This article is not about literary canons of influential works of fiction, but about the concept of a canon which defines the world of a particular fictional series or franchise. The Western canon is a term used to denote a canon of books and more widely music and art, that has been the most influential in

Contents 1 Origins 2 Nature of fictional canons 3 Examples of fictional canons 3.1 Babylon 5 3.2 Buffyverse 3.3 Command & Conquer 3.4 DC Universe 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons 3.6 Gundam 3.7 Harry Potter 3.8 Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy 3.9 Marvel Universe 3.10 Middle-earth 3.11 Oz 3.12 Sherlock Holmes 3.13 Star Trek 3.14 Star Wars 3.15 Transformers 4 See also 4.1 Canonical terms in fiction 5 References

Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc. A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with unique background elements such as an imaginary history or geography and possibly fantasy or science , that are considered to be genuine or officially sanctioned, and those events, characters, settings, etc. , that are considered to have existence within the fictional universe. In order for a setting to appear coherent, especially in fictions that contain multiple parts, both creators and audiences sometimes find it useful to define what has and has not "actually happened" in that universe.

Material that is considered canon usually comes from the original source or author of the fictional universe, while (some) spin-offs and adaptations to other media are more likely to be non-canon and fan fiction is almost always non-canon. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new Organization or Entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a Television series based on a pre-existing Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF or fic) is a broadly defined term for Fiction about characters or settings

Origins

The word "canon" originally meant the books which the Catholic Church officially chose to be included in the Bible; by extension, it means the authoritative "holy writ" of a fictional universe. However, the practice of defining a "canon" within a fictional world derived from the concept of a literary canon, a specified collection of works considered to be both representative and the best of a particular form, genre or culture. The Western canon is a term used to denote a canon of books and more widely music and art, that has been the most influential in A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic In that more common use of the word, works forming a canon do not have to bear any relation to each other, apart from their high quality or historical influence.

The use of "canon" to describe the degree to which a work adheres to the standards of its fictional world, appears to have originated amongst devotees of the Sherlock Holmes stories, as a way to distinguish between the original works of Arthur Conan Doyle and adaptations of those works or original works by other writers utilising related characters and settings. Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the However, much of the interest in and controversy over issues of canonicity have appeared in recent decades in the fan followings of films and television shows, such as science fiction franchises Star Wars and Star Trek. A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific area of Pop culture. A media franchise is an Intellectual property involving the characters, setting, and Trademarks of an original work of media (usually Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded

When the body of work nominally set in the same fictional universe becomes large enough, it can happen that new material, such as might be found in spin-off television shows, prequels and books, contradicts earlier material. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new Organization or Entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a Television series based on a pre-existing A prequel is a work that portrays events and/or aspects of a previously completed narrative but is set prior to the existing narrative Such contradictions may be a result of bad research, or an attempt to revise, correct or retcon a perceived error in earlier material. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction The question is which material to favour and which to ignore when attempting to resolve all the material into a consistent whole. Two simple approaches are the "principle of first mention" in which information in the original work provides a foundation which later material must respect, and the revisionist model in which the latest work always supersedes earlier material. For the denial and distortion of well-established historical facts see Historical revisionism (negationism. However, the situation can be much more complicated.

Nature of fictional canons

Canonicity of fiction is a distinctly modern idea. In addition to the modern concepts of genre fiction and fictional universes, the notion of intellectual property (IP) distinguishes between "official" and "unofficial" sources of stories. Intellectual property ( IP) is a legal field that refers to creations of the mind such as musical literary and artistic works inventions and symbols names However, whereas IP laws are designed to dictate where the revenue generated by a story goes, they do not confer the right to determine canonicity. If a fictional universe has an obvious primary creator then their statements may be held to carry the most authority, but no actual industry label exists for definitively designating published works as canonical, or even for granting any particular individual or organisation the power to dictate what is or is not canonical. Equally, the fact that a majority of fans of a fictional setting view certain things as non-canonical does not oblige everyone to agree.

Canonicity is, then, a largely subjective notion, referring to a shared understanding - if there is one - between the published works in a fictional series and the level of acceptance by a vocal but otherwise accepting wide audience. As such, the word canon can simultaneously refer to the considerations of the publishers of a fictional series as well as what the fanbase chooses to consider as authentic.

Generally, "Expanded Universes" are not considered canonical; by analogy with the idea of a canon of Scripture (see Biblical canon), such stories are considered "apocryphal". For the Robert A Heinlein short story collection see Expanded Universe (Heinlein. A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious However, there are exceptions. In the case of the Star Wars canon, the Expanded Universe is canonical, though open to interpretation in a way which the "gospel" of the films is not. The Star Wars canon consists of the six Star Wars feature films along with all officially licensed non-contradicting spin-off works to the Doctor Who, which began life as a television series but has also been produced in prose, audio and graphical formats, has never had a single author or authority to pronounce on the issue of canon, and its fans run a spectrum between those who consider only some parts of the television series canonical and those who consider everything labelled as Doctor Who canonical. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC.

