History Main / BackstoryOfTheDay

--> '''Fry''':So he's a folk singer, so what?
--> '''Bender''':So what? Have you forgotten my lifelong dream of being a folk singer? Because I sure have until right now.

** And yet he wore a magnetic tie to impress the Countess in the Titanic episode, and didn't sing once making it a SeriesContinuityError.

* Frequently on ''{{Series/CSI}}'', one of the team will reveal a never-before-mentioned familiarity with whatever niche hobby group has suffered a horrific murder this week; Warwick's an ex-boxer, Greg's a skater, etc. By contrast, if said subculture is remotely controversial, one of the others will [[StrawmanBall suddenly reveal their bigoted opinion about it]]. Drama!

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[[folder: Literature]]

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[[folder: Radio]]

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[[folder: Web Original]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]

*** The HotterAndSexier MessianicArchetype Tenth Doctor was [[FoeRomanceSubtext getting really homoerotic with the Master]], experiencing forces of creation that drive people mad, and running off with the President's daughter.

*** The NightmareFetishist ReluctantWarrior Twelfth Doctor was experiencing a primal scene of ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight, pondering the image of a soldier without a gun, and being traumatized by a prophecy he no longer remembers.

*** The HotterAndSexier MessianicArchetype Tenth Doctor was [[FoeRomanceSubtext getting really homoerotic with the Master]] and experiencing forces of creation that drive people mad.

* Dr. Alto Clef from ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' invokes this in-universe frequently, coming up with blatant lies any time someone questions him about his past, why he works at the Foundation, how he got hired...

-->-- ''WebSite/SFDebris'' when reviewing some episodes of ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''.

*** The HotterAndSexier MessianicArchetype Tenth Doctor was [[FoeYay getting really homoerotic with the Master]] and experiencing forces of creation that drive people mad.

An established character reveals a major part of their life story that is contrived as a plot device to match the subject of today's episode. We've never seen this side of the character before (and may never see it again). It typically happens in LongRunners where characterization is often established over time, and can help flesh out a FlatCharacter if done properly. If used too often, may result in an ExpansionPackPast. If a character does this and the stories are often or always contradictory, it's a MultipleChoicePast.

* In ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', Film/JamesBond meets a woman named Paris Carver again, who immediately slaps his face. She was apparently an OldFlame of his, but thing is, while he ReallyGetsAround with many [[GirlOfTheWeek Girls of the Week]] and always flirts with Moneypenny at the [=MI6=] office, he's never been seriously involved with a woman onscreen in the film series up to this point outside of [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService Tracy di Vicenzo]].

* In ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', Film/JamesBond meets a woman named Paris Carver again, who immediately slaps his face. She was apparently an OldFlame of his, but thing is, while he ReallyGetsAround, he's never been seriously involved with a woman onscreen in the film series up to this point outside of [[Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService Tracy di Vicenzo]].

An established character reveals a major part of their life story that is contrived as a plot device to match the subject of today's episode. We've never seen this side of the character before (and may never see it again). It typically happens in LongRunners where characterization is often established over time, and can help flesh out a FlatCharacter if done properly. If used too often, may result in an ExpansionPackPast.

An established character reveals a major part of their life story that is contrived as a plot device to match the subject of today's episode. We've never seen this side of the character before (and may never see it again). It typically happens in LongRunners where characterization is often established over time, and can help flesh out a FlatCharacter if done properly.

* ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'' had Ridcully reveal a hidden past of "foot thee ball" for the football related plot. Although he's always been much more interested in physical activities than the other wizards, it's just the specifically football oriented interest that hadn't been mentioned. Mind you, given that Ridcully is a decidedly lower-middle class chap from the Disc's equivalent of OopNorth (itself a retcon, originally he was from the countryside, but was a ''landowner'', of the Lady Sybil "I'm too upper class to worry about nonsense like being posh" variety) it's not particularly implausible he'd have been a keen footballer in his youth.

* Invoked on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', where Picard suddenly remembers he has always had an unbridled passion for horse-riding, and on hearing the planet of the week has riding trails, decides he must leave immediately to fetch his custom saddle; right in the middle of an extremely boring party. The other characters lampshade this a bit, none of them have ever heard him mention riding before, but tease each person who learns about it after them for not knowing that ''of course'' the captain (like any serious rider) has his own saddle.
** In this case however it was at least part an effort on Picard's part to escape conversation with a notoriously dull fellow officer.
* The episode of ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' where everyone turns out to have always been a major fan of Li'l Sebastian

* Used in virtually every episode of ''Series/{{Psych}}''. We go back to the main character's childhood as his father forces some lesson him that comes into play in that episode.

* Every episode of ''Series/{{Lost}}''. It's a part of the episode structure.
** Similarly, ''Series/DeadOfSummer'' and ''Series/OnceUponATime'' also feature this plot structure due to some shared writers.

[[folder: Fanfic]]
* A frequent plot device in FanFic is to have a protagonist always have had an interest in something never mentioned on screen, often [[AuthorAppeal something that the writer is interested in]].
[[/folder]]

** In "The Wand" he finds a plastic wand in Gumball's cereal, and thus reminisces how his mother traumatized him by telling him that magic was fake, causing him to give out a BigNo. One that supposedly lasted ''day and night for decades''.

** ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier'' showcases Kirk's hitherto unknown passion for free climbing, despite also not being seen before.

** ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' has Kirk being a passionate antique collector, despite not being seen before.

* ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'' had Ridcully reveal a hidden past of "foot thee ball" for the football related plot. Although he's always been much more interested in physical activities than the other wizards, it's just the specifically football oriented interest that hadn't been mentioned. Mind you, given that Ridcully is a decidedly lower-middle class chap from the Disc's equivalent of OopNorth (itself a retcon, originally he was from the countryside, but was a ''landowner'') it's not particularly implausible he'd have been a keen footballer in his youth.

* ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'' had Ridcully reveal a hidden past of "foot thee ball" for the football related plot. Although he's always been much more interested in physical activities than the other wizards, it's just the specifically football oriented interest that hadn't been mentioned. Mind you, given that Ridcully is a decidedly lower-middle class chap from the Disc's equivalent of OopNorth it's not particularly implausible he'd have been a keen footballer in his youth.