How many timelines/universes/realities do you take seriously?

[Mr. Laser Beam]

People are still confusing 'canon' with 'continuity'.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I don't believe in the concept of "my OWN canon". Canon is not up for interpretation; it's whatever the creators say it is.

But which creators? For shows with only one creative force who has generally been in control of all creative decisions, then sure, they are. Sure, nobody but Tolkien can write a canon LOTR book and nobody but Rowling can write a canon Harry Potter book. But what about those franchises that have passed between hands several times over a long period of time?

It's who ever has their hands on it with the approval of who ever owns it.

I certainly don't believe the 'Right to determine canon' is passed financially, just to whichever company happens to currently own the exclusive rights to profit off the franchise.

Why not? Should just anybody be able write a book or make a film of any property?

Nolan Batman, Burton Batman, Arkham Asylum Batman, Gotham Batman, and comic book Batman all take place in separate universes with separate canons, and I feel the same way about the Star Treks. Bermantrek is canon, and Abramstrek is canon. But, they are separate canons. The same way Gotham is its own, separate canon from the other Batmans.

Nope. Canon is the collected body of work. All those Batmen are canon. (Because DC/WB signed off on them) What they don't share is continuity. Same for Star Trek. Roddenberry/Berman and Abrams are part of the canon but have different continuities.

 

[Hawku]

The weed option (for the meta).

 

[Galileo7]

I don't believe in the concept of "my OWN canon". Canon is not up for interpretation; it's whatever the creators say it is.

Agree.

 

[RandyS]

People are still confusing 'canon' with 'continuity'.

Yeah, which is exactly why I gave up on those discussions.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

About the only parallel universe in Trek that I never took seriously is this one, I can't remember which novel (I'm pretty sure it was TOS, and it was WAY back in the days of the "numbered" books), but it featured this, which I swear I am not making up:

Spoiler: novel

a version of the Klingons who dress in pajamas, wear jewelry, and are called "Klingees."

But that was just a joke, a throwaway scene. Obviously not MEANT to be taken seriously.

I may not have liked what DS9 did with the MU, but it was clearly meant to be an actual, recurring plot line, so I did take it seriously. You can take things seriously and still #(%)*#$ing hate them.

 

[Enterprise1701]

I follow the physics of the modern Star Trek novels, which says that the timeline is always branching though not technically infinite. When I'm watching/reading something besides the novelverse, I simply think of it as a completely separate sub-franchise that can have its own laws of physics.