As Television viewers, comic book readers and video game players we are used to experiencing a final product. We all know that a telecomicgame can go through thousands of iterations before being released, but largely once you hold a piece of media in your hands you know that it has been finalized.
However, successful properties often continue to grow; spawning sequels, spin-offs and adaptations. When this happens the themes of the franchise may begin to shift, causing design elements to transform to match the expanding medium. At this stage the creators cannot go back to the drawing board, as the original work is already in the hands of the public. The creator has to choose which elements need to shift along with the expanding canon, and which elements should be kept. When the elements retained begin to clash with the rest of the universe it leads to a phenomenon I call Universe Expansion Dissonance.
