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Canon (fiction)

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277: 1290: 1471: 215:, and statements by Lucas himself were at the top of this hierarchy; such works invariably superseded EU material in case of contradiction. The EU itself was further divided into several descending levels of continuity. After Disney's acquisition of the franchise, Lucasfilm designated all Expanded Universe material published prior to 25 April 2014 (other than the first six theatrical films and the 2008 44: 219:
film and TV series) as the non-canonical "Legends" continuity. Material released since this announcement is a separate canonical timeline from the original George Lucas Canon, with all narrative development overseen by the Lucasfilm Story Group.
1194:, p. 33: 'fanon.' Within an individual fandom, certain plotlines may be reinvented so many times and by so many people—or alternately may be written so persuasively by a few writers—that they take on the status of fan-produced canon. 584: 99:
When there are multiple "official" works or original media, what material is canonical can be unclear. This is resolved either by explicitly excluding certain media from the status of canon (as in the case of
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stories counts with some extra episodes with original stories that are not part of the original manga, often being referred to as "filler episodes", being outside of the canon of their source material.
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what is or isn't canonical, with copyright holders usually declaring themselves the authorities when they want to erase or retcon materials that were approved by the setting's original creator (with
112:); by assigning different levels of canonicity to different media; by considering different but licensed media treatments official and equally canonical to the series timeline within their own 1170: 83:
that are widely considered to be official or authoritative; those created by the original author or developer of the world". Canon is contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of
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canon, but the site notes that elements from these sources have been subsequently introduced into the television series, and says that "canon is not something set in stone".
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is almost never regarded as canonical. However, certain ideas may become influential or widely accepted within fan communities, who refer to such ideas as "
1324: 1109: 205: 1209: 657: 297:", may be debated. This is because copyright used to be exercised by the publisher of the work of literature rather than the author. Campaigning by 1162: 30:
This article is about the concept of a canon that defines the world of a particular series or franchise. For influential works of fiction, see
204:. Higher-tier and newer material abrogated lower-tier and older material in case of contradiction. The live-action theatrical films, the 2008 1272: 1055: 694: 967: 929: 1372: 1367: 474: 1077: 276: 1132: 212: 720: 256:
episodes, a series of Halloween-themed specials with several stories that take place outside the normal continuity of the show.
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In film and television it is common that the original writer does not decide what is canon. In literature, the estate of
412: 193: 171:. Events, characters and storylines from tie-in novels, comic books, and video games are explicitly excluded from the 835: 695:"How do the Star Trek novels and comic books fit into the Star Trek universe? What is considered Star Trek "canon"?" 1474: 1310: 370: 157:
as "the events that take place within the episodes and movies", referring to the live-action television series and
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However, sometimes in literature, original writers have not approved works as canon, but original publishers or
555: 189: 1205: 647: 364: 352: 347: 158: 1446: 1362: 1249: 549: 525: 116:' universe, but not across them; or not resolved at all. There is also no consensus regarding who has the 35: 129: 489: 1352: 1436: 1405: 830: 495: 422: 318: 238: 113: 61: 48: 1234:
Rebecca Black, "Digital Design: English Language Learners and Reader Reviews in Online Fiction", in
1456: 252: 1254: 1206:"Canon, fanon, shipping and more: a glossary of the tricky terminology that makes up fan culture" 1037: 648:"Canon, fanon, shipping and more: a glossary of the tricky terminology that makes up fan culture" 543: 507: 80: 306: 702: 293:
The canonical status of some works by the original writer but not the same publisher, such as "
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again being an example). The definition of canon is of particular importance with regard to
53: 510: – Self-consistent fictional setting with elements that may differ from the real world 483: – collection of all the works of one artist, writer, scientist, musician, group, etc. 1410: 1104: 1069: 513: 435: 313: 281: 151: 88: 65: 1056:"Tell Us 5 Things About Your Book: A Sequel to 'The War of the Worlds' (Published 2017)" 1357: 480: 431: 358: 330: 1289: 1489: 516: – Type of fictional universe in which works written by multiple writers are set 427: 395: 57: 31: 1400: 246: 179: 17: 1265:
The Science Fiction Reboot: Canon, Innovation and Fandom in Refashioned Franchises
558: – Things confirmed about Sherlock Holmes in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories 1163:"Poirot is a show-off, but he's brilliant. That's why I brought him back to life" 537: 446: 343: 298: 201: 84: 875: 492: – Comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist 465:" is used to describe a fan's personal interpretation of a fictional universe. 43: 1379: 534: – Part of a linear narrative that continues the story of a previous work 417: 225: 1033: 620: 1415: 1395: 1294: 316:
of original writers posthumously approve subsequent works as canon, such as
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series, although written in 1921 after the death of original series writer
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The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror"
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have generally avoided making pronouncements about canonicity, with
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explaining that he does not think about the concept for the
858:"Invisible Ink: No 197 - The other Sherlock Holmes writers" 899:
Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law
721:"Meet Leland Chee, the Star Wars Franchise Continuity Cop" 1100:"Macmillan reveals adventures of young Sherlock Holmes" 27:
Concept of continuity between different fictional works
280:"The Field Bazaar" was rediscovered and reprinted by 540: – Digital collections of natural language data 485:
Pages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
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or re-imaginings of established franchises, such as
1429: 1388: 1340: 477: – Fan fiction set in a non-canonical universe 79:is "the body of works taking place in a particular 522: – Universe coexisting with another universe 250:has as an example of non-canonical material the 1070:"Tomorrow is another Gone With the Wind sequel" 498: – Consistency or continuity of narrative 1318: 8: 876:"When Charles Dickens fell out with America" 546: – Works of Tolkien set in Middle-earth 701:. CBS Studios. 10 July 2003. Archived from 382:In 2010, the Conan Doyle estate authorised 1325: 1311: 1303: 402:were sanctioned by Wodehouse's estate for 1253: 678: 1191: 714: 712: 568: 895:"Berne Revision: The Continuing Drama" 763:from the original on 10 September 2016 689: 687: 1173:from the original on 21 November 2021 1143:from the original on 25 November 2020 7: 989:Zeitchik, Steven (4 February 2015). 