Massive plot holes in the Sonic franchise.

Wasn't there explained somewhere by someone that Sonic 06 plot actually makes perfect sense?

 

Seeing as Sonic Advance was released shortly after Sonic Adventure 2, and its final stage was the moon, it could be inferred that Super Sonic used the Chaos Emeralds to fix it up.

 

Hi there.

 

See, all of that does make sense (kudos on going that far with your analysis), but there are lots of things that are never really explained. Unlike the rest of the plot holes in the franchise, they stand out to me because I like time travel plots when they're done right. Although thinking about it, I suppose they're not technically plot holes and are more likely attributed to bad writing...

For instance, if Mephiles could travel back in time, why didn't he just go back to a moment where he could join up with Iblis without the convoluted plot? The heroes never seemed to understand how useful time traveling is either. Case in point: after Elise and Eggman died in an explosion (if I remember correctly), Sonic chose to go back to just a few moments earlier, rather than a more convenient occasion free of hassle. Speaking of, I'm not sure how the time rifts always seemed to send them exactly where they wanted, but I guess that's just one of those things you're not supposed to think about too much. Then there's the fact that both Eggman and Mephiles sent different people into the exact same moment in the future somehow... There are coincidences and then there's just plain impossible.

There are tons of things like that throughout the plot, but yeah, I guess labelling them as plot holes might be incorrect. To finish off, here's something I'm pretty certain is a plot hole: Why did Elise mistake Sonic for Silver when she first saw him? Unless I'm missing something, I don't think she ever met him before (at least not while conscious). You can infer that she did see him in a timeline leading to the events in the game, but I don't think this was ever actually explained.

 

Umm excuse me. In the Itchy and Scratchy CD ROM, is there a way to get out of the dungeon without using the wizard's key?

But hmm, plot holes. How is Robotnik still alive? In Sonic 2, his machine collapsed on him, the Death Egg blows up in a fiery wreck, and the thing falls to the floating island in what I imagine must have been like a meteor. Let alone how Sonic survived and how Tails just happened to pinpoint Sonic falling from space with crazy precision.

Also In S3K, the background of Launch Base zone is a bunch of sphynx, but instead of the next level being Sandopolis we get Mushroom Hill.

 

One theory was that Mephiles had to be there at the moment Iblis was released, and, with knowledge of how time travel works, knows that cannot be done before creating that scenario without undoing it and creating an endless cycle of overwriting timelines.

Given what happens with everything after that point, though, I prefer the other theory, something I've repeatedly said about the analysis: Last Story is bunk. :v:

Iblis was sealed within Elise. Iblis is a large fiery demigod that is at least one half of an entity that is shown to have time travel capabilities and is otherwise pan-dimensional.

The image of Silver shown was one from the future, where Silver is surrounded by Iblis. It's likely she dreamt the future, having demigods sealed inside of you tends to do shit like that.

 

Name me one traditional time travel story done right.

 

Isn't that a highly subjective matter? I can tell you about how Back to the Future is consistent enough within its own universe to be very enjoyable, but I'm not sure what your definition of "traditional" means in this context. If you're looking for something Sonic-related, then you don't need to look any further than Sonic CD. I find that one particularly satisfying because you actually get to see your actions influence the future at your leisure.

 

Hardly traditional, but I always recommend 11 Minutes Ago.

 

So basically your definition of a "good time travel movie" is "shit time travel movie but a descent movie overall"?
Why bring time travel up at all then? :v:

 

The same could be said for EHZ. Towards the end, you can see HTZ in the background.

 

I used to think this, but Iizukia confirmed the moon was never fixed. We just see the other side.

These aren't plot holes. Just because something can seen in the background, doesn't mean it's next to a place. I can see another town from my bedroom window, but it's not the town that's next to me.

