History Main / GreatOffscreenWar

* The Ancient Belka War in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''. We have been told some info about it, such as how it destroyed Ancient Belka and [[YearZero led to the current age]] where physical-based weapons were banned, but otherwise, it's a big question mark. As ''[[SpinOffspring ViVid]]'' revolves around the {{Reincarnation}} of two prominent figures from that war, many readers hope that it will eventually give more insight to that period.

!Examples:

* Both series of BattlestarGalactica have mentioned previous wars with Cylons.
* Silicate War, the war with the android revolution, taking place years before events of SpaceAboveAndBeyond.

* Played with in ThatMitchellAndWebbLook where a group of people are holed up in a nuclear bunker playing a game show and broadcasting in the vain hope somebody is actually watching. It all focuses around "The Event"; the only interesting thing any of the characters can think about but are sworn not to talk about for various reasons. The most probable event would be a nuclear war.

* MightyMorphinPowerRangers had a great battle between Good and Evil 10,000 years ago. Zordon was with the good guys, Rita with the bad guys under the command of Zedd. We have no other clues about it beyond that. Connections to the likewise-undescribed Beast War of PowerRangersJungleFury are purely EpilepticTrees, but entirely probable.
** PowerRangersLostGalaxy had whatever mysterious event happened 3000 years ago that scattered the Galactabeasts and ended with the Quasar Sabers embedded in stone. Connections to the likewise-largely-undescribed war between the Orgs and Animarium in PowerRangersWildForce are purely EpilepticTrees, but entirely probable.

* StarWars KnightsOfTheOldRepublic has the Mandalorian Wars. Much of the information about it is from allusions and AsYouKnow statements in the games, and lots of characters you run into in both games are war heroes from it.
* For the longest time, {{StarCraft}} had the Guild Wars, which were referenced only in vague snippets as a civil war whose consequences still loomed over the Terran worlds. Fast forward many years, it's been more-or-less explained away with [[ExpandedUniverse tie-in literature]]. Still nothing in the games, though.

* GuiltyGear has Gear War, apocalyptic conflict between humans and Gears, led by Justice. In some games you can play duels that happened back then.

* The Seven Minute War from HalfLife 2. Why anyone missed this?

* Not ''exactly'' a war, but AvatarTheLastAirbender has the Fire Nation's destruction of the Air Nomads 100 years prior to the start of the series.
* ''{{Futurama}}'' occasionally makes reference to some war or another, usually for a quick gag. The one time one is relevant to the main plot is in "Three Hundred Big Boys", where the spoils from a recently won BugWar are spread among the populance.

* Time War from ''DoctorWho''. It was never shown, we know only that it caused a lot of destruction and wiped out entire races, including the Time Lords, whose last survivor was the Doctor. The Doctor has to deal with the consequences of Time War from time to time and sometimes he or somebody else makes reference to some events of it, but it's still mostly a mystery.

* CodeGeass has Britannian insavion and conquest of Japan, we seen only in flashback concerning young Lelouch, Suzaku and Nunally and one from first episode opening sequence. There also was alternate version of Napolean wars, where Napoleon conquered Great Britain, making all British aristocracy run to America, creating Britannia Empire.

[[AC: WebOriginals]]

* In the ''GroundControl'' games: [[WorldWarThree World War 3]], the Independence Wars, the First Stellar War, the Terran-Viron conflict, most of the Second Stellar War.

* In the ''[[Earth2150 Earth]]'' series, we never get to see or read details about [[WorldWarThree World War 3]], only that it was a NuclearWar that destroyed all former nation-states. Only a few facts are known from before the war, mostly about the founding of the [[OneNationUnderCopyright Lunar Corporation]]. The game history starts after the war, with the creations of the [[{{Eagleland}} United Civilized States]] and the [[TheEmpire Eurasian Dynasty]].

