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A scene or series of scenes that takes place in the past or future, real or imagined, using the same actors as the existing show but as different characters. To properly count for this trope, the relationships of the characters in the vision must reflect on the relationships of the existing characters, often with a plot-relevant [[Aesop]] for the characters to learn from it.
Occasionally '''Visions of Another Self''' occur by having a character actually travel to a place, whether it's in the actual past, an [[Alternate Universe]] or a [[Mirror Universe]]. Just as, if not more often though, it will be a constructed fantasy, [[It Was All Just a Dream|a dream]], a hallucination, a flashback (or someone else's flashback), a holodeck experience or the fantasy equivalent thereof, part of a [[Vision Quest]] or just a very active imagination. The probability of one of these occurring increases dramatically if [[Reincarnation]] is involved. Other times, this is done without the present-day characters even being aware of the past, but the writers playing up the parallels between the two for the audience's benefit.
Sort-of-but-not-really related to [[Flash Back]]. Sometimes may approach [[Flash Sideways]]. Superficially resembles an ad hoc [[Commedia Dell Arte Troupe|Commedia dell'Arte Troupe]]. If the character having these dreams starts to think that they are the true reality and the rest of the show is the dream, it's a [[Cuckoo Nest]]. See also [[But You Were There and You and You]].
{{examples}}
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* ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'''s ''The Changeling'': Is Teal'C in fact an average Earth firefighter? No. But it made for an interesting episode.
* ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'' had ''Vegas'', a [[CSI]]-like episode in an alternate universe filmed in Las Vegas.
* The final season of ''[[The Sopranos]]'' had Tony hallucinating himself as a salesman called Kevin Finnerty while in a coma.
* In [[The X-Files]] episode "Triangle", Mulder dreams (or did he?) of going back in time on a ghost ship he was looking for, with key characters as the cast of it. Of course, Mulder is still convinced they are all who they really are, and ends up planting a rather passionate kiss on the non-Scully, who gives him a sucker punch to the cheek for his efforts.
** Also toyed with in the episode where Mulder meets his reincarnating soul mate (unfortunately, she's in a suicide cult). Well, that or she had multiple personality disorder. Under hypnosis, she recalls the details of several of their past lives, which involve several of the show's characters as previous reincarnations as well. One such scenario was described as Mulder and his soul-mate having lost their child (re: his sister) to a drunk driver (re: the Cigarette smoking man), Scully was there too, as Mulder's male best friend.
* ''[[Castle]]'''s [[Noir Episode]], "The Blue Butterfly", featured the regular cast acting out a 1940s murder in flashback.
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== Webcomics ==
* In ''[[El Goonish Shive]]'' Tedd dreams about one of his alternate universe counterpart's life.
** So does Ellen, who is given memories of a world where she was born normally. Or Eliot was a girl, which [[Opposite
== Western Animation ==
* One episode of ''[[Kim Possible]]'', "Rewriting History", shows Kim and Ron investigating accusations that Kim's [[Identical Grandson|lookalike ancestor]], Miriam "Mim" Possible, stole a scientific device about a hundred years ago. As it turns out, Drakken and Shego's turn-of-the-last-century analogs framed her for the deal. It ultimately turns out to be [[All Just a Dream]] however. And then they see Ron and Drakken carved on to some poles: apparently, they had gladiators as ancestors waaaaay back in Roman times.
** [[Word of God]] states that despite being just a dream, the ancestors were really existing back when.
* ''[[The Fairly
* In the ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' episode "Pest Of The West", SpongeBob learns of his great ancestor SpongeBuck SquarePants and how he saved the town of Bikini Gulch from Dead-Eye Plankton.
** And there was also an episode set in the Middle Ages where [[SpongeBob]] and Patrick had to free Bikini Bottomshire from the [[Evil Sorceror]] Planktonimor, aided by medieval analogues of Squidward and Sandy.
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[[Category:Dream Tropes]]
[[Category:Something Completely Different]]
[[Category:
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