History Fridge / CommandAndConquer

* In ''Red Alert 2'', the Allies canonically win the war by deploying a strike force straight at the heart of the USSR with a Chronosphere as a Hail Mary gamble. In the Soviet campaign, however, the Allies don't seem to attempt this, with the closest being a desperate raid at the Urals. That is, until one remembers that while it's still dangerous enough for the Soviets to prioritize its destruction once they track down the last Allied holdouts in Point Hope, Alaska at the end of their campaign, the reason why the Chronosphere plan works at all is because it comes at the wake of an invasion of Cuba, the closest place to America where it could be properly set up to strike at Moscow. Without that lynchpin in place, the Soviets would have had a better chance of actually winning the conflict. Moreover, without Cuba, the Allies are forced to scrounge up an alternative location somewhere else, no matter how remote the odds of success actually ar.

* GDI doing away with some of their fancier gear in ''Tiberium Wars'' isn't just due to cost-cutting measures. Advances in railgun and sonic technology, as well as PoweredArmor (resulting in Zone Troopers and a sizable chunk of ZOCOM's arsenal) have rendered walkers like the Titan and Wolverine seemingly redundant. Meanwhile, the fact that there hadn't been any major large-scale Nod offensives between the Firestorm Crisis and Tib War Three likely fostered the idea that anything more sophisticated than a conventional tank would be seen as overkill as it is wasteful.

** This experimental aspect is also coincidentally why the Titans and Wolverines used by the Steel Talons see action in 2052. While still recognizably reminiscent of their ''Tiberian Sun'' counterparts, their improved armor and overall refined design proved superior to their predecessors that even after being brought out of storage following the end of the Third Tiberium War, they remained a useful-enough platform for further upgrades.

* In ''Red Alert 2'', the Allies canonically win the war by deploying a strike force straight at the heart of the USSR with a Chronosphere as a Hail Mary gamble. In the Soviet campaign, however, the Allies don't seem to attempt this, with the closest being a desperate raid at the Urals. That is, until one remembers that while it's still dangerous enough for the Soviets to prioritize its destruction once they track down the last Allied holdouts in Point Hope, Alaska at the end of their campaign, the reason why the Chronosphere plan works at all is because it comes at the wake of an invasion of Cuba, the closest place to America where the it could be properly set up. Without that lynchpin in place, the Soviets would have had a better chance of actually winning the conflict.

* C&C 4 is the black sheep of the series, and Kane seems to be doing some very stupid things, such as seeming to leave the implants in the open. Then you realize; he left the implants relatively open because ''most of them are living 'normal' lives!'' That's right, he's putting his plan's keys in the least likely of places, people (such as Dr. Pascal) who are either going to be high on GDI's protect list, or can defend themselves (in this case, the player). Then you realize in the Nod campaign (whose events are generally canonical, as it ties into the GDI campaign), that [[spoiler: Colonel James is with Gideon to take down Nod; and James]] had Pascal tied up and gagged when she met him. That means that Gideon didn't get Pascal or the other implant holders at random or by idiocy on Kane's part; they were betrayed from the inside. It's dual layered, and it failed, but the fact that Kane learned not to put things in heavy Nod bases that are screaming "Kane's Big Scheme!" helps. To list; Tib Dawn: Temple Prime got ionized. Tib Sun: He aimed to fire a giant world-killing missile, expecting to be able to stop GDI. He can't stop GDI. Tiberium Wars: He tricks GDI into 'winning' the war to get his goals. Tiberian Twilight: He does his best to avoid putting his keys in places that you'd expect the DarkMessiah to keep it. Further brilliance occurs with the Motion Comic; Kane mentions that the device he wants [[spoiler: Peirce]] to recover is "protected against [his] kind", and it's a key to "Ascension." The implants were the key. The basic design of the implants was basically taken from something that isn't supposed to be used by people like Kane, so that's why he couldn't use it. Doesn't excuse everything, but it makes a lot more sense than just it was a bunch of flukes.

** The initial version of tiberium is also an infection and transformation of local plant life. It isn't until later on that it transforms into the Von-Nuemann crystal. Therefore, tiberium grows best on life-bearing planets.

* In the map from the first Allied mission in Red Alert 3, it is shown that the Netherlands is the only Allied country in mainland Europe not under Soviet control. In the final mission of the Imperial campaign it is explained why: Amsterdam is the HQ of FutureTech.

* The Steel Talons are described as an experimental weapons unit, but their unique roster mostly consists of Tiberian Sun throwbacks like Titans and Wolverines, making their 'experimental' nature dubious... in 2047. In 2034, when the Steel Talons are in their heyday, all those 'standard' units that the Steel Talons use are new and experimental - and by 2047, are standard issue in GDI. Since the Steel Talons do not show up again in the later acts of KW, this allows the Talons to represent a GDI force more representative of the Tiberian Sun era that Act I takes place in while justifying why they use most of the same units as the rest of GDI in the game's present day.

