Ando Masahashi back in Japan. However, Ando is not there and instead he speaks with his past self on the phone. When he realizes this, he hangs up to prevent a paradox and exclaims Doc's catchphrase, "Great Scott!"
  • In the episode "Better Halves", when D.L. and Micah are looking at comic books at the kitchen table, one of them is Tales From Space. This is the same comic as the one held by Sherman Peabody, the farmer's son in Back to the Future, who mistakes the DeLorean for a spaceship when Marty first arrives in 1955.
  • In the episode "Hiros", Future Hiro again references the space-time continuum.
  • In the episode "Homecoming", a student at Union Wells High School reads Tales From Space.
  • In the episode "Godsend", Nathan meets Hiro in Isaac's apartment. During their conversation, Nathan says "Look I can't believe I'm about to say this... you, you... teleported here, back from the future?"
  • In the episode "Parasite", Hiro uses a computer in Linderman's archives to find the Kensei sword. The computer indicates the sword's catalog number is CRM-114. In Back to the Future, the amplifier in Doc's garage is a CRM-114 amplifier.
  • In the episode "Four Months Later", after the village of Otsu is burned, Hiro tells Takezo Kensei that himself, Ando and the world as he knows it may no longer exist in the future due to his actions. He exclaims, "Great-o Scott!"
  • On Heroes 360:
    • In one of Hiro's blog entries, Hiro wishes he could have his own personal Dr. Emmett Brown for guidance.
    • After riding in a limo, Hiro lists "a De Lorean going at 88 miles per hour" as one of the things he still needs to ride.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show

  • When the family travels back in time to the old west, Wayne Szalinski is asked his name by the town's inhabitants, to which he replies "John Wayne". When his wife Diane gives him a look of disbelief, he says that if Marty could be Clint Eastwood in Back to the Future Part III, why could he not be John Wayne. Diane remembers the film, and mentions that she didn't like it.

Johnny Bravo

  • One of the "Johnny Bravo" logos shown just as the theme song starts is a spoof of the Back to the Future logo, complete with backward-pointing arrow.

Johnny Test

  • In the episode "Old School Johnny", Johnny and his two sisters travel back in time to 1845 and discover they don't have a power source to return them home. After several attempts at generating enough energy fail, including lightning striking a clock tower, and using a speeding locomotive, they are able to return home. Johnny then discovers when he fails his history test in school that they had changed their town's history.

The King of Queens

  • In the episode entitled "Nocturnal Omission," Kevin Jame's character, Douglas, finds out from his wife that his friend Deacon's wife is planning to move back to Jersey and reunite with Deacon after two years of separation. Deacon had been rather depressed over the separation, but when he goes to tell Deacon the good news to lift his spirits, he finds Deacon very happy that he recently met a stewardess from London who wanted to come over that night. Douglas decided not to tell him about his wife's impending return, and goes back home, where his wife confronts him when she finds out that he didn't tell Deacon the news. In the argument, Douglas states that they have no right to go back in time and change destiny and "if we learned anything from Back to the Future, it is that!"

Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

Lost

  • In the episode "The Constant," Desmond's consciousness repeatedly time travels between his 2004 (the present) self and his 1996 self. The 2004 version of Daniel Faraday tells Desmond to seek out his 1996 counterpart for further instruction, and gives Desmond a series of equations to convince 1996-Daniel that he is from the future, in the same manner that Marty convinces Doc Brown.
  • In the fifth season, several characters physically time travel to 1977. Hurley checks his hand in the same manner as Marty because he fears his actions will somehow erase him from existance. An agitated Miles explains time travel in their universe does not work the same way as Back to the Future.

Malcolm in the Middle

  • In an episode of 'Malcolm in the Middle', Hal cashes in his life insurance policy to spend at Vegas and tells Lois he got a bonus from work for an idea to outsource flux capacitors, saving the boss a lot of money.

Monster Garage

Monstergaragedelorean

A "hovering DeLorean".

  • In an episode, Jesse and his crew attempt to build a hovercraft topped with the frame of a DeLorean. The vehicle was not a success and thus it was crushed by an Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) at the end of the episode, not too dissimilar from the destruction of the time machine at the end of Back to the Future Part III. In truth, the night before the wrecking, the parts were traded out for scrap ones.

Muppet Babies

  • In one episode, Gonzo imagines he's driving the DeLorean time machine. The episode has similarities to the film, where the Babies accidentally spill hot chocolate on a 1955 picture of Nanny when she worked as a carhop waitress so they figure they ought to travel back to 1955 to take a replacement picture. Their replacement picture actually turns out to be a reenactment of Piggy serving Kermit in a car, but Nanny appreciates their thoughtfulness and adds it to her 1950s collection, and reveals she was able to save the original photo from damage. The outro scene shows Gonzo wearing a radiation suit and with wild hair very similar to Doc Brown.

