Timestalkers

Timestalkers

Year: 1987

Runtime: 83 mins

Language: English

Director: Michael Schultz

TV MovieWesternAdventureThrillerScience Fiction

History professor Scott McKenzie uncovers a photograph that contains an impossible element from the Old West. The anomaly draws the attention of Georgia, a striking traveler from the future, who enlists his help. Together they jump through eras, racing to stop a rogue futurist from wiping Georgia from existence and altering the timeline.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Timestalkers (1987)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Timestalkers (1987). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

1986 and 1886

The story primarily unfolds in 1986, following Dr. Scott McKenzie, a professor grieving his family tragedy. It also plunges into the 1880s California frontier during Grover Cleveland’s presidency, with bandit attacks, gunfights, and frontier towns. Time travel is driven by 26th‑century technology that lets characters move between eras, revealing the fragility of history.

Location

Crossfire, California

Crossfire, California serves as the dusty frontier setting where the present and 19th‑century past collide. Its saloons, streets, and riverfront anchor Cole's hunt for the Star‑Handled Stranger, while a local photographer chronicles pivotal moments. The town shifts between a modern present and the 1880s frontier, making Crossfire a time‑storm of history.

🗺️ Frontier town 🕰️ Western era 📷 Historical artifacts

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:23

Main Characters – Timestalkers (1987)

Meet the key characters of Timestalkers (1987), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Dr. Scott McKenzie (William Devane)

A college professor and ardent aficionado of Old West gunslinger culture, McKenzie is driven by grief over his wife and son. He is analytical, persistent, and willing to risk danger to prove his theory that time travel is real. Throughout the story he shifts from skeptical researcher to active participant in saving his own family’s history.

🧠 Intellectual 💔 Grief 🧭 Investigative

Georgia Crawford (Lauren Hutton)

A time traveler from the 26th century who enlists McKenzie’s help to stop a rogue scientist. She is resourceful, confident, and technologically adept, using futuristic devices to leap across eras. Her mission is to protect her family’s past while navigating the ethical complexities of altering history.

🧭 Time traveler 🧠 Intelligent ⚖️ Ethical

Joseph Cole (Klaus Kinski)

A renegade scientist from the future who seeks to rewrite history by eradicating a key guardian of the President. He is ruthless, single‑minded, and unafraid to kill to achieve his aims. Cole’s presence intensifies the tension between scientific ambition and the consequences of time manipulation.

🧪 Villain ⏳ Time traveler ⚔️ Ruthless

General Joe Brodsky (John Ratzenberger)

McKenzie’s loyal friend and ally who helps map President Cleveland’s movements in the present. He represents steadiness and support, but his involvement makes him a target for Cole. His death escalates the stakes and underscores the dangers of temporal meddling.

🛡️ Ally 🗺️ Planner ⚰️ Sacrifice

Matthew Crawford (John Considine)

An adviser to President Grover Cleveland and Georgia’s ancestor. He becomes a target for Cole’s interference and is wounded in the past, which sustains the historical timeline. His survival is pivotal to preserving key historical lines.

🧭 Ancestor 🗳️ Political figure 🩹 Survivor

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:23

Major Themes – Timestalkers (1987)

Explore the central themes of Timestalkers (1987), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

⏳ Time Travel

Time travel drives the plot as McKenzie and Georgia chase a renegade scientist through different eras. The past and present collide, forcing choices that could erase beginnings or endings. The film explores whether history can be known with certainty and whether it should be altered to ease personal pain.

💔 Grief & Redemption

McKenzie’s loss propels his obsession with time travel and evidence. The journey offers redemption as he saves his wife’s and son’s lives by altering memory and fate. Yet the power to change history comes with ethical costs and emotional consequences.

🗡️ Gunslinger Myth

The frontier myth of the Star-Handled Stranger is juxtaposed with real history. Cole’s pursuit of power mirrors legendary gunslingers while the heroes grapple with the line between myth and reality. The frontier’s violence serves as a catalyst for both personal and historical stakes.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:23

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Timestalkers Summary

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Timestalkers Summary

Timestalkers Timeline

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Timestalkers Timeline

More About Timestalkers

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Timestalkers (1987) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Timestalkers (1987) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Timestalkers (1987) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow