Thread:Ultrasonic9000/@comment-26194462-20150311233029/@comment-4220590-20150409182336

The time plates are objects Sonic needed for time travel. When he runs at a certain speed they let him travel through time; without them, he cannot.

In Generations, Sonic running through time is Sonic running through places in time which is when he completing the stages, not that he is traveling through time. His speed in these areas simply creates an effect that restores space, like a rock falling at a certain speed into a puddle and creating vibrations on the water surface.