History Main / TimeTravelTaboo

!!Examples

[[AC:Anime and Manga]]
* ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''
** During both ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and [[Recap/DragonBallSuperResurrectionFArc the arc that adapts it]], Jaco explains to Bulma that time manipulation is illegal according to the Galactic Patrol. When [[spoiler: Whis]] technically travels back in time by rewinding the clock three minutes, he turns a blind eye mostly because it is pointless for him to say anything. Likewise, both he and the Galaxy King don't bat an eye when Hit's time abilities are shown in the Champa saga, mostly because it is also pointless.

---> '''[[spoiler: Zamasu''':]] We know. We know that you continued committing a taboo among gods, despite being a mortal.

[[AC: Comic Books]]
* Time travel is illegal or highly restricted in some incarnations of the ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', most notably the post-''Comicbook/ZeroHour'' Legion, and the ''Comicbook/DCRebirth'' Legion. In both cases, Brainiac 5 assumes this doesn't apply to ''him''.

[[AC:Live-Action Films]]
* A similar principle is brought up in ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'', where time-based sorcery is considered forbidden among the Masters of the Mystic Arts, with the Eye of Agamotto [[spoiler:their most powerful relic used to house and control the green Infinity Stone (also called the Time Stone)]] being their most valuable relic. They explain that tampering with the space-time continuum is considered a violation of natural law, the Masters themselves existing to protect such laws.

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]

[[AC:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', time travel is one of the acts forbidden by the laws of magic, with death as the penalty for a single transgression. The exact reason is not given, but presumably has to do with paradoxes or other problems.
* In the ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'', there are technological measures (the Backtime Buffers) preventing attempts to take a TARDIS into Gallifrey's past, which is strictly forbidden.
* In ''[[Literature/TheStainlessSteelRat The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You!]]'' the protagonists are mulling over the idea of ending a war with a bunch of creepy crawly aliens by just sending all the aliens a hundred years forward in time (by which point humans will presumably have figured out how to deal with them) when an agent of the Time Police suddenly appears (right in the middle of their "secret meeting") to inform them that this solution is forbidden. An interesting variation in that the heroes aren't even planning on sending their enemies into the ''past''--which could raise obvious paradoxes--but into the future, but it's still forbidden by the Time Police.

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Crimestrikers}}'', [[TheSyndicate crime syndicate]] Outrage discovers Tempestium, a [[{{Unobtanium}} rare element]] that makes time travel possible. They use it to bring three historical villains, collectively known as the Time Terror Team, [[FishOutOfTemporalWater into the present]] (although a hero from the past is brought along accidentally), which causes the setting's benevolent OneWorldOrder to round up all the Tempestium they can find and lock it away before it can cause more trouble. So the world is safe -- at least until more Tempestium is discovered...

** During both ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and [[Recap/DragonBallSuperResurrectionFArc the arc that adapts it]], Jaco explains to Bulma that time manipulation is illegal according to the Galactic Patrol. When [[spoiler: Whis]] technically travels back in time by rewinding the clock three minutes, he turns a blind eye mostly because is pointless for him to say anything. Likewise, both he and the Galaxy King don't bat an eye when Hit's time abilities are shown in the Champa saga, mostly because it is also pointless.

* Time travel is illegal or highly restricted in some incarnations of the ''Comicbook/LegionOfSuperheroes'', most notably the post-''Comicbook/ZeroHour'' Legion, and the ''Comicbook/DCRebirth'' Legion. In both cases, Brainiac 5 assumes this doesn't apply to ''him''.

** During both ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and [[Recap/DragonBallSuperResurrectionFArc the arc that adapts it]], Jaco explains to Bulma that time manipulation is illegal according to the Galactic Patrol. When [[spoiler: Whis]] technically travels back in time by rewinding the clock three minues, he turns a blind eye mostly because is pointless for him to say anything. Likewise, both he and the Galaxy King don't bat an eye when Hit's time abilities are shown in the Champa saga, mostly because it is also pointless.

--->'''Goku Black''': 'You've committed a sin far greater than me. Trunks, you're one of the reasons why I wished for the [[FinalSolution extinction of humanity]], by rewriting the past, a new Time Ring was created. That itself is proof of your sin. How many times have you came back through time?

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': The franchise's UrExample of this trope involves the planet Gateway, from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]". The Federation is nearly erased when Dr. [=McCoy=] [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom unwittingly changes history]] by saving a 1930s peace activist who delays the USA's entry into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, enabling UsefulNotes/NaziGermany to win the conflict and TakeOverTheWorld. After this situation is resolved, the planet is placed under strict quarantine. Some non-canon licensed works up the ante to the same death penalty used for [[Recap/StarTrekS1E11TheMenageriePartI Talos]] [[StarTrekS1E12TheMenageriePartII IV]].

