While Maggie McFly is played by Lea Thompson, who portrays Lorraine Baines McFly in the rest of the trilogy, Lorraine is obviously not a descendant of Maggie McFly.

Why the similar look? Mainly for the above, "Mom, is that you?" scene - because Lea Thompson has appeared in the others (as Lorraine, admittedly). Director Robert Zemeckis has also said that he figures that the McFly men are all attracted to similar types of women.

 Director Robert Zemeckis pays homage to another of Sergio Leone's 'spaghetti westerns' by shooting Marty's arrival at Hill Valley Railway station in the same way Leone shot Jill's arrival at the station in Once Upon a Time in the West - with the camera rising above the station to focus on the subject in the distance.

Leone also made A Fistful of Dollars, which is seen in Part II and homaged later in Part III.

 In front of the Clocktower (sans clock at this time), there are two things of note. One, a flagpole that lasts until at least 1955 (but isn't there in 2015!). And, two, a tree that remains standing through 1955, 1985 and 2015.

And, before you ask, "is it possible for an Elm tree to live for 130 years or more?" The answer is yes.

 The Bartender and the three Saloon Old Timers (as they were credited) were cast specifically because they are veteran actors who appeared in Hollywood westerns:

The Bartender is Matt Clark, who starred in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and Sam Pekinpah's classic Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

Saloon Old Timer #1 is Pat Buttram, who starred in The Gatling Gun.

Saloon Old Timer #2 is Harry Carey Jnr. During his extensive career, he appeared in nine movies directed by legendary Hollywood Western director, John Ford. They included The Searchers, Cheyenne Autumn and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

Saloon Old Timer #3 is Dub Taylor. Taylor starred in four Peckinpah westerns, including The Wild Bunch and appeared in dozens of westerns during the 1940s and 50s. He also appeared in Richard Donner's 1994 homage to the western (and remake of the television series), Maverick.

 Doc's gun seems to be a homage to Leone's For A Few Dollars More. It is similar to the weapon used by Lee Van Cleef's character, which allows him to threaten an opponent, but stay outside his range. Eastwood's character calls it "the contraption."

The script describes it as something out of Jules Verne, however, which is an equally valid description.

 According to The Chronology of Jules Verne by Dr William Butcher, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was actually published in 1869, sixteen years before Emmett and Clara's conversation.

Jules Verne was born on the 8th of February, 1828. His lineage is made up mostly of lawyers on his father's side and military men on his mother's. He begins writing short stories in his youth and later turns his hand to playwriting. In 1850, at age 22, his play Broken Straws is performed in a season of twelve nights.

In 1851, he gets his first short story published. Titled Drama in the Air, it begins his fascination with air and space travel that would be explored in future stories and novels.

His first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, is published in 1863, just shy of his 35th birthday. Journey to the Centre of the Earth is published the following year. From the Earth to the Moon comes twelve months later. An English translation, the first from Verne's work, of Earth to the Moon appears in 1867.

His two other famous works, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in 80 Days, were published in 1869 and 1872 respectively.

Jules Verne died in 1905 from complications associated with his diabetes.

Even before his death, Verne's work was the inspiration for film makers. Georges Méliès made the famous Voyage dans la Lune (Voyage to the Moon) in 1902. The image of a rocket ship landing/crashing into the smiling lunar surface is one of the most famous in motion picture history.

The first film version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was made by Universal pictures in 1916. Obviously, it was silent. Disney made a newer version 20,000 Leagues in 1954 and is obviously the inspiration behind the design Doc Brown's time travelling train at the end of Part III.

The most famous version of Around the World in 80 Days stars David Niven and was produced in 1956. James Mason starred in the 1959 version of Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

 Buford Mag Dog Tanen and his gang are confronted by Marshall Strickland and his son. Buford shoots Strickland's gun out of his hand and threatens to shoot them both if they don't leave him and his gang alone for a couple of hours. The marshall agrees to leave him alone and rides past. Buford shoots Marshall Strickland in the back anyway and he and his gang ride off. As he dies in his son's arms, Strickland reminds his son to remember one word "Discipline".

Obviously the word discipline is passed down through the generations as this young boy can't be the Strickland of 1955 or 1985.

DVD alert! This scene is included on the disc for Part III