1080:from the original on 17 August 2024 970:from the original on 17 August 2024 893:Oman, Ralph; Flacks, Lewis (1993). 627:from the original on 17 August 2024 587:from the original on 17 August 2024 1212:from the original on 20 March 2021 660:from the original on 20 March 2021 475:Alternative universe (fan fiction) 25: 1131:Grylls, David (24 October 2020). 940:from the original on 3 April 2019 909:from the original on 24 June 2021 838:from the original on 22 July 2023 733:from the original on 16 June 2013 196:(EU), with continuity tracked by 64:authorized by original publisher 1470: 1469: 1288: 1112:from the original on 5 June 2020 322:(1921) (by original publisher), 182:'s time with the franchise, the 169:nebulous gray area of canonicity 799:Davies RT, "The Writer's Tales" 719:Baker, Chris (18 August 2008). 263:television series adapted from 928:Gardner, Martin (2 May 1971). 607:"canon, n.¹, additional sense" 164:Star Trek: The Animated Series 1: 1293:The dictionary definition of 1010:"The Politics of Film Canons" 930:"We're Off To See The Wizard" 824:Ajay Aravind (7 April 2023). 520:Parallel universes in fiction 1267:. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. 413:Jeeves and the King of Clubs 404:Jeeves and the Wedding Bells 394:. Sequels to the stories by 1204:Romano, Aja (7 June 2016). 646:Romano, Aja (7 June 2016). 60:in 1919, by another writer 1512: 1263:Urbanski, Heather (2013). 374:authorised by the estate. 52:, a canonical work in the 29: 1465: 1244:Parrish, Juli J. (2007). 612:Oxford English Dictionary 434:novels authorised by the 237:television series or its 167:having long existed in a 1237:A New Literacies Sampler 813:(DVD). 20th Century Fox. 790:Doctor Who Magazine #356 781:Doctor Who Magazine #388 556:Canon of Sherlock Holmes 328:(1924) (by estate), and 1008:Staiger, Janet (1985). 809:Groening, Matt (2002). 461:. Similarly, the term " 353:The Massacre of Mankind 188:canon was divided into 1447:Retroactive continuity 621:10.1093/OED/8893623977 550:Retroactive continuity 526:Reset button technique 346:authorised sequels by 285: 244:The television series 192:that incorporated the 150:website describes the 68: 34:. For other uses, see 964:Smithsonian Libraries 385:Young Sherlock Holmes 368:was a 1991 sequel to 279: 46: 831:Comic Book Resources 496:Continuity (fiction) 423:The Monogram Murders 334:(1938) (by estate). 319:The Royal Book of Oz 62:Ruth Plumly Thompson 49:The Royal Book of Oz 1169:. 5 November 2017. 1076:. 3 November 2007. 1058:. 3 September 2017. 882:. 14 February 2012. 253:Treehouse of Horror 200:creative executive 118:authority to decide 18:Apocrypha (fiction) 960:"Porto Bello Gold" 934:The New York Times 864:. 3 November 2013. 544:Middle-earth canon 508:Fictional universe 490:Catalogue raisonné 371:Gone with the Wind 286: 69: 1483: 1482: 1475:Superhero fiction 1334:Superhero fiction 1274:978-0-7864-6509-5 1108:. 18 March 2009. 995:Los Angeles Times 502:Expanded universe 398:about the butler 391:The House of Silk 338:Late 20th century 305:which introduced 194:Expanded Universe 16:(Redirected from 1503: 1496:Canons (fiction) 1473: 1472: 1421:Comic book death 1327: 1320: 1313: 1304: 1292: 1278: 1259: 1257: 1222: 1221: 1219: 1217: 1201: 1195: 1189: 1183: 1182: 1180: 1178: 1159: 1153: 1152: 1150: 1148: 1128: 1122: 1121: 1119: 1117: 1096: 1090: 1089: 1087: 1085: 1066: 1060: 1059: 1052: 1046: 1045: 1005: 999: 998: 986: 980: 979: 977: 975: 956: 950: 949: 947: 945: 925: 919: 918: 916: 914: 890: 884: 883: 872: 866: 865: 854: 848: 847: 845: 843: 821: 815: 814: 806: 800: 797: 791: 788: 782: 779: 773: 772: 770: 768: 749: 743: 742: 740: 738: 716: 707: 706: 691: 682: 676: 670: 669: 667: 665: 643: 637: 636: 634: 632: 603: 597: 596: 594: 592: 581:sites.utexas.edu 573: 486: 408:Sebastian Faulks 325:Porto Bello Gold 314:literary estates 303:Berne Convention 