View source for Stranger Things Wiki:Canon Policy

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''Stranger Things Wiki'''s '''canon policy''' is the product of [[Stranger Things Wiki talk:Canon Policy|community consensus]] and is subject to change. 

Although ''[[Stranger Things]]'' is a relatively small franchise, conflicts between sources nevertheless arise. A [[Stranger Things Wiki:Canon Policy#The hierarchy|'canon hierarchy']] has been established to determine which sources take precedence, in the event multiple pieces of information explicitly contradict one another.
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==Background==
[[Netflix]] and the [[Duffer Brothers]] jointly own the rights to ''[[Stranger Things]]''. While the fine details of their agreement are unknown, it seems Netflix holds exclusive distribution rights to the series, while the Duffers, being the series creators, are probably the ultimate owners of the ''Stranger Things'' intellectual property.<ref>[https://help.netflix.com/en/node/4976 "How Netflix licenses TV shows and movies"] ''Netflix Help Center''.</ref><ref>[https://www.thewrap.com/netflix-stranger-things-copyright-infringement-lawsuit "Netflix, ‘Stranger Things’ Creators Sued for Copyright Infringement"] ''The Wrap''. July 16, 2020.</ref>

In 2016, the [[Stranger Things/Season 1|first season]] of ''Stranger Things'' was released. Following the first season's success, the series quickly spawned an accompanying multimedia franchise, spanning [[:Category:Books|books]], [[:Category:Comics|comics]] and [[:Category:Video games|games]].

However, the Duffers's contributions to the expanded media are inconsistent and are generally insubstantial. They sometimes place hard limits on what other writers can explore in their stories, but beyond that, tend to not be actively involved in the creation of those stories.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkF34yGGEGg "Star Wars, Stranger Things & Harley Quinn w/ Comics Writer Jody Houser"] ''io9''. November 20, 2019.</ref><ref name="aug11">[https://www.indiewire.com/2022/08/duffer-brothers-stranger-things-season-4-scream-1234750885/ “The Duffer Brothers Think They’ll Stay Away From New Characters in ‘Stranger Things 5’”] ''IndieWire''. August 5, 2022.</ref> 

Furthermore, it has become increasingly clear that the expanded media does not usually factor into the Duffers' creative process. As a result, details from much of the expanded media are '''''in conflict''''' with what the main series presents.

''Stranger Things Wiki'' covers the events of the series, all of the expanded media, and all other officially licensed ''Stranger Things'' material. However, we've created a system to determine what is and isn't '''''canon''''' - at least, according to us...

==Defining canon==
The term <big>[[Wikipedia:Canon (fiction)|'canon']]</big>, by and large, describes the business of determining what material "counts", when making sense of a story and/or fictional universe.<ref>[[Wikipedia:Canon (fiction)|Canon (fiction)]] on ''Wikipedia''</ref>

Canon is a somewhat controversial topic. Any attempt to insist upon a 'correct' version of events within a fictional universe, no matter how well-reasoned, will always be flawed, just due to ''the nature of what fiction is'' - it’s all made-up! A degree of discontinuity is almost always inevitable, and should be expected. Even the Duffer Brothers have been tripped up by inconsistencies ''within their own writing'' ([[Will Byers#General|the issues surrounding Will Byers’s birthday]] being a prime example).

Having said that, canon ''is'' important. When a franchise becomes laden with continuity issues, it’s in the best interest of fans to have those issues pointed out to them. This way, fans can make informed decisions when purchasing expanded media, and form level-headed expectations for what the future of that franchise may hold. Insisting upon a strict canon may also incentivise the powers-that-be to ''make sure'' the series and expanded media better connect with one another.

To this end, ''Stranger Things Wiki'' has devised a '''canon hierarchy''', similar to various other wikis. Here’s how it works:

==The hierarchy==
Our canon hierarchy is a fan-made tiered system. It ranks the various sources of information about ''Stranger Things'''s fictional universe into three tiers, with information derived from episodes of ''Stranger Things'' holding the most ‘weight’:

*Certain sources are placed in higher or lower tiers - these placements are [[Stranger Things Wiki talk:Canon Policy|open to community feedback]].

*If two pieces of information 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”. The overruled piece of information, though not outright removed from the wiki, is deemed "of questionable canonicity". A notice template is then placed on the relevant article to alert the reader [[Stranger Things Wiki:Canon Policy#Templates & canon-referencing|(as described below)]].

*If there’s a conflict between two (or more) sources from the same tier, those sources should be presented as equally valid.

{{Clear}}
{{Canon Tree}}
<br>
Stories/sources of info from higher tiers are assumed to overrule those from lower tiers:

{|class="article-table article-table-selected" 
!scope="col" style="width:15%"|Tier
!scope="col" style="width:85%"|Tier sources
|-
|<big>Tier 1:
|
*Spoken dialogue/information and on-screen events depicted in episodes of ''Stranger Things''.
|-
|<big>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, concept art, behind the scenes footage, teleplays, statements by [[@strangerwriters]], etc.
*Information originating from officially licensed works with direct involvement from the Duffer Brothers (e.g. ''[[The First Shadow]]'')
|-
|<big>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. <small>[[Stranger Things Wiki:Point of view|(Keep it minimal!)]]</small>
* Information originating from the series' cast.
|}
==What counts as a canon conflict?==
It’s important to note that the hierarchy is only relevant if there’s a '''conflict''' between multiple sources:

* A story or piece of information might be on Tier 2 or 3, but this ranking doesn’t automatically make it non-canon. The hierarchy essentially acts as a mechanism which only ‘activates’ in certain situations. (Sort of like a cheese-trap, except the mouse is [[Demogorgon (species)|a Demogorgon]], or something…)

* You should exercise charitable thinking and open-mindedness before concluding that a canon conflict definitively exists. For example, [[Vecna|Henry Creel]]'s page includes two contradictory accounts of the character's past; however, as [[Kate Trefry]] notes, [[The Massacre at Hawkins Lab|one account]] is {{W|subjectivity|subjective}} while [[Stranger Things: The First Shadow|the other]] claims to be {{W|objectivity|objective}}, which ''might'' reconcile the differences between the two accounts.<ref name = "unreliable">''SFX Magazine'' #372</ref>

* ''Explicit'' pieces of information should be valued above ''implications''. Concrete details derived from Tier 2/Tier 3 sources might overrule what the series' dialogue merely ''implies'' - in which case, the canon conflict arguably doesn’t exist. However, cases like these ought to be discussed amongst editors.

==Templates & canon-referencing==
After a canon issue has been resolved in reference to the canon hierarchy, some combination of the following templates are added to the relevant places:
<br><br>
{|class="article-table article-table-selected" 
|
'''[[Template:CanonicityPage|{<noinclude></noinclude>{CanonicityPage}<noinclude></noinclude>}]]'''
:Used when a whole article is deemed to be non-canon/of questionable canonicity (placed at the top of the page).
{{CanonicityPage}}
|-
|
'''[[Template:CanonicitySection|{<noinclude></noinclude>{CanonicitySection}<noinclude></noinclude>}]]'''
:Used when aspects of an article are deemed non-canon/of questionable canonicity (placed 'around' the aspects in question, and usually put as an addendum to a larger section).
{{CanonicitySection}}
|-
|
'''[[Template:CanonicitySectionSmall|{<noinclude></noinclude>{CanonicitySectionSmall}<noinclude></noinclude>}]]'''
:Used when an large section of writing includes details deemed to be non-canon/of questionable canonicity (placed at the top of the section, beneath the section's subheading).
{{CanonicitySectionSmall}}
|-
|
'''[[Template:CanonRef|{<noinclude></noinclude>{CanonRef}<noinclude></noinclude>}]]'''
:Used to generate a references section with a relevant ‘canon hierarchy’ subsection. It looks like this:
===[[File:canon.png|30px|link=Stranger Things Wiki:Canon Policy]][[Stranger Things Wiki:Canon Policy|Canon hierarchy]]===
*Part 1: A very manner-of-fact explanation stating that the "Canon Hierarchy" has been 'triggered', that one source is from a lower tier than another source, etc.
**Part 2: A more detailed description explaining ''why'' the sources are in conflict with one another.
|}
<br>
If a character or subject ''exclusively exists'' within the expanded media, but ''does not cause'' a canon conflict, the [[Template:ExpandedSource|{<noinclude></noinclude>{ExpandedSource}<noinclude></noinclude>}]] template can be added to the top of the page.

All articles which use [[Template:CanonRef|{<noinclude></noinclude>{CanonRef}<noinclude></noinclude>}]] are automatically added to the [[:Category:Canon conflicts|Canon conflicts]] category.

==Non-canon works==
Some works - like ''[[The Vanishing]]'', or ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things]]'' - appear to be ''intentionally non-canonical''; characters and elements from these works are not subject to the canon hierarchy. However, the canon notice templates are still used to present intentionally non-canon information. In these cases, the template parameter 'noncanon' is set to 'yes', which adjusts the appearance of the template.

==Examples==
Here are some model examples of canon-referencing within articles:
===Canon hierarchy examples===
*Examples where a source is ‘overruled’:
**[[Eleven]]
**[[Steve Harrington]] 
*Examples where sources are equally ‘weighted’:
**[[Vecna]]
**[[Eddie Munson]]
===Non-canon examples===
*[[Cyborg Demodogs]] (entire page)
*[[New York City]] (article section)

==The wiki’s independence==
From time to time, the Duffers, @strangerwriters and others respond to questions asking if a piece of media is canon, or ‘part of the canon material’.<ref>[https://twitter.com/strangerwriters/status/1630630371061800960 https://twitter.com/strangerwriters/status/1630630371061800960]</ref> However, the wiki's canon hierarchy, being a fan-made system independent from Netflix or the ''Stranger Things'' production and marketing teams, does not assume that these kinds of statements offer definitive answers on what is or isn't canonical.

That said, these statements are still factored in by the hierarchy and treated as part of "Tier 2".

==Amending the system==
This policy is not set in stone. You can raise issues, or simply ask questions, by contributing to [[Stranger Things Wiki talk:Canon Policy|this policy's talk page]]. The more that people contribute, the more that this policy can be refined and improved.

Besides, the wiki is not actually a final authority on ''Stranger Things'' canon, and we don’t claim to be. We hope to provide a useful guide to what exists out there, and help people arrive at their own conclusions.

{{References}}
[[Category:Wiki guidelines]]
[[Category:Canon hierarchy]]
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Canon Policy of ST Wiki}}