MarioWiki:Canonicity: Difference between revisions

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The '''Canon''' of a series is a classification of which events actually occurred and which characters, locations, etc. actually exist within the series' fictional universe.  Creators of series occasionally issue official statements as to canon, thus creating an official canonPresently, '''the ''[[Mario (series)|Super Mario]]'' series and its spin-offs do not have an official canon.  Therefore, under no circumstances should any user argue that any official source does not apply because it is "non-canon." Whether a source is canon or non-canon to another source is of no importance to the articles.  Since there is no canon, any assertion that a canon does exist is speculation, and therefore does not belong on the articles.'''  However, there are hints at a continuity within the series.  This concept is explored at length in ''[[MarioWiki:Chronology]]''.
The '''canon''' of a franchise is a system of classification that separates official media products from unofficial media products, therefore determining which characters, locations, events, etc. "actually" exist in a series' fictional universe.  Many franchises have official canons established by creators of the series, companies owning franchise trademarks, and other sources of authorityUnlike many other franchises, '''the ''[[Mario (series)|Super Mario]]'' series and its many spin-offs do not have an officially recognized canon.  Therefore all media products created with any type of approval by [[Nintendo]] are considered canonical.''' Arguments over canonicity (canon vs. non-canon) are purely speculative, and are of no importance to wiki articles.  All official sources can be considered canonical and should be treated as such by all users.  While information in an article may be divided into sections about the "main" series, spin-off series, alternative media, etc., '''this does not mean any source of information is more canonical than the other.  In no way should the organization of wiki articles be considered an assertion of what is canon in the ''Super Mario'' series.'''  Instead, the organization of an article is simply a way to convey information in the most effective and efficient manner possible.


The issue at hand is that certain sources are not directly linked to the rest of the series' continuityFor example, ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' can be considered to be in a separate timeline from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' or take place prior (live-action segments) and after (cartoon segments) the events of the video gameFor this reason, the ''Super Mario Wiki'' wishes to clarify that in no way should its organization of articles be considered an assertion of canonicity in the ''Super Mario'' series. Rather, our organization is simply a way to convey information in the clearest manner possible.
Of course this does not mean there are not discrepancies between different media in the Super Mario franchiseHowever, since there is no official canon, all representations are of equal canonicity, even if they disagree with each other. Discrepancies should be noted in articles, but not speculated on. Essentially, it is perfectly fine to include disagreements created by different media productsOur goal is to cover the entire ''Super Mario'' series, not to resolve discrepancies between different sources of information.  Ultimately it is of no importance whether a particular source is "more canonical" than another source.
 
Lastly, it should be noted that any information that is made up by fans (including fan-made stories and video games) are considered '''non-canonical'''. [[Beta Elements]] are also non-canonical, as they were not released in the final version of the game.
 
==See Also==
*''[[MarioWiki:Chronology|Chronology]]''.


Our goal is to cover the entire ''Super Mario'' series.  Thus, it is of little to no importance whether or not a particular source is canon to another source.
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Revision as of 13:55, November 19, 2008

The canon of a franchise is a system of classification that separates official media products from unofficial media products, therefore determining which characters, locations, events, etc. "actually" exist in a series' fictional universe. Many franchises have official canons established by creators of the series, companies owning franchise trademarks, and other sources of authority. Unlike many other franchises, the Super Mario series and its many spin-offs do not have an officially recognized canon. Therefore all media products created with any type of approval by Nintendo are considered canonical. Arguments over canonicity (canon vs. non-canon) are purely speculative, and are of no importance to wiki articles. All official sources can be considered canonical and should be treated as such by all users. While information in an article may be divided into sections about the "main" series, spin-off series, alternative media, etc., this does not mean any source of information is more canonical than the other. In no way should the organization of wiki articles be considered an assertion of what is canon in the Super Mario series. Instead, the organization of an article is simply a way to convey information in the most effective and efficient manner possible.

Of course this does not mean there are not discrepancies between different media in the Super Mario franchise. However, since there is no official canon, all representations are of equal canonicity, even if they disagree with each other. Discrepancies should be noted in articles, but not speculated on. Essentially, it is perfectly fine to include disagreements created by different media products. Our goal is to cover the entire Super Mario series, not to resolve discrepancies between different sources of information. Ultimately it is of no importance whether a particular source is "more canonical" than another source.

Lastly, it should be noted that any information that is made up by fans (including fan-made stories and video games) are considered non-canonical. Beta Elements are also non-canonical, as they were not released in the final version of the game.

See Also