Never run away from the Time Police!

At the end of Star Trek: Voyager, the Captain Janeway of the future goes back in time to help the Captain Janeway of the past get her crew back sooner because 7 of 9 dies, and Tuvok goes crazy. Starfleet already frowns heavily on people disrupting the time stream, and Future Janeway's actions could have affected the timeline with potentially devastating consequences (bear in mind, the future turns out just fine with the exception of a few characters, they all got home).

So here's the question: Should people who receive aid from a future self, regardless of whether or not they accept it, be held responsible for the actions of their future self?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Krelian

Well, that depends on which time travel rules we're following. If it's Star Trek time travel rules, then no, because by creating a new timeline you break the timeline you originally came from and send it in a different direction, and your past self from the new timeline doesn't necessarily need to fulfil a predestination paradox and come back and do shit—so there's no responsibility.

OTOH if you assume that they have no responsibility, then what deterrent is there to prevent people from going back in time and fucking with everything?

The most responsible thing to do as an observer in the present is to immediately kill the future self.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by LeHah

No, as disrupting the flow of time may not make that "future self".

Hitler as a baby paradox and all that.

Good, good. Now what if you accepted the help of a future self? Would you be an accessory to time crime?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.