I saw an interesting phrase yesterday on an online 10 of the Best site [there are tons of them!]. The phrase was 'the burden of canon' and was referring to some plot twist or other in the US superhero TV series, Arrow.
Now the word canon is not one I bandy about at all as I'm very unsure of its meaning and how to use it. I assume that it refers to the unfolding backstory of a superhero like Arrow or Thor or someone equally fabulous. The first question I would have to ask is whether canon is restricted to Superheroes and...... maybe even just comics?
However, I'm pretty sure I've heard mention of the Star Wars canon though, so it must also embrace films, film franchises, sequels etc.
So, getting back to that phrase, 'the burden of canon'. Its fascinating to me that a canon could be a burden, but I suppose that any backstory with its own characters and history will determine in some way what comes next and thus restrict the writer/ artist/ producer etc.
In terms of what we speak most often about on this blog, the Project SWORD canon would, I presume, include everything that has been officially published - Solo, TV21, Annuals, Letts Diary, Make a Model Books - together with all the toys and associated material like the badges, instruction sheets and Manual.
I wrestled with this very idea way back in the original Checklist I did when I classified toys and publications as either 'true SWORD' or not. For instance, I marked SpaceX and Golden Astronaut as not true SWORD.
Was this correct? They share some of the same vehicle designs and Jack Rosenthal was involved in both lines. Are they 'canon'? [can you even say that? 'are they canon?']
But what about something clearly tangential like, say, the Randy Rayder LP, which includes a version of Probe Force 1 called Athena on the cover and in the gatefold comic? Is that part of the Project SWORD canon? Just the cover and comic art or the whole story on the LP and what's written in the comic [which has no SWORD content whatsoever] ?
The newly discovered American Tarheel Project SWORD Spectrum Patrol Car is another useful example too. It clearly says Project SWORD on the box but we know the vehicle has been hijacked from Captain Scarlet and is most likely the Century 21 SPC anyway! Is it part of the SWORD canon? The question is even trickier if you consider anything other than Century 21 Toys both on the box and in the box to be unauthentic.
I wonder if this is what the burden of canon refers to? More likely perhaps, its to do with tying a story [or toy line?] into what has gone before. I can imagine that Star Wars fans have a problem with the 1978 TV Holiday Special as its just so awful but because all the original cast are in it then surely its canon?
What are your thoughts about canon readers?
The burden of canon only affects the pedantic . I've read views from some fans who categorically state that stories in TV21 and other retated media are not canon when it comes to Thunderbirds. If it ain't in the series, it ain't canon, end of story, they say!
ReplyDeleteWell, it's a fair point, and these self appointed experts are entitled to their opinion of course, although, as a minor point of order, I'm sure The Hood as a title, is only named in related media and not in the original series, so i guess if that question comes up in a Pub Quiz, what's the right answer?
The whole idea and definition of "canon" comes to us from early Sherlock Holmes fans. There are contradictions and inconsistencies within Arthur Conan Doyle's stories; fans then puzzle out how to reconcile them, find clues to things that were never explained, and argue over which explanations are the "right" ones. And then there's the whole question of stories by others, movies, television shows -- do any of them count as "real" or should they all be dismissed?
ReplyDeleteDoctor Who fandom wrestles with this constantly, with all those comic strips and novels and episodes that contradict one another, and Star Trek and superhero comics have it as well. It's inevitable when you get one character (or set of characters) being used by many different people over a long period of time and no one person in charge, combined with the desire to treat all stories about a character as if they're the biography of one individual with internal consistency.
Very interesting guys and thanks for your feedback. I have since realised that the word canon does have religious overtones i.e. a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine e.g. "the biblical canon". As such, the canon of a certain character's storyline or lines is perhaps something hallowed, something not to be messed around with maybe? This would not affect Project SWORD unless you were asked to write an official story perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI think within the Anderson universe there are even plot holes within the individual series. Within Thunderbirds 32 episodes and two cinema films, within Captain Scarlet ect etc. The TV21 expanded and linked universe also had plot holes.
ReplyDeleteThat therefore said, it's understandable that some fans can ignore the plot holes that prevent linking of say old and new Captain Scarlet series or... Thunderbirds!
Ultimately it's down to what works for the individual. After all, if we can suspend disbelief to be entertained by puppets, surely it's possible to accept that there will be more than one interpretation?
One of my best friends insists that the new incarnation of Thunderbirds is simply a continuation of the earlier series set a few years later. I don't completely accept that, but I have found its fun to watch it with that mindset.
And surely it's all about fun and entertainment? Well, always been about that for me
As far as fictional story lines are concerned, I entirely agree with Bill Everatt. It -should- be about fun and entertainment. But if some individuals enjoy delving deeper and try to reconcile things to their satisfaction, then good luck to them. So long as it doesn't all get turned into a wikipedia war. :)
ReplyDeleteAs to old toys like Sword and in my case Spacex, I've found that a "canon" isn't much use, because every once in a while a new piece of evidence emerges from the "fossil record" that is real and tangible and may influence the story (such as it is in my mind at least) in some way or other.
To keep things simple, I take the production period of Spacex as a yardstick. Anything coming before that could be a design inspiration (comic strips, aerospace projects etc), anything later could be "inspired by" (toy copies). Then there's a few "cousins" being similar toys based on the same sources (the R&L Molab, Corgi Bond Buggy or the Paya Jeep Lunar) and "appearances" such as a Spacex toy used on a book cover - where they could've picked any other toy, so the relationship is arbitrary.
The main difference between a canon for fictional characters and a "story as I understand it now" for toys is that the toys are real, and however they got to be happened in one single series of events only. I can guess at how that series of events took place, and try and make conclusions based on what I have in front of me. But the last thing I'll do is take it as the absolute truth, unless I have hard evidence in front of me.
Best -- Paul
I interpret Cannon as being the 'accepted' story from a number of collected works. Immediately you have two points of argument...firstly what is accepted, by whom and why, and secondly who decided which works were to be included in the 'collected' and why!
ReplyDeleteGiven that more people have probably died or been killed in or as a by-product of all the religious wars fought over Cannon, than all the 'any other reason' wars, ever, it's best to give Cannon a wide berth and make it up as you go along, retaining tolerance for other peoples views!
As Project Sword is primarily a collection of physical objects (to which written 'explanations' were added) rather than 'works' of philosophical or religious zeal, I think - for the purposes of your research point - if it exists, it's 'Cannon'! The use of Cannon for things like Star Wars and Super Hero's is the pretension of nerds, and 'Expanded Universe' does the job better, with room for anomalies...in Cannon, anomalies give rise to breakaway sects, and breakaway sects lead to bloodshed!
I'm not an atheist because there's no words for people who don't believe in pixies, faeries, zombies or the flying spaghetti monster!
H
You'll have to mentally delete the 2nd 'n's as you go! Doh!
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's the burden Hugh, the 2nd N.
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