Back to the Future Flags, Part III - Banners at Hill Valley High School of the Bully Bulldogs

Hill Valley High School -1985
Home of the Hill Valley Bulldogs

In Back to the Future we travel to Hill Valley and its fictional High School. The mascot of this school is the Bulldogs. There are several banners that announce the upcoming football game likewise many the students in the 1950s have their books covered with brown paper covers featuring their school totem - the bull dog.





Banner for Ron Woodward for Class President 1955


Notice the students with brown bulldog covers. In this scene George McFly is being harassed-bullied by other students with a kick-me sign. As it was in the 1950s, 1980s, and 2010s bullying in secondary school continues but on different levels between boys and girls. However there are cosmic consequences for bullies - see revenge to bullies flag from Stand By Me.


Bulldogs on George McFly's Book in hand

Close of up Marty with his dad, you can see the Bulldog emblem of Hill Valley High the best here. Also in the background are two broadsides that announce the upcoming football game between the home team Bulldogs versus the away team Indians.

Audition Battle of the Bands Banner

In 1985 Marty McFly auditions to play at the school dance. A banner redundantly shows it's an Audition. The name of Marty McFly's band is the 'Pinheads.' However Marty and the Pinheads leave the auditions with rather low hearts. Also note that this is the new high school gym.

Marty Playing at the 'old' gym at the
Enchantment Under the Sea Dance

Although embarrassed and dejected with his initial tryout, fate gives Marty a second chance to play at another High School dance with Marvin Berry and the Starlighters, and unconsciously lays the foundation for rock and roll.


LINK to Back to the Future Flag - Part IV




http://zebratigerfish.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-to-furture-flag-part-iv-hill.html

Back to the Future Flags - Part II, the US and California State Flags

Back to the Future California and US flag

September 7, 1885: BTTF-3

In the Back to the Future trilogy the American Flag and the California State Flag appear in all three films and appear together, at least once. This post will highlight their joint appearances in the Back to the Future Universe - or rather Back to the Future Multiverse - from a semi linear point of view beginning in September 7, 1885.

At this point in history the US Flag only has 38 Stars. Colorado was the last state in the Union and 'its' banner flew for 13 long years. Bobby Z did his vexillological home work and the original style of the California State Flag is flying in the center of town. The original California Bear Flag revolt flag differs with the modern version - see below.


Back to the Future California & US Flag
November 6th, 1955?: BTTF-1

The next time we the California State flag on screen side by side with the US flag is during Biff n' Gang's chase of Marty McFly on his makeshift skate board. At this time the United States only has 48 stars on its flag. Also note the California State flag was in its current form.

Back to the Future California and US Flag

Saturday November 12, 1955: BTTF-2

Later that week on Saturday November 12, 1955 Marty McFly raises the American Flag. Rather, Marty lifts a table top 48 starred American Flag so he can undo some of his 'past-future-now' mistakes. To the left we also see the California State Flag. This technically mundane yet critically important 'raising' of the US flag occurs in Principal Strickland's office.

The US and California Flags make several appearances in each film by themselves. The great coincidence from our point of view is the flags appear together in 1985 BTTF-1, 1989 BTTF-2, and 1990 BTTF-3.

LINK TO: Flags in Back to the Future Part III 
http://zebratigerfish.blogspot.com/2011/11/back-to-future-flags-part-iii-banners.html

Crossed Flag of California and the US
as they would be in 1885

A wonderful ad for the re-release of Back to the Future
FEEL THE POWER OF LOVE

Back to the Future Flags - Part I, the Pennant Streamers

Rainbow Pennant Streamers

Back to the Future - 1985

It was 56 years ago today that history was torn asunder when Dr. Emmit Brown was inspired to create the flux capacitor which allows for the possibility of time travel - on Saturday November 5, 1955. Coincidentally today's date is Saturday November 5, 2011.

Dr. Brown would have to wait another 30 years until the other fields of technology caught up with him. And in 1985 he constructed a time machine out of a DeLorean.

This is the premise of Back to the Future - which became a glorious gem in Hollywood. It was one of those experimental untested plots that marketing departments were afraid to touch - since it didn't fit into their profit plan margins. But Universal Studios took a leap of faith and the results were extraordinary.

Flags or rather vexilloids also play an important role in this film. The key 'flags' that save the day are Pennant Strings or Pennant Streamers. The Pennant Strings make an appearance in all three movies. In Back to the Future 1985 - we see them as attention getting decorations for the developers of Lyon Estates, where Marty McFly lives in 1985. They are a rainbow of colours that includes red, orange, yellow, green, sea green, sky blue, dark blue and white.

Marty McFly's Dream Automobile
a custom 4x4 Toyota Pickup

The Pennant Streamers make a second appearance in Part I on a Black Toyota Truck that Marty wishes for while standing in center of town. The amazing coincidence is that the Pennant Streamers on the 'Custom 4x4 for Statler Toyota' are the similar to the ones used for Lyon Estates in 1955. It makes sense since an R&D budget for Pennant Streamers is low or non-existent, for flag manufactures.

Back to the Future, Part II - 1989

Happy Marty McFly
with Yellow Pennant Streamer

In Back to the Future Part II 1989, the Pennant Streamers play a more star studded role. The pimped out DeLorean may have gotten Marty and Doc into a temporal pretzel knot, but unconventional help from these small triangular flags, pushes the plot forward. It is an echo of the axiom, you never know where help will come from.

Sad Marty McFly
with Red Pennant Streamer Flag

The Pennant Streamers run the gambit of high and low for Marty McFly, sort of like the time machine. It can bring on positive and sometimes negative results.

On close inspection of the Pennant Streamers one may notice that they are different between Part I and Part II. The Pennant Streamers in Back the Future - Part II 1989 do not have the colour blue and seem out of order. This is easily explained by the temporal ripple effect that alters reality a wee bit, with each time jump.

This also explains the two physical forms of Jennifer Parker. With all this time jumping, it causes two variants of Jennifer Parker to appear - or rather two realities. However neither Marty nor Doc are aware of Ms. Parker's physical chrono-shift.

The time ripple effect explains the slight physical
change with Jennifer Parker

This also means that Doc and Marty's perception of the original Jennifer Parker 'has, is, or was' wiped away from existence in their mind or rather, replaced. Marty may not have noticed, since his life force is so intimately linked with Jennifer's on a sub-cosmic level.

Nonetheless it is the same Jennifer Parker in all realities. Thus the difference of Pennant Streamers between to Part I and Part II is due to the "Time Ripple." This also explains the discrepancy between some the predictions of 2015 that seem way off their mark. But we are allowed to see the shift - or alternate time line-reality.*

In the time line where George McFly stands up to the bullies and becomes a successful writer it also changes his future world. George McFly's successful work as a science fiction writer inspires others into the field of science. Consequently his inspirational writing advances technology, by the year 2015 the world has cold fusion, hover boards, flying cars, and the cascade of events see that Princess Diana of 1985-A does not die in a car crash in 1997 via the butterfly effect. Rather Princess Diana lives on to visit Washington in 2015. Gene Roddenberry had a similar effect when he wrote about his 'imaginary' or rather visionary universe of Star Trek.


Back to the Future Part III - 1990

In the final chapter the Pennant Streamers make a small cameo in the last scene. Once again they serve as decorations for selling new homes. But the colours are limited to yellow and sky blue.

The Pennants are barely visible in the background right before the drag race.


Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News 1985


up next --- - - - - - -
THE VEXILLOLOGY OF BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II
The US and California State Flags

*Also when this movie was being made there was another time split of 1985-V that featured Eric Stolz as Marty McFly. This is where, from our point of view, the 'aborted part II back to the 1960s episode' resonates from. And in that timeline Michael J. Fox's career ends with Teen Wolf and Michael Dukakis is elected president in 1988.

SpongeBob with the official Bikini Bottom Flag

Here it is again the official flag of Bikini Atoll on the imagined isle next to SpongBob's place.

The 23 white stars in the blue canton represent the 23 islands of Bikini Atoll. The three black stars near the upper right represent the 3 isles that were terraformed in 1954 by US nuclear art deco techniques. The two black stars next to the Bikini Native words represent the two far away places where Bikini Natives had to move to - Kili Island and Majuro Atoll.

The language on the flag is Marshallese, which can be translated as 'the universe is perpetually molded by the divine.' Although Bikini Atoll is no longer officially a part of the USA, the imprint of left by the United States had an intense effect in more ways than one. Also note that Bob, Pat, Squiddy, and Mr. C are all, in theory, Marshallese Citizens.




Mr. Square-Pants holding the Bikini Atoll Flag. Note that he also has a 'Welcome Pineapple' flag in front of his pineapple house.