Mythbusters

  • In Episode 105 (Viral Hour) of the seventh season, Adam mentions a hoverboard as a future test.
  • Adam apologizes for the crudity of his models as he has not had time to make them to scale or to paint them.

The Office

  • In the Season 2 episode "Valentine's Day," Michael Scott makes a video presentation for a corporate meeting. At the end of the video, a logo flashes up that reads "Great Scott Productions" and a voice says "Great Scott.

Phineas and Ferb

  • In the episode "It's About Time!" Candace asks, "You mean to tell me, you built a time machine that has to be plugged in?!" which references completely to "Are you telling me you built a time machine.. out of a DeLorean?"
  • The episode "Journey to the Bottom of Buford" focuses on the kids retrieving Buford's pet goldfish, named Biff. The fish's name and Buford's possibly refer to Biff and Buford.

Pokémon

  • One episode of Pokémon was titled "Xatu the Future"; a play on Back to the Future and the Pokémon Xatu.
  • The sound effect that is used for the DeLorean entering one time period from another (three bursts of energy) from the first experiment at Twin/Lone Pine Mall can be heard in multiple episodes, often when dealing with electrical attacks. The sound of the DeLorean revving its engine shortly before its reveal in the first film can be heard in Arriving In Style. Some episodes also use the Star Wars sound effect for a lightsaber emitting the light blade.

Red vs. Blue

Robot Chicken

  • In the episode titled "PS, Yes In That Way" (ep. 406, Jan 11, 2009), there was a scene with Marty and Doc.

Saturday Night Live

Michael J. Fox was the host for the episode of March 16, 1991, and the subject of a skit [1] based on the recently completed trilogy. The premise: Fox is giving the opening monologue, and the jokes are terrible. Doc Brown (played by Kevin Nealon) rushes in and shouts "Michael! Michael! Don't do it!" Doc is accompanied by Michael "from 90 minutes in the future!" (played by Dana Carvey), and they warn Fox that the show will be terrible, which will cause a chain reaction which will ultimately ruin Fox's acting career. The three of them leave the stage and (with the help of an animated DeLorean) arrive at NBC Studios a week earlier, to warn the earlier Michael (played by David Spade) not to do the show. Lorne Michaels does not know what to make of this, particularly not after seeing three Michaels, and remarks "I do not know who to give this gigantic bag of money to". The sight of a giant comical money sack convinces Doc and three Michaels to accept fate and do the show, so they fly back to March 16 in the DeLorean. The monologue ends with Fox, Carvey and Spade saying in unison "We've got a great show! Black Crowes are here, so stick around, we'll be right back!

The Simpsons

  • In the episode E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt), Homer is worrying about a duel the next morning whilst looking at a tombstone with his own name on it.
  • In the episode That 90's Show, the scene where "Marvin Cobain" calls his cousin Kurt to tell him about the new sound he's "been looking for" is a parody of the scene where "Marvin Berry" makes a similar call to his cousin Chuck.
  • The episode Bart to the Future is an obvious reference to Back to the Future

Smallville

  • In the Smallville episode, Reckoning, Clark re-lives one day twice. When he explains this to his friend Chloe, she says "Hold on, McFly" before asking him to give her the full details of the experience.

South Park

  • In the episode "Goobacks," humans from the future time-travel to the present. Their time-travel method is declared to follow "Terminator rules, that is it's one way only and you can't go back. This is in contrast to, say, Back to the Future rules, where back-and-forth is possible, and of course Timerider rules, which are just plain silly."

Stargate Atlantis

  • In the Stargate Atlantis episode "Before I Sleep", Maj. Sheppard brings up the DeLorean in a discussion about time travel, to which Dr. McKay responds, "Do not get me started on that movie!" Later, when they find out about a time-travelling puddle jumper, Sheppard calls its added component the "flux capacitor."

Stargate SG-1

  • In the Stargate SG-1 episode "200", when Carter reels off a string of technobabble to explain why the gate isn't working, Martin Lloyd mishears "capacitors" as "flux capacitor."

Stargate Universe

  • In season 1 episode 7, Eli Wallace talks about his top 5 movies and mentions Back To The Future.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

  • In the episode "What You Leave Behind," Miles O'Brien jokes about leaving the station to teach at Starfleet Academy because "somebody has to teach you officers the difference between a warp matrix flux capacitor and a self-sealing stem bolt."

