Plot Holes / Inconsistencies

[News Bot]

How much power did Birkin have, exactly? Many of us call the underground lab seen in RE2 "Birkin's lab," but was he actually in charge of the entire facility? How much pull did he have at Arklay? What about the ground-level lab seen in "End of the Road?"

He was Umbrella's top scientist and the director of all laboratories in Raccoon City. He was in charge of running them.

Also, why would he deliberately cause biohazard outbreaks? Wasn't he at all concerned with BOWs attacking him and messing up his precious G-virus research?

He causes them because he is insane and he wanted cover from Umbrella. Not stated whether they were a threat to him or not since there was no real biohazard in the underground laboratory, only escaped specimens (Monica and Annette aren't affected by the Hunter R's running around either)

I also have to wonder about RE0, and how Birkin set off the self-destruct mechanism. In the English script, he says "As I recall, URC is equipped with a self-destruct device in the basement. I'll find it, set it off, and annihilate the place to nothing more than a mass of rubble." I'm assuming that "URC" refers to Umbrella Research Center, but what location was he talking about, exactly? That scene took place in the RE2 lab, so we know it wasn't that, yet the explosions at the end of the game take out the training facility as well as the treatment plant. Since the treatment plant was right next to the RE2 lab, this simply makes no sense, unless the blast door near the collapsed tunnel where Rebecca fought the proto-Tyrant shielded the lab from the explosion.

The laboratory is bigger than we ever see in BH2 and Outbreak (there are two trains, which means there are two master elevators), and due to the structural changes in the Zero portion (the hallway leading to the master elevator is much smaller than in BH2, Outbreak and Darkside Chronicles) it is likely that the part Rebecca sees is not the same one.

Where was this self-destruct device, exactly? An unseen location? And how was Birkin, an unarmed scientist who was never combat-trained, able to make it to the device with all the BOWs running around?

Unseen location, and Birkin wasn't unarmed.

Finally, when Rebecca and Billy escape the hangar where they fight the queen leech, they are on a cliff overlooking Raccoon Forest. Could this be close to the area where Leon, Claire, and Sherry were after they escaped the tunnel at the end of RE2?

They're in Raccoon Forest, while Leon etc are in the wasteland beyond the city.

Expanding old stories by adding new elements are retcons. The name says it: RETROACTIVE CONTINUITY. Thats exactly what they did with the Overmind

Wrong. Retroactive continuity is changing old stories. Of which no examples have been given yet. Adding new elements that don't contradict or interfere with established facts is not retroactive continuity. There has to be a deliberate and outright change, and so far, there hasn't been any. And retcon is a very liberal and general term, and while it can apply to storyline additions to some people, that definition is flimsy strawman bullshit and completely defeats the point of the term.

I am looking for plot holes and inconsistencies, not plot development and story elements which fit perfectly.

[AsteroidBlues]

It feels nice to have one of my responses backed up by newsbot. Now if he could craft such a clever answer for the inconsistency I offered up to the hivemind.

[Rombie]

There are no accidents in crash collisions. Accident implies no one was at fault.

What made you want to become a policeman-officer?

Newsbot... What actual info is around about Billy after Zero. I'm kinda interested to know if the village slaughter was supposed to have any bearing on the overall plot as well.

[REmaster]

I always found it funny that Claire gets captured looking for Chris, then turns around and contacts Leon to tell Chris her location.

[Smiley]

And for the record:

This topic is not factoring in the games themselves because their alterations in plot are not considered established canon. Such as the trasition from RE1 to RE2 where no such canon ending is depicted from what we know in RE2. Nor is it factoring changes or additions that alter events in re-releases or spin offs such as the case where Separate Ways purposefully cuts out any exchange Leon has with Hunnigan before confronting Mendez again. We can't discuss level or model design either because Blue-eyed Wesker and the connections to the city/labs are not part of the plot.

I guess this topic is kind of pointless unless we're only referring to outside supplemental material that has to be woven to tell a cohesive plot. And originating from the Japanese text which I'm sure you're all familiar with. So in that instance.... I guess there's nothing wrong?

[News Bot]

What made you want to become a policeman-officer?

Newsbot... What actual info is around about Billy after Zero. I'm kinda interested to know if the village slaughter was supposed to have any bearing on the overall plot as well.

Billy just disappears. His past has no connection to the overall plot, it was just to give him a past.

