Aborted Arc: Difference between revisions

* ''[[Code Geass (Anime)|Code Geass]]'' lost a couple of important story elements thanks to the time slot shift for the second season and the [[Retool]] intended to prevent a [[Continuity Lock Out]] on new fans. This includes an explanation for Suzaku's superhuman abilities (and any possible connection to the Geass) and the possibility of finally revealing C.C.'s name. And yes, the fans were upset.

* ''[[Pokémon (Manga)|Pokémon]]'':

** Similarly ''[[Pokémon Golden Boys (Manga)|Pokémon Golden Boys]]'' ended abruptly after three volumes. It didn't finish the Johto arc and despite numerous references to Red we never see him.

* ''[[Kurohime (Manga)|Kurohime]]'' seems to be made entirely of these.

** Similarly, the Summer Special ''Recognition'' was meant as a teaser for a new trade paperback, but then DC Comics bought the publishing rights for ''Elfquest'', and did not want to pick that title up. Additional parts are available online now, but there is no conclusion yet.

* ''[[X-Men]]: The End'', was an attempt to bring each and every one of the seemingly hundreds of aborted arcs introduced over the decades. So the Arc to End all [[Aborted Arc|Aborted Arcs]] [[Irony|itself was aborted]].

* In 2010, the ''[[Transformers Timelines (Franchise)|Transformers Collector's Club]]'' dropped their "Nexus Prime" plotline which had been running for about five years across [[The Multiverse|various continuities]], after Hasbro ''themselves'' took charge of stories regarding the thirteen original Transformers.

* In ''[[The Death of Superman]]'' arc, Doomsday was originally supposed to be an escapee from an intergalactic insane asylum. You can see hints of this origin in his first few panels, where he commits random acts of violence with maniacal laughter drawn in. When mental health advocates caught wind of this and protested the treatment of the mentally ill as dangerous lunatics<ref>Where were these people when every [[Batman]] villain ever was introduced?</ref>, this explanation was dropped and Doomsday was treated as a [[Diabolus Ex Nihilo]]. He was later given an origin as a Kryptonian-created [[The Juggernaut|juggernaut]].

* ''[[Red Dwarf (TV)|Red Dwarf]]'' ended its second season with Lister (a male character) falling pregnant to his female ''[[Alternate Universe]]'' counterpart. The writers had planned to spend an entire episode on it, but found their proposed script was misogynistic and -- more damningly -- not very funny. Season 3 wrapped up the storyline with a ''[[Star Wars]]''-style text opening that scrolled so quickly it was literally unreadable unless viewed in slow motion on tape/DVD. This text also halfheartedly explained the sudden recasting of the characters Holly and Kryten. (Neither case was inconspicuous: the former gave himself a [[Gender Bender|sex change]]; the latter was an obscure one-off character "rebuilt" into to a permanent cast member, acquiring a new look and personality in the process.) This gave the distinct impression of missing several episodes of major [[Character Development|character developments]]; perhaps even an entire season.

* ''[[Seinfeld]]'''s transgression had Jerry and Elaine get back together at the end of Season Two, then started Season Three with them apart (with no explanation). Creator/executive producer [[Larry David]] had always hated the idea of the two of them being together, and had only written that episode that way because he thought it was going to be the series finale.

** One aborted and ''unaborted'' arc: Lyta Alexander was in the pilot episode and had mental contact with Kosh; she was supposed to get closer with the Vorlons, rebelling against Psi-Corps, and the other things that happened to her character later. When Pat Tallman didn't return after the pilot, Talia was invented, and a new mechanism (a gift from Ironheart) to give her enhanced telepathic powers was created. When Andrea Thompson left the show and Tallman came back, the substance of that arc was handed back to Lyta. With the way Talia was removed from the show, however, her personal arc hit a brick wall and died, after being kept alive in the viewer's mind for so long.

** The whole [[The Mole]] arc which was originally intended to revolve around Laurell Takashima (who only appeared in the Pilot) and was shortly revisited on "Spider in the Web" was "unaborted" {{spoiler|when Andrea Thompson left the show, making Talia [[The Mole]]}}. Furthermore if you believe in the [[Word of God]], Takashima was originally intended to shoot Garibaldi, which was then transferred {{spoiler|to his right-hand officer.}}

** There were also the extradimensional abductors in the episode "Schisms", who released a probe into "our" universe which the ''[[Cool Starship|Enterprise]]'' lost track of in an obvious attempt to establish them as a continuing menace. They were never seen nor mentioned again (although these guys, like the above-mentioned parasites, were followed-up upon in the comics).

** Also, there was the whole "warp drive damages reality" problem they introduced in the sixth season of ''[[Star Trek the Next Generation]]'', and then only mentioned once the following season. This had the potential to be either really cool or really stupid, but we will never know which. [[Word of God]] says that the "variable geometry pylons" on ''U.S.S. Voyager'' were [[The Federation|the Federation's]] stopgap solution to the problem, thus explaining why the ''Enterprise''-E and other ships produced thereafter has fixed pylons. Was later retconned to having to due with a ''Star Trek TOS'' episode involving the federation trying to make an omega molecule and it destroying subspace in the entire sector. And by the time of ''The Next Generation'' it's a closely guarded secret in the hands of only a few that the federation destroyed this entire sector of space's subspace field.

