So how important is canon, then?

[Shawnster]

No Starfleet in early TOS season one. They were work shopping names like crazy.

Actually, the term Starfleet shows up early in season 1.

https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Starfleet?mobile-app=false
The first episode whose production incorporated the terms "Starfleet" and "Starfleet Command" was TOS: "Court Martial". However, the final draft and a revised final draft of that episode's script (dated 26 and 29 September 1966 respectively) used the term "Galactic Command" instead of "Starfleet Command". By comparison, the term "Starfleet" was extensively used in the final draft script of "The Menagerie" (issued in October 1966). In terms of air date too, that name as well as "Starfleet Command" debuted in "The Menagerie, Part I" (which aired 17 November 1966), though the term "Star Service" and "Spacefleet Command" were later used in "The Conscience of the King" (broadcast on 29 September 1966) and "The Squire of Gothos" (aired 12 January 1967) respectively, prior to the initial airing of "Court Martial" (on 2 February 1967). Another early variant of the organization's name was "Space Central" in "Miri", which preceded all those episodes in both airing and production order (broadcast on 27 October 1966).

 

[BillJ]

This year in the non-canon universe, the UNSS Lewis and Clark find evidence of alien activity on asteroids in Saturn orbit. Finding mine shafts on one asteroid and evidence of surface activity on another.

See: Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology

 

[Morgan Primus]

Canon? Lol, what’s that?

With all the possible alternate timelines/AU, anything’s possible. Any character can be ‘revived’ or past outcomes changed.

 

[JesterFace]

I have watched TNG from Netflix for the first time and I think the picture quality might be better than on DVDs?

IIRC, Netflix has the HD versions of the episodes.

Little bit off topic here but I have to say holy blur Batman, the picture quality is really different.
I couldn't use Netflix for couple of episodes, had to go back to DVDs and the difference was really noticeable.

Also, for example in the intro Picard was a bit chipmunk on the European DVD, I guess Netflix has different versions, PAL and NTSC and all that.

 

[Morgan Primus]

Everyone,

I posted a thread on the consistency of canon in the two franchises, and I still say that, since Lucasfilm has a story group, it would have a more consistent canon than ST. In any case, over time, the stories will eventually contradict each other and hence violate canon, which is inevitable.

So how important is canon, then? I think canon is part of the enjoyment of the story, and many fans seem to agree with me, but how important is it for the story-tellers/corporations to ensure that each and every story is consistent with canon?

Canon has little bearing on whether I enjoy a rousing Trek tale or not.

 

[BillJ]

Canon has little bearing on whether I enjoy a rousing Trek tale or not.

With rare exceptions, canon should add flavoring to a story but not be the story.

 

[Morgan Primus]

With rare exceptions, canon should add flavoring to a story but not be the story.

I look at non-canon as apocrypha, frequently more entertaining than that which is considered canon.

Heresy! I know

 

[BillJ]

I look at non-canon as apocrypha, frequently more entertaining than that which is considered canon.

Heresy! I know

I'm the guy posting stuff from the 1980 Spaceflight Chronology.

 

[Morgan Primus]

I'm the guy posting stuff from the 1980 Spaceflight Chronology.

Lol,

 

[fireproof78]

I look at non-canon as apocrypha, frequently more entertaining than that which is considered canon.

Heresy! I know

Quite so, quite so. That's why I have no problem considering TOS as my canon because it spawned such a diverse apocryphal non-canon books that I can't help but it enjoy it all.

 

[Morgan Primus]

Quite so, quite so. That's why I have no problem considering TOS as my canon because it spawned such a diverse apocryphal non-canon books that I can't help but it enjoy it all.

TOS represents canon to me as well. Anything else is fair game, and TOS left plenty of gaps in the timeline for the rest of us to speculate within.

It’s passed into the realms of folklore/mythology.

 

[Sci]

Little bit off topic here but I have to say holy blur Batman, the picture quality is really different.
I couldn't use Netflix for couple of episodes, had to go back to DVDs and the difference was really noticeable.

Also, for example in the intro Picard was a bit chipmunk on the European DVD, I guess Netflix has different versions, PAL and NTSC and all that.

Yeah, the difference really is startling. I've been curating episodes of TOS, TNG, and DS9 for my girlfriend to watch with me for the first time (she wasn't a Trekkie when she started), and the difference between the TNG remastered episodes and DS9 is particularly jarring. DS9 looked great on the low-resolution CRT TVs it was designed for, but modern HD causes everything to look just a bit too dark and fuzzy. And it looks like there was distortion on the tapes when the originals were converted into digital files; there are subtle shape distortions along the lettering when the opening credits air at the bottom of the screen during opening scenes, and there's a slight shape and color distortion along the left edge of the screen during the closing credits. The absolute worst part is when there're a lot of bright yellow onscreen though; Tain's shirt in "The Die is Cast" constantly has these little distortion patterns over it, and episodes where large amounts of time are spent in deserts such as "Indiscretion" or "Rocks and Shoals" are almost unwatchable.

