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Star Trek Canon - Is STO official?

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    feiqafeiqa Member Posts: 2,410 Arc User
    I made a thread talking about what I considered to be canon information regarding the Tzenkethi, and that sparked up a bit of a debate.

    Original topic: http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline#/discussion/1226949/what-is-a-tzenkethi

    What is really considered canon for Star Trek? Some trekkies consider the TV/films the only canon to be accepted; while others include in different sources as canon.

    I did some digging around and wasnt able to find anything officially stated by Paramount and CBS regarding this...just a lot interviews and fans discussing the topic.

    If found this post on reddit from awhile back and sumps up my feelings on the issue:

    "There are two types of canon here; hard canon and soft canon. Hard canon is stuff that is definitely fact within the Star Trek fictional universe. Soft canon is stuff that is considered factual unless the hard canon contradicts it, and may never be mentioned onscreen. If hard canon and soft canon
    contradict, hard canon wins (so if a novel says that Picard was born one year, and The Next Generation says he was born another year, TNG wins)."

    So I ask you guys/gals: is STO considered canon in your minds? Does CBS have enough control of the storylines Cryptic is publishing to consider it hard and/or soft canon?

    Canon has a few flavours here. Hard canon meaning it alters or adds to the established lore of Star Trek? Not yet, if ever. So it is soft canon. But anything Cryptic does in the game is hard canon for STO. And the movies etc do not have to impact STO canon and are thus soft as far as STO is concerned. As an example. They make a fourth nu-Trek movie. And they find Data as he was lost on Shinzon's ship. STO is under no obligation to include that if it does not fit. So see the canon as parallel and not crossing.

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    wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    This overall subject was addressed during another thread, including definitions of the different types of canon, etc.

    http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline#/discussion/1226195/new-sector-map-on-tribble

    Pages 8 - 11 or so.

    Other than that, I can only ask that @jodarkrider look into putting a page up in the announcements area where people will see it off the get-go somewhere addressing this, since it gets asked about once every 2 weeks, and it's already been answered a number of times.

    Is STO official? By the legal definition, yes. It's a licensed product. Is it part of the current main storyline? No. It's more of an off-shoot branch. Read the above link.

    Edit: as for saying 'canon' or 'non-canon', first one must decide which type of canon they are talking about, since much of what I just read above ignores the fact STO is canon - just Soft Canon. The definitions are in the link as well, but I don't want to repost that TRIBBLE.
    Post edited by wendysue53 on
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    angrytargangrytarg Member Posts: 11,001 Arc User
    artan42 wrote: »
    (...) Observe... (...)

    I'll gladly sit this one out. Call me if you need help, though. But one thing:
    artan42 wrote:
    FC is after Qupid, he could have upgraded his body slightly by then.

    "could of", it's meant to say "he could of upgraded his body" pig-37.gif​​
    lFC4bt2.gif
    ^ Memory Alpha.org is not canon. It's a open wiki with arbitrary rules. Only what can be cited from an episode is. ^
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    phenomenaut01phenomenaut01 Member Posts: 714 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    Technically, the only official things that are canon are the CBS/Paramount released TV shows and movies.

    Anything else, including the comics(even though the JJ Trek comics are said to be canon, because the movies writers are - or at least were - involved with them, they can and will be ignored if they contradict the future movies)/novels/games/toys are considered non-canon.

    BUT...that being said, STO and the all of the other material that tells stories within the Star Trek Universe could very easily be considered alternate timelines within the Trek canon. It's Star Trek after all, and there are infinite alternate realities. STO is just one of them.

    There's a history of contradiction within the Star Trek property. The Kelvin timeline not only presents an alternate reality, it presents alternate versions - physically, technologically, etc. - of established alien races. So there's established precedent there that makes it possible for the Tzinkethi to be both the lizard creatures that Cryptic are introducing to the game, and the more lithe and exotic versions that exist in the Star Trek novels - it's just that they exist within separate timelines. Heck, the novels themselves often contradict each other, and there are different groups of canon for them. I.E. the Shatner novels are considered their own canon, separate within the novel "universe".

