# Plot hole > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Plot_hole > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Plot_hole.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_hole > Source revision: 1347388167 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Gap or inconsistency in a storyline In [fiction](/source/Fiction), a **plot hole**, **plothole**, or **plot error** is an [inconsistency](/source/Consistency) in a [storyline](/source/Plot_(narrative)) that goes against the flow of [logic](/source/Logic) established by the story's plot.[1] Plot holes are usually created unintentionally, often as a result of [editing](/source/Editing), or the writers simply forgetting that a new event would contradict previous events in the storyline. Sometimes, viewers may disagree on whether a certain plot element constitutes an error. ## Types Types of plot hole include: **Factual errors** - Historical [anachronisms](/source/Anachronism), or incorrect statements about the world.[2] **Impossible events** - Something that defies the [laws of science](/source/Laws_of_science), as established for the story's setting.[3][2] **Out-of-character behavior** - A character acting in a way that, based on their understanding of the options available to them, they would not realistically choose.[2] **[Continuity errors](/source/Continuity_error)** - Events in the story which contradict those established earlier.[3] **Unresolved storylines** - One of the plot lines is not resolved by the end of the story, or a character who is expected to reappear does not.[2] ## Examples - At the end of the *[Star Wars](/source/Star_Wars)* film *[Revenge of the Sith](/source/Star_Wars%3A_Episode_III_%E2%80%93_Revenge_of_the_Sith)*, it is considered imperative to hide [Luke Skywalker](/source/Luke_Skywalker) from [Darth Vader](/source/Darth_Vader), but [Obi-Wan Kenobi](/source/Obi-Wan_Kenobi) does so in plain sight on Vader's home planet, even using Luke's real name. He himself only slightly alters his name and makes no secret of his Jedi heritage.[4][5] This plot hole was caused by the fact that *[Star Wars](/source/Star_Wars)* movies weren't released chronologically. - In the narrative [climax](/source/Climax_(narrative)) of *[The Lord of the Rings](/source/The_Lord_of_the_Rings)*, [Frodo Baggins](/source/Frodo_Baggins) and [Samwise Gamgee](/source/Samwise_Gamgee) are rescued from [Mordor](/source/Mordor) by three [giant eagles](/source/Eagles_in_Middle-earth) after destroying the [One Ring](/source/One_Ring). Some readers and viewers of the film adaptation have regarded this as a plot hole because the eagles could have flown a suitable Ring-bearer directly to Mordor in the first place, obviating much of the story's plot. Craig Elvy of *[Screen Rant](/source/Screen_Rant)* believes the perception of a plot hole might be due in part to the significantly compressed space and time dimensions of the film version, compared to the books.[6] - The 1991 Disney film *[Beauty and the Beast](/source/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(1991_film))* includes a line about a rose blooming until the prince's twenty-first year, and a song in which Lumière the candelabra sings "ten years we've been rusting" – implying that the Prince was 11 when the curse was placed upon the castle, despite a painting showing him to have been older than this. The [2017 remake](/source/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(2017_film)) removed the rose reference and changed the lyric to "too long we've been rusting".[7] ## See also - [Idiot plot](/source/Idiot_plot) - [Continuity (fiction)](/source/Continuity_(fiction)) - [Deus ex machina](/source/Deus_ex_machina) - [Retroactive continuity](/source/Retroactive_continuity) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["plot hole | Definition of plot hole in English by Oxford Dictionaries"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170907213709/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plot_hole). *Oxford Dictionaries | English*. Archived from [the original](https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/plot_hole) on September 7, 2017. Retrieved 2017-09-07. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bookcave_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bookcave_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-bookcave_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-bookcave_2-3) Shattuck, Catia. ["6 Types of Plot Holes and How to Catch Them"](https://mybookcave.com/authorpost/6-types-of-plot-holes-and-how-to-catch-them/). *Book Cave*. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-masterclass_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-masterclass_3-1) MasterClass staff (7 December 2021). ["How to Fix Plot Holes in Your Story"](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-fix-plot-holes-in-your-story). MasterClass staff. Retrieved 31 December 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Miller, Matt (Jan 19, 2018). ["A Comprehensive List of 'Star Wars' Plot Holes"](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a15336898/all-star-wars-movies-plot-holes/). *Esquire*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["14 Star Wars Plot Holes Bigger Than The Death Star"](https://www.ranker.com/list/star-wars-plot-holes/nathan-gibson). *Ranker*. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Why The Fellowship Couldn't Use The Eagles in Lord of the Rings"](https://screenrant.com/lord-rings-fellowship-eagles-fly-mordor-plot-hole/). *[Screen Rant](/source/Screen_Rant)*. 23 September 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Rowney, Jo-Anne (18 March 2017). ["Beauty and the Beast remake just solved a lot of the original film's plot holes"](https://www.mirror.co.uk/film/beauty-beast-remake-plotholes-solves-10050530). *The Mirror*. Retrieved 11 October 2023. ## External links - [Screenrant's 16 Movie Plot Holes That Aren’t Actually Plot Holes](https://screenrant.com/movie-plot-holes-not-real/) - [Star Wars Fan Debunks Huff Post's "40 Unforgivable Plot Holes in The Force Awakens"](http://epicstream.com/news/Star-Wars-Fan-Debunks-Huff-Posts-40-Unforgivable-Plot-Holes-in-The-Force-Awakens) - [Ten Debunked Movie Plot Holes](https://cinemaspotlightblog.com/2017/05/11/ten-debunked-movie-plot-holes/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20211025173625/https://cinemaspotlightblog.com/2017/05/11/ten-debunked-movie-plot-holes/) 2021-10-25 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) This literature-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. - [v](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Lit-stub) - [t](/source/Template_talk%3ALit-stub) - [e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Lit-stub) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Plot hole](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_hole) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_hole?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.