295:The Field Bazaar 272:Additional works 231:Russell T Davies 89:derivative works 66:Reilly & Lee 21: 1511: 1510: 1506: 1505: 1504: 1502: 1501: 1500: 1486: 1485: 1484: 1479: 1461: 1425: 1411:Secret identity 1384: 1336: 1331: 1285: 1275: 1262: 1243: 1231: 1226: 1225: 1215: 1213: 1203: 1202: 1198: 1190: 1186: 1176: 1174: 1161: 1160: 1156: 1146: 1144: 1130: 1129: 1125: 1115: 1113: 1105:TheGuardian.com 1098: 1097: 1093: 1083: 1081: 1068: 1067: 1063: 1054: 1053: 1049: 1026:10.2307/1225428 1007: 1006: 1002: 988: 987: 983: 973: 971: 958: 957: 953: 943: 941: 927: 926: 922: 912: 910: 892: 891: 887: 874: 873: 869: 862:The Independent 856: 855: 851: 841: 839: 823: 822: 818: 808: 807: 803: 798: 794: 789: 785: 780: 776: 766: 764: 751: 750: 746: 736: 734: 718: 717: 710: 705:on 28 May 2010. 693: 692: 685: 677: 673: 663: 661: 645: 644: 640: 630: 628: 605: 604: 600: 590: 588: 575: 574: 570: 565: 514:Shared universe 484: 471: 444: 436:Agatha Christie 430:is a sequel to 380: 340: 307:author's rights 291: 282:A. G. Macdonell 274: 142: 97: 81:fictional world 39: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 1509: 1507: 1499: 1498: 1488: 1487: 1481: 1480: 1478: 1477: 1466: 1463: 1462: 1460: 1459: 1454: 1449: 1444: 1439: 1433: 1431: 1427: 1426: 1424: 1423: 1418: 1413: 1408: 1403: 1398: 1392: 1390: 1386: 1385: 1383: 1382: 1377: 1376: 1375: 1365: 1360: 1355: 1350: 1344: 1342: 1338: 1337: 1332: 1330: 1329: 1322: 1315: 1307: 1301: 1300: 1284: 1283:External links 1281: 1280: 1279: 1273: 1260: 1241: 1230: 1227: 1224: 1223: 1196: 1184: 1154: 1123: 1091: 1061: 1047: 1014:Cinema Journal 1000: 981: 951: 920: 885: 867: 849: 816: 801: 792: 783: 774: 744: 708: 683: 671: 638: 615:. April 2023. 598: 567: 566: 564: 561: 560: 559: 553: 547: 541: 535: 529: 523: 517: 511: 505: 499: 493: 487: 481:Complete works 478: 470: 467: 453:", a blend of 443: 440: 432:Hercule Poirot 379: 376: 359:The Time Ships 348:Stephen Baxter 339: 336: 331:Heidi Grows Up 290: 287: 273: 270: 223:The makers of 217:The Clone Wars 207:The Clone Wars 190:discrete tiers 141: 138: 96: 93: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 1508: 1497: 1494: 1493: 1491: 1476: 1468: 1467: 1464: 1458: 1455: 1453: 1450: 1448: 1445: 1443: 1440: 1438: 1435: 1434: 1432: 1428: 1422: 1419: 1417: 1414: 1412: 1409: 1407: 1404: 1402: 1399: 1397: 1394: 1393: 1391: 1389:Plot elements 1387: 1381: 1378: 1374: 1371: 1370: 1369: 1366: 1364: 1361: 1359: 1356: 1354: 1351: 1349: 1346: 1345: 1343: 1339: 1335: 1328: 1323: 1321: 1316: 1314: 1309: 1308: 1305: 1299:at Wiktionary 1298: 1297: 1291: 1287: 1286: 1282: 1276: 1270: 1266: 1261: 1256: 1255:10.1.1.93.419 1251: 1247: 1242: 1240:, p. 126 1239: 1238: 1233: 1232: 1228: 1211: 1207: 1200: 1197: 1193: 1188: 1185: 1172: 1168: 1164: 1158: 1155: 1142: 1138: 1134: 1127: 1124: 1111: 1107: 1106: 1101: 1095: 1092: 1079: 1075: 1071: 1065: 1062: 1057: 1051: 1048: 1043: 1039: 1035: 1031: 1027: 1023: 1019: 1015: 1011: 1004: 1001: 996: 992: 985: 982: 969: 965: 961: 955: 952: 939: 935: 931: 924: 921: 908: 904: 900: 896: 889: 886: 881: 877: 871: 868: 863: 859: 853: 850: 837: 833: 832: 827: 820: 817: 812: 805: 802: 796: 793: 787: 784: 778: 775: 762: 758: 754: 748: 745: 732: 728: 727: 722: 715: 713: 709: 704: 700: 696: 690: 688: 684: 681:, p. 83. 680: 679:Urbanski 2013 675: 672: 659: 655: 654: 649: 642: 639: 626: 622: 618: 614: 613: 608: 602: 599: 586: 582: 578: 572: 569: 562: 557: 554: 551: 548: 545: 542: 539: 536: 533: 530: 527: 524: 521: 518: 515: 512: 509: 506: 503: 500: 497: 494: 491: 488: 482: 479: 476: 473: 472: 468: 466: 464: 460: 456: 452: 448: 441: 439: 437: 433: 429: 428:Sophie Hannah 425: 424: 419: 415: 414: 409: 405: 401: 397: 396:P G Wodehouse 393: 392: 387: 386: 377: 375: 373: 372: 367: 366: 361: 360: 355: 354: 349: 345: 337: 335: 333: 332: 327: 326: 321: 320: 315: 310: 308: 304: 300: 296: 289:Other writers 288: 283: 278: 271: 269: 266: 262: 257: 255: 254: 249: 248: 242: 240: 236: 232: 228: 227: 