    But until CBS/Paramount take something from the ancillary properties and puts it in a movie or TV show, those portions of the I.P. are not part of the prime universe canon or the Kelvin timeline canon.

    Edit: seems there are others in this thread that already said pretty much the same as this. Serves me right for not reading the whole thread first.
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    wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    CBS threw out the Paramount/CBS definition of canon. Then they addressed the issue and this is the most recent CBS policy on Star Trek Canon: "Later changes to the Star Trek website acknowledges that this definition is not set in stone, but that the notion of what constitutes canon in Star Trek is fluid, open to interpretation and debate." They then removed all references to a canon policy from the website.

    But as they've avoided answering this issue with an "official release" notice or interview, we'll continue to hear people referring to the old Paramount script of "TV and Films", which, for a number of reasons, no longer applies.

    Edit: this is all listed in that link, if you can get through it.
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    lathaislathais Member Posts: 121 Arc User
    Personally I like the theory of soft/hard canon...it helps keep things that arent hard canon in the realm of being a part of star trek.

    yeah, here is your soft canon for you:

    Star+Trek+Turtles.png

    remember, it is officially licensed and approved by Paramount!

    its "soft canon"!!!

    see how sad that is, that people have to invent words like that to make themselves feel better?

    Donatello should be the Chief Engineer, not Michaelangelo, so that can't be considered canon for TMNT or Star Trek, because it does not align with my views and that's all that matters for canon.

    /sarcasm off.
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    wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
    nice, @lathais. ;)

    as for the post you referenced, he's forgetting that's a 'Cross-Over'.

    He's also ignoring the issue that the various types of canon definitions are mainly business and legal licensing terms, picked up by the fan base later on. Companies defined them. People only use them. Problems only start when people ignore them.
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    cidjackcidjack Member Posts: 2,017 Arc User
    Another fight over what is or isn't Canon???? Well, it does make is easier to spot the fake Star Trek fans, as a REAL Star Trek fan would know.
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    wendysue53wendysue53 Member Posts: 1,569 Arc User
    nah. no fight. just tossing the info out there and done.
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    nickcastletonnickcastleton Member Posts: 1,212 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    spielman1 wrote: »
    I see this old Argument starts again what is and isn't cannon as far as Novels go. here is a list of Cannon novels agreed apon by CBS and paramount.
    TOS novels (Star Trek: The Original Series)
    TNG novels (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
    DS9 novels (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
    VOY novels (Star Trek: Voyager)
    ENT novels (Star Trek: Enterprise)
    These novels are considered cannon period, no if buts and or what ifs. The next list are considered cannon out side of novels and TV movies and or series.
    Star Trek: New Frontier (NF)
    Star Trek: Stargazer (STA)
    Star Trek: IKS Gorkon (GKN)
    Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers (SCE; CoE)
    Star Trek: The Lost Era (TLE)
    Star Trek: Titan (TTN)
    Star Trek: Vanguard (VAN)
    Star Trek Online (STO)
    This list is considered cannon by CBS and Paramount as Cannon, but it is not considered as Movie or Series Cannon but as Licensed series cannon. Meaning CBS and Paramount agree that it is cannon but not under there direct control and or influence of as such. Anything outside of this is considered non cannon and there for not considered as apart of the Star Trek officially or under Licensed.

    you forgot the Animated series which i think may be cannon but i have no idea.

    But TBH i prefer that ST has always stated its books games ect are not cannon the reason i prefer it is well just look at Star wars for decades the old EU was considered secondary cannon meaning it happened unless primary says otherwise then Disney decided to make almost all of it Legends and that didn't go down well.
    At least with Star Trek your hopes of seeing an Odyssey class on screen are non existent.
    nikeix wrote: »
    To me STO is official for itself and a possible inspiration for other branches of the brand. And that's all it needs to be :).

