Does canon really matter?
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It seems many fans are considering it to be part of the Kelvin Timeline so it seems we're pretty much free to decide for ourselves where these movies and shows fit.
I love how the X-Men movie franchise has played fast and loose with consistency and continuity. In an era of militant fanboy nit-picking over the smallest minutiae, it's actually rather refreshing.
"Broad strokes" is the way to go.
Kor
It has always been up to us on how we interpret the material. Why do you think "head canon" exists to begin with?
The only thing "Prime" universe really is, is what licensees have to follow when crafting material.
That's a very pragmatic take.. kind of sums it all up.
Will it be Earth or Terra or the Sol system?
What -- someone commenting, and making sense? On a ST discussion site? /s
Ha! I considered adding "...and I'm sure that people will come up with other examples...", but I decided to let it go so people could come up with other examples.They were able to travel a thousand light-years in twelve hours in "That Which Survives".
Still, as much as I enjoyed the Kurtzaman-Orci ST films as entertainment, and I do in fact consider them "Star Trek", I just feel they could have been much more Star Trek-Like than they were, and the way they could have done that was to have the story interact with the setting in a manner similar to the way other established Trek interacted with its setting.
For as fun as those films were as popcorn flicks, I think that "interaction with their setting in an established Star Trek-like manner" aspect was lacking.
Indeed.
"Kronos" is simply a calque in common English usage, while "Qo'noS" is the native Klingon pronunciation.
In fact, both terms "Kronos" and "Qo'noS" were used in the exact same movie. Gorkon's ship referred to in English dialog as "Kronos One," and in Chang's statement to the court in Klingon dialog as "Qo'noS wa'."
Listen very carefully from 0:30:
Kor
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Sic semper canon tyrannis!!!
In all seriousness though, canon only matters to me as long as it serves the story being told. If the writers have a good story and it violates canon, always defer to the story. Story > Canon.
Some canon can be fun and interesting. I always use stuff like the Khitomer Accords being dissolved in The Way of the Warrior as a "Whoa, crazy!" example of DS9 using canon to its advantage. On the other end of that spectrum, you have ENT explaining the Klingon foreheads thing which didn't need an explanation (imho) and taking the concept of canon way too seriously.
So, if DSC breaks canon in the service of a good story, hey, go for it. If it decides to use canon to the advantage of a good story, also go for it. But if canon gets in the way, that will bother me.
EDIT: I do care about internal consistency within a series. But not consistency across the entire franchise.
In all seriousness though, canon only matters to me as long as it serves the story being told. If the writers have a good story and it violates canon, always defer to the story. Story > Canon.
Some canon can be fun and interesting. I always use stuff like the Khitomer Accords being dissolved in The Way of the Warrior as a "Whoa, crazy!" example of DS9 using canon to its advantage. On the other end of that spectrum, you have ENT explaining the Klingon foreheads thing which didn't need an explanation (imho) and taking the concept of canon way too seriously.
So, if DSC breaks canon in the service of a good story, hey, go for it. If it decides to use canon to the advantage of a good story, also go for it. But if canon gets in the way, that will bother me.
EDIT: I do care about internal consistency within a series. But not consistency across the entire franchise.
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Every time this comes up I basically write the same response... I wish DSC was in its own timeline, separate from the Prime and Kelvin timelines.
I'm fine with them taking visual and narrative liberties as long as it results in good television, but I know I'm in the minority. Giving DSC its own timeline would basically give it the freedom to do whatever they wanted without worrying about fan outrage every time something looks different than 'The Cage' or 'TOS', much like what the Kelvin timeline films have. But there is a need to keep it separate from the Kelvin timeline, so that's why I suggest a third timeline.
How'd you get to a third timeline? I don't know. I'm not a writer. Ask Worf, he might have a few ideas. Hey, maybe they could find one of those quantum mirrors that Daniel Jackson found?
I'm fine with them taking visual and narrative liberties as long as it results in good television, but I know I'm in the minority. Giving DSC its own timeline would basically give it the freedom to do whatever they wanted without worrying about fan outrage every time something looks different than 'The Cage' or 'TOS', much like what the Kelvin timeline films have. But there is a need to keep it separate from the Kelvin timeline, so that's why I suggest a third timeline.
How'd you get to a third timeline? I don't know. I'm not a writer. Ask Worf, he might have a few ideas. Hey, maybe they could find one of those quantum mirrors that Daniel Jackson found?
I think gently patting fans on the back and saying, "Don't worry, sport. It just looks a little different because it's a new timeline! That's all!" is unnecessary and deferring to fan outrage is a very slippery slope for writers. It's also kind of arbitrary unless they did a KT-esque timesplit thing. Otherwise, the writers/producers just coming out and saying it's a new timeline doesn't really mean anything.
Well Qo'noS and Kronos are the same word from the same language, one is just transliterated (Kronos), while the other is a spelling of the native pronunciation (Qo'noS)
While Earth and Terra are from different languages.
Since the show is an american production, they'll probably go with Earth.
I wonder if Discovery will finally make Vulcan being in the 40 Eridani solid canon now.
There have been illusions, Trip saying it is 40(?) light years from earth and a illegible map labelling it as such used in set decoration.
I have no idea what this means.
But that's what I was suggesting though, some sort of in-universe explanation. Tie it into the story somehow. As to what it would be, I don't know. I really don't have any 'good' ideas. All of my ideas are fanboy drivel.
But like I wrote in my original post, I 'personally' I'm fine with what they're doing on DSC. I'm just trying to be a detente.
It can happen (although I'm totally thanking/blaming the gin).
ENT fit in perfectly. In an alternate reality created by the Borg temporal incursion in First Contact.
Which is also the reality from which the Kelvin Universe branched out.
I'm being a little facetious here, but technically, if quantum realities really are indeed created by our decisions... what could have happened 'does' happen in other quantum realities... SO... The Borg incursion may not have only created the Enterprise timeline, but perhaps several different Enterprise timelines. And Nero's incursion not only created the Kelvin timeline we've seen on films, but several other Kelvin timelines. DSC could very well be in a Kelvin timeline, just not THE Kelvin timeline.
Again, being a little facetious...
I have a headcanon theory that the identity of the Romulans was indeed known at the time of the Romulan War, but there was still a strong sense of Xenophobia on Earth that if the fact that Vulcans and Romulans are biologically the same was made public knowledge, all support for the alliance with Vulcan would have evaporated. Just throwing that out there. Again, it's a headcanon thing of mine. Not trying to pass it off as actual canon.
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I'm a big fan of Sol 3 but no one will call it that.
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