Charlaquin
Goblin Queen (She/Her/Hers)
It sounds like you’re talking specifically about Forgotten Realms. Forgotten Realms does indeed have a continuity that spans across the editions. But D&D’s lore is not limited to FR, and the FR continuity is not limited to D&D.You could, but D&D actually have a timeline, and every edition starts and ends with a major event that changes the shape of the settings as a whole. I think the Time of Troubles ended 1st edition and started 2nd. Vecna becoming a greater God ended 2nd edition and started 3rd. Mystra's death and the spell plague started 4th, and her resurrection started 5th.