221: 218: 214: 210: 208: 203: 199: 195: 191: 187: 186: 181: 176: 174: 170: 166: 165: 160: 156: 154: 149: 148: 144:The official 139: 137: 135: 134:remake (2009) 133: 127: 123: 119: 115: 111: 110: 105: 104: 94: 92: 90: 86: 82: 78: 75:of a work of 74: 67: 63: 59: 58:L. Frank Baum 55: 51: 50: 45: 41: 37: 33: 32:Western canon 19: 1441: 1401:Supervillain 1295: 1264: 1236: 1214:. Retrieved 1199: 1192:Parrish 2007 1187: 1175:. Retrieved 1167:the Guardian 1166: 1157: 1145:. Retrieved 1136: 1126: 1114:. Retrieved 1103: 1094: 1082:. Retrieved 1074:The Guardian 1073: 1064: 1050: 1017: 1013: 1003: 994: 984: 972:. Retrieved 963: 954: 942:. Retrieved 933: 923: 911:. Retrieved 902: 898: 888: 879: 870: 861: 852: 840:. Retrieved 829: 819: 810: 804: 795: 786: 777: 765:. Retrieved 757:StarWars.com 756: 747: 735:. Retrieved 724: 703:the original 699:startrek.com 698: 674: 662:. Retrieved 651: 641: 629:. Retrieved 610: 601: 589:. Retrieved 580: 571: 462: 458: 454: 450: 445: 421: 411: 403: 389: 383: 381: 378:21st century 369: 363: 357: 351: 341: 329: 323: 317: 311: 292: 258: 251: 247:The Simpsons 245: 243: 234: 224: 222: 216: 206: 183: 180:George Lucas 177: 172: 162: 152: 145: 143: 131: 121: 117: 114:continuities 107: 101: 98: 72: 70: 47: 40: 1216:19 February 1147:13 December 1084:14 November 1020:(3): 4–23. 974:14 November 944:14 November 767:26 February 591:14 November 538:Text corpus 447:Fan fiction 356:(2017) and 344:H. G. Wells 301:led to the 299:Victor Hugo 202:Leland Chee 85:fan fiction 1437:Continuity 1430:Continuity 1406:Superpower 1380:Kamishibai 1368:Television 1363:Television 563:References 426:(2014) by 418:Ben Schott 416:(2018) by 406:(2013) by 235:Doctor Who 226:Doctor Who 213:debut film 95:Canonicity 87:and other 1457:Crossover 1416:Alter ego 1396:Superhero 1250:CiteSeerX 1137:The Times 1034:0009-7101 463:headcanon 239:spin-offs 209:TV series 198:Lucasfilm 185:Star Wars 173:Star Trek 153:Star Trek 147:Star Trek 132:Star Trek 122:Star Wars 109:Star Wars 103:Star Trek 1490:Category 1373:American 1210:Archived 1171:Archived 1141:Archived 1110:Archived 1078:Archived 968:Archived 938:Archived 907:Archived 880:BBC News 836:Archived 761:Archived 737:30 April 731:Archived 658:Archived 625:Archived 585:Archived 469:See also 438:estate. 365:Scarlett 362:(1995). 284:in 1934. 259:Several 211:and its 140:Examples 1229:Sources 1208:. Vox. 1177:11 June 1116:18 June 1042:1225428 913:18 June 842:22 July 664:25 July 653:Vox.com 631:25 July 178:During 161:, with 126:reboots 77:fiction 1452:Reboot 1353:Novels 1348:Comics 1271:  1252:  1040:  1032:  532:Sequel 400:Jeeves 1442:Canon 1341:Media 1296:canon 1038:JSTOR 905:(1). 726:Wired 459:canon 451:fanon 442:Fanon 265:manga 261:anime 159:films 155:canon 73:canon 36:Canon 1358:Film 1269:ISBN 1218:2022 1179:2021 1149:2020 1118:2021 1086:2020 1030:ISSN 976:2020 946:2020 915:2021 844:2023 769:2021 739:2010 666:2023 633:2023 593:2020 457:and 410:and 388:and 130:the 106:and 71:The 1022:doi 617:doi 455:fan 1492:: 1248:. 1165:. 1139:. 1135:. 1102:. 1072:. 1036:. 1028:. 1018:24 1016:. 1012:. 993:. 966:. 962:. 936:. 932:. 901:. 897:. 878:. 860:. 834:. 828:. 759:. 755:. 729:. 723:. 711:^ 697:. 686:^ 656:. 650:. 623:. 609:. 583:. 579:. 420:. 350:, 309:. 241:. 91:. 54:Oz 1326:e 1319:t 1312:v 1277:. 1258:. 1220:. 1181:. 1151:. 1120:. 1088:. 1044:. 1024:: 997:. 978:. 948:. 917:. 903:4 846:. 771:. 741:. 668:. 635:. 619:: 595:. 38:. 20:)

Index

Apocrypha (fiction)
Western canon
Canon

The Royal Book of Oz
Oz
L. Frank Baum
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Reilly & Lee
fiction
fictional world
fan fiction
derivative works
Star Trek
Star Wars
continuities
reboots
the Star Trek remake (2009)
Star Trek
Star Trek canon
films
Star Trek: The Animated Series
nebulous gray area of canonicity
George Lucas
Star Wars
discrete tiers
Expanded Universe
Lucasfilm
Leland Chee
The Clone Wars TV series

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