In addition, a story can belong to two overlapping canons. One of the most obvious examples of this is Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton family. Philip José Farmer (born January 26 1918) is an American Author, principally known for his Science fiction and fantasy Some (but not all) of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Doc Savage, etc. Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to Doc Savage is a Fictional character, one of the Pulp heroes of the 1930s and 1940s are canonical in the Wold Newton setting. This does not mean that the events of Farmer's books are canonical from a Sherlockian perspective. Similarly, fans of Laurie R. King's novels of Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell consider all the Holmes stories to be canonical in King's setting. Laurie R King (born 1952 is an American Author best known for her Detective fiction. Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 Mary Russell is a Fictional character in a book series by Laurie R

The difference can be even less clear-cut than this. Current Star Trek novels maintain a tight continuity with each other, and avoid contradicting the television series. When a Lost Era novel set between the movies and The Next Generation features a younger version of a character introduced in a Deep Space Nine novel, it's obvious there's some sort of "canonical" novel-setting, even if the TV series is not obliged to conform to it. Star Trek The Lost Era is a series of novels that take place during the time period between the 23rd century events of Star Trek Generations Star Trek The Next Generation ( STTNG or TNG) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry This is where fanon and canon often collide, especially when a TV series, movie or other officially canonical source contradicts it. An example is the Trek novel Starfleet: Year One, which appeared in print before the TV series Star Trek: Enterprise was announced, but was completely invalidated by the series. Star Trek Enterprise (simply titled Enterprise prior to season three is a Science fiction Television program created by Brannon Generally, though, in the case of televised fiction, only facts which appear in the as-originally-aired version of a program are considered canonical (including scenes cut from re-runs, but not including such things as deleted scenes and scenes from unaired pilots and other such material that 'leaks out' over the Internet).

Furthermore, the issue is also complicated when the definition of a canon changes well after the fictional universe is established. As an example, in the 1970s and 1980s, there were a number of reference works published by Franz Joseph and FASA Corporation for Star Trek. Franz Joseph (born Franz Joseph Schnaubelt (1914–1994 was an artist and author loosely associated with the 1960’s American television show Star Trek. This article is about a city in Iran. See FASA for the roleplaying game company or the Federated Ambulatory Surgery Association, a trade group representing These books were considered canonical at the time (some even made with the explicit approval of Gene Roddenberry), sanctioned by Paramount Pictures, and were used almost universally by novel and comic book authors, as well as the production staff of the earlier Star Trek movies (information from these manuals appeared as background dialogue in some scenes, and many diagrams were used as computer displays). Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. However, in 1988, as part of the release of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures changed their policies regarding canonicity and stripped these books of their canonical status, as the new series quickly made many changes and revelations which openly contradicted earlier canonical books. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Thus, a book that would be considered completely canonical in 1985 like The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual, would be considered non-canonical in 1995. The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual (ISBN 0345340744 Ballantine Books 1975 reprinted 1986 1996 2006 is a Fiction Reference Book

In some fictional universes, interviews and other communications from authors are also considered canonical — like the letters of J. R. R. Tolkien with relation to Middle-earth; also items such as interviews, Internet chat sessions, and websites (e. The Letters of J R R Tolkien (ISBN 0-618-05699-8 is a selection of J Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J g. , the website of J. K. Rowling in relation to the Harry Potter series). Joanne "Jo" Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965 who writes under the Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J This usually only happens in cases where all works in the universe have the same author.

In almost all cases, fan fiction is not considered canonical, as fan fiction is usually produced by amateurs. Fan fiction (alternately referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF or fic) is a broadly defined term for Fiction about characters or settings Sometimes, however, events or characterizations portrayed in fan fiction can become so influential that they are respected in fiction written by many different authors, and may be mistaken for canonical facts by fans. This is referred to as "fanon". The use of fan fiction to fill gaps or continuity errors in a canon is derisively called "fanwanking," or "fanwank. In Fiction, continuity (also called time-scheme) is consistency of the characteristics of persons plot, objects places and events seen by the reader or " (The terms "fanon" and "fanwank" can apply to officially-licensed works, as well. ) An intentional inversion of the exclusion of fan fiction came in Eric Flint's 1632 universe; in February 2000, fans and other established authors were invited on the Internet forum Baen's Bar to shape the multiverse, and the fan-fic, once vetted, is itself published in the various Grantville Gazettes, themselves under the direct editorial control of Flint and a 1632 editorial board. Eric Flint (born 1947 is an American Alternate history and Fantasy author, editor, and e-publisher. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Baen Books is an American Publishing company established in 1983 by long time Science Fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own The Grantville Gazette (later Grantville Gazette I or more recently yet Grantville Gazette Volume 1) is the first of a series of This is an ongoing process that apparently will continue indefinitely, as the series continues to burgeon in popularity.

Additionally, works of foreign origins (as is the case with most Japanese-produced video games, manga or anime) may have certain details of the original plot changed or modified during the adaptation from one language to another. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly (anime in Japanese, The person in charge of the adaptation may choose to write an adaptation canon in addition to the original canon to maintain consistency when adapting a possible later work such as a sequel or a spinoff, although this is not always the case. An adapted version of the same work can sometime deviate completely from its source material, resulting a separate franchise from the original, as is the case with the Macross and Robotech franchises. is a long-running series of Science fiction Anime, created by Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982 Robotech is a Science fiction franchise that was launched by an 85-episode adaptation of three different Anime Television series.

Examples of fictional canons

Babylon 5

Main article: Babylon 5 Novels, novelizations, short stories, and comic books

Unique to the Babylon 5 universe among virtually all other shared universes is the sanctioned canonicity of many of its offshoot novels and comic book stories; nearly all of the Babylon 5 novels and novelizations to date having been based on outlines written directly by J. Michael Straczynski. Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created produced and largely written by J A shared universe is a Literary technique in which several different authors create works of Fiction that share aspects such as settings or characters and that are Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) known professionally as J The later Del Rey books are considered to be more canonical than some of the earlier Dell ones, although – per Straczynski's own remarks – canonical elements exist in every single book published to date; Straczynski's deeper involvement in the novel-publishing program from 1996 onward having ensured a greater level of canonicity within such works. Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House. Dell Publishing was an American publisher of Books, Magazines, and Comic books.

Buffyverse

Main article: Buffyverse canonical issues

The Buffyverse canon consists of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, as well as the comics The Origin, Fray, Tales of the Vampires, Tales of the Slayers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, and Angel: After The Fall. The Buffyverse canon consists of materials that are thought to be genuine (or "official" and those events characters settings etc " Buffyverse " is a term coined by fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel to refer to the shared Fictional universe in Fictional narratives (and works of art exist beyond their completion e Angel is an American Television series, a Spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Origin is a trade paperback collecting comic stories based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series Fray is an eight-issue Comic book Limited series, a futuristic spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Tales of the Vampires is a five issue American comic book Limited series (later collected in a single trade paperback) published by Tales of the Slayers consists of two items a Graphic novel and a one-shot comic book Tales of the Slayer Broken Bottle of Djinn. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight is a Comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics. Angel After the Fall is a Comic book published by IDW Publishing. All of the tie-in novels and video games, along with most of the comics, are largely considered either non-canon or apocrypha. Some of the comics are written by members of Mutant Enemy writing staff; the canonical status of these materials is still unclear. The 1992 movie is not considered canon. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 action - comedy - Horror film about " Valley girl " cheerleader Buffy A comic adaptation based on Whedon's original script for the film was released, entitled The Origin, and this is considered canon instead.

Command & Conquer

Main article: Command & Conquer

The canon universe of the Command & Conquer franchise of video games is comprised of five main titles (and their respective expansion packs), which together constitute a progressing timeline spanning a period from the early 1950s to the year of 2053, as of the most recent installment. Command & Conquer (often abbreviated as C&C or CNC) is a Video game franchise, mostly of the A media franchise is an Intellectual property involving the characters, setting, and Trademarks of an original work of media (usually A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing Role-playing game, Tabletop game or Video game. ^[1] The interconnecting storylines of these five game titles together are considered the main canonical universe of the C&C franchise, as they were stated by their respective development teams as being directly linked to each other either as prequel or sequels in terms of the overall progressing timeline. A prequel is a work that portrays events and/or aspects of a previously completed narrative but is set prior to the existing narrative A sequel is a work in Literature, Film, or other media that portrays events following those of a previous work ^[1]

Several spin-off titles, of both individual titles in the main series as of the main series itself, have also been produced. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new Organization or Entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a Television series based on a pre-existing They are designated as such because they are stated by their developers as taking place in their own distinct alternate timelines and/or universes, which do not directly connect or contribute to the progressing story portrayed within the main series. Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction ^[2]

DC Universe

Main article: DC Universe

Most, but not all, comic books published by DC Comics (and some titles of the Vertigo Comics imprint) take place in a shared world known as the DC Universe. The DC Universe ( DCU) is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company Vertigo is an Imprint of the American Comic-book publisher DC Comics. The DC Universe ( DCU) is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place The canon of this world comprises all the post-Crisis comics not stated to be set in an alternate universe, except those specifically contradicted by later stories following Zero Hour (most notably, Batman: Year Two, Batman: Son of the Demon and the Action Comics Weekly strip featuring Captain Marvel). Crisis on Infinite Earths is a twelve-issue American comic book Limited series (identified as a "12-part maxi-series" and crossover Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own Zero Hour Crisis in Time is a five-issue Comic book Limited series and crossover storyline published by DC Comics in 1994 Batman Year Two is the title of a four part Story arc featuring Batman written by Mike W Batman: Son of the Demon was a Graphic novel by Jerry Bingham and Mike W Action Comics is an American Comic book series which introduced Superman, the first major Superhero character as the term Captain Marvel is a fictional Comic book Superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. The events may not have occurred exactly as shown, however, owing to the floating timeline. A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in Fiction, particularly in Comics and Animation, to explain why

Appearances of the DC Comics characters in other media are not considered canon; however, the appearance of a Marvel Comics character, Jigsaw, during a Marvel/DC comics publishing crossover, is apparently considered a piece of canon for the adventures of Jean-Paul Valley, aka Azrael, who at one point took up the role of The Batman. In Comic books, an intercompany crossover (also called cross-company or company crossover) is a comic or series of comics where characters published by Azrael ( Jean-Paul Valley) is a Fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created Jigsaw was an enemy of Frank Castle, a Marvel Comics character called The Punisher. The Punisher ( Frank Castle) is a fictional Antihero that appears in the Comic books published by Marvel Comics.

