Dissecting Dragons: Episode 226: Continuity Error - Retconning and Misremembering in Speculative Fiction.

Those who regularly obit the SFF sphere will be familiar the phenomenon of 'retconning'. In part this is due to SFF marketplaces having space for long series and expanded universes, not to mention spin offs, reboots and reprises. It can be annoying to fans to have a piece of long established canon ignored or painted over by new story developments whether it is intentional or not. And this is before you consider multiple authors all writing in a single sprawling shared universe or a single author who has written a fifteen book series, simply not checking or misremembering facts. So how does this affect the reader experience and what can you as a writer do about it where your own work is concerned? This week the dragons take a look at several examples of retconning and misremembering, and where they feel the authors got away with it - or not! Under the microscope this week: Star Trek, Acorna the Unicorn Girl by Anne McCaffrey, Star Wars and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic