the problem with canon

Discussion in 'General Trek Discussion' started by cwl, May 10, 2009.

  1. Luther Sloan

    Luther Sloan Captain Captain

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    One of my favorite episodes is "Far Beyond the Stars". This clearly tells us that nothing is really real, anyways.

    However, that said. On the other hand: that doesn't mean you can't bring out the wizard "Cough* sorry, I mean Q or local temporal anomaly card to explain the stupidity.

    I mean, why do I bother to make sense of something that isn't real to begin with? Well, then why bother to believe in warp cores, or transporters, or vulcan love slave holo-suite programs, or TR-116 rifles, or jumja sticks?

    Sure, a lot of you may not demand perfection in your fiction like me. And I do realize that Star Trek is riddled with flaws. And they are in fact... just that... flaws. But that doesn't mean a person can't push their imagination a little (and get those brain cells pumping as fun a little excersize) and give a rationalize explanation to explain those flaws as if they were in fact a part of the universe of Star Trek.

    Oh, and yes. Any crazy rationalization on my part to explain the stupidity or flaws within the series is just fanon on my part. I do get it. I just find it funny that it bothers other people that I would come up with my own personal rational explanations within the Trek-verse. I mean, you don't have to believe what I say. You can be content to continue on in thinking the way that you do. I am not going to stand in your way. If you want to take the series for what it is and just ignore the flaws or just realize it is fictional goofs... then fine. By all means feel free to think that way.

    But canonistas like myself should not be burned at the stake because we like to explain the possibility of how Chakotay might want to eat a steak in one episode even though it is was clearly shown to us (time and again) that he is a vegetarian.
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2010
  2. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, the problem with canon is that it's often confused with continuity. Things don't have to be in the same continuity to be considered canon, IMO.

    Personally, I think the only time continuity is a problem is when there's a desire to make some changes within that continuity. Otherwise, I think some of the best Trek stories have come out of Trek's continuity--TWOK, "Relics," "Trials and Tribble-ations," "In A Mirror Darkly"--just to name a few...
     
  3. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

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    The only canon in Star Trek is the Phase Canon mounted to the bottom of the Enterprise (Archer's).
     
  4. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: So, just what IS canon?

    That would be more of an addition to canon than an revision.

    Yes this. Pieces of art are canon like Yesteryear, Best of Both Worlds, Balance of Terror, right along side utter shit like The Children Shall Lead, ST Eleven and Counterclock Incident .

    :)
     
  5. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    There's also the problem that people sometimes confuse "canon" with "quality."

    As in "That episode sucked because it violated canon."

    As opposed to "The episode sucked because the characterization was flat and the dialogue was boring." (Or whatever.)

    Personally, I'd rather watch a good episode that fudges the canon than a mediocre episode that fits the continuity perfectly.
     
  6. stj

    stj Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Aside from confusing "canon" with "continuity," and rating either more highly than it deserves, Star Trek has a canon problem that only hits really old franchises like it: It is outdated by reality. The Eugenics Wars didn't happen (Greg Cox bold and valiant attempt to redefine them notwithstanding,) and sleeper ships are not flying. Star Trek has died of old age. A soulless zombie like the new movie just prove it.
     
  7. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

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    In such instances, I think it becomes a case of how well a story is written in general, IMO. But there used to be a time when continuity wasn't really a big issue at all because there really wasn't a focus on Star Trek's past like there has been the last ten years or so...
     
  8. TiberiusMaximus

    TiberiusMaximus Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Me too.

    'Filling in the blanks' is fine too. Like a detective/mystery novel that doesn't give you all the details...granted, in this case, the details are usually left out or contradicted accidentally, but it's all for entertainment. So who cares?

    Personally, the word bugs me more than the idea. "Canon" describes the Bible, not Star Trek. And don't even get me started on 'caNNon', if you're gonna argue about why something does or doesn't apply to or contradict something, at least know how to spell it. ONE N!:vulcan:
     
  9. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    To be fair, the Sherlock Holmes fans were refering to Conan Doyle's stories as the Canon long before the Trekkies started to doing it . . .

    There's also the tradition of referring to the classics of Western Literature as the Canon. (Our local library system actually uses the term "Canon Literature" instead of "Classics" in its electronic filing system.)
     
  10. Biggshow

    Biggshow Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Well, you beat me to it. The biggest problem with canon is that it is the most consistently misspelled word in the BBS. So does that mean that "cannon" is canonical?
     
  11. plynch

    plynch Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    If a "sister" accepts the standard list of Bible books, is she cannunical?
     
  12. TiberiusMaximus

    TiberiusMaximus Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    ^Ouch. Ouch. Never underestimate the power of a bad joke to cause physical pain...sheesh.
     
  13. plynch

    plynch Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    If there's a dance at a Trek convention, is that a canon ball?
     
  14. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

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    And a on going problem with people who confuse "box office receipts" with "believable Star Trek movie."

    What do you mean IF. I always dance at conventions.
     
  15. plynch

    plynch Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I've only been to very small conventions (Michigan's Upper Peninsula), so no dances. If it's a canon ball, what if someone were dressed like a character from a novel or TAS (still non canonical to Paramount)? Are they excluded? Of course Arex could only dance waltzes anyway. Be well.
     
  16. Greg Cox

    Greg Cox Admiral Premium Member

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    Although "rogue" and "Khan" probably give it a run for its money . . . .
     
  17. plynch

    plynch Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I Kahnt stand it when people misspell the name of such an amazing rouge!
     
  18. ALF

    ALF Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Any "problems" with canon are fan-created. 100%.
     
  19. Shatnertage

    Shatnertage Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    True. When my wife first saw "Space Seed" and heard that Khan et al were from the 1990s, her first question was, "The Nineties? Shouldn't they wearing flannel and into grunge?"
     
  20. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

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    Friends of mine once worked on a filk song called "Walk Like an Edoan", to the tune of "Walk Like an Egyptian".