What would you do with a time machine?

If you had the ability to time travel, how would you use it? Go back and try to fix your mistakes? Take action that would change the future? Use your knowledge to make billions of dollars? Help others?

The release at cinemas this week of Terminator: Genisys – the fifth effort in the legendary sci-fi action series – got The Big Picture team talking about time. And travelling through it, as culture vultures Ben and Mark take a look at how movies and TV suggest we could use the amazing power offered by being able to jump back to the past, or forward to the future.

The video above features a far-reaching discussion about the Terminator series and its presentation of human invention and what can happen when we try to beat God at His own game of creating. Below is a further reflection on The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a TV series that was a spin-off from the Terminator franchise. While also talking about what this small-screen series has to offer, Mark and Ben raise the intriguing issue of how “Judgment Day” and salvation are key elements of the Terminator universe. And for something un-Terminator but definitely linked to time-travelling favourites, Mark explores the enduring legacy of Doctor Who — and why he still hasn’t taken a trip back to meet Jesus.