I get that by going in back time both he and Sphere 'disappears' from the timeline (so he can't get rich just by bring a 100 bucks with him when he backsteps) but did they ever explain why he can't just go back in time seven day and then go back in time seven days again for extra time?
shareIf I recall correctly, the Sphere has an alien technology to power the system, but it's expended after every backstep. So once you backstep, the power source has to recharge, which I believe takes at least 7 days or more to recharge. Hence why he can't double/triple/quadruple/etc backstep.
shareThey said in the series that the power source is finite and more of it is spent with every backstep, but that doesn't make any sense. The power source is outside of the sphere, and it returned after a backstep even after being completely stolen.
share[deleted]
But the power source would be in its original charged state when Frank arrived. I suppose it was up to the whims of whomever was writing the episode (like most of the details of time travel, it seems).
shareI can't remember in which episode they explained it but I thought that it was explained that there could never be two of anything after a backstep.
After a backstep, the Sphere disappears from their facility -- therefore the fuel for the Sphere magically depletes and has to recharge.
Explains why there aren't numerous copies of Frank running around (well, when the Sphere works right) and why Never Never Land doesn't have some massive storage of Spheres lying around its facility.
I always wondered what would happen to a maintenance worker had he been working on the Sphere when it disappeared out from under him.
erm, the 7 day recharge is NOT true..imho.
talmadge used it as an excuse to fob off the russian from going back to try and save his 'lover' but that russian insisted and they backstepped.
but the finite power source is true.