* A similar principle is brought up in Film/DoctorStrange2016, where time-based sorcery is considered forbidden among the Masters of the Mystic Arts, with the Eye of Agamotto their most powerful relic used to house and control the green Infinity Stone (also called the Time Stone) being their most valuable relic. They explain that tampering with the space-time continuum is considered a violation of natural law, the Masters themselves existing to protect such laws.

* A similar principle is brought up in ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'', where time-based sorcery is considered forbidden among the Masters of the Mystic Arts, with the Eye of Agamotto [[spoiler:their most powerful relic used to house and control the green Infinity Stone (also called the Time Stone)]] being their most valuable relic. They explain that tampering with the space-time continuum is considered a violation of natural law, the Masters themselves existing to protect such laws.

->'''Whis:''' It certainly amazing but, to manipulate time and go in the past or future is a serious crime. Time is something that should flow in only one direction. If you go back to the past and change something, like, for example, picking a flower, it could greatly affect the established story. It could change entire cities or even an entire civilization. It might even result in an entire planet disappearing from the universe. Therefore, traveling through time so easily is strictly prohibited, even among the gods.

** During both ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and [[Recap/DragonBallSuperResurrectionFArc the arc that adapts it]], Jaco explains to Bulma that time manipulation is illegal according to the Galactic Patrol. When [[spoiler: Whis]] travels back in time, he turns a blind eye mostly because is pointless for him to say anything. Likewise, both he and the Galaxy King don't bat an eye when Hit's time abilities are shown in the Champa saga, mostly because it is also pointless.
** After Future Trunks goes to the present to escape from [[BigBad Goku Black, who has been destroying his home in the future]], Whis states his surprise that Earthlings managed to create a time machine, but also say that time traveling is a taboo to the gods for the ButterflyOfDoom justification. Trunks was lucky [[DestroyerDeity Beerus]] was in a good mood and allowed the heroes to keep traveling in time to deal with the villain, who had a time ring. This trope is explored further with the Time Ring, a magical artifact that the [[AllPowerfulBystander Supreme Kais]] use to travel into the future to see how a civilization has evolved through time, and every time a [[AlternateUniverse new timeline is created]] by using a time machine, a new Time Ring of green color appears as a way to travel to that AlternateUniverse. In fact, one of the reasons Goku Black [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritically proclaims]] he invaded Trunks's timeline was due to him sinning, by traveling in the past the first time and saving Goku from his heart disease.

Say, wouldn't be a good idea to travel back in the past and fix something? Wait, according to the TimePolice, the act of traveling in time is prohibited! You will go to Time jail!

** During both ''Anime/DragonBallZRevivalOfF'' and [[Recap/DragonBallSuperResurrectionFArc the arc that adapts it]], Jaco explains to Bulma that time manipulation is illegal according to the Galactic Patrol. When [[spoiler: Whis]] travels back in time, he turns a blind eye mostly because is pointless for him to say anything. Likewise, both he and the Galaxy King don't bat an eye when Hit's time abilities are shown in the Champa saga, mostly because it is also pointless.

-->-- ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', [[Recap/DragonBallFutureTrunksArc The Future Trunks arc]]

->'''Beerus:''' So this is a {{time machine}}, huh?

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': The franchise's UrExample of this trope involves the planet Gateway, from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]". The Federation is nearly erased when Dr. [=McCoy=] saves a 1930s woman who [[UnwittingIstigatorOfDoom unwittingly changes history]] by delaying the USA's entry into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, enabling UsefulNotes/NaziGermany to win the conflict and TakeOverTheWorld. After this situation is resolved, the planet is placed under strict quarantine. Some non-canon licensed works up the ante to the same death penalty used for [[Recap/StarTrekS1E11TheMenageriePartI Talos]] [[StarTrekS1E12TheMenageriePartII IV]].

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': The franchise's UrExample of this trope involves the planet Gateway, from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]". The Federation is nearly erased when Dr. [=McCoy=] saves a 1930s woman who delays the USA's entry into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, enabling UsefulNotes/NaziGermany to win the conflict and TakeOverTheWorld; after this situation is resolved, the planet is placed under strict quarantine. Some non-canon licensed works up the ante to the same death penalty used for [[Recap/StarTrekS1E11TheMenageriePartI Talos]] [[StarTrekS1E12TheMenageriePartII IV]].

** After the Future Trunks arc is over and Trunks returns to his own era, Bulma tries to recreate another time machine despite Beerus warning her it's forbidden. Without the presence of a menace like Goku Black to the timelines, he destroys the Time Machine once and for all, to Bulma's misfortune.