And for the record:

This topic is not factoring in the games themselves because their alterations in plot are not considered established canon. Such as the trasition from RE1 to RE2 where no such canon ending is depicted from what we know in RE2. Nor is it factoring changes or additions that alter events in re-releases or spin offs such as the case where Separate Ways purposefully cuts out any exchange Leon has with Hunnigan before confronting Mendez again. We can't discuss level or model design either because Blue-eyed Wesker and the connections to the city/labs are not part of the plot.

I guess this topic is kind of pointless unless we're only referring to outside supplemental material that has to be woven to tell a cohesive plot. And originating from the Japanese text which I'm sure you're all familiar with. So in that instance.... I guess there's nothing wrong?

It's about anything regarding the plot. And yes, you're correct, the examples you gave are not plot holes. You could regard them as inconsistencies, though.

[Grinder]

In code veronica when the self destruct is active and your trying to escape Rockfort you see other planes fly overhead that are fleeing the island as well but where did they come from since you only see one plane in the game parked which is the one you escape in and the survivors that flying the planes as well how come you never encounter them at all in the game? Was there more to Rockfort then we see in the game? And why is the self destruct so useless on Rockfort ain't self destructing meant blow up all labs etc yet the labs are still intact on Rockfort ( chris first encounter will wesker is in a lab) and it didn't do that much damage to the island itself just a few holes in Walls.

[TheBatMan]

I always found it funny that Claire gets captured looking for Chris, then turns around and contacts Leon to tell Chris her location.

Umbrella has Chris under surveillance, so she finds his location from the computer. She then passes his location onto Leon and tells him to contact him.

[Det. Beauregard]

Was there more to Rockfort then we see in the game?

There had to have been; we probably only explored a very small part of it. There also must have been an actual airport somewhere on the island (instead of, you know, the "airport" that was underground...)

And why is the self destruct so useless on Rockfort ain't self destructing meant blow up all labs etc yet the labs are still intact on Rockfort ( chris first encounter will wesker is in a lab) and it didn't do that much damage to the island itself just a few holes in Walls.

Because if it were too effective, Chris would have arrived to explore a giant pile of ash, which would have been boring.

In all seriousness, the buildings were probably just wired with light demolitions charges instead of the heavy stuff that you see in most of the other games.

[Smiley]

Here's a remake exclusive one for ya.

The 'bottomless pit' is able to kill Barry but not Wesker. And this is before he injects himself.

[REmaster]

Umbrella has Chris under surveillance, so she finds his location from the computer. She then passes his location onto Leon and tells him to contact him.

Of course, I always just found it funny the way that it happened. I'm sure Leon could have used his resources inside the government to find Chris regardless, but Claire had to jump the gun and start raiding maximum security compounds to "find her brother". Good way to get yourself killed, even if you suddenly realize you're a badass with matrix-like reflexes. How does one go about "contacting" others in ridiculous secretive hideouts anyways? Government agents? Phone? Email?

From: ursmalltime34@hotmail.com
To: BoulderPuncher891@yahoo.com
Subject: Claire WTF

[AsteroidBlues]

Of course, I always just found it funny the way that it happened. I'm sure Leon could have used his resources inside the government to find Chris regardless, but Claire had to jump the gun and start raiding maximum security compounds to "find her brother". Good way to get yourself killed, even if you suddenly realize you're a badass with matrix-like reflexes. How does one go about "contacting" others in ridiculous secretive hideouts anyways? Government agents? Phone? Email?

From: ursmalltime34@hotmail.com
To: BoulderPuncher891@yahoo.com
Subject: Claire WTF

I'll expand that a little....


From: ursmalltime34@hotmail.com
To: BoulderPuncher891@yahoo.com
CC: GlobalXSaturation101@gmail.com
Subject: Claire WTF

Yo dude, your crazy ass sister got herself captured by umbrella lol She's totally a Redfield, amirite?

btw sent this to Wesker for the lolz, he'll love this. xD Lates

[Det. Beauregard]

From: ursmalltime34@hotmail.com
To: BoulderPuncher891@yahoo.com
CC: GlobalXSaturation101@gmail.com
Subject: Claire WTF

Yo dude, your crazy ass sister got herself captured by umbrella lol She's totally a Redfield, amirite?

btw sent this to Wesker for the lolz, he'll love this. xD Lates

I'm seriously dying right now...