I honestly don't consider that a retcon, since we already got glimpses of O'Neil's true personality ("Give my regards to King Tut asshole!") in the film. At the start of the film he was suicidal due to what happened with his son (making him the perfect candidate to lead the expedition), but by the end he's come to terms with it and decided to go on living, paving the way for Richard Dean Anderson's subsequent portrayal in the show.
CloudZ1116 t1_j6ltz3e wrote
Reply to comment by grandmofftalkin in What’s actually a good/tolerable example of retconning? by unitedfan6191
I honestly don't consider that a retcon, since we already got glimpses of O'Neil's true personality ("Give my regards to King Tut asshole!") in the film. At the start of the film he was suicidal due to what happened with his son (making him the perfect candidate to lead the expedition), but by the end he's come to terms with it and decided to go on living, paving the way for Richard Dean Anderson's subsequent portrayal in the show.