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: Voyager

  • In the episode "Prototype", B'Elanna states "I'm going to try to adjust the flux capacitance."

Supernatural

  • In the episode "Back to the future II"

When Dean Winchester got back to the year 1978, he told Castiel to send him back in time, the angel answers that thats too hard even for an angel, and Dean said "So what, you're like a DeLorean with no plutonium ?"

Spin City

Spincity

Back to City Hall?

  • Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd reunite in an episode entitled "Back to the Future Part IV: Judgement Day", which aired February 23, 1999.
    • In the episode, Lloyd plays Mike's old political mentor who claimed to be the son of God. This episode had several references to time, and the film trilogy for which both of them are remembered; for instance, when they greet at the start of the show Fox remarks "It's just like stepping back in time." Lloyd then tells Fox: "The past is prologue, Michael. Men like us have got to keep looking [pregnant pause] to the future".

Tiny Toon Adventures

  • In the Episode, Animaniacs, Plucky Duck learns to perform a flashback, Plucky Duck flashbacks to the era of World War II and the prehistoric time along with Buster Bunny. Buster replies to the situation with "You shouldn't mess around with time too much. Remember what happen in Back To the Future?" His reply also happen to be a reference to a previous episode of Tiny Toon Adventures, A Ditch in Time.

True Jackson V.P.

  • In the Season 1 episode "ReTRUEnion," Ryan is trying to prove a computer technician (who uses gibberish so people will think he is real) is a fraud and when he says he is the technician says "If I didn't know about computers would I know how to rewire a flux capacitor?" Ryan Then says "That's from Back to the Future!"

Video games

  • The Simpsons character Professor Frink can be heard to exclaim "I broke my flux capacitor!" in the video game Simpsons Road Rage.
  • The flux capacitor was an electrical slot tech in the turn-based space empire game Stars! The function however, is to increase beam weapon damage by 20%, nothing like in Back to the Future, although the image of it maintains a glowing Y-shape.
  • The PS3 game, The God of War Collection, features a trophy called "1.21 Gigawatts" when Kratos obtains the Poseidon's Rage power.
  • The PS3 game, Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, the trophy gained after beating the game is called "88 MPH"
  • Similarly, a piece of ship equipment in the online space empire game Star Sonata is called the Flux Capacitor.
  • In Oni, the yield of an explosive device contained within a self-destruct system is noted as "1.21 Gigawatts"- the same value required by the flux capacitor in order to work.
  • Similarly, in a cutscene in Conflict: Freespace a prototype energy shield is being tested in a laboratory, and one scientist notes that the power delivered to it is 1.21GW. He states the digits separately so it is less immediately identifiable with the phrase spoken in the films.
  • In Fallout 2, one of the slaves during a slaver mission was reported to be yelling "Run for it Marty". [2]
  • In MegaMan Legends At the beginning of the game after MegaMan defeats the boss, it activates again and corners him to the edge of the roof MegaMan then jumps off of the roof only to come back up on the Flutter Ala Marty in Back to the Future Part II
  • In Guitar Hero World Tour for the Xbox 360, there is an achievement called "1.21 Jigowatts?!?!", the same value required by the flux capacitor in order to work.
  • The Xbox360 game Project Gotham Racing 4 features an Easter egg achievement, that can be unlocked by driving a DeLorean at 88 miles per hour in stormy weather.[1]
  • In Burnout Paradise, DLC Legendary Cars Pack one of cars (Jansen P12 88 special) obvious parody of the DeLorean. Its look similar and when player activated nitro the tires will leave behind long flame trails. Also car able to hover
  • On the second stage of Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose!, you make your way across an out-of-control train and jump onto a handcart. You then pump the handcart up to 88MPH, at which point the cart disappears off the side of the screen with fire trails. [3]
  • Colin McRae Rally has a cheat mode (enter your name as 'HOVERCRAFT' (PS1) or 'DELOREAN' (PC)) which enables your rally car to fly. At the beginning of the stage, it takes off in precisely the same manner as at the end of Back to the Future.
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, set in 1986, features many references to 80's pop-culture, including some to Back to the Future in the form of pedestrian dialogue. Some examples are, "I'll erase you from existence!" and, ""No! My time machine!!!""
  • A mission in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories involves controlling a robot. Said robot will sometimes display the text, "Flux Capacitor at 110%".
  • In Dakota Season Three, a character says he must go Back to the Future.
  • There is a PS3 trophy for The Sims 3 entitled "Great Scott!", which is obtained by building a "flux combobulator.
  • As in the film, there is a Flux Capacitor present in the cab of the locomotive in The Polar Express Video Game.

