[mickronome]

From a narrative point of view, the spatial problem as stated is a quite decent post hoc argument for why time travel is usually fraught with danger, even after the science is known, as predicting the exact parameters needed would be nigh impossible.

One could easily argue that big whiteboards laden to the brim with integrals and capital sigma (summation) rich equations indicate a data rich problem rather than a theory heavy one, and that the inevitable squashed, disappeared, or exploded melon fits very well into this framework.

Shooting a water melon at several million miles per hour so it hits a small time travel device correctly in all N>3 dimensions is obviously going to make a royal mess quite a few times, as evidenced in many movies!