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Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc., that are considered to be genuine or officially sanctioned, and those events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to have existence within the fictional universe. In order for a setting to appear cohesive, especially in fictions that contain multiple parts, both creators and audiences sometimes find it useful to define what has and has not "actually happened" in that universe. Items that are considered canon usually come from the original source or author of the fictional universe, while non-canon material comes from adaptations, spin-offs or unofficial items, often in different media. Fan fiction is usually an example of non-canonical fiction. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ...
A fictional universe is an imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction or translatable non-fiction. ...
A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ...
Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ...
The word "canon" originally meant the books which the Catholic Church officially chose to be included in the Bible; by extension, it means the authoritative "holy writ" of a fictional universe. However, the practice of defining a "canon" within a fictional world derived from the concept of a literary canon, a specified collection of works considered to be both representative and the best of a particular form, genre or culture. In that more common use of the word, works forming a canon do not have to bear any relation to each other other than their high quality or historical influence. The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ...
The Western canon is a canon of books and art, and specifically a set with very loose boundaries of books and other art, that has allegedly been highly influential in shaping Western culture. ...
Look up genre in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Culture (Culture from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate,) generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ...
The use of "canon" to describe the degree to which a work adheres to the standards of its fictional world, appears to have originated amongst devotees of the Sherlock Holmes stories, as a way to distinguish between the original works of Arthur Conan Doyle and adaptions of those works or original works by other writers utilising related characters and settings. However, much of the interest in and controversy over issues of canonicity have appeared in recent decades in the fan followings of films and television shows, such as science fiction franchises Star Wars and Star Trek. A portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget from the Strand Magazine, 1891 Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. ...
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859–7 July 1930) was a Scottish born author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and the adventures of Professor Challenger. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...
i eat poop alot A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting, and trademarks of an original work of media (usually a work of fiction), such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, or a video game. ...
Star Wars is an epic space opera saga and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ...
The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ...
One particular problem are spin-off television shows and prequels contradicting information from earlier, original television shows or films. Such contradictions may either be a result of bad research, an attempt of revisionism or an act of correction, the latter depending on who is in artistic control. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ...
A prequel is a work that portrays events which are set in the same universe as a previously completed narrative, but at an earlier time. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
While many favor the principle of first mention, arguing that the information in the original television show or film is the foundation, following works have to respect, others claim that it is the latest work that is up-to-date and the one to be considered as canon (critics have pointed out that this attitude is an open invitation to dystopian revisionism as practised in Nineteen Eighty-Four[attribution needed]). A dystopia (or alternatively cacotopia) is a fictional society, usually portrayed as existing in a future time, when the conditions of life are extremely bad due to deprivation, oppression, or terror. ...
This article is about the Orwell novel. ...
Nature of fictional canons
Canonicity of fiction is a distinctly modern idea. In addition to the modern concepts of genre fiction and fictional universes, the notion of intellectual property (IP) distinguishes between "official" and "unofficial" sources of stories. However, whereas IP laws are designed to dictate where the revenue generated by a story goes, they do not necessarily confer the right to determine canonicity. For the 2006 film, see Intellectual Property (film). ...
No actual industry label exists for definitively designating published works as canonical. Canonicity is largely a subjective notion, referring to a shared understanding that exists between the published works in a fictional series and the level of acceptance by a vocal but otherwise accepting wide audience. As such, the word canon can simultaneously refer to the considerations of the publishers of a fictional series as well as what the fanbase chooses to consider as authentic. Generally, "Expanded Universes" are not considered canonical; by analogy with the idea of a canon of Scripture, such stories are considered "apocryphal". (See Biblical canon.) However, there are exceptions which are considered near-canon, or in the case of Star Wars, the Expanded Universe is considered fully canonical. Doctor Who, which began life as a television series but has also been produced in prose, audio and graphical formats, has never had a single author or authority to pronounce on the issue of canon, with fans running a spectrum between those who consider only the television series canonical and those who consider everything labelled as Doctor Who canonical. Expanded Universe material (e. ...
Many religions and spiritual movements hold certain written texts (or series of spoken legends not traditionally written down) to be sacred. ...
In the context of fiction Apocrypha includes those fictional stories that do not belong within a fictional univeres canon, yet still have some authority relating to that fictional universe. ...