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': The franchise's UrExample of this trope involves the planet Gateway, from "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]". The Federation is nearly erased when Dr. [=McCoy=] saves a 1930s woman who delays the USA's entry into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, enabling UsefulNotes/NaziGermany to win the conflict and TakeOverTheWorld, so the planet is placed under strict quarantine. Some non-canon licensed works up the ante to the same death penalty used for [[Recap/StarTrekS1E11TheMenageriePartI Talos]] [[StarTrekS1E12TheMenageriePartII IV]].

** ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': A series UrExample of the TimeTravelTaboo involves the planet Gateway, from the episode "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E28TheCityOnTheEdgeOfForever The City on the Edge of Forever]]". After the Federation was nearly wiped out by Dr.
[=McCoy=] saving a 1930s woman who delayed the USA's entry into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, enabling UsefulNotes/NaziGermany to win the conflict and TakeOverTheWorld, the planet was placed under strict quarantine. Some non-canon licensed works upped the ante to the same death penalty used for [[Recap/StarTrekS1E11TheMenageriePartI Talos]] [[StarTrekS1E12TheMenageriePartII IV]].
** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' and ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': These two concurrent series simultaneously[[note]]within 12 months of each other[[/note]] introduced the timeline's current [[Time Police Department of Temporal Investigations]] and the future Temporal Prime Directive. The former is relatively flexible and informal, but it introduces a taboo to the series canon. The latter is enforced by 29th century officers who work to preserve the timeline, and will go so far as to [[RetGone eliminate people from history]] to do so.

->'''Beerus:''' So this is a time machine, huh?

** After the Future Trunks arc is over and Trunks returns to the future, Bulma tries to recreate another time machine despite Beerus warning her is forbidden. Without the presence of a menace like Goku Black to the timelines, he destroys the Time Machine once and for all to Bulma misfortune.

** ''Series/StarTrek'': A series UrExample of the TimeTravelTaboo involves the planet Gateway, from the episode ''City on the Edge of Forever''. After the Federation was nearly wiped out by [=McCoy=] saving a 1930s woman who delayed the US' entry into UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the planet was placed under strict quarantine. Some non-canon licensed works upped the ante to the same death penalty used for Talos IV.
** ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' and ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': These two concurrent series simultaneously[[note]]within 12 months of each other[[/note]] introduced a the timeline current Department of Temporal Investigations and the future Temporal Prime Directive. The former is relatively flexible and informal, but it introduces a taboo to the series canon. The latter is enforced by 29th century officers who work to preserve the timeline, and will go so far as to eliminate people from history to do so.

* In the ''Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures'', there are technological measures (the Backtime Buffers) preventing attempts to take a TARDIS into Gallifrey's past, which is strictly forbidden.

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', time travel is one of the acts forbidden by the laws of magic, with death as the penalty for a single transgression. The exact reason is not given, but presumably has to do with paradoxes or other problems.

->'''Whis:''' It certainly amazing but, to manipulate time and go in the past or future is a serious crime. Time is something that should flow in only one direction. If you go back to the past and change something, like, for example, picking a flower, [[ButterflyOfDoom it could greatly affect the established story. It could change entire cities or even an entire civilization. It might even result in an entire planet disappearing from the universe]]. Therefore, traveling through time so easily is strictly prohibited, even among the gods.
-->-- ''Anime/DragonBallSuper, [[Recap/DragonBallFutureTrunksArc The Future Trunks arc]]

** After Future Trunks goes to the present to escape [[BigBad Goku Black, who has been destroying his home in the future]], Whis states his surprise that Earthlings managed to create a time machine, but lso say that time traveling is a taboo to the gods for the ButterflyOfDoom justification. Trunks was lucky Beerus was in a good mood and allowed the heroes to keep traveling in time to deal with the villain, who had a time ring. This trope is explored further with the Time Ring, a magical artifact that the [[AllPowerfulBystander Supreme Kais]] use to travel into the future to see how a civilization has evolved through time, and every time a [[AlternateUniverse new timeline is created]], a new green Time Ring appears. In fact, one of the reasons Goku Black [[{{Hypocrite}} hypocritically proclaims]] he invaded Trunks's timeline was due to him sinning, by traveling in the past the first time and saving Goku from his heart disease.
--->'''Goku Black''': 'You've committed a sin far greater than me. Trunks, you're one of the reasons why I wished for the extinction of humanity, by rewriting the past, a new Time Ring was created. That itself is proof of your sin. How many times have you came back through time?
---> '''[[spoiler: Zamasu''':]] We know that you continued committing a taboo among gods, despite being a mortal.'''.
** After the Future Trunks saga is over, Bulma is trying to recreate another time machine despite Beerus warning her is forbidden. Without the presence of Goku Black in the future, he destroys the Time Machine once and for all, to Bulma misfortune.