A doubt

[ahill1]

I still have a doubt that is killing me.

So, the most accepted theory regarding the timelines is that the Trunks from future Cell's timeline traveled to another timeline and supposedly got there the blueprints to kill the androids of his timeline. There was no Cell traveling from another future in that timeline, hence Trunks apparently not knowing about Cell and being killed.

But still, why was Trunks' time machine set to travel to the main timeline? Since he apparently wished to tell everyone he succeeded in his mission of killing the androids (like the future Trunks we know of wished), shouldn't the time machine be setted to travel to that timeline instead? It then seems to be just a plot device so future Cell would end up in the main timeline.

 

[GreatSaiyaman123]

That's why i don't think that Trunks ever traveled in time.

 

[Papasmurf]

The time machine apparently malfunctioned and sent Cell to a year before Trunks was even supposed to arrive much less inform the others of the androids' defeat, creating a branch timeline that is the main one

At least that's my explanation.

 

[withheldforprivacy]

The machine wasn't programmed yet. Cell pressed some buttons at random, thus unintentionally
selecting that age and timeline. Then, he assumed the machine had already been programmed to
go there.

 

[Jeff Styles]

He probably set the year three years before to let the Z Warriors know they don't have to train anymore and to let them know about the blueprints, and the underground lab.

 

[ahill1]

He probably set the year three years before to let the Z Warriors know they don't have to train anymore and to let them know about the blueprints, and the underground lab.

But didn't Trunks supposedly want to tell everyone from the past [the one where he supposedly got the blueprints of #17 and #18] that he succeeded on his mission of killing the androids? That's at least what the future Trunks [the one who fought at the CGs] wished to do after killing the androids, so I don't see why it'd be something different with the Trunks from future Cell's timeline.

 

[GreatSaiyaman123]

I took a look the Cell part and Cell doesn't specifies anything about the time machine, at least not in Ginger Town.