* C&C 4 is the black sheep of the series, and Kane seems to be doing some very stupid things, such as seeming to leave the implants in the open. Then you realize; he left the implants relatively open because ''most of them are living 'normal' lives!'' That's right, he's putting his plan's keys in the least likely of places, people (such as Dr. Pascal) who are either going to be high on GDI's protect list, or can defend themselves (in this case, the player). Then you realize in the Nod campaign (whose events are generally canonical, as it ties into the GDI campaign), that [[spoiler: Colonel James is with Gideon to take down Nod; and James]] had Pascal tied up and gagged when she met him. That means that Gideon didn't get Pascal or the other implant holders at random or by idiocy on Kane's part; they were betrayed from the inside. It's dual layered, and it failed, but the fact that Kane learned not to put things in heavy Nod bases that are screaming "Kane's Big Scheme!" helps. To list; Tib Dawn: Temple Prime got ionized. Tib Sun: He aimed to fire a giant world-killing missile, expecting to be able to stop GDI. He can't stop GDI. Tiberium Wars: He tricks GDI into 'winning' the war to get his goals. Tiberian Twilight: He does his best to avoid putting his keys in places that you'd expect the DarkMessiah to keep it. Further brilliance occurs with the Motion Comic; Kane mentions that the device he wants [[spoiler: Peirce]] to recover is "protected against [his] kind", and it's a key to "Ascension." The implants were the key. The basic design of the implants was basically taken from something that isn't supposed to be used by people like Kane, so that's why he couldn't use it. Doesn't excuse everything, but it makes a lot more sense than just it was a bunch of flukes. - @/LukeDanger

* Through much of the campaign of Red Alert, the civilian faction is neutral to the Allies and a target to the Soviets. With most of the campaigns taking place in central (Allied) or occupied east Europe, it can be readily accepted the Allies consider the civilians 'their' peoples or victims of Soviet domination, with the Soviet Union simply acting callous towards non-combatants. But from the outset of the Allied invasion of the Soviet Union, civilians become targetable. [[WhatTheHellHero The 'good guys']] [[WarCrimeSubvertsHeroism are now targeting innocents]] whose only crime might be defending themselves from an invading army, while the Soviets seem to act more as [[PetTheDog defenders of the population]]. In a universe where the lessons of the Holocaust and World War 2 were never learned, where ethnic prejudice could still be alive and popular in a Europe ruled by a [[AllThereInTheManual military junta]] (the Allies in the first game is led by two generals). [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything Does This Remind You Of Anything]]?
* C&C Red Alert: Einstein removes Hitler from the time-line, he does nothing about Mussolini who was fascist dictator of Italy by the start of the 1930's. Given that the Allies are a united group featuring the USA and Europe et al fighting the Soviet Union,that means the Allies were composed partially of Fascist forces. That's not even getting into what happens during the Spanish Civil war without the condor legions...(Does Franco's side still win, is Fascist Spain part of the Allies!?).
** On the positive side of things it is quite likely that the Franco-British reaction to Italy's shenanigans in the thirties would be stronger with the threat of German aggression being weaker, since there'd be less of an attraction to trying to keep Italy in-line against the Germans -- in a world where the Italo-Ethiopian War was a costlier endeavour and the support for the Spanish rebels quite likely ended up a failure (German airlifting was ''pivotal'' in allowing the rebels to put their most experienced, well-equipped force against the government-loyal forces), Italian fascism, and Mussolini in particular, would be in a less secure position come 1939.

* Taking a closer look at the Scrin forces in ''Tiberium Wars'' reveals that in actuality, quite a lot of their units are ''not'' designed for combat. Buzzers and Disintegrators, for instance, are much more likely mining units that were meant for breaking up massive Tiberium crystals for easier harvesting, and Corrupters are supposed to be used to maintain the health of all other Scrin forces in the field. Really, for the most part, the actual combat forces of the Scrin are their ships, Tripods, and light ground units. Which means that the majority of the Scrin fleet was a mining operation, and the forces that GDI and Nod were getting creamed by were the Scrin equivalent of a police force or a private security outfit. So, then how much more powerful is the ''actual'' Scrin military?
** Which is actually supported in the Intel database from Tiberium Wars, the Scrin forces seen in it were only rated for defending the towers.
* Halfway through Nod's Africa campaign, neutral Zaire is suddenly the site of GDI expansion in the mission select progress map. It's bad enough to think that GDI is [[BlackAndGrayMorality violating the sovereignty of a neutral country]], exactly what Nod's propaganda efforts want in order to sow conspiracy theories in the West. But then you remember that GDI's mandate extends not only to fighting Nod, but to combating global terror and maintaining world peace. Zaire in the 1990's was collapsing into a civil war after years of corrupt rule under a tin pot dictator. The Rwandan Genocide eventually spilled over into Zaire and resulted in [[UsefulNotes/TheCongoWars two bloody conflicts]]. Suddenly, GDI's disregard for Zaire's independence makes sense; they are intervening to stop regional genocide, and the government of Zaire is behaving like an obstacle to peace. Nod's subsequent victory, in light of their previous meddling in African civil wars only a few missions ago, means GDI's peacekeeping mission has failed because of Nod interference, and both Zaire and Nod have [[FromBadToWorse brutally crushed an entire people in joint cooperation]].

