“What do we want?”/”[insert cause]”/“When do we want it?”/“Now!” is a popular protest chant. “What do we want?”/“Time travel!”/“When do we want it?”/“It’s irrelevant” is a parody of this that has been printed on many images.
 
“What do we want? Time travel! When do we want it? Last Tuesday!” was posted on the newsgroup uk.media.radio.archers on October 27, 2006. “RT @andrewsayer: What do we want? TIME TRAVEL! When do we want it? THEN!” was posted on Twitter by Andrew Einspruch on October 26, 2008.
 
This popular form was posted on Twitter by many people on July 26, 2011:
 
“What do we want?”
“Time Travel!”
“When do we want it?”
“That’s Irrelevant!”
     
“It’s irrelevant” (instead of “That’s irrelevant”) went viral in May 2012.
     
 
Google Groups: uk.media.radio.archers
Sam and Ruth
J
10/27/06
(...)
What do we want? Procrastination!
When do we want it? Er… sometime next week?
 
What do we want? Time travel!
When do we want it? Last Tuesday!
 
What do we want? Apathy
When do we want it? Whenever
     
Google Groups: alt.usenet.offline-reader.forte-agent
Sending E-mail
Bobb Waller
2/10/07
(...)
What Do We Want? Time Travel!
When Do We Want It? Yesterday!
       
Twitter
Andrew Einspruch
@einspruch
RT @andrewsayer: What do we want? TIME TRAVEL! When do we want it? THEN!
10:41 PM - 26 Oct 2008
   
Twitter
Ardent Atheist
@ardentatheists
“What do we want?” “Time travel!” “When do we want it?” “It doesn’t really matter!” #dylanisms
2:35 AM - 19 Jul 2011
   
Twitter
Dr Alex Stavrinides
@Dr_Stav
What do we want?
TIME TRAVEL!
When do we want it?
THAT’S IRRELEVANT!
4:51 AM - 26 Jul 2011
   
Twitter
The Second Son and 12 others
@QuincyWandera
RT@lemonpillow_ WHAT DO WE WANT? Time travel! WHEN DO WE WANT IT? Thats irrelevant! You are a very funny dude, we should meet! #nohomo
5:26 AM - 26 Jul 2011
   
Twitter
Richard L. Taylor
@artywah
“What do we want?”
“Time Travel!”
“When do we want it?”
“That’s Irrelevant!”
7:02 PM - 26 Jul 2011
   
Twitter
sickipediabot
@sickipediabot
What do we want?
TIME TRAVEL!
When do we want it?
THAT’S IRRELEVANT!
11:18 PM - 26 Jul 2011
 
8 August 2011, The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Queensland), “Twitter(ati),” pg. 18:
@courtody
What do we want? Time travel! When do we want it? That’s irrelevant.
         
Twitter
James McMath
@MrJamesMcMath
Replying to @StuartWilde2
@StuartWilde2
WHAT DO WE WANT?
Time travel.
WHEN DO WE WANT IT?
It’s irrelevant.
5:18 AM - 20 Mar 2012
   
Twitter
Krinn DNZ
@krinndnz
RT @cryptodragon “What do we want?” “TIME TRAVEL!” “When do we want it?” “IT’S IRRELEVANT!” At #hwsf
12:03 AM - 14 May 2012
 
Reddit—Doctorwho
Posted by u/suddenlyshoes May 25, 2012
What do we want? TIME TRAVEL. When do we want it?
i.imgur.com/ngP1O….
   
Reddit—Funny
Posted by u/[deleted] July 5, 2012
What do we want? Time Travel! When do we want it?
Irrelevant.
 
Google Books
The Complete INDIE Editor:
55 Essential Copy-edits for the Professional Independent Author
By K.J. Heritage
Sygasm
2013
Pg. ?:
You know what they say:
Time Travel! What do we want? NOW! When do we want it?
   
Google Books
This Distracted Globe:
Worldmaking in Early Modern Literature
Edited by Marcie Frank, Jonathan Goldberg and Karen Newman
New York, NY: Fordham University Press
2016
Pg. ?:
Hence the genius of one Occupy protestor’s sign circa 2013: “What do we want? Time travel! When do we want it? It’s irrelevant!”
   
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/itsemji July 9, 2017
“What do we want!?” “TIME TRAVEL!!”
“When do we want it?!” “IT’S IRRELEVANT!”
 
Twitter
Ian Power
@IHPower
NOW!
WHAT DO WE WANT?
TIME TRAVEL!
WHEN DO WE WANT IT?
2:07 PM - 5 Apr 2019
 
Twitter
Gareth Jones
@GarethJonesTV
(Chanting at science advancement pressure group march)
“What do we want?”
“Time travel”
“When do we want it?”
“That’s academic”.
#SciGag #science
2:24 PM - 12 May 2019