** The malevolent unknown force in the middle of the TARDIS, mentioned by the newly regenerated fifth Doctor in the story ''Castrovalva''. This was intended as a reference to another story that would follow it in that season (where the Doctor and crew would indeed discover that there's something evil hidden at the very centre of the Doctor's ship), but the script for this other story was eventually dropped. The reference to it in ''Castrovalva'' wasn't, and it remains unanswered to this day (even in the [[Expanded Universe]]). <!-- %The Silence caused a crack to appear on and inside the TARDIS, not to mention blew it up, but there's no concluding evidence that it, or they are inside the TARDIS itself. -->

** Then there is the Cartmel Masterplan that was supposed to introduce more mysteries about the Doctor's origin and nature. The Old Series was cancelled before anything could come from it, but the [[Expanded Universe]] saved some plotlines.

* During ''[[Frasier]]'''s 10th season, an arc was slowly built up where it was suggested that Roz had feelings for Frasier and was jealous over his relationship with Julia Wilcox. In the first episode of Season 11, the old writers from earlier seasons rejoined the show and quickly ended the arc by saying Roz's father had remarried and thus she was scared of losing Frasier as a friend. The characters made up, and nothing more was ever said.

* The entire high school element of ''[[The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]'' Season 1, with incomplete arcs involving a mysterious suicide, implications of teacher-student sexual exploitation, and a male student lusting after Cameron, was just dumped with no explanation at all once Season 2 started. [[Word of God]] says that the creators decided that it was unnecessary and that the show worked better if the central characters weren't even trying to pretend to have a normal life. Also there was a writers strike.

** The latter half of Season 3 was going to have a story arc about the Sagitarrons. The [[Word of God|story goes]] that {{spoiler|during the New Caprica arc, the rest of the colonials had run low on food, but the Sagitarrons, being close-to-nature, had grown enough. The Colonial government made the decision to seize their food in order to feed everyone, a kind of reverse ant-grasshopper parable.}} The only remnants of this arc are: the episode ''The Woman King'', and {{spoiler|Baltar whispering to Gaeta during Baltar's imprisonment, which was supposed to tie into this arc}}. The latter was repurposed for the minisodes ''Face of the Enemy''. It might also explain what Tyrol was protesting immediately after the [[Time Skip]] -- and given a hint to the decision made by {{spoiler|Apollo in the finale}}.

** Bulldog's mysteriously one-off appearance -- originally, the character was intended to recur, but scheduling issues prevented that from playing out.

{{quote| '''Kenneth:''' I couldn't put the memo in your mailbox because it's full of unread adoption materials.<br />

'''Liz:''' ''(uninterested)'' Yeah. }}

** Season two ended with a massive tease of a plotline that had apparently been building for two seasons. Alexander Trepkos (the man who advised Peter Kingsley, the season's [[Big Bad]]) puts in a call to a German arms dealer named Max and tells him that "Plan B" is a go. (In a deleted scene on the boxset, it's revealed that Nina is also with Max, and that the German contact she was in touch with in the first season was Max's associate.) "Plan B" kicks off with the (attempted) assassination of President Palmer...and nothing else. In the third season, Palmer says that the people who tried to kill him were brought to justice. The Max plotline is half-heartedly resolved in ''24: The Game'' (which was released during the fifth season-airing of the show and focuses on events between seasons two and three, long after everyone stopped caring), and never mentions what happened to Trepkos.

** Famously, Behrooz Araz disappears three-quarters of the way through the fourth season after his mother is executed by Marwan (and after having a majority of the season focused on his survival under ridiculous circumstances). His fate is resolved in a deleted scene - he's rescued by Curtis before Marwan's men execute him (and learns about his mother's fate) - but most viewers likely wondered where the hell he went during the original television airings.

** Specifically it was the "Seraphim's sisters" arc that was pulled to a quick close and never revisited. It's likely the original three consciences have fewer appearances these days because there's little time for them given everything else that's going on. It also can be argued that Piro and Largo need their help less and less as the story progresses.

** Not to mention the complete abandonment very early on of what was essentially the founding premise of the series: trying to get back to America.

* ''[[Melonpool]]'' abandoned three arcs back to back in favor of [[Continuity Reboot|continuity reboots]].

* In ''[[Sluggy Freelance (Webcomic)|Sluggy Freelance]]'', the older Dr. Crabtree arc was concluded rather abruptly with her death by an EMP (long story...) with Torg, unaware of this event, saying he sensed a million plot threads crying out at once and suddenly stopping.

* ''[[Nedroid]]'' often has story arcs that quickly dissolve and quietly buried.

* ''[[Scary Go Round]]'' had a time travel segment that dropped suddenly. Two girls travel to the 1800's and are getting caught up in a cult and prophesy. Then their comrade from the present alters time at the moment they steal a time-pot

** In fact, the Sword of Truth ''did'' appear. [http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/80 Check the last three panels.]

** The Sword of Truth has made another look-in as of [http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/376 page 376].

[[Category:Seasons]]

[[Category:Bleach the 3rd Phantom]]