History Film / BacktotheFuture

** When pretending to be an alien to George, Marty references ''Franchise/StarTrek''. Creator/ChristopherLloyd, who played Doc, portrayed Kruge in ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock''. He also references ''Franchise/StarWars''. [[Music/TheRedHotChiliPeppers Flea]], who played Needles in the sequels, would later appear in ''Series/ObiWanKenobi''.

** When pretending to be an alien to George, Marty references ''Franchise/StarTrek''. Creator/ChristopherLloyd, who played Doc, portrayed Kruge in ''Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock''.

** When Marty says that his family owns two TV sets, Lorraine's mom says that he's joking because nobody does.

** Huey Lewis, playing the audition judge in 1985, tells Marty's band that they're "just too darn loud." [[HypocriticalHumor The band was playing Lewis' own song, "The Power of Love."]] Better yet, the line was apparently [[SelfDeprecation improvised]] by him.

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: In-universe. For the 1955 teenagers (who had never seen films with action sequences, or perhaps ANY action in the all-peaceful Hill Valley), the way Marty eludes the bullies and gets Biff to crash into a manure truck is the most awesome thing ever seen. Lorraine is more in love than ever with Marty after witnessing that.

--->"Rrrgh! Damn Soviet gun!"\\
Gah! Damn German car!

** Aside from AttemptedRape (though to be fair, the film doesn't imply that anyone ever called the cops about it) above, Biff in 1955 also makes multiple threats of assault throughout the movie, and in one scene attempts to commit MURDER, and nobody even seems to think that he's doing anything illegal. Some of this is slightly justified by bullying not being taken anywhere near as seriously in the 50s as it is today.

** The [=DeLorean=] when Doc introduces it.

* VanityLicensePlate: The [=DeLorean=] has the tag "OUTATIME". And really crappy screws holding it on the back of the [=DeLorean=], because of its habit of popping off and pirouetting on a corner.

* WeDontNeedRoads: At the end of the film, Doc travels forward to 2015 and does some pretty major work on the [=Delorean=], including making it a "hover conversion" that is really more of a "flight conversion".

-->'''Marty:''' Hey, Doc, you'd better back up, we don't have enough road to get up to 88!\\

* BeenThereShapedHistory: Back in 1955, Marty [=McFly=] plays Music/ChuckBerry's "Johnny B. Goode" when he steps in for Chuck's cousin, Marvin Berry. While Marty is playing, Marvin calls Chuck up so he can listen in on this "new sound." He also gives the 1985 mayor Goldie Wilson, at that time the black janitor in the malt shop, political aspirations the exact year the Civil Rights Movement started. And of course, Marty ends being responsible for his parents getting together and being a happier and more successful married couple in the future.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Even if it's a family-friendly film, it doesn't shy away from depicting the overt racism of 1950s America. Even Biff's overt sexual harassment of Lorraine doesn't raise many eyes.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: When Doc indicates the birth of Christ as December 25, 0000. Of course, it is now accepted by educated people that Christ was born around 4 BC, but the CriticalResearchFailure is the fact that the Gregorian calendar does not include a year 0, only a 1 BC followed by a 1 AD -- something that the inventor of a time machine should have looked into. In fact, the lack of a way to go back to BC at all is an odd choice on his part.

* ArtisticLicense: When Doc indicates the birth of Christ as December 25, 0000. Of course, it is now accepted by educated people that Christ was born around 4 BC, but the Critical Research Failure is the fact that the Gregorian calendar does not include a year 0, only a 1 BC followed by a 1 AD -- something that the inventor of a time machine should have looked into. In fact, the lack of a way to go back to BC at all is an odd choice on his part.

->'''Emmett "Doc" Brown''': The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?

[[caption-width-right:350: ''He was never in time for his classes . . . he wasn’t in time for his dinner . . . then one day . . . he wasn’t in his time at all.'']]

[[caption-width-right:350: ''He was never in time for his classes . . . he wasn’t in time for his dinner . . . then one day he wasn’t in his time at all.'']]

[[caption-width-right:350: ''Meet Marty [=McFly=]. He's the only kid ever to get into trouble'' '''before''' ''he was born.'']]

* EverythingsBetterWithCows: After Marty ends up in 1955, he runs into a scarecrow, then crashes into the barn where Old Man Peabody's cows reside.

'''Doc Brown:''' Roads? Where we're going, [[Film/BackToTheFuturePartII we don't need]] ''[[Film/BackToTheFuturePartII roads...]]''

->'''Doc Brown''': The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?

* ForeignRemake: The 2010 Indian film ''Action Replayy'' is an unofficial Bollywood remake.

** When Biff and his gang crash into the [[RoadApples manure]] truck, they yell "'''''[[VisualPun SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!!!]]'''''"

* CelebrityParadox: Huey Lewis exists in the ''BTTF'' universe, as proven by Marty's posters in his room -- and so does the audition judge, played by... Huey Lewis. Even better: at the end of the movie, Marty's clock radio plays "Back in Time" by Huey Lewis and the News. The song was specifically written for (and contains a ''ton'' of references to) a little movie called ''Back to the Future''. Marty is even referred to ''by name'' in that song. Granted, the song is cut specifically to avoid any references to the movie.

* PercussiveMaintenance: The engine of the [=DeLorean=] stalls at nearly the exact moment before Marty has to start accelerating to go back to the future. As he struggles to start the car again, we see him becoming increasingly frustrated at his lack of success before his frustration gets the better of him and he headbutts the steering wheel, leading the [=DeLorean=] to start up again.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Marty believes Doc to be dead after the terrorists [[MultipleGunshotDeath riddled him with bullets]]. While he is mourning, Doc comes back to life behind him. Marty slowly turns his head in disbelief but is overjoyed when he realizes what's going on.
-->'''Marty:''' BulletproofVest?

* RewindReplayRepeat: "They found me... I don't know how, but they found me... '''''Run for it, Marty!'''''" replayed by a Doc Brown who was told not to by Future Boy Marty.

* RockersSmashGuitars: Marty ruining the mood of his song by acting like a HeavyMetal singer.

** Regarding Marty's attempts to warn him of his impending death, Doc insists that he'll find out through the ordinary progression of events.

* TrustPassword: Marty tries several that don't work, such as who the President is in 1985[[note]][[ItWillNeverCatchOn Doc refuses to believe an actor could be President]][[/note]], and showing him a photo of his family with his sister in a Class of 1984 sweatshirt[[note]]Doc doesn't believe this because, unbeknownst to Marty, Dave's hair has started to disappear, making it look like it's been poorly doctored[[/note]]. What finally works is the story of how Doc got the (currently very fresh) bruise on his head, and the idea for the Flux Capacitor that came from it.
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: Played with in every possible way. People, especially Strickland, tell Marty he's going to be a [[LoserSonOfLoserDad loser like his dad]], then the past changes and George is not a loser but Marty is still destined to be a loser, then that future is possibly avoided presumably letting Marty succeed at a creative pursuit like his dad.

* VanityLicensePlate: The [=DeLorean=] has the tag "OUTATIME". And really crappy screws holding it on the back of the [=DeLorean=], because of its habit of popping off and pirouetting on a corner. After the first plate falls off, Doc Brown goes into the future and replaces it with a 2015 barcode license plate with enough bars to spell "OUTTATIME", inserting another "T". That one also falls off when the entire car is pulverized by a freight train at the end of ''Part III'', and does its little pirouette trick again, likely the only bit of the car that survived the collision intact.

* WeDontNeedRoads: At the end of the film, Doc travels forward to 2015 and does some pretty major work on the [=Delorean=], including making it a "hover conversion" that is really more of a "flight conversion". He does the same to a [[CoolTrain locomotive]] at the end of ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartIII''. Even the fact that the [=DeLorean=] is a time machine in the first place qualifies it for this trope.

* WriteBackToTheFuture: Marty tries to do this with a "Do Not Open Until 1985" letter talking about how Doc gets gunned down. Doc tears it up while proclaiming he can't let it influence the future. He later tapes it back together and reads it.

** Doc Brown in 1955 on the idea of UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan as President in 1985: "Ronald Reagan? The ''actor''? Then who's Vice-President? Creator/JerryLewis?". He comes around to it when he sees Marty's portable television studio (read: a camcorder), realizing that the President has to look good on TV.

* ManlyTears: Marty towards the end of the movie. After seeing his friend, Doc, killed once, Marty is now praying that Doc read his letter and took precautions so he wouldn't be killed a second time. Marty arrives just in time to see the Libyans shoot Doc again. Running over to him, Marty finds Doc unconscious. Assuming the worst, he begins sobbing. However, we find out that Doc is fine.

* PercussiveTherapy: The engine of the [=DeLorean=] stalls at nearly the exact moment before Marty has to start accelerating to go back to the future. As he struggles to start the car again, we see him becoming increasingly frustrated at his lack of success before his frustration gets the better of him and he headbutts the steering wheel, leading the [=DeLorean=] to start up again.