List of retcons
Encyclopedia
Soap operas
- In 2004, Coronation StreetCoronation StreetCoronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
retconned the Baldwin family after Mike Baldwin's nephew DannyDanny BaldwinDaniel "Danny" Baldwin, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Bradley Walsh, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 28 May 2004 and remained until his departure on 31 December 2006.-Creation and...
and wife Frankie moved to the area from EssexEssexEssex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, with their two sons JamieJamie BaldwinJames Andrew "Jamie" Baldwin is a fictional character in the British soap opera ITV Coronation Street, played by Rupert Hill. He first appeared in 2004 and left in 2008. In March 2011 it was announced that Jamie would return for one episode on 24 April 2011....
and Warren. Mike had been portrayed as an only child prior to this moment, with his father appearing in the program between 1980 and 1982 to confirm the notion. - The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
retconned the background story of it's character Cane AshbyCane AshbyEthan "Cane" Ashby is a fictional character in the American soap opera The Young and the Restless. Daniel Goddard has portrayed the character since his January 12, 2007 debut...
several times. After he appeared as son of Jill Abbott, who was switched after his birth, this turned out to be a lie after Maria Arena BellMaria Arena BellMaria Arena Bell is an American novelist, television and freelance writer. She is currently the Head Writer and Executive Producer of CBS Daytime's The Young and the Restless.-Personal:...
took over the position as head writerHead writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
from Lynn Marie LathamLynn Marie LathamLynn Marie Latham is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer. Her initial foray into writing for television was as a story editor for the short-lived series Berrenger's in 1985...
. Cane then appeared as someone without a family, who took over the life of Jill's real son in order to have love and stability in his life. Cane's background hit a turn again in 2011, when he turned out to be the son of an Australian mobster, who Cane gave up to the authorities for his crimes. - Another infamous retcon storyline on The Young and the Restless involves Phillip Chancellor, who returned from the dead in in 2009, after dying in a car accident in 1989. In storyline, Phillip apparently faked his death after he couldn't deal with his homosexualityHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and the ongoing fights in his family.
Film
In the original Star WarsStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
film, Obi Wan Kenobi states that Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker
Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
's father Anakin was betrayed and killed by Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
; in The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
it is famously established (and later confirmed by Kenobi in Return of the Jedi) that Vader is Anakin. Similarly, Princess Leia Organa
Princess Leia Organa
Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe...
, an upper-class romantic interest for the farm boy Luke, is changed to be his sister in Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
. An outline of the series confirms they were not originally part of the story, and were therefore retcons.
Star Trek in various media
When Star Trek: The Motion PictureStar Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
was released in 1979, Gene Roddenberry
Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
claimed that the radically different appearance of the Klingon
Klingon
Klingons are a fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe.Klingons are recurring villains in the 1960s television show Star Trek: The Original Series, and have appeared in all five spin-off series and eight feature films...
s in the film was how they were always supposed to have looked, but they did not have the budget for it in the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
. In the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
featured three Klingon characters from the original series, made to fit the new look. However, the later episode "Trials and Tribble-ations", used footage from the original series with old-look Klingons; Commander Worf
Worf
Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...
acknowledged their different appearance, adding it was "a long story" that Klingons "do not discuss with outsiders."
A 2005, two-episode arc of Star Trek: Enterprise, "Affliction
Affliction (Enterprise episode)
"Affliction" is the title of a Star Trek: Enterprise television episode from season four.-Plot:The Enterprise returns to Earth to take part in the maiden launch of the newest NX class ship, Columbia, captained by Erika Hernandez. Shortly after taking shore leave with the others, Phlox is kidnapped...
"/"Divergence
Divergence (Enterprise episode)
"Divergence" is the title of a Star Trek: Enterprise television episode from season four.-Plot:As the Enterprise crew race to prevent the impending destruction of the Enterprise , Phlox fights a desperate battle against time to come up with a cure for the virus before a Klingon task...
", indicated that the Klingons that appeared in the 1960s episodes were the product of genetic engineering using augmented human genes
Gênes
Gênes is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy, named after the city of Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa. Its capital was Genoa, and it was divided in the arrondissements of Genoa, Bobbio, Novi Ligure, Tortona and...
. This explanation is used in Shane Johnson
Shane Johnson (author)
Shane Johnson is an American author best known for the novel Ice. He has written several critically acclaimed and award-winning books. He has written both Christian fiction and science fiction....
's 1989 The Worlds of the Federation: "The 'Klingons' encountered along the Federation border with the Empire were a Klingon-human fusion, genetically created to infiltrate the Federation. The interception of the Amar transmission during the V'Ger incident revealed the true nature of the Imperial Klingon race and stunned Federation science. Before that time, no one had suspected the Klingons were capable of such advanced genetic engineering, and a great deal of rethinking was done concerning the level of Klingon technology." John M. Ford, in The Final Reflection, suggests that human-Klingon fusions are similar to the human-Vulcan fusion that resulted in Spock's birth.