A biblical canon is a list of Biblical books which establishes the set of books which are considered to be authoritative as scripture by a particular Jewish or Christian community. ...
Star Wars is an epic space opera saga and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ...
Doctor Who is a long-running award-winning British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The series depicts the adventures of a mysterious time-traveller known as the Doctor who travels in his TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) time ship, which appears from the exterior...
The fact that a 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. One of the most obvious examples 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. Philip José Farmer (born January 26, 1918) is an American author, principally known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. ...
The Wold Newton family. ...
1914 Edition of Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-three sequels. ...
Doc Savage is a fictional character, one of the most enduring pulp heroes of the 1930s and 1940s. ...
Laurie R. King is an American author best known for her detective fiction. ...
A portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget from the Strand Magazine, 1891 Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. ...
Mary Russell is a supportedly factual character in a book series by Laurie R. King. ...
The difference can be even less clear-cut than this. Current Star Trek novels maintain a tight continuity with each other, and avoid 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. This is where fanon and canon often collide, especially when a TV series, movie or other officially canonical source contradicts it. An example is the Trek novel Starfleet: Year One, which appeared in print before the TV series Star Trek: Enterprise was announced, but was completely invalidated by the series; there are some Trek fans who prefer the Starfleet: Year One version of events as canon, rejecting the TV series. Generally, though, in the case of televised fiction, only facts which appear in the as-originally-aired version of a program are considered canonical (including scenes cut from re-runs, but not including such things as deleted scenes and scenes from unaired pilots and other such material that 'leaks out' over the Internet). The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ...
Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ...
Fanon is a fact or ongoing situation related to a television program, book, movie, or video game that has been used so much by fan writers or among the fandom that it has been more or less established as having happened in the fictional world, but it has not actually...
The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ...
Furthermore, the issue is also complicated when the definition of a canon changes well after the fictional universe is established. As an example, in the 1970s and 1980s, there were a number of reference works published by Franz Joseph and FASA Corporation for Star Trek. These books were considered canonical at the time (some even made with the explicit approval of Gene Roddenberry), sanctioned by Paramount Pictures, and were used almost universally by novel and comic book authors, as well as the production staff of the earlier Star Trek movies (information from these manuals appeared as background dialogue in some scenes, and many diagrams were used as computer displays). However, in 1988, as part of the release of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures changed their policies regarding canonicity and stripped these books of their canonical status, as the new series quickly made many changes and revelations which openly contradicted earlier canonical books. Thus, a book that would be considered completely canonical in 1985 like The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual, would be considered non-canonical in 1995. Franz Joseph (born Franz Joseph Schnaubelt) (1914–1994) was an artist and author loosely associated with the 1960’s American television show Star Trek. ...
This article is about the role-playing game company. ...
Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ...
Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ...
The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual (ISBN 0345340744, Ballantine Books 1975, reprinted in 1986, 1996, and 2006) is a fiction reference book by Franz Joseph about the workings of Starfleet, a military, exploratory, and diplomatic organization featured in the television series Star Trek. ...
In some fictional universes, interviews and other communications from authors are also considered canonical — like the letters of J. R. R. Tolkien with relation to Middle-earth; also items such as interviews, Internet chat sessions, and websites (e.g., the website of J. K. Rowling in relation to the Harry Potter series). This usually only happens in cases where all works in the universe have the same author. The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (ISBN 0-618-05699-8) is a selection of J. R. R. Tolkiens letters published in 1981, edited by Tolkiens biographer Humphrey Carpenter assisted by Christopher Tolkien. ...
A map of the Northwestern part of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Arda. ...
Joanne Jo Murray née Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965[2]), who writes under the pen name J. K. Rowling,[3] is an English writer and author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. ...
This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ...
In almost all cases, fan fiction is not considered canonical, as fan fiction is usually produced by amateurs. Sometimes, however, events or characterizations portrayed in fan fiction can become so influential that they are respected in fiction written by many different authors, and may be mistaken for canonical facts by fans. This is referred to as "fanon". The use of fan fiction to fill gaps or continuity errors in a canon is derisively called "fanwanking," or "fanwank." (The terms "fanon" and "fanwank" can apply to officially-licensed works, as well.) A intentional inversion of the exclusion of fan fiction came in Eric Flint's 1632 universe; in February 2000, fans and other established authors were invited on the Internet forum Baen's Bar to shape the multiverse, and the fan-fic, once vetted, is itself published in the various Grantville Gazettes, themselves under the direct editorial control of Flint and a 1632 editorial board. This is an ongoing process that apparently will continue indefinitely, as the series continues to burgeon in popularity. Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ...
