Rassdyt

Question: Why does Doc send Marty back to September 2nd? Doc gets shot on the 7th, so this is a very short timetable to work with.

Answer: The letter that Marty received in 1955 was dated September 1st, 1885; sending Marty back any earlier than that date could potentially cause a time paradox, which was something Doc took great care to avoid throughout the majority of the film trilogy.

zendaddy621

Marty can go back anytime in the 8 months and tell Doc that he will be murdered and to send a letter that was dated September 1st.

Answer: No one expected that the DeLorean's fuel tank would end up becoming damaged. If it weren't for that, Doc and Marty would had been able to return back to 1985 immediately.

Rassdyt