Video games
- The original Ninja GaidenNinja Gaidenis a series of video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side-story" in Japanese, even though the Ninja Gaiden series is not a spinoff of a previous series...
trilogy for the NES was followed years later by a new series of sequels produced by Team Ninja beginning with Ninja GaidenNinja Gaiden (Xbox)Ninja Gaiden is an action-adventure game developed by Team Ninja for the Xbox video game console. It went through five years of development before its release by Tecmo in 2004, and has been progressively enhanced with a number of expansion packs and two remakes, Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden...
for the Xbox in 2004. However, the second generation of Ninja Gaiden video games, being prequels to original series has many differences from the NES trilogy. The character design of Ryu HayabusaRyu Hayabusais the protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden video game series as well as a player character in the Dead or Alive series, both published by Tecmo. According to the game canon, Ryu Hayabusa is a ninja and the leader of the that has spiritual, physical and magical ties to ancient dragons...
in the new games is now based on the Dead or Alive incarnation of the character with long hair and green eyes, the character design of Ryu's father, Ken Hayabusa, has been updated as well, the character now being addressed in the English versions by his original name in the Japanese versions (Jo Hayabusa), and producer Tomonobu Itagaki hints at the possibility that Sonia, a character from the new games, might be Irene Lew from the original series. With the release of Dead or Alive: DimensionsDead Or Alive: DimensionsDead or Alive: Dimensions is a fighting game for the Nintendo 3DS. It was announced as an official title on 15 June 2010 at E3 under the working title Dead or Alive 3D. It is the 15th game in the Dead or Alive series. It will also be the first Dead or Alive game to be released on a Nintendo system...
in 2011, it has been revealed that Sonia is indeed Irene Lew.
Ignored sequels in various media
- The film Superman ReturnsSuperman ReturnsSuperman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
loosely continues the storylines of Superman and Superman IISuperman IISuperman II is the 1980 sequel to the 1978 superhero film Superman and stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, and Jack O'Halloran. It was the only Superman film to be filmed by two directors...
, and disregards the events of Superman IIISuperman IIISuperman III is a 1983 superhero film and the third film in the Superman film series based upon the long-running DC Comics superhero. Christopher Reeve, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure and Margot Kidder are joined by new cast members Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn and...
and Superman IV: The Quest For PeaceSuperman IV: The Quest For PeaceSuperman IV: The Quest for Peace is a 1987 superhero film directed by Sidney J. Furie. It is the fourth film in the Superman film series and the last installment to star Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel. It is the first film in the series not to be produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, but...
. - The film Halloween H20: 20 Years LaterHalloween H20: 20 Years LaterHalloween H20: Twenty Years Later is a 1998 slasher film and is the seventh installment in the Halloween film series. It is directed by Steve Miner and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, and Michelle Williams. The screenplay, based on a story by Kevin Williamson further developed by Robert...
is a direct sequel to HalloweenHalloween (1978 film)Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
and Halloween IIHalloween IIHalloween II is a 1981 slasher film directed by Rick Rosenthal, and written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. It is the second installment in the Halloween series and is a direct sequel to the Halloween set on the same night of October 31, 1978 as the seemingly unkillable Michael Myers continues to...
, dismissing the events that take place in the sequels Halloween 4Halloween 4: The Return of Michael MyersHalloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 slasher film and the fourth installment of the Halloween film series, directed by Dwight H. Little and written by Alan B. McElroy. The central plot focuses on Michael Myers returning home to kill his niece Jamie Lloyd , the daughter of Laurie...
, Halloween 5Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael MyersHalloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a 1989 American slasher film and the fifth installment in the Halloween film series. It was directed by Dominique Othenin-Girard and starred Donald Pleasence, who again portrayed Dr. Sam Loomis and Danielle Harris, who returned to play Jamie Lloyd...
, and Halloween: The Curse of Michael MyersHalloween: The Curse of Michael MyersHalloween: The Curse of Michael Myers is a 1995 American horror film and the sixth installment in the Halloween series. Directed by Joe Chappelle from a screenplay by Daniel Farrands, the plot involves the "Curse of Thorn", a mystical symbol first shown in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers...
(Halloween IIIHalloween III: Season of the WitchHalloween III: Season of the Witch is a 1982 science fiction horror film and the third installment in the Halloween film series. It is the only Halloween where the story does not revolve around Michael Myers. Directed and written by Tommy Lee Wallace, the film stars Tom Atkins as Dr. Dan Challis,...
was an unrelated story unaffected by the retcon). The subsequent film Halloween: ResurrectionHalloween: ResurrectionHalloween: Resurrection is a 2002 American horror film and eighth installment in the Halloween film series. Directed by Rick Rosenthal, who had also directed Halloween II, the film builds upon the continuity of Halloween H20: 20 Years Later...
follows the new continuity of Halloween H20. - The film The Exorcist IIIThe Exorcist IIIThe Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural thriller written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the second sequel of The Exorcist series and a film adaptation of Blatty's novel, Legion . The film stars George C. Scott, Brad Dourif, Ed Flanders, and Nicol Williamson...
is a sequel to The ExorcistThe Exorcist (film)The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...
, and ignores the events of Exorcist II: The HereticExorcist II: The HereticExorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American horror film and the sequel to The Exorcist , directed by John Boorman from a screenplay by William Goodhart and starring Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty and Kitty Winn...
. - Highlander II: The QuickeningHighlander II: The QuickeningHighlander II: The Quickening is the second installment to the Highlander film series, released on January 31, 1991.-Plot:In August 1994, news broadcasts announce that the ozone layer is fading, and will be completely gone in a matter of months. In Africa, millions have perished from the effects of...
is ignored by the later films in the series. - Casino RoyaleCasino Royale (2006 film)Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
, the 21st film in the James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series, provides a new backstory for the character set in modern times.