A forlorn alignment of Grenada and St. Kitts-Nevis pre-independence flags

Retired Flag of St. Kitts & Nevis
adopted in 1967

Before Grenada and St. Kitts-Nevis became independent nations from the UK, their flags had similar patterns and colours. However note that Anguilla would later leave the Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla threesome and remain a 'colony' of the UK unto this very day.

Coincidentally in 1967 both Grenada and St. Kitts & Nevis adopted the colours sky blue, yellow, and green with a plant in the central honor position. St. Kitts & Nevis used a vertical tri-panel, while Grenada used a horizontal tri-panel. Another difference is that Grenada had a centrally placed nutmeg fruit dangling from a branch, while St. Kitts and Nevis (Anguilla as well) used a black tropical palm tree.

Retired Flag of Grenada
adopted in 1967

Their pre-independence flags were temporal twins, since both were adopted in 1967. Likewise both nations are a part of the Caribbean and have similar yet distinct histories and cultures. Neither nation would hold on to their early designs or colours. However the essence of these flags would live on in another Caribbean nation - St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Gelfling Badge-Symbol

The three leafed Gelfling Symbol
on the far right

The main character in the Dark Crystal 1982 centered on Jen a young male Gelfling. The time comes when a rare celestial alignment occurs that heralds a cataclysmic change. But in order to restore a natural balance Jen must fulfill a certain prophecy.

Gelfling Symbol in triangle with shard of the Dark Crystal

On his cosmic earthly adventure Jen comes across the ruins of his ancestors. There he recognizes a few symbols and 'words that stay.' All throughout the forbidden Gelfling Ruins, a three leafed icon can be found. It seems to represent the Gelflings or Gelfling Royalty. Perhaps it is related to the 'three suns becoming one prophecy?'

Likewise, Jim Henson was prophetic in 1982 when he created this movie. The world of the Dark Crystal centered on planet with three suns. Back in the 1980s and 1990s many persons - even with pHDs - assumed that a trinary star system would not gravitationally allow for the formation of planets. But in 2005 Henson's imagination was proven correct with the discovery of planet in HD 188753 - which is a triple star system.

Kira Sitting on the Gelfling Throne?

Thus the view from a moon or other planet in the HD 188753 Star System would have a view similar to the one depicted in the Dark Crystal.

The Dark Crystal Scepter and Wands of Wisdom, or Palmer Vexilloid

Original Movie Poster

The Dark Crystal 1982

The Dark Crystal was a feature science-fiction fantasy film from 1982, heralded out of the fantastic imagination of Jim Henson. This film used ground breaking puppetry that transported audiences to a land far far away. The theme of the film weaves elements of mysticism, coincidence, destiny, astronomy, and the seemingly perpetual struggle between good light and bad dark forces.

There are multiple 'linguistically' sentient species in the Dark Crystal World. The legend of the Dark Crystal centers on two seemingly oppositely charged races - the bold and selfish Skeksis and calm and selfless Mystics.

The Skeksis and Mystics both carry staffs or wands of rank. The Skeksis are rather dogmatic and are ruled by an emperor. The Emperor Skeksis' chief object of power denoting rule and stature is the Imperial Skeksi Scepter. This scepter is made of precious metals - perhaps gold, silver, and or other unknown jewels and metals. At the top of the scepter is a crescent shape that seems to mimic the shape of the Skeksis head.

A Mystic Carrying a Palmer like Staff
Each Staff of the Mystics is unique
note the tassel and rock finial

On the other hand the Mystics all carry their own staff that is unique for each Mystic. Every Mystic walks with a simple homemade staff of wisdom. The material of the Mystic's wands seems to be made of less than precious metal. They are rather simple easy to come by stones decorated with designs and tassels.

These Dark Crystal vexilloids are similar to a Palmer's staff in heraldry.

The Imperial Skeksis Scepter
on the pillow

To the right, the Emperor Skeksi passionately and greedily holds on to the Imperial Scepter on his deathbed. Note the crescent shape of the final with golden inlays. The crescent shape can be found throughout the Dark Crystal Palace, as a pattern and on their clothing.

In 1982 Jim Henson's imaginative planet in a triple star system seemed like a far fetched idea, some scientists though it was an absurd idea - a gravitational impossibility. But in 2005 a planet was found amongst a triple star system - HD 188753... or rather the J Henson 1982 Star Star System.