As a backstory, they envisioned a world where scientists had developed time travel through various portals, and used it to change the past and create alternate dimensions in the present, then taking the best of technology advancements from that to improve the original reality.
They envisioned a history where researchers had created time travel through various gateways, and utilized it to alter the past and create parallel universes in the present, then took the most advanced technological advancements from that to enhance the original reality.