Does Pixar's Lightyear trailer hint toward a time travel storyline, where Chris Evans' Buzz is hurled into the far future following a mission gone wrong? When Toy Story 2 fleshed out Buzz Lightyear's action figure backstory, even the visionaries at Pixar surely didn't expect their hilarious Star Wars parody would one day become a gritty feature-length movie. But this isn't 1999, and Lightyear is falling with style into a theater near you June 17, 2022. Replacing Tim Allen with Chris Evans, Pixar's upcoming sci-fi extravaganza is Buzz's Toy Story backstory brought to life, with aliens, robots, Star Command, and the evil Emperor Zurg (probably) all making an appearance.
The first full Lightyear trailer dropped in October 2021, but focused squarely on visuals, with barely a word of dialogue spoken (this really is like WALL-E...). With Buzz not as chatty as his Toy Story counterpart, and many fans still just trying to figure out the movie's premise, Lightyear's plot details stayed safely under wraps. Masked by imagery of futuristic worlds and Buzz getting his iconic green and white armor, Lightyear keeps its secrets better than Gandalf entering the Shire for Bilbo's birthday.
Fortunately, Lightyear's trailer contains more than G-force and loud noises. There are enough visual cues to piece together an approximation of the Space Ranger's journey through the film, and it appears Buzz's opening mission goes wrong, causing him to travel forward in time, and spend the remainder of his solo movie in the future.
Buzz's Opening Mission In Lightyear Explained
Much of the Lightyear trailer - certainly the first half - revolves around a single astronaut mission. According to Pixar, this remolding of Buzz Lightyear works as a Star Command test pilot, and trailer footage shows him gearing up for a solo space flight. Thanks to IVAN's holographic map, we can see Buzz's intended route begins at Star Command HQ, loops all the way around the sun, then makes a return journey back through a set of rings that line up in front of planet Buzz launched from. Assuming Buzz's task is to test Star Command's "HYPER LAUNCH" technology, those three rings could be designed to decelerate Buzz's ship upon reentry, preventing him crashing back home in a ball of flames. That's the plan; unfortunately for Buzz, the end result looks somewhat different...
Lightyear Teases Buzz's Fuel Becoming Unstable
The first red flag within Lightyear's trailer is the foreboding sensation that something goes wrong with Buzz's fuel supply. During flight preparation, the camera lingers ominously upon the ship's crystal fuel cell, signposting its future importance to the plot. Switching scenes to Star Command mission control, the main screen comprises a diagram of Buzz's ship, a countdown, numerous camera feeds... and a large gauge labelled "FUEL STABILITY" that sticks out like a spaceman at a saloon. Nice and clear so everyone can watch the tension gradually build, this readout serves as another worrying hint that Buzz's fuel destabilizes during his trip. Also, buried deep within Pixar's Lightyear trailer lies a rapid image of Buzz's ship giving off sparks and flying at an angle most pilots wouldn't consider healthy. Is this what happens when the crystal inside Buzz's spacecraft becomes unstable?
The first stage of Buzz's journey goes off without hitch. Lightyear's trailer shows the astronaut leaving his planet, hitting HYPER LAUNCH, then performing a successful slingshot around the sun. Oddly, the footage neglects to show Buzz's return journey. Could Pixar be hiding salient plot details that happen during this sequence? Traveling back to his home planet after circling the sun may be when Buzz's crystal explodes, sending the ship speeding out of control. Lightyear's trailer does show a vessel moving steadily and safely through a similar series of rings, but their positioning doesn't match the rings from Buzz's mission, suggesting this shot happens elsewhere in Lightyear. As for what happens to Buzz after his ship's fuel disaster, let's hand over to ERIC...