* In the Tiberium Wars Nod Campaign, when Kane orders the player to [[spoiler: capture Killian Qatar]], he mentions "and [her sins] are legion. Cut to Kane's Wrath, where you learn that [[spoiler: the assualt on Temple Prime, the reinforcements ''supposedly'' sent by Killian were actually commanded by LEGION, under Alexa Kovacs' orders.]]

* Fridge brilliance times two here. First, in the cutscene introducing the Scrin in Tib War three, if you watch carefully you notice that GDI's ion cannon network destroys several Scrin ships and probably helps to ''slightly'' even the odds to help Earth survive. Only that's something else: Kane's plan always hinged on Earth being strong enough to fight the Scrin. Look at the history of games Kane is actually in:
** Red Alert: Becomes the primary advisor to Stalin and patiently guides the Soviet Union. If the Soviets achieve domination, the world is effectively under Kane's rule and he can pursue his plans. If the Allies win, Kane has still managed to unify the most powerful governments of the planet under one group that can work together.
** Tib Dawn: If the Brotherhood wins, Kane has untold billions at his disposal, fanatical followers by the legion, and the most advanced weapons yet seen. If GDI wins, Kane has hardened them for what Tib will do to the planet.
** Tib Sun: Nod wins, Kane manages to turn the Earth into a massive ball of Tiberium ripe for the Scrin to approach and take. GDI wins, Kane has again bloodied the world and encouraged GDI to build up.
** Tib Wars and Kane's Wrath: GDI manages to kick the Scrin off planet but can't access the towers. Nod has the Tacitus, cybernetic legions, and Kane has the final pieces in place.
* No matter what happened, Kane would come out on top for when the Scrin did arrive. The constant wars, the eternal schemes, all to prepare mankind for the Scrin, and to succeed in getting Kane home.

** This can also explain why, despite the Soviets still have access to aircraft other than Kirov Airships, such as the [=MiG=] strike fighters and Siege Choppers seen in ''Yuri's Revenge''. Despite the disarmament treaties, it's likely that the Allies might have allowed the USSR to retain a vestigial air force under the logic that it'd be just sufficient to [[ExactWords defend the Motherland]]. Unfortunately for them, this leaves just enough in the way of loopholes for the Soviets to exploit.

* It's a minor gripe for some ''Red Alert 2'' players that Soviet conscripts are armed with [=PPSh-41=]s even though they had access to [=AK-47=]s in the last war. However, given that the nation was disarmed following its defeat in that war, it makes sense for something as outdated as the [=PPSh-41=] to be the only small arms they have left in abundance. The Allied might have considered it to be more of a police weapon due to its inferior range and small calibers, and thus allowed the new Soviet regime to keep all of it. Also, nobody expects the Soviets to use a 30-year-old SMG as the new standard issue in the event of another war, so they can mass-produce it without anybody batting an eye.

** This also explains why Yuri's forces seem comparatively inept when it comes to their PropagandaMachine especially in contrast to the Brotherhood of Nod, which they're a CorruptedCharacterCopy of. That is, until you realize that given Yuri's aim of controlling the masses through subliminal messaging, it doesn't matter what the actual ''content'' is. Even if it's a half-baked dinosaur movie, everyone would be too brainwashed to care.

* It's a minor gripe for some ''Red Alert 2'' players that Soviet conscripts are armed with [=PPSh-41=] even though they had access to AK-47 in the last war. However, given that the nation was disarmed following its defeat in that war, it makes sense for something as outdated as the [=PPSh-41=] to be the only small arms they have left in abundance. The Allied might have considered it to be more of a police weapon due to its inferior range and small calibers, and thus allowed the new Soviet regime to keep all of it. Also, nobody expects the Soviets to use a 30-year-old SMG as the new standard issue in the event of another war, so they can mass-produce it without anybody batting an eye.
* In ''Red Alert 2'', the Allies canonically win the war by deploying a strike force straight at the heart of the USSR with a Chronosphere, as a Hail Mary gamble. In the Soviet campaign, however, the Allies don't seem to attempt this, with the closest being a desperate raid at the Urals. That is, until one remembers that the reason why the Allied plan works at all is because it comes at the wake of an invasion of Cuba, the closest place to America where the Chronosphere could be properly set up. Without that, the Soviets would have had a better chance of actually winning.