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Old 08-09-19, 16:43   #1
MilkShakespear
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Default An all encompassing Tomb Raider Timeline

Thinking about IF every iteration of Tomb Raider existed in the same universe, how would they all fall together?

Starting with the Survivor trilogy, Lara gets a foothold on what it means to be a Tomb Raider, ending with the CUT post credits scene of Lara getting a letter from Natla. This would bring us to the classic Core games starting with the original 1996 Tomb Raider (as well as TRA) Later, we learn about Von Croy, Lara's near death in Egypt, then she gets mixed up in some business in Angel of Darkness. Presumably at this point we can fill in every other tomb raider story, from the Top Cow comics, the ReVisioned animated series, the Lara Croft Series, Angelina Jolie movies, etc. Then, we catch Lara in Legend, following up with Underworld where she finally reconnects with her arch nemesis Natla, wrapping things up with those two DLCs. We could take this one step further and put an end point to the Tomb Raider franchise with Underworld's unfinished 3rd DLC where Lara sacrifices herself to save the world. Or not, this is all theoretical and just for fun.

There are OF COURSE PILES of contradictions and missed plot points, but a light glossing over and rewriting/fine-tuning of plot structure could make it all work. For instance, who's to say Lara didn't leave Roth's tutelage for a year or two to study under Von Croy? Who's to say Lara didn't accompany the Survivor Trilogy's Amelia Croft in the fatal plane trip to Tibet? Many bits of plot don't exactly line up, but they have similarities, and if we're willing to suspend our disbelief, the Tomb Raider Franchise can wrap itself up into a complete history.

Thoughts?
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Old 08-09-19, 16:46   #2
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If you're up for bending the rules and re-spinning the contradictions then certainly, of course it can be done.
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Old 09-09-19, 00:44   #3
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I honestly don't think this is possible, even if you bend the rules. The only thing that could maybe work is connecting LAU to Core from AOD to Legend, but other then that I don't see how it's possible.
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Old 09-09-19, 01:39   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MilkShakespear View Post
Thinking about IF every iteration of Tomb Raider existed in the same universe, how would they all fall together?
They don't and they wouldn't.
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Old 09-09-19, 05:06   #5
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I can only ever see the main games as being set in three completely different timelines. Trying to make them all fit together into one creates too much of a mess.

It gets even worse if you also start throwing additional content like the movies, animated series and comics into the mix.
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Old 09-09-19, 22:06   #6
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It's obviously possible, but you have to make choices about the difference between the timelines.
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Old 10-09-19, 03:10   #7
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The events? Sure, if you rewrote them. But as the stories are currently told they are entirely incompatible, not just from dates and backstory but also the scenarios themselves would play out differently based on characterisation. The Lara in TR1-6 thinks differently to LAU Lara, who in turn would make different choices than the Lara from the Survivor Timeline. I can't see TR2013 Lara letting Pierre fall in Rome, and I can't see Classic Lara letting Amanda live.

Last edited by Boobandie; 19-09-19 at 01:43.
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Old 10-09-19, 08:24   #8
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There is a single timeline:

Tomb Raider 5, Tomb Raider 1, Tomb Raider 2, Tomb Raider 3, Tomb Raider 4, Tomb Raider AoD.
Everything else is non-canon
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Old 10-09-19, 08:43   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TR-Freak View Post
There is a single timeline:

Tomb Raider 1, Tomb Raider 2, Tomb Raider 3, Tomb Raider 4, Tomb Raider 5, Tomb Raider AoD.
Everything else is non-canon
Well there’s two timelines for me:
Those you wrote
And Legend/Anniversary (excluding Underworld, again, what was it? )
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Old 10-09-19, 09:27   #10
Rai
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In its present state, it can't be done. Amelia can't die while Lara was still a toddler and be in that plane crash with 9 year old Lara, in the Himalayan mountains, for example. And then there's CLara's parents still alive during that timeline (who died in the Top Cow comics, I believe). Then there's Richard/Hensingley who died when Lara was 11, then disappeared and died when she was 16, but also still alive into Lara's adulthood. Our past shapes who we become as adults and has a knock on effect for decisions made.

At a stretch, some events and some people Lara knows and meets could all still take place in her adult life, but even so, some might never take place due to past events and there'd need to be some rewrites to make sense of it all.

For it to work some serious changes would need to be made, you'd need to pick and choose which events to use and which ones to change or sacrifice altogether.

Last edited by Rai; 10-09-19 at 09:29.
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