Given the success of Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout Season 1, a follow-up season has now been confirmed. Fans are thrilled as this might address many unanswered questions, and maybe even see a few theories come to fruition. Unanswered as they may seem to us, a lot of the lore is set in stone- either from the games, or with the creative team having mapped out the rest of the show.
That said, it doesn’t stop fans from theorizing about what’s to come. And for the hardcore gamers, it begs another question- Did the show change the canon timeline and events as established by the games? Well, yes and no. With a non-linear story, one could argue that Fallout provides the perfect template for creative vision to differ from the games.
But at the same time, with a show that’s based off of the popular video game series, it’s just good sense to follow all the canon events, especially for a show that’s paid such attention to detail even in the little things. So, why did the show change the timeline of Shady Sands and New Vegas? Todd Howard has an answer that’s bound to have us give a thumbs-up.
The Fallout: New Vegas timeline is “Carefully” preserved
During a scene in episode 6, Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) stumbles upon a chalkboard in Vault 4, detailing the fall of civilization in a sequential manner. The camera lingers over “Fall of Shady Sands” for quite a while, allowing viewers to soak in that the city fell in 2277. However, according to the lore established by Fallout: New Vegas, Shady Sands met its demise in 2281.
In an exclusive interview with IGN, Bethesda head honcho, Todd Howard, cleared the air.
“And just so people hear it, we’re careful about the timeline. There might be a little bit of confusion at some places, but everything that happened in the previous games, including New Vegas, happened. We’re very careful about that.”
So, “Fall of Shady Sands” doesn’t necessarily mean the city was nuked. The city could very well have been moved, and the real head of the NCR might still be around. If anything, it sounds like there’s a second reckoning heading their way. Funny we should find this in Vault 4… detailing a mushroom cloud that’s set to come in 4 years time, perhaps?
So, where does the New California Republic fit in all of this? It seems Vault Tec needs a political opponent to thrive off of. And who better than the rogue NCR? If the NCR was a rogue Vault Tec faction, it would explain how Moldaver managed to live for as long and get her hands on a fusion core, something the NCR could have been working on for centuries to overthrow Vault Tec.
But if Vault Tec has known how much political sway and power the NCR could hold, why haven’t they been nuked already? Well, it could be coming their way soon. However, NCR could be a very spread-out faction, with someone to lead should another fall.
With the final episode establishing a small glimpse of New Vegas, it confirms Hank MacLean’s return to a Vault Tec head. So, who is the top dog? Is it THE person who pushed the big, red button to end it all?
Easter eggs, promotions, and room for more
Back when Fallout: New Vegas was being promoted and its launch day dawned in 2010, the red carpet rolled out to celebrities as well. Notably, among them, was Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame. Hell, even Kim Kardashian seemed to be promoting the game.
In the same exclusive with IGN, Fallout‘s executive producer, Jonathan Nolan, mentioned how Aaron Paul has been a big fan of the games, and was even present at Prime Video’s premiere of the show.
“Yeah, Aaron Paul was at the premiere, a human being I love so much. And he was very polite. He was very enthusiastic about the show.”
Jonathan Nolan has worked with Paul before in Westworld. It seems that Todd Howard and the folks at Bethesda were equally fans of Aaron Paul. The New Vegas game features a faction by the name of “The Khans”, and their bread and butter? Running a dr*g racket.
We hope Paul appears on the show, and his appearance won’t be limited to a cameo as a member of The Khans. Rather, given his acting chops and a recent stint in Black Mirror, Paul could very easily reign supreme in the world of Fallout. Quite literally. Imagine him as THE Vault Tec guy. Tried dialing the Vault Tec number and heard the scream of a man? Let’s pose a big “What If” moment and say it’s a big Vault Tec exec. Aaron Paul could very easily pull it off.
If that seems too on the nose (unintentional pun, folks), given NCR’s dispersed state, he could play a key NCR faction head, maybe even one that tops Moldaver’s role. With Aaron Paul’s introduction in season 2 of the show, his commanding screen presence and the importance of the role could very well dissect him into a spinoff of his own centered around New Vegas.
After all, the world of Fallout is an endless wasteland that, oddly enough, is teeming with so much life. And Aaron Paul’s addition could just be the cherry on top of the jello cake.
Watch Fallout on Amazon Prime Video.