    Now if Eaglemoss were to make figures of some of the STO-original ships, I'd be ALL OVER THAT.
    im sure i saw a company that is working with cryptic that will make models of your STO ships.
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    avengerofvulcanavengerofvulcan Member Posts: 29 Arc User
    My personal opinion is that STO is Soft Canon, however it seems to strive to stay as in line with the official Canon as given by CBS/Paramount.

    it even strove to integrate the new alternate timeline into itself to remain relevant. for me, that is enough to consider it canon until it does something overtly non-canonical.
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    shadowwraith#9264 shadowwraith Member Posts: 379 Arc User
    Star trek from original to Enterprise is canon, JJ Abrams star trek is not.

    STO is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of canon.
    • Draal - FED, Saurian, LV60 - TAC
    • Mirak - FED 23c, Vulkan, LV60 - TAC
    • Ascaran Bloodclaw - KDF, Gorn, Lv18 - TAC
    • Melchiah - KDF, Gorn, LV60 - TAC
    • Ne'roon - KDF,Lethian, L60, TAC
    • Turel - ROM-KDF, Reman, 30, TAC
    • Elric - ROM-Fed, Romulan, L60, TAC
    • Richtor Belmont - FED 23c, Human,LV20, SCI
    • G'Kar - KDF, Gorn, L10

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    lathaislathais Member Posts: 121 Arc User
    I would say no it's not official canon. It's licensed by CBS/Paramount but that doesn't make it canon. For me personally and I think this is also the correct definition, only the films, the TV shows (including TAS) is canon. Everything else isn't. JJ universe is also canon, but as it's in a different timeline it doesn't really matter.

    And Ofiicially, yes, that used to be true. Paramount/CBS have done away with that definition though and left us with none, so it is no longer true. Since they own the IP, they are the only ones who get to say what is and is not canon, so all this discussion about what anyone else thinks is canon is quite silly really. If they say it is, it is. If they say it isn't, it isn't. If they say nothing, it's unknown. So really, it's unknown at this point in time. At this point in time, we can not even say the Movies/TV shows are or are not canon, as they removed that definition of canon and have not replaced it. There is no canon.
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    nikephorusnikephorus Member Posts: 2,744 Arc User
    No
    Tza0PEl.png
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    mustrumridcully0mustrumridcully0 Member Posts: 12,963 Arc User
    Old question, but it boils down to this:
    STO is an official Star Trek game. It is not canon.


    More elaborate:

    The game has a license to use Star Trek and its trademarked material, in so far as it is agreed with by CBS and Paramount.
    It does not necessarily (and by default has not) have a license to use stuff that other people that had a license for Star Trek trademarked material, like novels or games.

    In that sense it is official. It's legal and authorized by CBS and Paramount to exist.

    That does not mean that STO story line (or elements of it) will ever be used in a movie or TV series, and as far as we know, everything that Cryptic created is still effectively copyrighted by them (but they can only use it as long as they have the license), so it could also be legally difficult for it to be integrated in movies or TV series.

    But moreover, it's extremely unlikely that the writers for a new TV show or movie would want to treat Star Trek Online story as element of their own. They already have enough trouble working with the constrains of the existing canon and would want to avoid additional things to consider.

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    crypticarmsmancrypticarmsman Member Posts: 4,113 Arc User
    I prefer to look at it this way:

    It's canon until it's contradicted by something done in an official CBS/Paramount Star Trek TV/Film production; or something that CBS/Paramount themselves acknowledge as 'canon'.
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    baddmoonrizinbaddmoonrizin Member Posts: 10,365 Community Moderator
    valoreah wrote: »
    lathais wrote: »
    And Ofiicially, yes, that used to be true. Paramount/CBS have done away with that definition though and left us with none, so it is no longer true. Since they own the IP, they are the only ones who get to say what is and is not canon, so all this discussion about what anyone else thinks is canon is quite silly really. If they say it is, it is. If they say it isn't, it isn't. If they say nothing, it's unknown. So really, it's unknown at this point in time. At this point in time, we can not even say the Movies/TV shows are or are not canon, as they removed that definition of canon and have not replaced it. There is no canon.

