# Most egregious violations of continuity (spoilers likely) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 6, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738 "2007-07-06T14:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/1 "2007-07-06T14:47:41Z")
Inspired by the suspension of disbelief thread: I usually don’t have a problem suspending disbelief for fantasy and sci-fi shows as long as the show is _internally_ consistent; what jars me is when a show breaks its own rules. The worst example I can think of is _Charmed_. A latter season introduced characters called the Cleaners, who had the power to erase memories and change events in order to keep magic from being discovered by the public. Problem is, keeping magic a secret had been a major recurring plot point throughout the show’s run, and the addition of the Cleaners basically invalidated the plots of dozens of previous episodes. Even the infamous death of Shannen Doherty’s character no longer made sense. In a show riddled with retcons great and small, this one stands out. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/2 "2007-07-06T14:56:53Z")
Midicholrians? He made C3PO? He wasn’t an adult when he met Obi-Wan? How did he age so much by the time of his death? Need I say more? ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/3 "2007-07-06T14:58:42Z")
Everybody knew that Mario was Luigi’s older brother, then _Yoshi’s Island_ came along and told us that they were twins! ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/4 "2007-07-06T15:07:14Z")
When Vince and Jules walk into the room where Brett and co. have the briefcase hidden, the huge bullet holes are _already_ in the wall behind them. ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/5 "2007-07-06T15:16:24Z")
Star Trek Enterprise. ``` The whole series was basicly continunity being whizzed on. ``` ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/6 "2007-07-06T15:20:36Z")
[QUOTE=Sweetums] Star Trek Enterprise. ``` The whole series was basicly continunity being whizzed on. ``` [/QUOTE] Yeah, starting with the ridiculous random “stardate” system. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/7 "2007-07-06T15:21:15Z")
Another one, from the _His Dark Materials_ book series. Lyra and Will can never see each other again because they have to close all of the Subtle Knife dimensional windows, because leaving the windows open drains the lifeforce from the universe or somesuch. But, oh yeah, _one_ window can stay open to let the souls out of hell, because Pullman wrote himself into a corner and couldn’t think of any other way to resolve that plot thread. But definitely not _two_ windows, that would destroy the universe. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/8 "2007-07-06T18:51:27Z")
Recent DC Comics. Even accounting for Superboy-Prime-Punches, there have been way too many re-appearances of characters long dead, or of old versions of characters long changed, just because the writer wants to tell a story with those guys. I recall there used to be an outcry of “Just tell good stories, don’t get bogged down with fanboy continuity details.” Well, now the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. The Original Doom Patrol alive and well? Doctor Magnus is no longer (or never was) a Metal Man named Veridium? And what’s with this new version of the Shazam bunch that Jeff Smith is writing, killing the Ordway continuity (while in 52 and Countdown, Black Adam and Mary Marvel seem to be following it)? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/9 "2007-07-06T18:54:55Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] Another one, from the _His Dark Materials_ book series. Lyra and Will can never see each other again because they have to close all of the Subtle Knife dimensional windows, because leaving the windows open drains the lifeforce from the universe or somesuch. [/QUOTE] Also they can’t survive out of their home dimensions for long, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/10 "2007-07-06T19:08:40Z")
Seymour Skinner is really Armin Tamzarian, even though the Fighting Hellfish episode features Skinner’s father, a man named Skinner, who is an exact clone of Tamzarian. Wait, what? I really hope someone got fired over that gaffe. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/11 "2007-07-06T19:18:11Z")
Really… does continuity on the Simpsons matter at all? Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/12 "2007-07-06T19:21:05Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] Seymour Skinner is really Armin Tamzarian, even though the Fighting Hellfish episode features Skinner’s father, a man named Skinner, who is an exact clone of Tamzarian. Wait, what? I really hope someone got fired over that gaffe. [/QUOTE] Grandpa Abe simpson was telling the story. It’s likely he got confused about the name. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/13 "2007-07-06T19:26:14Z")
[QUOTE=Push You Down] Really.. does continuity on the Simpsons matter at all? Seriously? [/QUOTE] To the writers, or to us? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/14 "2007-07-06T19:28:09Z")
[QUOTE=Push You Down] Really.. does continuity on the Simpsons matter at all? Seriously? [/QUOTE] In the episode where Bart falls in love with Jessica Lovejoy, he crosses out Monday April 1st as the first full day he will go without seeing her. Marge comes in immediately after and says: “Time for church! Maybe you can see your little friend, Jessica.” I agree that continuity between episodes is handled pretty loosely, but that was a real boner. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/15 "2007-07-06T19:28:45Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] Seymour Skinner is really Armin Tamzarian, even though the Fighting Hellfish episode features Skinner’s father, a man named Skinner, who is an exact clone of Tamzarian. Wait, what? I really hope someone got fired over that gaffe. [/QUOTE] I have to throw this out every time Tamzarian is brought up. From wikipedia: > [@](#): > > According to the DVD commentary, Ken Keeler states that the episode reflected the fans on the Internet who attacked the show, (i.e. a community that cannot accept any change and would prefer an illusion to the truth). Keeler and director Steve Moore have both said that this episode is a favorite of theirs, although Matt Groening stated on the intro commentary that this episode was one of his least favorites. > > In a 2001 interview with the Dallas Observer, Harry Shearer explained that after reading the script, he said to producer Ken Keeler "That’s so wrong. You’re taking something that an audience has built eight years or nine years of investment in and just tossed it in the trash can for no good reason, for a story we’ve done before with other characters. It’s so arbitrary and gratuitous, and it’s disrespectful to the audience. BTW, I whole-heartedly agree with Shearer. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/16 "2007-07-06T22:20:16Z")
In the rarely esteemed film _Space Mutiny_, a character is killed — then later makes an appearance sitting at her computer console. No one takes any notice of the remarkable resurrection. (Never heard of _Space Mutiny_? I wouldn’t recommend seeing it without help from Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo.) ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/17 "2007-07-06T22:34:10Z")
[QUOTE=Bytegeist] In the rarely esteemed film _Space Mutiny_, a character is killed — then later makes an appearance sitting at her computer console. No one takes any notice of the remarkable resurrection. (Never heard of _Space Mutiny_? I wouldn’t recommend seeing it without help from Mike, Crow, and Tom Servo.) [/QUOTE] “Okay, everyone! Look ali…oh! Sorry, Susan!” ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/18 "2007-07-06T23:04:59Z")
In the remake of\*\* Resident Evil\*\*, when playing as Jill, Barry provides support during the fight with Lisa. If he’s knocked off the platform by Lisa, he’s gone for good. When playing as Chris, Wesker provides the support, and since he’s vital to the ending, if he gets knocked off, he still appears later with no explanation. Also, Space Mutiny was pretty awful. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/19 "2007-07-06T23:42:20Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] “Okay, everyone! Look ali…oh! Sorry, Susan!” [/QUOTE] _“Sir … I think it’s very nice of you to give that dead woman another chance.”_ > [@oft wears hats](#): > > Also, Space Mutiny was pretty awful. Fortunately, the tear-jerking moment has been [lovingly preserved](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibrgOM_5fo) on YouTube, for all to see. Look for “Susan” to be laser-blasted at around 6:20, and for her to re-appear, unharmed, at around 7:40. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738/20 "2007-07-07T03:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] And what’s with this new version of the Shazam bunch that Jeff Smith is writing, killing the Ordway continuity (while in 52 and Countdown, Black Adam and Mary Marvel seem to be following it)? [/QUOTE] _Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil_ is explicitly not\* in-continuity for the regular DCverse. It’s what would have once been an Elseworlds, essentially, and now is probably defined as another of the 52. (which, it seems, they’ll run out of pretty quick at this rate…) Similarly, I think _All-Star Superman_ (yay!) and _All-Star Batman_ (er, not-yay) are not in-continuity with other DC titles. And, really, DC isn’t breaking its own rules to violate continuity – it’s just _changing_ the rules whereby continuity remains inviolate. Put me down for not only _Enterprise_, but pretty much all of Star Trek as continuity gone AWOL. Those reversing the magical polarity of the deflector dish should’ve been able to solve damn near any problem encountered by Star Fleet… had anybody ever once remembered what they’d done in a previous episode. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-egregious-violations-of-continuity-spoilers-likely/410738.md?page=2)