Anime

  • In the anime series Sonic X the character Chuck Thorndyke bears an uncanny resemblance to Doc.
  • The manga series Yomeiro-Choice has a story that parodies the Back to the Future trilogy as a whole, featuring a number of the main character's daughters traveling back in time, each daughter from a different future timeline, to ensure that their father gets together with their respective mother, thus guaranteeing their respective timeline becomes reality, guaranteeing their own existence. The characters from the future occasionally begin to fade away from existence when their futures are in jeopardy, as Marty did at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance in Part I, and there are a number of other references including time paradoxes and a time flow chart depicting different potential timelines. Additionally, the first chapter of the series is titled "F*** to the Future."
  • In the anime series Magical☆Shopping Arcade Abenobashi the character Masayoshi Asahina "Grandpa Masa" becomes Dr. Emmett "Doc" in a skit in the 12th episode ("The Hollywood Parady World").
  • In the anime series Steins;Gate the letters to the past called "D-Mail", which is abbriviation of "De Lorean Mail."

Coincidentally, Takeshi Aono, the voice actor for Grandpa Masa, also voiced Doc in the Japanese-dubbed versions of the Back to the Future films.

Music

Direct references

O'Neal McKnight's "Check Your Coat" f/ Doc Brown
  • A version of O'Neal McKnight's 2008 music video "Check Your Coat" features Christopher Lloyd reprising his role of Emmett Brown. Doc's mission is to bring him "back to the future" to the year 2088. Doc joins in the party providing turntables.
  • Viktor Vaughn, in the song "A Dead Mouse" from the album Vaudeville Villain, says "I'm outta here soon as I fix the flux capacitor."
  • A play on the term flux capacitor was used by the electronic musician A_Scissors when naming his debut album Flux Decapitator, which was released on Polyvibe Records. The first track references the Back to the Future films as it is named "There's a Delorean Flying Over the Winn Dixie".
  • The term "flux capacitor" was used in Busted's single Year 3000, in conjunction with the lyrics "he built a time machine, like one in a film I'd seen, yeah".
  • Electronic artist Rob Astor remixed an instrumental by musician Harry Grillo titled 1.21 Jigawatts.
  • The Mc Chris song "Wiid," on Dungeon master of ceremonies, features a 1.21 jigowatt reference.
  • Contemporary Christian group, Relient K, has a song called "Hello McFly". The song addresses wishing how one could go back in time "like Michael J. Fox", but that Jesus Christ's sacrifice wipes the sins away.
Kanyewestgoodmorning

Dropout Bear in a flying DeLorean.

  • Kanye West, in his song "Good Morning", says "...scared of the future While I hop in the Delorean". Also at the end of the music video for the song, Dropout Bear is seen driving a flying Delorean with flashing lights around it.
  • The band McFly took their name from Marty McFly.
  • The Hyper Crush music video "Keep Up" features the band driving a DeLorean time machine, and one band member wears Marty's 2015 jacket. [4]
  • The artist Example in their song 'Watch the Sun come up' uses lyrics that state "Turn back time, cause it flies by
    You know, them Marty mcfly vibes"
  • Pop Punk band Four Year Strong has a song called "What The Hell Is A Gigawatt" on their album "Enemy of the World".
  • In the introduction to Michael Jackson's 1991 video for "Black or White", a young kid (Macauley Culkin) plays air guitar to loud music in his room, ending by sliding on his knees to a sustained high note (like the ending to Marty's dance performance) when his father tells him to stop because the music is too loud (the Battle of the Bands judge's complaint). Imitating Marty using Doc's amplifier, the kid then pushes two huge speakers into the living room, followed by closeups of plugging the guitar into the speakers, and turning the volume knob from "loud" to "louder" and then to "are you NUTS!?!" He strikes a loud power chord on the guitar, which sends his seated father flying up and through the roof.

