Tag: time loop

A time loop is a common plot device in science fiction (especially in universes where time travel is commonplace). Events in the story repeat themselves a number of times with or without some variation with each pass. Most characters either do not realise this is occurring or are attempting to break the cycle in some way.

One well-known example of this is in the 1993 film Groundhog Day, in which the main character is the only one aware of the time loop, although time loops had appeared in many fictional works prior to that. Stories with time loops commonly center on correcting past mistakes or on getting a character to recognise some key truth; escape from the loop may then follow.