ERIC The Robot Sets Up Buzz's Time Travel In Lightyear
ERIC the robot has prepared a handy whiteboard presentation (because everyone was too busy with space travel to invent PowerPoint) that's ideal for the scientifically uninitiated. Toward the bottom is the same diagram of Buzz's journey from earlier, but rather than stopping halfway, this version maps out a complete route. According to ERIC's drawing, Buzz emerged from the other side of the sun and began coming back on himself, but entered "HYPER SPEED" before reaching the three rings. Earlier Lightyear trailer footage clearly shows Buzz hitting "HYPER LAUNCH" en route toward the sun, so ERIC's "HYPER SPEED" moment must refer to an entirely different event - perhaps the fuel crystal going unstable and accidentally accelerating Lightyear into light speed.
ERIC's diagram certainly supports the theory that something goes very wrong during Buzz's opening mission. Without claiming to be an expert engineer or astrophysicist, hitting top speed while facing a planet feels like a bad idea. Buzz must've lost control of his vessel and traveled much faster than any man should.
The right side of ERIC's board teases the outcome of Buzz's accident - time dilation. As per the robot's calculations, one minute for Buzz equates to one year for everyone back at Star Command HQ. This phenomenon is based on real-world science, where time passes more slowly away from a gravity source. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station age a fraction slower than everyone down on Earth, for instance, but by traveling much, much further away at great speed - like Buzz in Lightyear - home could leap years into the future, relative to the astronaut's perspective.
Buzz Looks Out Of Place During Lightyear's Future Scenes
Based on the evidence above, Lightyear begins on Buzz's first mission, but then takes Chris Evans' character deep into the reaches of space after the accidental fuel explosion scuppers his reentry. Somehow, Buzz returns home, but only to find time has moved faster without him, and many years passed in his absence. This would explain why Lightyear's Buzz cuts a more solemn figure than Toy Story fans are accustomed to, appearing reflective - perhaps even uncomfortable - throughout trailer scenes set at Star Command HQ. That's not the Space Ranger Pixar fans know and love, but Buzz's demeanor could be due to his unfamiliarity with the future. Notice how Buzz is startled by Sox the robot cat - as if these weren't invented during his day - and how he gets caught unawares by an alien tentacle, suggesting Star Command has explored many more planets since Buzz was last employed there.
How Far Does Buzz Lightyear Travel Into The Future?
Pixar keeps Lightyear's era deliberately vague, but from the advanced space travel and robotics, the story evidently begins far into humanity's future. So, how much further does Buzz leap forward after his time dilation? Based on the improved technology, it's a matter of decades. Star Command evolves from using rudimentary WALL-E-esque androids to robots perfectly disguised as creatures, like Sox the cat. There's also a huge advancement in Buzz's costume, which changes from regular astronaut gear to the futuristic white and green armor Toy Story fans remember. Finally, compare the launch pad landscape in the very first frame of Lightyear's trailer to the view Buzz sees from his window later on - the second shot looks a little more developed.
Buzz returning home after decades also fits with shots elsewhere in the Lightyear trailer. Buzz crash lands on a Dagobah-like planet, and seemingly embarks on a few alien adventures while still wearing his original costume. Perhaps Buzz's fuel disaster sends his ship to a faraway planet, where Lightyear's protagonist gets into some Zurg-flavored trouble before finally finding his way home. What might take a few hours for Buzz would, by ERIC's reckoning, constitute decades back home. No wonder Buzz looks like a fish out of water.
One major sticking point in this theory is Hawthorne - a supporting character who appears in both time periods. Hawthorne looks on with concern during Buzz's original mission (eyeing that "FUEL STABILITY" gauge carefully), but she's also wearing one of Star Command's new suits during the trailer's final shot. In both scenes, Hawthorne is shown with a mark above her right eye. This leaves two possibilities if the Lightyear time travel theory is to hold any water - either Hawthorne cryogenically freezes herself to ensure she's around when Buzz comes back, or the Hawthorne who says "to infinity and beyond" is a descendant of the character shown earlier in mission control, who's so inspired by her older relative, she shapes her eyebrow to resemble a scar. Either way, Buzz has a friend in her, should the Lightyear time travel theory prove true.
