Warning: this article contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3

In a year filled with plenty of sequels and franchise films, Sonic the Hedgehog 3's ending is bittersweet, with the heroes ultimately saving the day, but there is one aspect of it that may end up spelling doom for humanity.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 rolls around.

Gerald Robotnik's Laser Cut Off Part Of The Moon In Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & That's Really Bad For Humanity

Losing The Moon Would Cause Multiple Big Problems For The Earth

During Sonic 3's ending, Gerald Robotnik's plan is foiled when the Eclipse Cannon's laser is redirected to hit the Moon instead of Earth. While this is a better outcome, it would have a number of negative effects, with the most significant being that the moon is what keeps Earth's tilt stable relative to its orbit around the sun, giving us a predictable climate and seasons. Without it, the Earth's tilt would fluctuate wildly, causing massive climate shifts as the planet's position relative to the sun would be constantly changing, becoming even more dangerous than the climate change we know today.

While the Moon wasn't totally demolished at the end of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, it was clearly damaged enough that these negative effects would still be a big issue for Earth.

The Moon's most well-known impact on the Earth is its effect on the tides, which would disappear when the moon was shattered after Sonic 3's "Live and Learn" live-action recreation. While this may not seem like too big of a deal, it would end up destroying many coastal ecosystems across the world. The tides churn up material in the water, allowing creatures that live on the coasts to survive, and without them, there would end up being a domino effect, causing the land and sea animals that rely on that food source to go extinct.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Shouldn't Ignore The Moon's Destruction

The Film Should Do Something To Explain Why It Ended Up Being Fine

While Sonic 3's post-credits scene confirms that the fourth movie will focus on Amy and Metal Sonic, there should still be some resolution to this plot point. It doesn't have to be big, just a line that explains that G.U.N used some sort of sci-fi technology to fix the problems, or that the Moon's gravity is keeping all the material that was blasted away in place.

Anything would work, so long as the sequel doesn't end up simply ignoring the consequences of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Otherwise, the events of the third film would feel just a little less impactful.