Fanon is a fact or ongoing situation related to a television program, book, movie, or video game that has been used so much by fan writers or among the fandom that it has been more or less established as having happened in the fictional world, but it has not actually...
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer. ...
Eric Flint (born California, USA, 1947) is an American science fiction, alternate history, and fantasy author and editor. ...
The 1632 series, also known as the 1632-verse or Ring of Fire series, is an alternate history book series, created, primarily co-written-by and coordinated by historian Eric Flint. ...
2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Baens Bar is an online community created around Baen Books message board (originally BBS). ...
Parallel universe or alternate reality in science fiction and fantasy is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with our own. ...
The Grantville Gazette is a ongoing series of electric books edited by Eric Flint. ...
Examples of fictional canons
Babylon 5 -
Unique to the Babylon 5 universe among virtually all other shared universes is the sanctioned canonicity of many of its offshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of the Babylon 5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly by J. Michael Straczynski. The later Del Rey books are considered to be more canonical than some of the earlier Dell ones, although – per Straczynski's own remarks – canonical elements exist in every single book published to date; Straczynski's deeper involvement in the novel-publishing program from 1996 onward having ensured a greater level of canonicity within such works. Unique to the Babylon 5 universe among virtually all other shared universes is the sanctioned canonicity of many of its offshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of the Babylon 5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly by J. Michael Straczynski. ...
Babylon 5 is an epic American science fiction television series created, produced, and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. ...
A shared universe is a literary technique in which several different authors create works of fiction that share aspects such as settings or characters and that are intended to be read as taking place in a single universe. ...
Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an award-winning American writer/producer of television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. ...
Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House. ...
Dell Publishing was an American publisher of books, magazines, and comic books. ...
Buffyverse -
The Buffyverse canon consists of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as well as the comics The Origin, Fray, Tales of the Vampires, Tales of the Slayers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight and the upcoming comic series Angel: After The Fall. All of the tie-in novels and video games, along with most of the comics, are largely considered either non-canon or apocrypha. Some of the comics are written by members of Mutant Enemy writing staff; the canonical status of these materials is still unclear. The 1992 movie is not considered canon. The movie was remade into comic format, titled The Origin and this is considered canon instead. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...
Buffyverse is a term coined by fans of Joss Whedons first two television shows to refer to the shared fictional universe in which they are set. ...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated American cult television series that initially aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. ...
Angel is a spin-off of the American television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. ...
Cover // Information Story by: Christopher Golden, Dan Brereton Cover Artist: Dave Stewart Penciller: Joe Bennett Inker: Rick Ketcham, Randy Emberlin, J. Jadsen Letterer: Ken Bruzenar Colorist: Jeromy Cox, Guy Major Comics: BtVS: The Origin#1-3 Published: Dark Horse Date first published: Sep 15, 1999 Substance: Soft cover, 80 pages...
Fray is an eight-issue comic book limited series about Melaka Fray, a Slayer in the future, written by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and drawn by Karl Moline (pencils) and Andy Owens (inks). ...
Tales of the Vampires was a miniseries of comic books (later collected in a single trade paperback) set in the Buffyverse. ...
Note: This is not to be confused with the Tales of the Slayer prose short story volumes. ...
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a series of comics based upon the television series of the same name, set to serve as a canonical season eight. ...
In the context of fiction Apocrypha includes those fictional stories that do not belong within a fictional univeres canon, yet still have some authority relating to that fictional universe. ...
DC Universe -
Most, but not all, comic books published by DC Comics take place in a shared world known as the DC Universe. The canon of this world comprises all the post-Crisis comics not stated to be set in an alternate universe, except those specifically contradicted by later stories following Zero Hour (most notably, Batman: Year Two, Batman: Son of the Demon and the Action Comics Weekly strip featuring Captain Marvel). The events may not have occurred exactly as shown, however, owing to the floating timeline. Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ...
A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ...
DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. ...
Cover to the History of the DC Universe trade paperback. ...
Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12-issue comic book limited series (identified as a 12-part maxi-series) and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 in order to simplify their fifty-year-old continuity. ...
Parallel universe or alternate reality in science fiction and fantasy is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with our own. ...
Zero Hour: Crisis in Time was a 1994 comic book miniseries and crossover storyline that ran in DC Comics. ...
Cover of Action Comics #1, which featured the debut of Superman. ...
For other uses, see Captain Marvel. ...
A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in fiction, particularly by DC and Marvel Comics, to explain why characters created years or even decades ago, seem to have aged little or at all since their inception. ...
Appearances of the DC Comics characters in other media are not considered canon; however, the appearance of a Marvel Comics character, Jigsaw, during a Marvel/DC comics publishing crossover, is apparently considered a piece of canon for the adventures of Jean-Paul Valley, aka Azrael, who at one point took up the role of The Batman. Jigsaw was an enemy of Frank Castle, a Marvel Comics character called The Punisher. In comic books, an intercompany crossover (also called cross-company or company crossover) is a comic or series of comics where characters published by one company meet those published by another (for example, DC Comics Superman meeting Marvels Spider-Man). ...
Azrael (Jean-Paul Valley) is a fictional character from DC Comics. ...
Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a DC Comics fictional superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939. ...
This article contains a trivia section. ...
Some discrepancies in the DC Universe's canon (continuity errors) by concepts such as Hypertime or through the use of retcons. A fictional concept presented in the 1998 comic book series The Kingdom, hypertime is both a catch-all explanation for any continuity discrepancies in DC Universe stories, and a variation—in fact, a superset—of the Multiverse that existed before Crisis on Infinite Earths. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Dungeons & Dragons -
The concept of canon plays an important role in the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Over the years, a number of campaign settings have been published for D&D, each detailing a world or worlds that provide a setting in which the game can be played. There are two types of canon issues that arise from this situation. The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons rules means that Dungeon Masters are free to create their own fantasy campaign settings. ...
This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ...
Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Gygaxs company Tactical Studies Rules (TSR). ...
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. ...
The first issue is intra-setting canon, which deals with the backstory, locations and gameplay dynamics considered to be canon within a specific setting. Because D&D generally falls into the fantasy sub-genre of sword-and-sorcery, canon discrepancies can arise beyond just the typical issues in fiction of history, plot and character. For example, debates regarding canon within a given setting may include such arcana as the source of various magical powers and how they operate within the setting. Theological issues related to the various deities that may exist within the setting occur, as do disagreements regarding the canon cosmology of the setting's universe. This article is about a fantasy sub-genre. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into List of Greyhawk deities. ...
Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (cosmologia, κόσμος (cosmos) order + λογια (logia) discourse) is the study of the Universe in its totality, and by extension, humanitys place in it. ...
The second type of canon problem that arises in D&D is inter-setting canon, concerned primarily with the relationships between different settings. Many D&D publications have discussed how the various settings are related to each other within the D&D multiverse of various planes of existence, although these relationships are debated or even denied by some fans of the game. Parallel universe or alternate reality in science fiction and fantasy is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with our own. ...
In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, the planes of existence are alternate planes or alternate dimensions. ...
There is no single "official" canon for D&D. From the very beginnings of the game in the 1970s through to the present, the issue of canon has been left up to each individual Dungeon Master, who runs the game session for the other players. The Dungeon Master is free to determine which published materials (adventure modules, novels, sourcebooks, video games, comic books, etc.) are canonical in his or her own campaign, and how the various D&D rules apply to that campaign. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...
T1 Dungeon Module Cover, an example of an early Adventure for Dungeons & Dragons published by TSR In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, adventure or module is a term for pre-packaged books or box sets that help the dungeonmaster to manage the plot or story of a game. ...
Nevertheless, D&D players often move between games managed by different Dungeon Masters, and many also congregate for gaming tournaments, play in shared living campaigns, or play the game online with different participants than in their normal gaming sessions. In order to achieve even a basic level of continuity among these various game instances, D&D fans must therefore confront the issue of canon. Living Campaigns are part marketing tool, part volunteer campaign settings, which allow people all over the world to play role-playing games in a shared universe. ...
