Although very few Easter eggs appear in all threeBack to the Futuremovies, one often overlooked gag does recur throughout the trilogy. TheBack to the Futuretrilogy’s twisty timelinemeans that the movies can seem a little tonally and visually discordant. While 1985’sBack to the Futureis a retro sci-fi comedy where Marty travels to the ‘50s to help out his hapless teenage father,Back to the Future Part II’s plotis a futuristic story complete with flying cars and hoverboards.
Meanwhile,Back to the Future Part IIItakes things in a totally new direction by sending Marty and Doc back to the Wild West for an adventure inspired by Sergio Leone’sDollarstrilogy. If this all sounds a little uneven, that is because it is. The three movies are a bit chaotic but consistently entertaining, meaning the odd storytelling decisions all make sense in the end. However, these wildly divergent stories mean that outside ofBack to the Future’s Marty McFlyand Doc Brown, there are few plot elements that appear in all three movies.
The Statler Family Has A Dealership In Hill Valley During All 3 Back To The Future Movies
The Statler Family Sells Cars And Horses Depending On The Decade
Since the franchise changes time period and genre on a dime, there are not too many Easter eggs that crop up in all threeBack to the Futuremovies. Admittedly, there is a villainous member of the Tannen family in every timeline and every movie does feature some problem with powering the DeLorean time machine.Back to the Future’s lightning boltsandBack to the Future Part III’s gasoline aside, however, there is another Easter egg that appears in every installment of the Back to the Future trilogy.
Back to the Future Part III’s vision of the Wild West is essentially an ersatz echo of the modern-day town.
In every time period,the Statler family always owns a local Hill Valley dealership, whether it is cars or horses that they are selling. This mirrors the idea thatBack to the Future Part III’s vision of the Wild West is essentially an ersatz echo of the modern-day town, since the sheriff is the grandfather ofBack to the Future’s principal and plays effectively the same role in disciplining the townspeople. Similarly, Mad Dog Tannen is not only a dead ringer for his descendant Biff but also acts almost exactly the same as the violent bully.
The Statler Family Is One Of Precious Few Back To The Future Easter Eggs Included In Every Movie
The Trilogy’s Divergent Time Periods Make Consistent Easter Eggs Tricky
The Statler family’s business is one of the few times that theBack to the Futuremovies managed to incorporate the same gag into every installment. WhileBack to the Future Part II’s cut sceneswould have brought back Marty’s brother Dave, he doesn’t appear in the third outing. Similarly, the repeated recasting of Marty’s love interest Jennifer makes it harder to see her as a consistent character. Despite this, viewers can rest assured that the fortunes of the Statler family are at least one reliable constant in Hill Valley.
Back to the Future: Doc Brown’s 1885 Gasoline Plot Hole Explained
The Back to the Future trilogy is riddled with plot holes, but the question of why Doc can’t synthesize gasoline does actually have an answer.
The Statler family doesn’t play a big role in theBack to the Futuretrilogy, but it is evident that their shares in the local Hill Valley transportation market are beyond reproach. This gag allows the trilogy’s creators to provide a little more connective tissue between the tonally, visually, and narratively discordant movies, all of which speed off on their own timelines. No matter whichBack to the Futuremovie viewers are watching, the Statlers are on hand to provide transportation to the heroes.
