Hey guys,
Today, we’re announcing the tentative draft of Stranger Things Wiki’s new Canon Hierarchy!
Before we get into details, let’s make sure we’re more or less on the same page:
What is ‘canon’?
Canon is a slightly confusing term, with multiple definitions:
The English word “canon” is derived from the Greek kanon, which translates as “rod,” “measuring stick,” or to “rule.”
In academic theory, "canon" simply refers to a body of literature, created by one or more authors. Going by this old-school definition, just the fact that a fictional work exists is enough to consider it "part" of a literary/historical canon. For example, all of William Shakespeare’s plays could be described as its own ‘canon’.
However, another definition of canon has developed in recent years, along with the popularisation of the ‘fictional universe’, and the fan bases that surround them. In this context, canon is the material accepted by a fan base as an official part of a fictional universe, and/or the stories within. So going off this definition, all of Shakespeare’s plays would exist in their own separate fictional universes.
However, things quickly get complicated: what if two stories - apparently belonging to the same universe - contradict one another?
It should be acknowledged that, ultimately, all these stories are simply just that: stories, and often made by different creators. Some level of discontinuity is inevitable, and should be expected.
Having said that, canon is a useful concept for making sense of these stories, and the greater universe or timeline that may (or may not!) connect them. And to do that, many fan bases – and wikis, especially – rely on a canon hierarchy.
What is a Canon Hierarchy?
A canon hierarchy is a fan-made tiered system that makes sense of the various sources of information pertaining to a fictional universe. The fans decide to place certain sources in higher or lower tiers. So, if there’s two sources that explicitly contradict one another, the information coming from the source in the higher tier essentially overrules the other source, and is assumed to be “more canonical”.
As Stranger Things, both as a series and media franchise, continues to grow, it’s important that our wiki finally implements a canon hierarchy (again, similar to many other wikis!). We hope putting clear, informative guidelines in place should help to reduce confusion and arguments among fans.
So, with all that out of the way, this is the canon hierarchy that we staff at Stranger Things Wiki are proposing!
The proposed Canon Hierarchy
Stories/sources of info from higher tiers are assumed to overrule those from lower tiers:
Tier 1:
Spoken dialogue/information and on-screen events depicted in episodes of Stranger Things.
Tier 2:
Non-spoken information contained in episodes of Stranger Things - e.g. info derived from props, sets, graphics, etc.
Information originating from the series' creators and production team.
Includes: interviews, casting calls, behind the scenes footage, teleplays, etc.
Tier 3:
Information originating from officially licensed works without direct involvement from the series' creators and/or creative team - e.g. comics, novels, video games, etc.
Information about relevant real-world events - e.g. the Cold War, Project MKUltra, etc.
Information originating from the series' cast.
And here’s a fun diagram that’ll be viewable on the Canon Policy page:
It’s very important to note: this hierarchy is only relevant when there’s a conflict between multiple sources. Just because a story or piece of information is deemed to be on Tier 2 or 3, doesn’t automatically mean it is non-canon. This whole hierarchy idea is kind of like a mechanism that is only ‘activated’ in certain situations. (It’s like a cheese-trap, except the mouse is a Demogorgon, or something…)
If there’s a conflict between two sources from the same tier, we accept both interpretations as equally valid, and that decision will be reflected in how the relevant articles are written.
Also important to note: just because we deem a source to be non-canon/'less canon'/ ‘overruled’, doesn’t mean that info shouldn’t be on the wiki; that information should still be included, because it’s still part of the ‘historical canon’ of Stranger Things-related material. It just needs to be written and incorporated in a slightly different way.
Besides, the wiki is not actually a final authority on what and what isn’t canon when it comes to Stranger Things, and we don’t claim to be. We simply hope we can provide a useful guide to what exists out there, and help people arrive at their own conclusions.
Why are the comics and books in Tier 3?
Comics, books and video games are currently placed in Tier 3, because there have already been numerous examples of these sources being in conflict with what is presented in the series. So by default, whenever a contradiction arises, we think it makes sense to honor the version of events shown in the series above what is presented in other media.
Now, over to you…
We staff shouldn’t be the only ones determining the creation and maintenance of this new system; it’s important we’re receptive to a range of opinions and perspectives.
So, please: if you have any questions or criticisms about the proposed hierarchy, let us know, and we’ll try to get back to you. Even after the hierarchy is introduced, it won’t be set in stone, and subject to community feedback. We’ll also be keeping tabs on other Stranger Things communities across the Internet, to see what they think about the state of canon.
Anyhow, that’s all for now! Feel free to drop a comment below.
cheers,
~the STW team
