The way you worded it could mean one of two things, so:
A.Past Max did not blow himself up with Past Sam.
B.The Past Sam and Max are two completely different beings than the "normal" ones, so if Past Sam dies, that doesn't mean "Normal" Sam dies because his past incarnation did.
The Past Sam and Max are two completely different beings than the "normal" ones, so if Past Sam dies, that doesn't mean "Normal" Sam dies because his past incarnation did.
I'm pretty sure the timeline split into two alternate dimensions as soon as Sam & Max jumped back into the past, creating two sets: Sam & Max Prime and Sam & Max X, as dubbed by fans. They are separate characters having adventures in separate timelines.
After all, if that truly was the Max from our exact past, then Sam should have been the one to transform into a gigantic monster, not Max.
B.The Past Sam and Max are two completely different beings than the "normal" ones, so if Past Sam dies, that doesn't mean "Normal" Sam dies because his past incarnation did.
I think the timeline chart is as simple as it's going to get for you. Let me see if I can bullet point it.
-In 204, Sam and Max (from the original universe, so we call them Prime) travel back to 102 to get a recording contract. Past Sam and Max (we'll call them A) steal their time machine and skip ahead to 204. This creates an alternate timeline with an extra Sam and Max.
-At the end of 204, Sam and Max A steal the time machine and go to parts unknown as the ship is about to be destroyed. We don't hear from them again for a while.
-Somewhere between 204 and 305, Sam and Max A have adventures somewhere other than New York, and Sam A is turned into a giant electromagnokinetic monster, and Max A is forced to destroy him.
-At the end of 305, Max A uses the machine to find Sam Prime, and having both lost their partners, they join up and either ride off into the sunset or hop back in the time machine.
Does that work?
I've also explained it that Sam and Max Prime's past lies in an alternate universe (which is what the timeline chart was meant to demonstrate here), so no matter what happens to the other Sam and Max running around, Sam and Max Prime are unaffected.
Also, for the record, I made the timeline chart and was calling them Sam and Max A before anyone ever called them X, in case you're wondering why I did it that way. Also, it's less confusing when you consider that there's a second set of alternates running around in the second timeline, Sam and Max B.
Oh jeez, don't remind me. At least Sam and Max gives us some definitive facts to work with. Trying to arrange those games into a timeline is like...like... It's so impossible to get your head around, words are failing me as I attempt to form a comparison.
Or take the Doctor Who line of thought (since the Time Elevator is basically a TARDIS) and break it down to dimension hopping, where infinite amounts of alternate parallel realities occur and crossing between is only possible by select methods. Everyone becomes too complex to lay out that it becomes better to think "anything is possible" and *poof* worries gone.
Comments
A.Past Max did not blow himself up with Past Sam.
B.The Past Sam and Max are two completely different beings than the "normal" ones, so if Past Sam dies, that doesn't mean "Normal" Sam dies because his past incarnation did.
Or like this:
Actually, what I think Seibert meant is either:
A.How is "Normal" Sam still alive if Past Max killed Past Sam?
B.How is Past Max still alive if "Normal" Sam killed "Normal" Max?
A was exactly what i ment
Oh. Here:
After all, if that truly was the Max from our exact past, then Sam should have been the one to transform into a gigantic monster, not Max.
sorry, i don't have the other seasons
Well, to try to make it simple, Past Sam and "Normal" Sam are TWO DIFFERENT BEINGS.
I know. I feel those images answered it perfectly. But maybe this would've been more helpful.
I've also explained it that Sam and Max Prime's past lies in an alternate universe (which is what the timeline chart was meant to demonstrate here), so no matter what happens to the other Sam and Max running around, Sam and Max Prime are unaffected.
Also, for the record, I made the timeline chart and was calling them Sam and Max A before anyone ever called them X, in case you're wondering why I did it that way. Also, it's less confusing when you consider that there's a second set of alternates running around in the second timeline, Sam and Max B.
Us Zelda fans are very familiar with time-line graphs like these XD
Edit: Also, good bloody work!
Also, thanks!
I'm thinking the first is more likely.
I still find it amazing that someone actually went to the effort of making these charts.