Canon (fiction): Difference between revisions
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I'm tempted to put an "accuracy dispute" on this article; it looks as if it was written by popular-fiction types who know ONLY popular fiction. |
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A '''canon''' comprises the books, events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to be genuine. Some say the canon comprises those things that have inarguable existence within a [[fictional universe]]. Usually items that are considered canon come from the original source of the fictional universe while '''non-canon''' material comes from adaptations or unofficial items. Generally, [[Expanded Universe]]s are not considered canon, though there are exceptions which are considered '''near-canon'''. |
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[[Fan-fiction]] is never considered canon. Sometimes, however, events or characterizations portrayed in fan-fiction can become so influential that they are respected in fiction written by many different authors. This is referred to as "[[fanon]]". |
[[Fan-fiction]] is never considered canon. Sometimes, however, events or characterizations portrayed in fan-fiction can become so influential that they are respected in fiction written by many different authors. This is referred to as "[[fanon]]". |
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Revision as of 01:01, 1 November 2004
A canon comprises the books, events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to be genuine. Some say the canon comprises those things that have inarguable existence within a fictional universe. Usually items that are considered canon come from the original source of the fictional universe while non-canon material comes from adaptations or unofficial items. Generally, Expanded Universes are not considered canon, though there are exceptions which are considered near-canon.
Fan-fiction is never considered canon. Sometimes, however, events or characterizations portrayed in fan-fiction can become so influential that they are respected in fiction written by many different authors. This is referred to as "fanon".
Examples of fictional canons
Sherlock Holmes
The Sherlock Holmes canon consists of the stories and novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle. This was decided by the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of Holmes enthusiasts, to distinguish the original stories from the pastiches that followed Holmes' retirement, and is probably the first use of the word in this context.
Star Trek
The Star Trek canon consists of the television series Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture and its sequels. The non-canonical status of the various novels, comic books and Star Trek: The Animated Series was decided by Gene Roddenberry, who also, unsuccessfully, attempted to have the Trek films Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country declared apocryphal. According to current editors at Pocket Books, current rights holders for publishing Star Trek fiction, no novels or other printed stories are considered canon by Paramount Pictures, owners of Star Trek. This includes the Voyager novels Pathways and Mosaic (both by the series producer Jeri Taylor) which were, for a time, considered canon but stopped being so after Taylor left her position with the series. This viewpoint is considered controversial by many fans of Star Trek fiction, some of whom consider the literary works to be superior to many examples of the televised and filmed Star Trek. No animated series episode is considered canon, however elements from the animated series have been introduced into canon by clever live-action episode writers, an example being the "Kaswahn" ritual mentioned in the episode "Yesteryear" which remained officially non-canonical until it was mentioned in a 2002 episode of Star Trek: Enterprise called "The Catwalk". Many Star Trek fans do not accept the Enterprise series as canon, with some alleging it violates continuity with earlier series and movies, and others basing their opinion on it violating aspects of fanon.
Babylon 5
The canon consists of the television series Babylon 5 and its later TV movies, the TV series Crusade, the Babylon 5 novels and the Babylon 5 comic book published by DC Comics. This was decided by J. Michael Straczynski, who maintained a tight control on the expanded universe to ensure everything was canonical.
Doctor Who
There has never been an "official" statement on what is canonical Doctor Who. Fans run a spectrum between those who consider only the television series canon, and those who consider all Doctor Who canon. Within that spectrum most view the novels (particularly those published by BBC Books) and audio dramas as at least near-canon. A faction of Doctor Who fans consider the 1996 television movie, and therefore the Eighth Doctor, to be non-canon.
James Bond
Fans of Ian Fleming's superspy are divided over what is considered official canon. There is little argument that all of Fleming's original short stories and novels are canon, and some include the Kingsley Amis Bond novel, Colonel Sun in this canon as well. The status of the John Gardner and Raymond Benson Bond novels in canon is less certain, since both book series have been updated and feature elements and characters created for the movie series. Benson's novels are particularly controversial as they appear to be based upon the Bond movie universe, rather than the literary Bond. The various Bond film novelizations are generally considered apocryphal, as is a 1970s "authorized biography" of Bond by John Pearson.
A new series of novels featuring a teenaged Bond is scheduled to begin in 2005. It remains to be seen if they will be considered official canon. The TV series James Bond Jr., while officially licensed, is not considered canonical.
The Bond movies, meanwhile, appear to exist somewhat outside of any canon. Although there is some between-films continuity (i.e. references to the death of Bond's wife), the ever-changing cast has rendered any sort of canon determination virtually impossible.
Other factors
The fact the majority of fans of a fictional setting view certain things as non-canonical, or even an official statement to that effect from its creators, does not oblige everyone to agree. In addition, a story can belong to two overlapping canons.
The most obvious example of this is Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton family. Some (but not all) of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Doc Savage etc. are canonical in the Wold Newton setting. This does not mean that the events of Farmer's books are canonical from a Sherlockian perspective.
Similarly, fans of Laurie R. King's novels of Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell consider all the Holmes stories to be canonical in King's setting.
The difference can be even less clear cut than this. Current Star Trek novels maintain a tight continuity with each other, in addition to avoiding contradicting the television series. When a Lost Era novel set between the movies and The Next Generation features a younger version of a character introduced in a Deep Space Nine novel, it's obvious there's some sort of "canonical" novel-setting, even if the TV series is not obliged to conform to it.
In some fictional universes interviews and other communications from authors are also considered canon - like the letters of J. R. R. Tolkien and interviews, internet chat sessions, and website of J. K. Rowling in the Middle Earth and Harry Potter universes respectively.