I'm really bummed about the fact the market probably isn't there for it to be financially worth CBS's while to remaster DS9.

 

[JesterFace]

she wasn't a Trekkie when she started

But she is now, right?

Before watching TNG on Netflix (HD version right?) I was pretty sure I would continue with the good old DVDs. Nostalgia and all that, no need for the new versions, moving from VHS to DVD felt like enough. I think I was wrong. For those moments when the interwebz is down the DVDs are nice to have but I think from now on I'll go with HD versions. Next question, when will I change my mind about this? Nice to have both versions.

 

[Morgan Primus]

Yeah, the difference really is startling. I've been curating episodes of TOS, TNG, and DS9 for my girlfriend to watch with me for the first time (she wasn't a Trekkie when she started), and the difference between the TNG remastered episodes and DS9 is particularly jarring. DS9 looked great on the low-resolution CRT TVs it was designed for, but modern HD causes everything to look just a bit too dark and fuzzy. And it looks like there was distortion on the tapes when the originals were converted into digital files; there are subtle shape distortions along the lettering when the opening credits air at the bottom of the screen during opening scenes, and there's a slight shape and color distortion along the left edge of the screen during the closing credits. The absolute worst part is when there're a lot of bright yellow onscreen though; Tain's shirt in "The Die is Cast" constantly has these little distortion patterns over it, and episodes where large amounts of time are spent in deserts such as "Indiscretion" or "Rocks and Shoals" are almost unwatchable.

I'm really bummed about the fact the market probably isn't there for it to be financially worth CBS's while to remaster DS9.

I don’t know if this scratches the itch but someone out there has or will remaster DS9:

https://schouwenburg.com/2019/03/remastering-old-tv-shows-to-4k-using-neural-networks/

 

[Sci]

she wasn't a Trekkie when she started

But she is now, right?

She has now written ST fanfic, made screencaps of scenes she likes, read episode entries from The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, and viciously torn Rick Berman apart for not letting Bashir and Garak date, so, yes, I'd say so.

 

[dupersuper]

She has now written ST fanfic, made screencaps of scenes she likes, read episode entries from The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, and viciously torn Rick Berman apart for not letting Bashir and Garak date, so, yes, I'd say so.

One of us, one of us...

 

[johnjm22]

How much canon matters comes down to the individual fan.

For me it matters a lot. In the fantasy world of Star Trek, I want great care taken so that everything is canon compatible and it all has a sense of verisimilitude to it. I don't expect it to be perfectly compatible, but I'd like it done to a reasonable extent.

I respect the opinion of others who don't feel canon matters, but I don't understand them.

 

[fireproof78]

At this point I feel like canon is a weapon so its hard for me to take it seriously when it gets used to flog shows and films for not lining up with that verisimilitude.

 

[1001001]

I respect the opinion of others who don't feel canon matters, but I don't understand them.

Well, sure it matters.

How much is the real question.

And whether it's worth getting angry over.

I appreciate how you expressed that. Some people could learn from that example.

 

[Nyotarules]

How much canon matters comes down to the individual fan.

For me it matters a lot. In the fantasy world of Star Trek, I want great care taken so that everything is canon compatible and it all has a sense of verisimilitude to it. I don't is expect it to be perfectly compatible, but I'd like it done to a reasonable extent.

I respect the opinion of others who don't feel canon matters, but I don't understand them.

I think you mean continuity not canon.

 

[BillJ]

I respect the opinion of others who don't feel canon matters, but I don't understand them.

I’d say a lot of us grew up when canon/continuity wasn’t the be all, end all of Trek. I grew up with the Gold Key comics, Franz Joseph Technical Manual, the Spaceflight Chronology, Marvel and DC Comics. I was just looking for entertaining stories in the Trek universe, I didn’t care whether it matched up or not.

 

[fireproof78]

I’d say a lot of us grew up when canon/continuity wasn’t the be all, end all of Trek. I grew up with the Gold Key comics, Franz Joseph Technical Manual, the Spaceflight Chronology, Marvel and DC Comics. I was just looking for entertaining stories in the Trek universe, I didn’t care whether it matched up or not.

This right here is illustrative of my attitude. TNG was never my Trek-TOS absolutely was. I had comics, Josephs' manual and action figures and I created my own ship with that.

And that's it. Star Trek is a fertile ground for stories.