To achieve the desired level of continuity, various mechanisms are employed to manage D&D "canon." The organizers of gaming tournaments, for example, will often specify which sets of rules and conventions are "in force" for tournament gameplay. Living campaigns may attempt to develop a more comprehensive set of canon materials and sourcebooks, such as the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer for the Living Greyhawk campaign. And for individually-run games, it is common for Dungeon Masters to briefly discuss their own vision of D&D canon with each new player who joins his or her campaign. The Living Greyhawk Gazetter (LGG) is a sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. ...
Living Greyhawk is an on-going living campaign for the role playing game Dungeons & Dragons that is based on the World of Greyhawk. ...
Finally, following the emergence of the World Wide Web, a number of websites have arisen that enable players to discuss canon issues and work toward (or reject) canonical norms. These include the website of Wizards of the Coast, [1] the intellectual property rights holder and publisher for D&D, as well as fan-run sites such as EN World [2] and Canonfire!. [3] WWWs historical logo designed by Robert Cailliau The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. ...
Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is a publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. ...
Canonfire! is a fan Web site which acts as a repository for information about the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. ...
Harry Potter The canon of the Harry Potter universe is considered by most fan groups, including the The Harry Potter Lexicon, to consist of:[4] This article is about the Harry Potter series of novels. ...
The Harry Potter Lexicon is an encyclopedia of the Harry Potter series. ...
The films and computer games are not considered canon, nor are statements made in interviews that are contradicted in the novels. Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them is a 2001 book written by English author J. K. Rowling to benefit the British charity Comic Relief. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. ...
The Daily Prophet is a fictional newspaper featured in the Harry Potter book series as the most widely-read newspaper in Englands wizard community. ...
The Black family tree charts a wizarding dynasty in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling. ...
eBay headquarters in San Jose eBay North First Street satellite office campus (home to PayPal) eBay Inc. ...
Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy -
The canon of the fictional Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, though written entirely by Douglas Adams (or, in parts, in collaboration with the author), is nevertheless an inconsistent one. The Hitchhiker's Guide material encompasses a radio series, television series, five books, a short story, a computer game, and a film -- all with full or partial writing credit belonging to Adams. Nevertheless, the best efforts to determine what is canon within Hitchhiker's is difficult. The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ...
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy originated as a 1978 radio comedy series written by Douglas Adams. ...
Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. ...
To address this problem, in the introduction to the first Omnibus edition of the Hitchhiker's books, Adams wrote the "Definitive Guide to the Guide" which, as he put it, would at least "get everything definitively wrong." There is still debate amongst fans as to what comprises Hitchhiker's canon; however that the author acknowledged (and embraced) the inconsistencies makes Hitchhiker's a unique example of self-conscious canonicity. Parisian Omnibus, late nineteenth century Look up omnis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Marvel Universe -
Most, but not all, comic books published by Marvel Comics are set in a shared world known as the Marvel Universe. The canon for this world comprises all the comics not stated to be set in an alternate universe, except those specifically contradicted by later stories. The events may not have occurred exactly as shown, however, owing to the floating timeline (For instance, during the 1960s, Ben Grimm said he had fought in World War II alongside Nick Fury; during the 2000s, Grimm himself considered that the idea of him fighting in World War II was ridiculous, as he would be much older). This does not cite any references or sources. ...
Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ...
This does not cite any references or sources. ...
Parallel universe or alternate reality in science fiction and fantasy is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with our own. ...
A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in fiction, particularly by DC and Marvel Comics, to explain why characters created years or even decades ago, seem to have aged little or at all since their inception. ...
Alternate universes in Marvel Comics include, for example, the "Ultimate" line of Marvel comics, which have their own canon independent of the core Marvel universe.
Appearances of the Marvel Comics characters in other media are not considered canon. One of the few exceptions is the video game version of Ultimate Spider-Man, which was made with the intention of being canon. Ultimate Spider-Man is a video game based on the comic book of the same name by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley. ...