Some discrepancies in the DC Universe's canon (continuity errors) are explained by concepts such as Hypertime or through the use of retcons. Hypertime is a Fictional concept presented in the 1999 DC comic book series The Kingdom, both a catch-all explanation for any continuity Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction

Following the events of the second Crisis (2005) and 52 (2006/7), Batman: Son of the Demon has been written back into continuity as evidenced by Batman & Son. Infinite Crisis is a seven-issue Limited series of Comic books written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Batman: Son of the Demon was a Graphic novel by Jerry Bingham and Mike W "Batman & Son" is a Comic book Story arc from DC Comics by Grant Morrison and Andy Kubert, featuring Batman in Also many Elseworlds stories such as Kingdom Come and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight are now canon, albeit in self-contained alternate universes. Gotham by Gaslight is a DC Comics Graphic novel by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola with inks by P The DC Multiverse is a Fictional continuity construct that is used in DC Comics publications All the stories of the WildStorm Universe also exist in this new Multiverse. The Wildstorm Universe is the main fictional Shared universe where a core of stories published by Wildstorm take place Stories set in the animated universe adapted from DC Comics stories were also integrated into an alternate reality.

Dungeons & Dragons

Main article: Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings

The concept of canon plays an important role in the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons rules means that Dungeon Masters are free to create their own fantasy Campaign settings For those who wanted a A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by Over the years, a number of campaign settings have been published for D&D, each detailing a world or worlds that provide a setting in which the game can be played. A campaign setting is usually a Fictional world which serves as a setting for a Role-playing game or Wargame campaign There are two types of canon issues that arise from this situation.

The first issue is intra-setting canon, which deals with the backstory, locations and gameplay dynamics considered to be canon within a specific setting. Because D&D generally falls into the fantasy sub-genre of sword-and-sorcery, canon discrepancies can arise beyond just the typical issues in fiction of history, plot and character. Sword and sorcery ( S&S) is a fantasy subgenre generally characterized by swashbuckling heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts For example, debates regarding canon within a given setting may include such arcana as the source of various magical powers and how they operate within the setting. Theological issues related to the various deities that may exist within the setting occur, as do disagreements regarding the canon cosmology of the setting's universe. This is a list of deities of Dungeons & Dragons, including all of the current gods and powers of the "Core Setting" for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game Cosmology (from Greek grc κοσμολογία - grc κόσμος kosmos, "universe" and grc -λογία -logia) is study

The second type of canon problem that arises in D&D is inter-setting canon, concerned primarily with the relationships between different settings. Many D&D publications have discussed how the various settings are related to each other within the D&D multiverse of various planes of existence, although these relationships are debated or even denied by some fans of the game. Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game, the planes of existence are alternate dimensions.

There is no single "official" canon for D&D. From the very beginnings of the game in the 1970s through to the present, the issue of canon has been left up to each individual Dungeon Master, who runs the game session for the other players. Gamemaster articlegoni goni only info specific to the D&D game should be added here --> In the The Dungeon Master is free to determine which published materials (adventure modules, novels, sourcebooks, video games, comic books, etc. This article is about published adventures specifically for Dungeons & Dragons ) are canonical in his or her own campaign, and how the various D&D rules apply to that campaign.

Nevertheless, D&D players often move between games managed by different Dungeon Masters, and many also congregate for gaming tournaments, play in shared living campaigns, or play the game online with different participants than in their normal gaming sessions. Living Campaigns are part Marketing tool part volunteer Campaign settings, which allow people all over the world to play Role-playing games in a In order to achieve even a basic level of continuity among these various game instances, D&D fans must therefore confront the issue of canon.

To achieve the desired level of continuity, various mechanisms are employed to manage D&D "canon. " The organizers of gaming tournaments, for example, will often specify which sets of rules and conventions are "in force" for tournament gameplay. Living campaigns may attempt to develop a more comprehensive set of canon materials and sourcebooks, such as the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer for the Living Greyhawk campaign. The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (LGG is Living Greyhawk ("LG" is an on-going living campaign using the Dungeons & Dragons Role playing game (RPG rules and based on the World of And for individually-run games, it is common for Dungeon Masters to briefly discuss their own vision of D&D canon with each new player who joins his or her campaign.

Finally, following the emergence of the World Wide Web, a number of websites have arisen that enable players to discuss canon issues and work toward (or reject) canonical norms. The World Wide Web (commonly shortened to the Web) is a system of interlinked Hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. These include the website of Wizards of the Coast,^[3] the intellectual property rights holder and publisher for D&D, as well as fan-run sites such as EN World^[4] and Canonfire!. Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of Games primarily based on Fantasy and Canonfire! is a fan Web site which acts as a repository for information about the World of Greyhawk Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons ^[5]

Gundam

Main article: Gundam

The Gundam anime series, which pioneered the Real Robot mecha genre, is fairly unique in that it includes seven distinct alternative universes, or timelines, in its official canon: the original Universal Century (UC) timeline which began with Mobile Suit Gundam (1979) and continued with Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985) and numerous later sequels; the Future Century (FC) timeline featured in Mobile Fighter G Gundam (1994); the After Colony (AC) timeline featured in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (1995) and Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (1997); the After War (AW) timeline featured After War Gundam X (1996); the Correct Century (CC) timeline featured in Turn A Gundam (1999); the Cosmic Era (CE) timeline introduced in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002) and continued with Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny (2004) and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73: Stargazer (2006); and the current Anno Domini (AD) timeline featured for the first time in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2007). is a Metaseries of English Anime, featuring tiny robots or " Kounans " created by Sunrise studios is a Metaseries of English Anime, featuring tiny robots or " Kounans " created by Sunrise studios (anime in Japanese, is a term first seen in the Super Robot Wars series of video games to describe robots or Mecha that are treated as realistic tools/weapons Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " A timeline is a graphical representation of a Chronological sequence of events also referred to as a Chronology. Universal Century is the English name for the original timeline of the Gundam Anime Metaseries. is a televised Anime series created by Sunrise. Written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network (aired 1985 – 1986) was a televised Anime, part of the Gundam series and a Sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam Future Century (FC is an alternate Gundam timeline used in the Fictional universe of G Gundam. is a Japanese animated Television series directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa ( Giant Robo, Getter Robo Armageddon After Colony is the collective name for works related to the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime series which first aired in 1995 Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, known in Japan as, was an anime series in the Mecha genre and is one of the alternate universe Gundam series Gundam Wing Endless Waltz, known in Japan as, is the sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, both of which are set in the After Colony timeline is an Anime television series from Japan. It is a part of the Gundam franchise that started in 1979, but takes place in an alternate universe called is an Anime television series from Japan. It is a part of the Gundam franchise that started in 1979, but takes place in an alternate universe called is a 50 episode Anime series that aired between 1999 and 2000 on Japan's FNN networks and the anime Satellite television network Animax, created The Cosmic Era ( CE) is the fictional timeline of the Anime television series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and its spinoff projects shortened to Gundam SEED, is an Anime television series and a Manga series by Sunrise. is the second Anime television series set in the Cosmic Era universe of Gundam by Sunrise. is a Side story to the Anime TV series Gundam SEED Destiny. As of July 2006 it is being streamed on Bandai Channel as an Original is the latest television Anime of Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise

The most expansive of these universes is the original Universal Century timeline, which features numerous side stories which take place alongside the main series. A side story in fiction is a form of narrative that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe For example, the OVAs Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Gundam: The 08th MS Team are stories set within the same time period of Mobile Suit Gundam's One Year War but have nothing to do with the characters or situations in Mobile Suit Gundam. abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be The Anime series, is the first Gundam OVA series It was also the first time anyone other than creator Yoshiyuki Tomino was given a chance to direct The Anime series is a twelve-episode Gundam OVA series that takes place during the One-Year War, and depicts the point of view of the common soldier The is a fictional conflict from the Universal Century timeline of the Anime Gundam metaseries Similarly in the Anno Domini timeline, the manga series Gundam 00F is a side story to the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam 00 in much the same way. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly Albums See also List of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 albums Two soundtrack albums have been released by the series Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Original Soundtrack 01 and 02

Alongside the seven canonical timelines, there exists several other non-canonical timelines, such as the universe featured in Super Deformed Gundam and Superior Defender Gundam Force. Super Deformed Gundam or SD Gundam is a series that spawned from the Gundam series is a Japanese Anime series The scenario was created by Yuuichi Abe. There also exists a number of other media set within the seven offical timelines but not considered part of the canon of those universes; these non-canonical media usually come in the form of various manga, novels or video games rather than anime. A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. For example, the novelization of Mobile Suit Gundam changes many aspects of the original anime and is thus not part of the Universal Century canon, despite the novel being written by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the original creator of the Gundam series. is a Japanese Anime creator director screenwriter and novelist

Harry Potter

Main article: Harry Potter

Canon debate is a key focus of the Harry Potter fandom, particularly within fan websites such as The Harry Potter Lexicon. Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J The Harry Potter Lexicon is a fan-created online Encyclopedia of the Harry Potter series In addition to the seven books of the series, as well as the charity books Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages (which contains much material not mentioned in the main series), particular importance is placed upon what is personally said, implied or endorsed by author J.K. Rowling. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2001 book written by English author J Quidditch Through the Ages is both a Fictional book described in the Harry Potter series of novels by the English author J Joanne "Jo" Rowling OBE (born 31 July 1965 who writes under the There are some rare contradictions - for example, while the content of both the films and computer games based on the series have been endorsed by Rowling, new elements introduced within them (such as persons or spells not appearing in the books) are generally not considered canon.

Since the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, much attention has also been paid to Rowling's comments on things never directly mentioned in the books, such as the homosexuality of major character Professor Dumbledore. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore Rowling's statements in interviews and web chats on what `happens' to the books' characters beyond the scope of the novels is also accorded canon status, despite that she has made clear that she does not intend to officiate this information by adding further books to the series.

Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy

Main article: Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy

Every version of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy saga, which has been told and retold as a radio series, a book quintet, a text adventure, a live-action television series and a live-action film, flatly contradicts all the others to some extent. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series This is despite all of this material being written in whole or in part by series creator Douglas Adams. Douglas Noël Adams (11 March 1952 &ndash 11 May 2001 was an English author comic Radio dramatist Which version(s) or details are "canonical", then, is largely a matter of personal preference. Adams acknowledged and embraced these inconsistencies in the preface to the first Omnibus edition of the Hitchhiker books, making The Guide a unique example of self-conscious canonicity.

Marvel Universe

Main article: Marvel Universe

Most, but not all, comic books published by Marvel Comics are set in a shared world known as the Marvel Universe. The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place Marvel Comics is an American comic book company owned by Marvel Publishing Inc The Marvel Universe is the fictional Shared universe where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place The canon for this world comprises all the comics not stated to be set in an alternate universe, except those specifically contradicted by later stories. Parallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own The events may not have occurred exactly as shown, however, owing to the floating timeline (For instance, during the 1960s, Ben Grimm said he had fought in World War II alongside Nick Fury; during the 2000s, Grimm himself considered that the idea of him fighting in World War II was ridiculous, as he would be much older). A floating timeline (also known as a sliding timescale) is a device used in Fiction, particularly in Comics and Animation, to explain why The Thing ( Benjamin "Ben" Jacob Grimm) is a Fictional character, a founding member of the Superhero team known as the Fantastic Four World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics

Alternate universes in Marvel Comics include, for example, the "Ultimate" line of Marvel comics, which have their own canon independent of the core Marvel universe.

Appearances of the Marvel Comics characters in other media are not considered canon. One of the few exceptions is the video game version of Ultimate Spider-Man, which was made with the intention of being canon. Ultimate Spider-Man is a Video game based on the Comic book of the same name by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley

Middle-earth

Main article: Middle-earth canon

Defining the Middle-earth canon is difficult, because many key writings were not published by J. R. R. Tolkien before his death. Middle-earth canon is a term used in Tolkien fandom to promote the ideas of a Fictional canon within the writings of J Middle-earth refers to the fictional lands where most of the stories of author J A considerable number of Tolkien fans do not believe that a canon can be defined at all, preferring to observe the evolution of Tolkien's stories in the many versions and drafts published posthumously in The History of Middle-earth series. Tolkien fandom is an international informal community of fans of the works of J The History of Middle-earth is a 12-volume series of books published from 1983 through 1996 that collect and analyse material relating to the fiction of J Most, however, agree that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are canon, and also include a substantial amount of material published in The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and other posthumous books, as well as information from Tolkien's letters. The Hobbit or There and Back Again is an award-winning fantasy The Lord of the Rings is an epic The Silmarillion is a collection of J R R Tolkien 's mythopoeic works edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in Unfinished Tales (full title Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth) is a collection of stories and essays by J The Letters of J R R Tolkien (ISBN 0-618-05699-8 is a selection of J Works outside of canon include fan fiction (like Nick Perumov's "Ring of Darkness"), art books (except for the collections of Tolkien's own art) and video games; the Lord of the Rings movies by Ralph Bakshi and Peter Jackson are generally considered non-canonical, as well. Nick Perumov ( Ник Перумов) is the Pen name of Nikolay Daniilovich Perumov ( Николай Даниилович Перумов) Ralph Bakshi (born October 29 1938 is an American director of animated and occasionally live-action films Peter Robert Jackson, CNZM (born 31 October 1961 is a three-time Academy Award -winning New Zealand director producer and writer best known for directing However, there are a group of Tolkien fans, sometimes called "Continuationists" who consider Roleplaying games, Video Games and the films as canon, unless they contradict with Tolkien's own works.

Oz

See also: List of Oz books and List of published Oz Apocrypha

Defining the Land of Oz canon is done in many different ways. Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->The Oz books form a Reilly & Lee, The International Wizard of Oz Club, and those from major high-profile publishers are covered on the List of Oz books page Oz is a fairy The term "canon" for the Oz books was used as early as 1976, in The Oz Scrapbook by David L. Greene and Dick Martin. Dickinson P Martin ( June 29, 1927 &ndash February 14, 1990) was an artist from Chicago who illustrated a number of books related James Thurber considered only the first two books canon, while some consider only the first book canon and the sequels to be moneymaking exercises. James Grover Thurber ( December 8, 1894 &ndash November 2, 1961) was an American Humorist and Cartoonist. The series was continued by other writers who openly took credit for their work, unlike, for example, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, which has caused many a fan, especially a young fan, to aspire to write their own additions to the canon. The Stratemeyer Syndicate was the producer of a number of series for children and adults including the Nancy Drew mysteries The Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift While many consider the fourteen L. Frank Baum books to be the true canon, most often, including for Greene and Martin, the canon is referred to as the forty books published by Reilly & Lee, including the fourteen books of Baum (though Reilly & Lee did not publish The Wonderful Wizard of Oz until it fell into the public domain in 1956), the nineteen by Ruth Plumly Thompson, three by longtime illustrator John R. Neill, two by Jack Snow, one by Rachel R. Cosgrove and one by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren McGraw Wagner. Lyman Frank Baum ( May 15 1856 &ndash May 5 1919) was an American Author, Actor, and Independent filmmaker The Reilly and Britton Company, or Reilly & Britton (after 1919 Reilly & Lee) was an American publishing company of the early and middle 20th century famous as the Ruth Plumly Thompson ( July 27, 1891 - April 6, 1976) was an American writer of children's stories John Rea Neill ( November 12, 1877 - September 13, 1943) was a Magazine and Children's book Illustrator primarily John Frederick "Jack" Snow ( August 15, 1907 &ndash July 13, 1956) was an American Radio Writer and Rachel R Cosgrove Payes, also known as EL Arch and Joanne Kaye (11 December 1922 Westernport Maryland - 10 October 1998 Brick New Jersey was an American Eloise Jarvis McGraw ( December 9, 1915 - November 30, 2000) was an author of children's books. Eloise Jarvis McGraw ( December 9, 1915 - November 30, 2000) was an author of children's books. Some include even more books, particularly the additional books by these authors, including one by Baum (another is hard to reconcile with the canon, however), two by Thompson, two by McGraw, one by Cosgrove, and one by illustrator Dick Martin. Dickinson P Martin ( June 29, 1927 &ndash February 14, 1990) was an artist from Chicago who illustrated a number of books related Some would go further and add the books of Eric Shanower, who illustrated some of these "deuterocanonical" books (as The International Wizard of Oz Club refers to them), particularly since his writing and illustrations are generally both well-received. Eric James Shanower (b October 23 is an American Comics Artist and Writer, best known for his Oz novels and comics and the on-going retelling The International Wizard of Oz Club Inc is a society founded during 1957 by Justin G This is still a matter of much debate and one there is no firm agreement on. For example, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is very important to the world-building of the countries that surround Oz and the immortal races that live on the continent, but some have excluded it from canon because Santa Claus is tied to Christianity and others because it is not in accord with what later Oz writers, including Thompson and Robin Hess, have written about Santa Claus. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a 1902 Children's book, written by L Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply " Santa " is the Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings

Sherlock Holmes

Main article: Canon of Sherlock Holmes

The Sherlock Holmes canon consists of the stories and novels written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Traditionally the canon of Sherlock Holmes consists of the fifty-six Short stories and four Novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the This was decided by the Baker Street Irregulars, a group of Holmes enthusiasts, to distinguish the original stories from the pastiches that followed Holmes' retirement, and is probably the first use of the word in this context. The Baker Street Irregulars are any of several different groups all named after the original from various Sherlock Holmes stories The word pastiche describes a literary or other artistic Genre. However, certain Conan Doyle items were disregarded for other reasons and additions to the current canon of sixty mysteries has been discussed.

Star Trek

Main article: Star Trek canon

The Star Trek canon consists of the television series Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Enterprise, and the ten Star Trek movies. The Star Trek canon is usually defined as comprising the television series ''Star Trek'', Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek Deep Space Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through Star Trek The Next Generation ( STTNG or TNG) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry Star Trek Enterprise (simply titled Enterprise prior to season three is a Science fiction Television program created by Brannon Originally, there was little official policy on canon, and Star Trek: The Animated Series and some books like The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual were apparently canonical (and excerpts from them were even used onscreen in the early movies). Star Trek The Animated Series (also known as The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry 's Star Trek) is an Emmy Award winning The Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual (ISBN 0345340744 Ballantine Books 1975 reprinted 1986 1996 2006 is a Fiction Reference Book However, circa 1987, when Star Trek: The Next Generation was debuting, Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Pictures agreed on a new canon policy that made Star Trek: The Animated Series non-canonical, as well as removing the canon status of all technical manuals and novels. Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry (August 19 1921 &ndash October 24 1991 was an American Screenwriter and producer. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. Gene Roddenberry further stated that some elements from the films Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country were "slightly apocryphal". Star Trek V The Final Frontier ( Paramount Pictures, 1989) is the fifth feature Film based on the Star Trek Science Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film based on the Star Trek Science fiction Television series. The writers and production staff of Star Trek have also said in interviews and DVD commentaries that they unofficially struck the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Threshold" from canon, and made no references to the events of that episode after it was made; however, being a live-action, televised story, it remains within the general guidelines typically followed by Paramount/CBS Studios to determine canonicity. " Threshold " is the 31st episode of Star Trek Voyager, the 15th episode in the second season ^[6]