** ''The Next Generation'' has war between the Federation and the Cardassians, which was responsible for creating the Anti-Cardassian Maquis. Strangely, it wasn't mentioned in the first seasons, only later.
** The Earth-Romulan war ended as this, because ''Enterprise'' was cancelled before it could cover it.

* The war with the Magogs from {{Andromeda}}, the end of which caused the Nietzschean revolution, may count too, as it started at the beginning of the first episode. The episode then jumps 300 years in the future, to the main plot, not only skipping the downfall of the revolution, but also the civil war among the ones who caused it, the High Guard.

* BabylonFive has the Dilgar War, the first major interstellar war that the humans got involved in, as well as the previous Shadow War, which took place around a thousand years previously. We do see a glimpse of that era, mostly just some less advanced looking Minbari ships, but nothing of the war itself.

Maybe people still have to deal with its consequences. The war happened, and it left itss ugly mark on the world. But it's [[NoodleIncident never shown to the audience]] - we never see a single flashback from the war, are never shown more than just a glimpse of what happened. The war will be referenced, but otherwise left mysterious, unexplained. Why it happened, how it ended, and what all the things that took place there (which people talk about like it should be obvious) actually were, are never explained. The war is only an mysterious event of the past, included mostly to add a bit of mystery and [[WildMassGuessing give people excuse for insane ideas]].

* GuiltyGear has Gear War, apocalyptic conflict between humans and Gears, led by Justice. In some games you can play duels that happened back then,

** Also, the fourth story arc (and first written by MarkMillar) showed us a glimpse of another alternate Earth, which had thirteen continents. A world war that erupted there ended with armies of [[AdolfHitler Ado]][[CompositeCharacter lf]] [[MalcolmXerox X]] exterminating all non-black people on ''all'' of them. The engineer finds the idea of sending a superpowered white supremacist there quite interesting.

Maybe people still have to deal with its consequences. The war happened, and it left itss ugly mark on the world. But it's never shown to the audience - we never see a single flashback from the war, are never shown more than just a glimpse of what happened. The war will be referenced, but otherwise left mysterious, unexplained. Why it happened, how it ended, and what all the things that took place there (which people talk about like it should be obvious) actually were, are never explained. The war is only an mysterious event of the past, included mostly to add a bit of mystery and [[WildMassGuessing give people excuse for insane ideas]].

* StarWars KnightsOfTheOldRepublic has Madalorian Wars - another mysterious wars we don't know much, despite that main character took a part in them and became well known war hero.

* Tghe Clone Wars were this for first StarWars Trilogy, until the prequels came, then two cartoons and a lot of other things that explored it, ultimately avoiding this trope.

* GuildWars: Prophecies has the actual Guild Wars, Factions has the Tengu Wars, Nightfall has the war against Palawa Joko

Please, avoid shows referencing to RealLife conflicts: we have much more information about them than will be ever provided in the typical case of the fictional conflicts mentioned here, so they don't count for the 'mysterious/unexplained' element of the GreatOffscreenWar.

* In the second arc of TheAuthority, Jenny Sparks mentions how Earth cut down all connection with the alternate Universe, The Sliding Albion, after the First World War erupted there. Characters from Albion mentions briefly, that between that event and Albion's invasion on Earth, that world has seen ''eight'' other world wars.
** Also, fourth story arc (and first written by MarkMillar) showed us a glimpse of another alternate Earth, which had thirteen continents. And world war that erupted there ended with armies of [[AdolfHitler Ado]][[CompositeCharacter lf]] [[MalcolmXerox X]] exterminating all non-black people on ''all'' of them. Engineer finds idea of sending superpowered white supremacist there quite interesting.

* Clone Wars were this for first StarWars Trilogy, until the prequels came, along two cartoons and lot of other things that explored it, ultimately subverting this trope.
* When watching {{Airplane}}, they never make clear which war "The War" was for Ted Stryker, though judging by when the movie was made, one might assume Vietnam. As farcical as the entire movie is, it could very well have been some other war entirely though. Hell it could be a war they completly made up as well.