Internet

  • For April Fools' Day 2008, Google's Gmail advertised a hoax application called Gmail Custom Time, which allows a user to send an email hours or days before it is actually sent. To explain how it would resolve issues of causality, Gmail would utilize an e-flux capacitor. It also explained that had it allowed the user to send Gmail before Gmail existed, it would be like hanging out with one's parents before they were born. [5]
  • The Wolfram|Alpha computational knowledge engine defines a "delorean" as a unit of power equal to 1.21 gigawatts, and uses 88 miles per hour as a benchmark for comparing speeds. See: "speed cheetah".
  • VG Cats #259: Sunglasses, down vest, make like a tree, DeLorean time machine, abortion?
  • In Annoying orange, there is a episode called "Back to the Fruiture".
  • College Humor (a popular website) made a video titled Back to The Future Sex Scenes. It was a parody depicting Marty having sexual relations with his mom and going back several times to prevent it each attempt ended with Marty having relations with himself and mother. The picture was also refrenced where his brother and was replaced by several Martys
  • Bob and George #313: Mega Man puts on a time suit and comments that he feels like a walking DeLorean. Dr. Light exclaims, "Great Scott!" The commentary has the author theorizing what the thrusters on the back of the DeLorean were supposed to do.
  • On July 13, 2010, the Nostalgia Critic posted a review of the movie The Room. In the opening, the Nostalgia Critic explains that though the film is one of the most-requested by fans, he can't review it because it was made in 2003 and therefore falls behind his cut-off date. However, Doc Brown (played by Doug Walker, who also plays the Nostalgia Critic) appears and takes the Critic into the future so he can review the film. The time travel sequence uses footage from the original Back to the Future.
  • On February 10, 2011, game reviewer JewWario posted an episode of his show You Can Play This! focusing on the game Super Back to the Future Part II. The episode has JewWario sending a message to the past version of Doc Brown (again played by Doug Walker) with the help of the modern version, telling Brown about the game and offering an explanation on how to play it despite the language barrier. The episode starts with a closing comment on the game from Episode 94 of The Angry Video Game Nerd.
  • On the Mario's Time Machine Episode of The Irate Gamer Show, the gamer is talking about the ridiclouis time travel scenes and says "Just get me a flux capacitor so I can skip these stupid levels!"

The Angry Video Game Nerd

  • Internet video game reviewer, James Rolfe/The Angry Video Game Nerd reviewed the NES games Back To The Future and Back to the Future Part II & III for his 6th episode. In an interview with Telltale Games, Bob Gale provided a link to this episode to illustrate his lack of satisfaction towards the game.[6] The version of the episode as shown on YouTube has several scenes from the movies inserted, but removed from the DVD Version to avoid copyright issues.
  • In episode 20, having trouble plugging the Atari 5200 system into the TV, he says damn in the same manner that 1955 Doc says when waiting for Marty to arrive at The Clocktower (in Back to the Future).
  • In episode 39, The Nerd is shown his future in which an older Nerd reviews some games for the Nintendo Wii. The future Nerd states that the Wii Remote was revolutionary for it's time, but now it's like a baby's toy (similar to Elijah Wood's comment on Wild Gunman).
  • In episode 47, he reviews various accessories for the original Nintendo System. He demonstrates the NES Zapper on Wild Gunman, and quotes You gotta use your hands? That's like a baby's toy..
  • In episode 85 (which premiered in January 6, 2010), The Nerd states in 5 years that flying cars, hoverboards and self-lacing shoe laces will be invented. While he's making the statement, footage of BTTF 2 (where Marty walks into Hill Valley Townsquare) with The Power of Love plays briefly.
  • In episode 94, The Nerd starts off revisiting the previous games that he reviewed to go more in detail with them. Afterwards, he does a new review on the NES games to give detail on the levels omitted in his previous review. After the review on BTTF 2 & 3 for the NES, he reviews Back to the Future Part III for the Sega Genesis, which he finds to be too hard. The video ends with him reviewing Super Back to the Future Part II for the Super Famicom and is pleased with the game and it's faithfulness to the film (As well being annoyed that Japan had the only decent BTTF game).
  • In episode 100, The Nerd sets up the Nintendo accessory ROB to play a game of Gyromite. After finishing up, he states the setup to look like something "built by Doc Brown or Peewee Herman".

xkcd

  • One strip involves one person telling another about his professor friend building a time machine out of a DeLorean and changing his history for the better. His friend told him that her father was in the North Tower of the World Trade Center but he didn't have the vehicle anymore.[7]
  • On October 30, 2009, xkcd parodied Doc Brown visiting houses for Halloween, but being off by one day.[8]
  • A circuit diagram included a flux capacitor.[9]

Other

  • The Flux Capacitor is the name given to the finishing move of pro-wrestler Frankie Kazarian.
  • Flux Capacitor is a fully improvised comedy show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City that explores the same window of time from many different angles. [10]
  • The FireWire icon looks like the Flux Capacitor.
  • In Star Wars fiction, one part of a hyperdrive is called a flux capacitor connector, while another piece of technology is called a influx capacitor, two obvious references to another science-fiction franchise.
  • In the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comics #168-169, the base of the Summoning Spire has a flux compacitor.
  • At the U.S. Navy Air Officers' Candidate School at Pensacola, Florida, the final course before graduation is engineering. One of the intentionally wrong answers on a multiple choice question on the test was "flux capacitor".

References