This power, it's bigger than me: time travel as narrative device and catalyst for character exposition

The time travellers in television science fiction are commonly portrayed as 'passengers', usually being chronologically displaced via the narrative device of a machine or natural phenomena. Heroes adopts a more personal approach to the trope of time travel. The characters of Hiro Nakamura and Peter Petrelli are true ‘time travellers’ in that their ability to move at will through time and space is a result of personal motivation. Via the potential apotheosis offered to the characters with this power, and their intimate relationship with the trope of time travel, movement through time adopts a prominent role in both character exposition and the narrative construction of the show. This study examines the function of time travel within the narrative structure of Heroes and explores its use as catalyst for character exposition and motivation.