 

Because unlike Sonic 2006, I can actually enjoy the writing in Back to the Future non-ironically. :v: The characters in that movie are given a set of rules to work with, and that's exactly what they do. In Sonic 2006, there are no rules. Anyone can travel to any point in time whenever they want, yet they never use that to their convenience. That stands out more to me than scientific accuracy, which (correct me if I'm wrong) you seem to have mistaken my argument for. That's not at all what I was talking about (and definitely not what they were going for in Back to the Future anyway).

I don't expect a fictional work to consider all the logical ramifications of something that isn't even possible in real life, theoretically or otherwise. After all, the authors establish the rules, not the audience. With that in mind, the audience is supposed to focus on what makes sense given those rules. If it's entertaining, well-written, and cohese, that's all I really need. I think you'll find these works become more enjoyable that way.

So to answer your question, I brought up the time travel subject because all of the characters are idiots in that game.

 

My favourite part for pointing out some of the absurdities in Back to the Future is Marty's picture of his family. The family members fade away due to "ripple effect", but the photo doesn't. Even without any kids, his mother still decided to take a picture of a random spot in the forest.

That's not even close to any of the major problems the series has (apparently time travel can erase your entire existence, but it can't under any circumstances change your memory). The "rules" are unclear at best, and self-contradictory under scrutiny.

That's not true at all. There are rules:

Rule 1: Time travel requires two Chaos Emeralds, and two hedgehogs capable of Chaos Control.

Forwards time travel isn't really time travel - you just disappear for a bit and then reappear. Eggman's machine transporting Team Sonic to the future does so under the power of one Chaos Emerald, but never backwards. Mephiles is an exception - but then he's Mephiles, one half of a pandimensional being; even so, he still never travels back in time without a Chaos Emerald.

Rule 2: There are three "convergence points" in Soleanna.

All time travel arrives at three place/time period combinations:
1. Soleanna laboratory, 1996.
2. Soleanna town square, 2006.
3. White Acropolis, 2206.

Time travel appears to be restricted to these areas and times; seemingly each time someone arrives from the future, the arrival point is pushed to a short time later.

Rule 3: Travelling to the past never changes the past (at least as far as non-omniscient beings are concerned).

That doesn't necessarily mean time is fixed - it could mean that time travel into the past changes the past and the future leading from that past, changing the history of the world and those performing the time travel, such that it appears to have always been the case. This is something known as "replacement", and when something works under replacement theory, it also works under both divergent universe theory and fixed time theory.

But at no point do the characters ever change any established events; to them, and everyone else bound by time, time is fixed.

As I wrote before, the story does in fact focus on what makes sense given those rules. To summarise:

Each of the three main characters is single-minded in pursuing their goal. They could do wondrous things with their ability to time travel if they ever figured out why it's limited to three points in spacetime, but they're busy. Sonic wants to save a princess, Shadow wants to stop a faker, Silver wants to stop the Flames of Disaster. Every decision they make is done with those goals in mind.

 

Wouldn't she be a Duchess, rather?

Generally speaking, with a healthy dosage of speculation you can cover any plot hole, from Gerald's changes in attitude of SA2 to Battle, to the relation between Blaze and Silver and Nega.

The moon is one I'm stumped on, though. Not the SA2 part, I can accept it shifted angle to show the full side always, and that the debris likely fell back into the moon due to gravitational pull. It's more the part where in certain games you see multiple moons. Ooer.

Also the planet shape-shifts from Shadow the Hedgehog to Sonic Unleashed

 

What do you mean by this?

 

Shadow the Hedgehog



Sonic Unleashed

They're never really consistent with the planet's geography from game to game, but imo at least it's much more noticeable here since you have a game explicitly showing you the world map, and three years later a game all about the world map where it's looking entirely different

 

Isn't Sonic Unleashed set on a different planet?

 

Huh. Well then.
I'm just gonna assume that after every game there are just massive tectonic shifts and somehow these massive eatthquakes that would result do no damage to structures and kills no one :v: