Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Books...Half-Canon?

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Posted by Nemesis (Member # 255) on :

Ok, i know not all books are considered canon (except the ones from Jeri Taylor), but can we consider some facts canon?
Example: The promotion of Jellico to Admiral (New Frontier books),
the promotion of Nechayev to Fleet Admiral (five pips) and Captain of the USS Sovereign (Shatner books and the new Genesis Wave book).

What do you think? Are there other common issues among the books that can be considered canon?

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Okay, here's concept nobody ever seems to grasp... Canon is not defined by whoever decides they want to. Canon is the stuff the writers are supposed to consider "real" for the purposes of the Trek universe. Therefore, unless TPTB take the unlikely action of declaring some book canon (which only might happen w/ the Taylor books, but almost certainly no others), nothing in any book, save things that have been in the show/movies, is canon, in any way, shape, or form.

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Posted by Obi Juan (Member # 90) on :

Has anything from a book ever been directly lifted into a movie (series)?
I would say that chances of the Jeri Taylor stuffing becoming cannon dropped to about nil when she gave up her exec producer spot on Voyager.
Most of the writers feel overly constrained by having to worry about past episodes, let alone having to worry about thirty years worth of books (many of which are crap) which cannot even retain continuity with eachother or the series.
Can writers freely lift stuff from books, or do they have to get some sort of release from the authors?

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

I'm not sure it has ever come up, but I would guess that Trek novels are done under a work-for-hire scheme, making them products of Paramount to do with as they please.

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Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :

NO! Paramount does not equal Star Trek

Canon can be very personal. Star Trek is what you make of it. If you want to consider things canon, go right ahead, we're not (all) canon-nazi's here

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Posted by Spike (Member # 322) on :

My definition: Events that take place within the episodes and movies are canon. So TOS, TAS (it doesn't matter to me, what Roddenberry said), TNG, DS9, VOY and all movies are canon.
All books are non-canon, TMs are non-canon (although they contain lot of canon stuff), comics are non-canon, RPGs are non-canon, games are non-canon.

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Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

What's TM?

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Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :

Technical Manual.

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

But that's not "canon". That's "what you consider 'real' Trek". People are using the term "canon" much, much too loosely.

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"It's like the Star of David or something. But without the whole Judaism thing."
-Frank Gerratana, 17-Aug-2000

Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

Confucious says: "Man who attempts to define Trek reality must possess canon balls."

Sorry, couldn't resist.

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Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

Canon shmanon.

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Posted by Dukhat (Member # 341) on :

*LOL*

Actually, the episode where Janeway "dies" and meets her father was especially made to reinforce her backstory as told in "Mosaic" and "Pathways." However, other parts of those books were contradictory to later episodes, so again its semi-canon nature comes under debate.

In my opinion as a ST novel reader, there are several books out there which are astoundingly good in subject matter and detail. Unfortunately, with the amount of these books churning out of the publishing companies every month, and the fact that Star Trek episodes are still being made, they all tend to start contradicting themselves more and more when viewed as a whole. With the authors using Okuda's encyclopedia and chronology more, the books are at least becoming more consistent, but I doubt there will ever be a truly "canon" novel that won't contradict anything that came before or after it.
(Even the novelizations of the movies and occasional episodes aren't 100% true to their viewed versions; sometimes authors tend to add new things or change others to suit their personal writing.)

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Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :

You see, there's canon, and then there's personal canon. I love personal canon.

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Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Custom tailored Trek!!!

�on Flux, "Thanatophobia"