It’s a staple of the 1980s, and just about anyone alive in that era knows the three rules surrounding the Mogwai in the Gremlins films.

Don’t get them wet, don’t expose them to bright light, and don’t feed them after midnight. Pretty simple, right? But how do time zones fit into these ancient rules? Are they beholden to the time zone they’re in at the time? Some universal time zone connecting back to where the adorable (and deadly) little creatures hail from? A random question, sure, but one that has never really been answered.

As /Film notes, writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (Freddy vs. Jason) revealed the first few pages from their aborted script. Obviously, the studio has since passed on this version of the story, but the writers did try to make a point to address that weird midnight question.

The script follows a man who takes a Mogwai in a box and jumps on a plane. Once there, he asks a stewardess exactly what time it is where they’re flying. But, when she can’t answer the question, he decides against feeding the creature. So ... it’s time zones, then, right? At least according to this proposal?

Of course, this being a Gremlins movie, the Mogwai gets its hands on a peanut and wreaks havoc on the plane, forcing an emergency landing. From there, no telling where the story goes. Last we’ve heard, Carl Ellsworth (Goosebumps) was reportedly working on a new script, though it’s impossible to know if any of these elements might be recycled.

Check out the script pages below and let us know what you think:

(Via /Film)