In articles and v-logs passed I’ve referred to the retcon (retroactive continuity) as the most dangerous weapon in a writer’s arsenal. Used correctly it can build upon a world and make characters and worldbuilding more interesting, or fix mistakes and plot holes that are capable of being filled. Used incorrectly and it destroys characters and ruins worldbuilding, causing mistakes and plot holes that can’t possibly be fixed without calling it a lie or a misremembering of events. Guess what we get more of these days, as retcons are used to recreate the world in the new writer’s vision rather than the original creators, or reflect their current worldviews since they don’t want to let go of a previous property that made them money. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition, according to whatever AI Duckduckgo uses in their search engine defines retcon thusly:
- The depiction of fictional events, as in a television series or comic book, that entail a revision of the narrative presented in an earlier installment.
- A situation, in a soap opera or similar serial fiction, in which a new storyline explains or changes a previous event or attaches a new significance to it.
A good retcon builds on what came before. A bad retcon destroys what came before and not only ruins a character or past storyline from then on, but retroactively (hence the name) ruins the character when you go back to the older story. For example, when Marvel Comics turned every post WWII appearance of Dum Dum Dugan into a robot (life model decoy for the geeker fans–yes, I know what it is) and told us the original Nick Fury would blow up planets to keep them from banging into Earth (or was it whole multiverses?), it’s hard to go back and see those characters as originally intended ever again. It didn’t enhance them, it ruined them as part of the legend of the Marvel universe 616.
That brings us to this article from Screen Rant lead writer Lewis Glazebrook. “Star Wars Is Officially Retconning The Sequel Trilogy” makes the claim that…well, it’s in the title. The idea is that the Disney+ shows and upcoming films will alter the sequel trilogy by altering the previous two trilogies. I’m not sure how that works, but read the article for yourself, then come back here (the link opens another tab or window depending on your settings and device) and see if you agree with me that he might not be using the term “retcon” correctly.
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