JENNIFER PARKER

'Jennifer Jane Parker' is a fictional character in the ''Back to the Future'' motion picture trilogy. The character has been played by two actresses in the movies and voiced by a third in the spin-off series. Jennifer is always a secondary character in the stories, the girlfriend of the protagonist Marty McFly.

Contents

Character history

Biography

Family

References

Character history

The character of Jennifer Parker was called Suzy Parker in the original script of ''Back to the Future''.^[1] Movie director Robert Zemeckis changed the character's name to Jennifer after attorney Larry H. Parker's daughter, in gratitude, as Mr. Parker was instrumental in settling a copyright infringement suit in favour of Mr. Zemeckis.
The character was played by Claudia Wells in ''Back to the Future''.^[2]. Unfortunately, Wells was not available to film the sequels for personal reasons^[3], and the role was recast to Elisabeth Shue.^[2] Consequently, the final scene of ''Back to the Future'', which leads to ''Back to the Future Part II'' and which is shown at the beginning of that movie, had to be re-shot with Shue taking Wells' place. Finally, in the spin-off '', Jennifer was voiced by Cathy Cavadini.^[2]

Biography

According to a police officer in ''Back to the Future Part II'', Jennifer Parker was born in 1968.^[6] In 1985, she is attending the Hill Valley High School, along with her boyfriend Marty.^[7]
At the end of ''Back to the Future'', Emmett Brown takes her and Marty to the future, to 2015. While there, Jennifer gets a glimpse of her grim future with Marty. By overhearing the discussion of other characters, she learns that Marty had an accident that ruined his life.^[8] Jennifer married him out of pity rather than love,^[9] in a ceremony her time-travelling self is horrified to learn about.^[10] The original script of ''Back to the Future Part II'' had an even bleaker future for Marty and Jennifer. In that version of the movie, Marty's obsession with get-rich-quick schemes is dragging his family into debt, while Jennifer struggles to make ends meet.^[11] Jennifer had to become a security guard, and developed a drinking problem.^[12] As her younger self looks on, Jennifer announces that she is divorcing Marty.^[13] However, this dark future was undone at the end of ''Back to the Future Part III'', and the new future of Jennifer and Marty is unknown.^[14]

Family

Unlike Marty McFly's family, which is followed in great detail in the ''Back to the Future'' series, very little is known about Jennifer's family. Her father is briefly seen in a car in ''Back to the Future'', when he comes to pick her up, but remains unnamed.^[15] It is also established that at least one of Jennifer's grand-mothers is still alive. Although she remains unseen and unnamed in the movies, the dialogue mentions her.^[16] Jennifer's grand-father is never seen in the movies, however an early version of the script of ''Back to the Future Part II'' mentions that his name was Norman.^[17]
The ''Animated Series'' episode "A Friend in Deed" established that Jennifer lives with her family on a ranch. The deed to the ranch was owned by Biff Tannen, after one of his ancestors forced Jennifer's great-great-grandfather to sign it over by holding Jennifer's great-great-grandmother hostage. In the episode, Marty travels back in time to 1875 and sabotages the deal.^[18] It is worth noting, however, that the canonicity of the ''Animated Series'' is contested.^[19]
In the future witnessed in ''Back to the Future Part II'', Jennifer and Marty had two children, Marlene^[20] and Marty Jr.^[21] According to the ''Animated Series'' episode "Solar Sailor", she also has a great-granddaughter, Marta McFly, in the year 2091.^[22]

References

1. Early script of ''Back to the Future'' Marty tears the page out of his textbook and winks at SUZY PARKER, the cute girl across the aisle and behind him.
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3. ''Back to the Future'' Frequently Asked Questions at BTTF.com.
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6. ''Back to the Future Part II'' 'Officer Reese:' McFly, Jennifer Jane Parker. 3793 Oakhurst St, Hilldale. Age 47.
7. ''Back to the Future'' Cut to outside Hill Valley High School. JENNIFER is waiting at the door.
8. ''Back to the Future Part II'' 'Lorraine:' If not for that accident, your father's life would have turned out very different.
9. ''Back to the Future Part II'' 'Lorraine:' I think the real reason your mother married him was because she felt sorry for him.
10. ''Back to the Future Part II'' 'Jennifer:' (horrified) I get married in the Chapel of Love?
11. Early script of ''Back to the Future Part II'' 'Jennifer:' And now that I've cleared our credit rating, you're trying to put us back into debt with your psychic lottery connections.
12. Early script of ''Back to the Future Part II'' Old Jennifer, 47, wears a SECURITY GUARD UNIFORM! The years have not been kind, and the booze hasn't helped, either.
13. Early script of ''Back to the Future Part II'' 'Jennifer:' It means divorce. I've filed. It becomes final at midnight tomorrow.
14. ''Back to the Future Part III'' 'Jennifer:' I brought this note back from the future and...now it's erased! 'Doc:' Of course it's erased! 'Jennifer:' But what does that mean? 'Doc:' It means that your future hasn't been written yet. No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it.
15. ''Back to the Future'' They're just about to kiss when a car pulls up and honks the horn. It's Jennifer's Dad, MR PARKER.
16. ''Back to the Future'' 'Jennifer:' I'll be at my grandma's. Here, let me give you the number.
17. Early script of ''Back to the Future Part II'' 'Jennifer:' I always wanted to name my son Norman--after my grandpa.
18. A Friend in Deed episode recap at TV.com.
19. Is the animated series canon in relation to the films? fan debate in the forum of BTTF.com, an infotainment site.
20. ''Back to the Future Part II'' Upstairs, a teenage girl, MARLENE, can be seen walking around.
21. ''Back to the Future Part II'' Doc looks at a woman walking down it, then MARTY MCFLY JUNIOR walks past her.
22. Solar Sailors episode recap at TV.com.