The Western Union man delivers Doc's letter to Marty.
- Western Union delivery man: "Kid, are you all right? Do you need help?"
- Marty: "There's only one man that can help me."
- — Western Union letter deliverer and Marty
Western Union was a service, founded as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in 1851, that allowed people to wire money or send letters across great distances.
Western Union received a letter from Dr. Emmett Brown back on September 1, 1885, and were instructed to hold on to it for seventy years, and deliver it to the exact location of the future Lyon Estates at an exact time on November 12, 1955. The letter had some legendary reputation, and the employees placed bets on whether they'd meet said McFly and whether he'd shed any light to the origins of the mysterious letter.
A Western Union courier wearing a trenchcoat is surprised to find Marty McFly in the middle of the street in the rain to receive the letter at the precise time and location. The courier shares he was among the losers in the office bet regarding the delivery. After signing for the letter, Marty opened the envelope to discover Doc had written it seventy years prior. The Western Union courier was understandably confused, but offered Marty his help. Marty gently refused, explaining that there was only one man who could help him.
Doc's wife, Clara Brown, also used Western Union to send a letter though time. In 1893, she left a note with the Western Union office letting Marty know that Doc was missing. When the Western Union man delivered the letter to Marty during a history lesson at Hill Valley High School in 1986, he mentioned to the teacher that his supervisor had experienced the same thing in 1955.
Marty later used the same technique to deliver a letter to Doc on January 3, 1985, before Doc finished his DeLorean Time Machine. Marty explained that Doc would know his experiment would be a success, as he had met Marty in 1955. He wanted Doc to build a second DeLorean time machine, identical to the original, and stated that he should keep it hidden in a place that was a secret to everyone. He further explained that he had come from 1986, but had become stranded. He wanted Doc to pick him up at the Western Union office on December 18, 1931 at 9:35 a.m., once Doc had reached 1986 in his own timeline.
Appearances[]
- Paradox script
- Back to the Future Part II
- Back to the Future Part II novelization
- Back to the Future Part III (Mentioned only)
- Back to the Future (IDW Publishing)
- Family Guy (Non-canonical appearance)