* Time War from ''DoctorWho''. It was never shown, we know only that it caused a lot of destruction and wiped out entire races, including Time Lords, whose last survivor was the Doctor. The Doctor has to deal with consequences of Time War from time to time and sometimes he or somebody else reference to some events of it, but it's still mostly a mystery.

** War between Federation and Klingons
** ''The Next Generation'' has war between Federation and Cardassians, which was responsible for creating Anti-Cardassian Marquis. Strangely, it wasn't mentioned in first seasons, only later.
** Earth-Romulan war ended as this, because ''Enterprise'' was canceled, before it could cover it.
* Both series of BattlestarGalactica has mentioned wars with Cylons.
* Silicate War, war with android revolution, taking place years before events of SpaceAboveAndBeyond.
* War with Magogs from {{Andromeda}} which end caused Nietzschean revolution, that may count too, as it started at the begining of first episode. Episode then jumps 300 years in the future, to the main plot, not only skipping downfall of revolution, but also civil war among the ones who caused it, High Guard.
* Played with in ThatMitchellAndWebbLook where a group of people are holed up in a nuclear bunker playing a game show and broadcasting in the vain hope somebody is actually watching. It all focuses around "the event"; the only interesting thing any of the characters can think about but are sworn not to talk about for various reasons. The most probable event would be a nuclear war.

There was a war. It happened years ago, maybe even thousands of years. Characters refference it, especially if they took a part in it. ShellShockedVeteran never managed to get over with what he experienced back then. PhonyVeteran, on the other hand, will never shut up about how many brave things he did on it. Sometimes people will reference to war to set some events in timeline - something happened few years before the war, or somebody did something after the war. Maybe people still have to deal with it's consequences. War was, and it left it's ugly mark on the world.

But it's never shown to the audience. We never see a single flashback from war, never can get more than just a glimple of what happened. War will be referenced, but mysterious, unexplained. Why it happened? How it ended? What does all things that took place there, which of people talk like it should be obvious, mean? Never explained. War is only an mysterious event of the past, made mostly to add a bit of mystery and [[WildMassGuessing give people excuse for insane ideas]].

WorldWarThree is often used as this. As so are Fourth, Fith, Siex and so on.

Stories set AfterTheEnd have thendency do do this with war that caused the apocalypse, so much that adding them to the list would end with copypasting more than half of AfterTheEnd examples here.

Please, avoid shows refferencing to RealLife conflicts, we have much more informations about them that will be ever provided in the typical case of fictional conflicts mentioned here, so they cannot serve as so mysterious element.

* StarWarsLegacy has conflict between Galactic Republic and Empire, whin by latter, who then got into the war with Sith.

* In second arc of TheAuthority Jenny Sparks mentions how Earth cut down all connection with alternate Universe, The Sliding Albion, after First World War erupted there. Characters from Albion mentions briefly, that between that event and Albion's invasion on Earth, that world has seen ''eight'' other world wars.

** Also, fourth story arc (and first written by m MarkMillar) showed us a glimpse of another alternate Earth, which had thirteen continents. And world war that erupted there ended with armies of [[AdolfHitler Adolf]] [[MalcolmXerox X]] exterminating all non-black people on ''all'' of them. Engineer finds idea of sending superpowered white supremacist there interesting.

* When watching {{Airplane}}, they never make clear which war "The War" was for Ted Stryker, though judging by when the movie was made, one might assume Vietnam. As farcical as the entire movie is, it could very well have been some other war entirely though. Hell it would be a war they completly made up as well.

* Time War from ''DoctorWho''. It was never shown, we know only that it caused a lot of destruction and wiped out entire races, including Time Lords, whose last survivor was Doctor. Doctor has to deal with consequences of Time War from time to time and sometimes he or somebody else reference to some events of it, but it's still mostly a mystery.

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