Lately, some things have had me thinking about this. The Axanar film, and the way some small number of fans seem to feel rather strongly that that represents the "true" continuation of Star Trek. The future of Star Wars as seen in the EU versus how it was shown in Episode VII. How Kal-El as depicted in Man of Steel doesn't seem true to the Superman that many of us grew up with in a lot of ways. And so on.
And it seems like, in each case, there is an argument to be made that the people who now hold the rights to the IP don't have a "true vision" of what that work is supposed to be".
It isn't that I feel I have a right to dictate to others what is canon as regards someone else's IP. (And certainly, in the case of Axanar, the law is the law.) But I do feel that, in a lot of cases, I am emotionally invested enough in these characters and worlds to decide for myself what is and isn't canon - rather than allowing people who often seem clueless to dictate it to me, even if they do own the IP.
So I don't feel odd at all about having decided that, for me, the changes to the universe shown in ST:2009 began with ST:FC, rather than with the appearance of the Narada. Or that "Superman" as seen in Man of Steel is actually the Injustice version of the character, and that the Arrowverse represents "our" heroes - including Superman on "Supergirl". Or tentatively, that Luke has spent at least some of his time since the end of ROTJ in a relationship with Mara Jade - and that there is a blue Grand Admiral in the Imperial Remnant named Thrawn.
Maybe it's arrogant in some way, but I'd rather make my own decisions about the fictional "truth" of these things and be HAPPY than to feel like I am forced to have them dictated to me by people that I feel don't know or love the material like I do and be miserable for it.
And I'd welcome each of you to do the same. Even if your universes for these things disagree entirely with mine, I'm fine with that, and will acknowledge the personal canon of another fan who loves the works as being at least as valid as my own.
And it seems like, in each case, there is an argument to be made that the people who now hold the rights to the IP don't have a "true vision" of what that work is supposed to be".
It isn't that I feel I have a right to dictate to others what is canon as regards someone else's IP. (And certainly, in the case of Axanar, the law is the law.) But I do feel that, in a lot of cases, I am emotionally invested enough in these characters and worlds to decide for myself what is and isn't canon - rather than allowing people who often seem clueless to dictate it to me, even if they do own the IP.
So I don't feel odd at all about having decided that, for me, the changes to the universe shown in ST:2009 began with ST:FC, rather than with the appearance of the Narada. Or that "Superman" as seen in Man of Steel is actually the Injustice version of the character, and that the Arrowverse represents "our" heroes - including Superman on "Supergirl". Or tentatively, that Luke has spent at least some of his time since the end of ROTJ in a relationship with Mara Jade - and that there is a blue Grand Admiral in the Imperial Remnant named Thrawn.
Maybe it's arrogant in some way, but I'd rather make my own decisions about the fictional "truth" of these things and be HAPPY than to feel like I am forced to have them dictated to me by people that I feel don't know or love the material like I do and be miserable for it.
And I'd welcome each of you to do the same. Even if your universes for these things disagree entirely with mine, I'm fine with that, and will acknowledge the personal canon of another fan who loves the works as being at least as valid as my own.
