Canonicity

[JonnyQuest037]

What are we calling a "sillier Trek" for this?

Anything that isn't Lower Decks, the One True Star Trek series.

 

[herofhyrule]

It has occurred to me if you consider Lower Decks (or TAS, or the cgi show with Janeway) and any or all of the live-action series to be in the same universe, and take onscreen visuals to determine what is canon, you end up in Toontown watching Roger Rabbit.

Not really. That's like saying that Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation can't be in the same universe because one is in SD and one is in HD. You just have to suspend your disbelief and pretend that the cartoons are representations of real life. In fact, in the upcoming LD/SNW crossover the LD characters are real people, not cartoons, which supports the idea that they aren't actually cartoons in-universe (as does, you know, common sense).

 

[Sci]

It has occurred to me if you consider Lower Decks (or TAS, or the cgi show with Janeway) and any or all of the live-action series to be in the same universe, and take onscreen visuals to determine what is canon, you end up in Toontown watching Roger Rabbit.

By that logic, it's canonical that a full orchestra follows every Starfleet officer around just off-screen and is allowed to play instrumental compositions that just so happen to match the officer's subjective emotional states at all times, even when that officer has been captured and imprisoned by enemy forces.

I'm pretty sure it's not and that the music is non-diegetic. So's the animation.

 

[drt]

IIRC, the only reason Paramount played along with Roddenberry's claim that TAS wasn't canon was because throughout the 90s there were rights issues regarding TAS which weren't resolved until mid-2000s

I'm not even sure Paramount played along, I think they just remained silent on the issue because of legal reasons and fans took that as tacit approval.

 

[at Quark's]

I'm pretty sure it's not and that the music is non-diegetic. So's the animation.

Would have been fun though. Battle scene. Incoming enemy fire. Alarms go off. Tense music. Picard barks: 'shut off that da*n noise!'
<music cuts abruptly>

 

[mb22]

I'm not even sure Paramount played along, I think they just remained silent on the issue because of legal reasons and fans took that as tacit approval.

It wasn't just 'tacit' approval. It was substantial enough to keep TAS characters out of licensed books and comics, and any mention in the editions of the Okudas' Chronology and Encyclopedia books.