<P> The episode was written by Mark Hentemann and directed by Dominic Bianchi . It received high praise from critics for its storyline and many cultural references, in addition to receiving some criticism for its portrayal of the September 11 attacks, an example of 9 / 11 humor despite being self - aware . According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed by 6.01 million people in its original airing . The episode featured guest performances by Lacey Chabert, Chris Cox, Ralph Garman, Christine Lakin, Phil LaMarr and Fred Tatasciore, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series . </P> <P> When Brian approaches Stewie about helping him find a tennis ball he'd buried, Stewie asks if Brian remembers the date that he lost it . Brian tells him that he buried it on January 31, 1999 (the day of the series' premiere on Fox). Using Stewie's time machine to travel back to that date, the two soon come upon the Griffin family, but notice that their past looks more strange than they remembered it: The family continually pauses for cutaways, and Meg's voice sounds different . Telling Brian that he mustn't alter the past by getting the tennis ball and that he should instead memorize its location, Stewie goes into his room to set up their return to the present before Past Stewie suddenly enters . The two Stewies then meet, and Stewie tells Brian to come out from his hiding place after explaining himself to Past Stewie . However, hanging outside the window, Brian fell onto Past Peter's car as he drives to the bachelor party at past Glenn Quagmire's house . Stewie finds Brian and the two then attempt to return to the present, but find that the transportation device's batteries are running low and moved only a bit forward in time towards their destination . Later, the two manage to take advantage of Peter dumping his extra welfare money out of a blimp above Super Bowl XXXIII to collect the money needed to purchase new batteries . It was only after the two return to the present that Stewie learns that Brian intentionally told his past self about the September 11 attacks ahead of time, allowing the Past Brian to beat American Airlines Flight 11 hijackers Mohamed Atta and Abdulaziz al - Omari with a baseball bat, and then preventing the other three planes from leaving the airports . </P> <P> While watching the local news, it is also discovered that former President George W. Bush, who has lost the 2004 election, has returned to Texas which has seceded from the United States, along with the rest of the southern United States, reforming the Confederate States of America, resulting in a second Civil War . Brian insists that things will still be better in the end, but when they travel five years into the future they find a computer generated post-apocalyptic future caused by nuclear attacks all across the United States which results in the deaths of over 17 million people (including Cesar Millan much to Brian's horror). Admitting that he made a mistake, Brian asks how the situation can be resolved . The two then return to prevent Brian from telling his past self about the attacks . They then return to the present, whereupon Stewie learns that Brian has taken false credit for the Harry Potter series . Seeing that Brian has learned nothing from his warnings, Stewie says they have to repair this by again trying to prevent themselves from telling any future events . This causes hundreds of Stewies and Brians to appear, however, to prevent them from telling the future . This number includes one Brian and Stewie with their Peter who says he "just came for the can", another Brian and Stewie trapped in barber shop twirls, one Brian and Stewie dressed up in their banana outfits, and a Stewie who arrives with his Brian whose throat is slit . Having had enough of this, one Stewie tells all of his and his Brian's numerous future selves to decide whether or not to prevent 9 / 11, which results in the majority saying no, not to for tell any future events, and to return to their time and stay there . All the Brians and Stewies do it as they are told . From there, Stewie takes Brian back a minute before their past selves arrive and forces them at gunpoint to return to their time . After initial confusion resulting with the Brian that just arrived being shot in the leg, they comply . With that, the altered timeline ceases to exist along with its corresponding Stewie and Brian . </P> <P> Series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane first announced the episode at the 2011 San Diego Comic - Con International in San Diego, California on July 23, 2011 . It was directed by series regular Dominic Bianchi, in his second episode of the season . Bianchi also previously served as director for the series's landmark 150th episode "Brian & Stewie". The episode was written by series showrunner and executive producer Mark Hentemann, who joined the show as a writer in its third season . Series regulars Peter Shin and James Purdum served as supervising directors, with Andrew Goldberg and Alex Carter serving as executive story editors, and Spencer Porter, Anthony Blasucci, Mike Desilets, and Deepak Sethi serving as staff writers for the episode . Composer Ron Jones, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Back to the Pilot". The episode was originally intended to be the seventh installation in the series's hallmark Road to...episodes, but it was changed before airing . The episode featured several examples of the old animation style that was used in the show's pilot episode, with the Griffin family all appearing in the lesser quality animation style in the past universe that Stewie and Brian travel to . </P>

Family guy episode where stewie goes back in time