Fallout season 2 contradicts itself with massive Brotherhood of Steel plothole that has fans demanding answers
The second season of Fallout TV show sparked debates about the origins of one of the key factions from the universe – the Knights of San Fernando chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel. Fans discovered serious contradictions between seasons that have confused even veteran lore experts.
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
In season 1, the arrival of an airship carrying knights appeared straightforward – the San Fernando leadership and initiates clearly had never seen an airship or that many fully equipped knights in power armor before. The scene was shot to create the impression that everything came from the Commonwealth Brotherhood on the East Coast. Knight Titus, one of the arrivals, spoke with an East Coast accent (specifically New York, though many mistakenly call it Boston). The airship bore the name "Prydwen" – the flagship of the Commonwealth Brotherhood from Fallout 4.
The logic seemed simple – the Eastern Brotherhood under Arthur Maxson sent an expedition west to search for cold fusion, supplying the local chapter with resources and personnel. A terminal entry in Fallout 4 mentions that Maxson united the Eastern Brotherhood with the Outcasts and gained full support from West Coast elders.
But season 2 created a significant problem. Cleric Quintus openly plans a rebellion against the Commonwealth Brotherhood, discussing it with leaders of other Western chapters. His main objective is hiding the acquisition of cold fusion technology from the Eastern Brotherhood. The issue is that the Prydwen and its knights were present when this technology was captured at Griffith Observatory. If they're from the Commonwealth, secrecy becomes impossible.
Even more confusing is the appearance of other Western chapters – from Coronado, Grand Canyon, and Yosemite. All possess their own Prydwen-class airships. This raises the question of how degraded Western chapters have resources to build such vessels when the Eastern Brotherhood struggled to construct one using a captured Air Force base.
Fan theories and explanations
The community proposed several theories. Some believe Quintus managed to "absorb" the arriving Eastern knights after heavy losses during the observatory assault, redistributing their power armor. Others suggest that Maximus's base was a training center full of instructors and initiates who simply had never seen real knights.
One theory emerged that the season 1 airship wasn't the Prydwen but the Caswennan (this name appeared in promotional materials and is visible on the ship in season 2). Perhaps the Prydwen dropped off five knights and departed, while the Caswennan is San Fernando's own vessel.
Some fans believe airships existed in the pre-war world (one appears in a flashback in the first episode), and Western chapters simply restored old ships or received blueprints from the Eastern Brotherhood after reunification.
The Knights of San Fernando and other Western chapters clearly degraded compared to the strict Commonwealth Brotherhood. The Coronado chapter doesn't allow women to speak at councils. The Grand Canyon chapter, according to community jokes, has strange relationships with monkeys. Overall, the San Fernando division transformed into a religious cult under clerical leadership. All appear as victims of war with the NCR, barely clinging to existence.
Notably, the West doesn't use the orange Brotherhood flag from Fallout 4 – instead employing a red and white striped symbol that only appeared briefly in Fallout 3. This adds confusion in determining their connections to the East.
Contradictions or intentional mystery
The main question is whether these are writing mistakes or an intentional puzzle. Many fans lean toward the former, believing the showrunners didn't think details far enough ahead. Perhaps season 1 planned to show a Commonwealth expedition, but the show's success forced a lore rewrite for season 2.
Some hope for explanations in future episodes, but others have already accepted that the series plays fast and loose with established game lore. For example, the settlement of Shady Sands was "teleported" to Necropolis, Lucy's vault should have been breached by the Master of Mutants based on its location, and the Brotherhood of Steel transformed into a religious techno-cult resembling the Adeptus Mechanicus.