Middle-earth -
Main article: Middle-earth canon Defining the Middle-earth canon is difficult, because many key writings were not published by J. R. R. Tolkien before his death. A considerable number of Tolkien fans do not believe that a canon can be defined at all, preferring to observe the evolution of Tolkien's stories in the many versions and drafts published posthumously in The History of Middle-earth series. Most, however, agree that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are canon, and also include a substantial amount of material published in The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and other posthumous books, as well as information from Tolkien's letters. Works outside of canon include fan fiction (like Nick Perumov's "Ring of Darkness"), art books (except for the collections of Tolkien's own art) and video games; the Lord of the Rings movies by Ralph Bakshi and Peter Jackson are generally considered non-canonical, as well. However there are a group of Tolkien fans, sometimes called "Continuationists" who consider Roleplaying games, Video Games and the films as canon, unless they contradict with Tolkien's own works. ... This article discusses the concept of literary ‘canon’ as it might be applied to J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional Middle-earth legendarium. ...
A map of the Northwestern part of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Arda. ...
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English philologist, writer and university professor, best known as the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. ...
Tolkien fandom is an international, informal community of fans of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, especially of the Middle-earth legendarium which includes The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. ...
The History of Middle-earth is a 12-volume series of books published from 1983-1996, that collect and analyse material relating to the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, compiled and edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien. ...
This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ...
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel written by the English academic J. R. R. Tolkien. ...
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkiens mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who would later become a noted fantasy fiction writer. ...
Unfinished Tales (full title Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth) is a collection of stories by J. R. R. Tolkien that were never completed during his lifetime, but were edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and published in 1980. ...
The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien (ISBN 0-618-05699-8) is a selection of J. R. R. Tolkiens letters published in 1981, edited by Tolkiens biographer Humphrey Carpenter assisted by Christopher Tolkien. ...
Nick Perumov (Ðик Перумов) is narrators pseudonym of Nikolay Daniilovich Perumov (Ðиколай Даниилович Перумов), a famous Russian fantasy and science fiction writer. ...
Ralph Bakshi (October 29, 1938) is an American director of animated and occasionally live-action films. ...
Peter Jackson CNZM (born October 31, 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker best known as the director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which he, along with Fran Walsh, his long time partner, and Philippa Boyens, adapted from the novels by J. R. R. Tolkien. ...
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. However certain Conan Doyle items were disregarded for other reasons and additions to the current canon of sixty mysteries has been discussed. Traditionally, the canon of Sherlock Holmes consists of the 56 short stories and 4 novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. ...
A portrait of Sherlock Holmes by Sidney Paget from the Strand Magazine, 1891 Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. ...
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859–7 July 1930) was a Scottish born author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and the adventures of Professor Challenger. ...
The Baker Street Irregulars are a group of fictional characters featured in the Sherlock Holmes stories. ...
The word pastiche describes a literary or other artistic genre. ...
Star Trek -
The Star Trek canon consists of the television series Star Trek (the original series), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and the ten Star Trek movies. Originally, there was little official policy on canon, and Star Trek: The Animated Series and some books like The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual were apparently canonical (and excerpts from them were even used onscreen in the early movies). However, circa 1987, when Star Trek: The Next Generation was debuting, Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures agreed on a new canon policy that made Star Trek: The Animated Series non-canonical, as well as removing the canon status of all technical manuals and novels. Gene Roddenberry further stated that some elements from the films Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country were "slightly apocryphal". The writers and production staff of Star Trek have also said in interviews and DVD commentaries that they unofficially struck the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Threshold" from canon, and made no references to the events of that episode after it was made; officially, however, being an onscreen, televised story, it remains canonical. The Star Trek canon consists of the television series Star Trek (the original series), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and the ten motion pictures based upon the series. ...
The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series and media franchise. ...
The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...
The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ...
Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ...
The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ...
The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ...
Star Trek: The Animated Series is an animated science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ...
The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual (ISBN 0345340744, Ballantine Books 1975, reprinted in 1986, 1996, and 2006) is a fiction reference book by Franz Joseph about the workings of Starfleet, a military, exploratory, and diplomatic organization featured in the television series Star Trek. ...
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American scriptwriter and producer. ...
Information in this article or section has not been verified against sources and may not be reliable. ...
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Paramount Pictures, 1989; see also 1989 in film) is the fifth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ...
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Paramount Pictures, 1991; see also 1991 in film) is the sixth feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ...
Threshold is an episode of the Star Trek: Voyager television series. ...