The canonicity of the various reference books such as The Star Trek Encyclopedia and various companions accompanying the series are still debated. The Star Trek Encyclopedia A Reference Guide to the Future is an Encyclopedia of all the In-universe information from the Star Trek Many consider such reference works to be canon, while others do not; there is currently no clear answer solving this problem. Much of the information from the The Star Trek Encyclopedia and The Star Trek Chronology comes directly from the television series and movies, which themselves are considered canon, and the books were written by people who worked on the production staff, and sometimes were used as internal references. A similar problem exists with trading cards cataloguing information from the series. A trading card (or collectible card) is a small Card, usually made out of Cardboard or thick Paper, which usually contains an image of a

Paramount has made a formal comment on its website^[7] about what items are considered canon, calling the concept "fluid". The canonical nature of Star Trek (2008) within established Star Trek continuity, however, remains in doubt. Star Trek is a Science fiction film directed by J J Abrams and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. The writers stated in a interview^[8] that although the film will be staying true to the Star Trek universe, it will also be a re-imagining (though they have also assured that it will not be changed to the same degree as the second Battlestar Galactica show was from its original). Battlestar Galactica is a franchise of Science fiction Films and television series, the first of which was produced in 1978 Many fans now believe that the film will attempt to retcon the visual look (and possibly story elements) of Star Trek: The Original Series. Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction Star Trek is a Science fiction Television series created by Gene Roddenberry that aired from September 8, 1966 through

Star Wars

Main article: Star Wars canon

The Star Wars canon is a complex issue, and Lucas Licensing has devised a four-level system called the Holocron continuity database to keep track of the Star Wars canon. The Star Wars canon consists of the six Star Wars feature films along with all officially licensed non-contradicting spin-off works to the Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded A Holocron is an artifact in the Star Wars Expanded universe. The purpose of this database is to chronicle all Star Wars stories, and settle any disputes that may arise within the various productions. The basic rule, however, is that the Star Wars canon comprises the six Star Wars films, along with all officially licensed Star Wars stories not contradicting the films.

The DK Guide to the entire universe utilizes many spin-offs to help describe the six films. Derivative works such as the Star Wars books have aimed to be completely in continuity with each other and with the Star Wars movies.

Transformers

Main article: Transformers (fiction)

The Transformers canon is unusual, in that there at least four completely distinct Transformers universes; one consisting of the universe introduced in 1984 with the "Generation One" series and extended through the Beast Wars and Transformers: Universe series, the stand-alone Transformers: Robots in Disguise series, the Unicron Trilogy, consisting of the Armada, Energon, and Cybertron lines, and the world featured in the 2007 live-action feature film. The Transformers is a line of toys produced by the toy companies Takara and Hasbro. Beast Wars Transformers ( Beasties on YTV, due to YTV discomfort over the name is a Transformers toyline released by Hasbro Transformers Universe is a line of toys consisting of repainted re-releases from various Transformers toy lines Transformers Robots in Disguise is the title of the 2001 English- dubbed version of the Japanese television series Transformers Car Robot The Unicron Trilogy is a series of Television programs Comic books and toy franchises in the Transformers maxi-series Even within these completely disparate universes, there are multiple stories that contradict each other; for instance, under the banner of "Generation One" are several completely different comic book series from four different publishers, the Japanese "Headmasters" series, which openly replaces the events of the U. S. "Rebirth" miniseries, as well as gamebooks, coloring books, audio cassettes, young adult novels, and video games, as well as the toy packaging itself, all of which take various liberties with the same characters. A gamebook is a Book that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices that affect the course of the narrative which branches down various paths through the As such, the Transformers universe includes such problems as multiple origin stories for the Constructicons and Optimus Prime. The Constructicons (known as Buildrons in Japan) are a group of fictional characters from the Transformers universe This refers to the original character For other uses see Optimus Prime (disambiguation Optimus Prime (known as Convoy in Japan

The general position of Hasbro, owners of the line, is that all Transformer stories are in fact true, and exist in multiple and separate alternate universes, so that the Marvel Comics stories are just as true as the coloring books, which are as true as the animated shows. Hasbro ( is an American Toy company It is one of the largest toy makers in the world second only to the toy giant Mattel. All of these universes are connected by the existence of Primus and Unicron, who are singularities; they exist in all of the Transformer universes, even if they are not necessarily referenced in some of them. Primus is the "benevolent" godlike entity in the fictional Transformers comic universe who fought against the Chaos-Bringer Unicron. Unicron is a Fictional character from the ''Transformers'' universe and toyline. Primus, for example, was not mentioned at all in the original Transformers cartoon under the "Generation One" banner, but Unicron appeared in the animated movie and in subsequent episodes of the TV series. However, in Beast Wars, Primus was directly referenced by optimus Primal in the season 2 season finale. Beast Wars and it's companion series Beast Machines are stated to take place at some point in the future of the cartoon series, though certain elements such as referencing the name of the Autobots spacecraft by the name 'the Ark' are elements introduced in Marvel's comic book as the base was never named in the cartoon. ^[9]

See also

• Whoniverse, an example of a lack of canon
• Cthulhu Mythos, the shared universe for Lovecraftian horror

Canonical terms in fiction

• Apocrypha (fiction)
• Bible (writing)
• Fanon
• Retcon

References

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