Anonymous
asked:
when are continuity complaints justified vs. just nitpicking?
thefeelofavideogame
answered:

I will explain

by means of Star Trek reference

In Star Trek, you can’t beam through the shields.

This is established. Can’t beam through the shields. It has been a plot device multiple times. Entire episodes have hinged on it. The Enemy in TNG is a good one, one of the big Romulan episodes.

So, whenever an episode (or movie) fucks up and has someone beam through the shields, I think it’s valid to call them out on it cause they used it as a plot device and drew attention to it previously. Expecting a production or author to remember their own plot points is not too much to ask.

If Peter Parker wore a red shirt once in Issue 360, then later they flashback to events and it’s a green shirt, that isn’t something worth complaining about.

Now, if he wore a red shirt, and wearing that specific red shirt distracted some bull-themed super-villain specifically by being red, then yes, by all means be annoyed they forgot that, cause it wasn’t just a detail, it’s a plot device.