The canonicity of the various reference books such as The Star Trek Encyclopedia and various companions accompanying the series is still debated. Many consider such reference works to be canon, while others do not; there is currently no clear answer solving this problem. It should be noted that most of the information from the The Star Trek Encyclopedia and The Star Trek Chronology comes directly from the television series and movies, which themselves are canon, and the books were written by people who worked on the production staff, and sometimes were used as internal references. A similar problem exists with trading cards cataloging information from the series. The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future is an encyclopedia of all things related to Star Trek. ...
Various trading cards A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card which is intended for trading and collecting. ...
Paramount has made a formal comment on its website [5] about precisely what items are considered canon.
Star Wars -
The Star Wars canon is a complex issue, and Lucas Licensing has devised a four-level system called the Holocron continuity database to keep track of the Star Wars canon. The purpose of this database is to chronicle all Star Wars stories, and settle any disputes that may arise within the various productions. The basic rule, however, is that the Star Wars canon comprises the six Star Wars films, along with all officially licensed Star Wars stories not contradicting the films. The Star Wars canon consists of the six Star Wars feature films, along with all officially licensed, non-contradicting spin-off works to the six films. ...
Star Wars is an epic space opera saga and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. ...
A Holocron is an artifact from the Star Wars universe. ...
The DK Guide to the entire universe utilizes many spin-offs to help describe the six films. Derivative works such as the Star Wars books have aimed to be completely in continuity with each other and with the Star Wars movies.
Transformers -
The Transformers canon is unusual, in that there at least four completely distinct Transformers universes; one consisting of the universe introduced in 1984 with the "Generation One" series and extended through the Beast Wars and Transformers: Universe series, the stand-alone Transformers: Robots in Disguise series, the Unicron Trilogy, consisting of the Armada, Energon, and Cybertron lines, and the world featured in the 2007 live-action feature film. Even within these completely disparate universes, there are multiple stories that contradict each other; for instance, under the banner of "Generation One" are several completely different comic book series from four different publishers, the Japanese "Headmasters" series, which openly replaces the events of the U.S. "Rebirth" miniseries, as well as gamebooks, coloring books, audio cassettes, young adult novels, and video games, as well as the toy packaging itself, all of which take various liberties with the same characters. As such, the Transformers universe includes such problems as multiple origin stories for the Constructicons and Optimus Prime. Transformers are fictional alien robots and the titular characters of a popular[1] Hasbro toy line and its spin-offs. ...
Various Transformers toys. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Unicron Trilogy is a series of television programs, comic books, and toy franchises in the Transformers maxi-series. ...
A gamebook is a book with a branching storyline that serves as a medium for gameplay. ...
The Constructicons toy packaging art The Constructicons (known as Buildrons in Japan, Constructicans in France and Escavators in Italy) are a group of fictional characters from the Transformers universe. ...
This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed. ...
The general position of Hasbro, owners of the line, is that all Transformer stories are in fact true, and exist in multiple and separate alternate universes, so that the Marvel Comics stories are just as true as the coloring books, which are as true as the animated shows. All of these universes are connected by the existence of Primus and Unicron, who are singularities; they exist in all of the Transformer universes. [6] Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ...
Primus is the benevolent godlike entity in the fictional Transformers comic universe who fought against the Chaos-Bringer Unicron. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
See also // The Whoniverse, a portmanteau of Doctor Who and universe, is the fictional universe in which Doctor Who, Torchwood and other related stories take place. ...
Cthulhu and Rlyeh The Cthulhu Mythos encompasses the shared elements, characters, settings, and themes in the works of H. P. Lovecraft and associated horror fiction writers. ...
A shared universe is a literary technique in which several different authors create works of fiction that share aspects such as settings or characters and that are intended to be read as taking place in a single universe. ...
Lovecraftian horror is a sub-genre of horror fiction which emphasizes the psychological horror of the unknown (in some cases, unknowable) over gore or other elements of shock, which may still be present. ...
Canonical terms in fiction In the context of fiction Apocrypha includes those fictional stories that do not belong within a fictional univeres canon, yet still have some authority relating to that fictional universe. ...
A bible in writing, sometimes more prosaically referred to as the writers guide or story bible, is the standard reference used by writers for information on that storys characters, settings and other elements. ...
Fanon is a fact or ongoing situation related to a television program, book, movie, or video game that has been used so much by fan writers or among the fandom that it has been more or less established as having happened in the fictional world, but it has not actually...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
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