    Removed the definition from where?

    From the StarTrek.com website.
    Old question, but it boils down to this:
    STO is an official Star Trek game. It is not canon.


    More elaborate:

    The game has a license to use Star Trek and its trademarked material, in so far as it is agreed with by CBS and Paramount.
    It does not necessarily (and by default has not) have a license to use stuff that other people that had a license for Star Trek trademarked material, like novels or games.

    In that sense it is official. It's legal and authorized by CBS and Paramount to exist.

    That does not mean that STO story line (or elements of it) will ever be used in a movie or TV series, and as far as we know, everything that Cryptic created is still effectively copyrighted by them (but they can only use it as long as they have the license), so it could also be legally difficult for it to be integrated in movies or TV series.

    But moreover, it's extremely unlikely that the writers for a new TV show or movie would want to treat Star Trek Online story as element of their own. They already have enough trouble working with the constrains of the existing canon and would want to avoid additional things to consider.

    This last part is probably the most likely reason why they removed the canon policy. Considering some of the statements coming out about Star Trek: Discovery, it would seem that they don't want to be constricted by the established canon either as they continue to develop it.
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    artan42artan42 Member Posts: 10,450 Bug Hunter
    Anything else, including the comics(even though the JJ Trek comics are said to be canon, because the movies writers are - or at least were - involved with them
    [/quote]

    They're not. Nobody has ever claimed they are canon. As far as I'm aware the only time something similar happened was when Jerri Taylor said her VOY books were canon.
    The Kelvin timeline not only presents an alternate reality, it presents alternate versions - physically, technologically, etc. - of established alien races.

    It dosn't. It's an alternate timeline, it only differs from the attack on the Kelvin. Other than the Federation and Klingon Empires, no other races have been shown to have changed in any other way.
    wendysue53 wrote: »
    CBS threw out the Paramount/CBS definition of canon. Then they addressed the issue and this is the most recent CBS policy on Star Trek Canon: "Later changes to the Star Trek website acknowledges that this definition is not set in stone, but that the notion of what constitutes canon in Star Trek is fluid, open to interpretation and debate." They then removed all references to a canon policy from the website.

    But as they've avoided answering this issue with an "official release" notice or interview, we'll continue to hear people referring to the old Paramount script of "TV and Films", which, for a number of reasons, no longer applies.

    Edit: this is all listed in that link, if you can get through it.

    No it wasn't. CBS had their canon policy clear then it was hidden in a revamp of their website. There was no 'Later changes to the Star Trek website acknowledges that this definition is not set in stone, but that the notion of what constitutes canon in Star Trek is fluid, open to interpretation and debate' statement at all. And like all laws or rules the old one stands until it is retracted or replaced.
    Star trek from original to Enterprise is canon, JJ Abrams star trek is not.

    Absolutely correct. As there's no such iteration of the franchise called 'JJ Abrams star trek' you are correct. However you did miss out two sections, the Kelvin Timeline films and Discovery.
    lathais wrote: »
    And Ofiicially, yes, that used to be true. Paramount/CBS have done away with that definition though and left us with none, so it is no longer true.

    No it's not. Rules don't go away when you can't see them. They go away when they are replaced with a new one or scrapped. CBS has done neither.
    angrytarg wrote: »
    artan42 wrote: »
    (...) Observe... (...)

    I'll gladly sit this one out. Call me if you need help, though. But one thing:
    artan42 wrote:
    FC is after Qupid, he could have upgraded his body slightly by then.

    "could of", it's meant to say "he could of upgraded his body" pig-37.gif

    Nah, you're okay, I can fight it myself. Especially as your presence in this thread will only encourage me to use the Big Friendly Hammer I have for those that use incorrect English...​​
    22762792376_ac7c992b7c_o.png
    Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though.
    JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.

    #TASforSTO


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    artan42artan42 Member Posts: 10,450 Bug Hunter
    artan42 wrote: »
    It dosn't. It's an alternate timeline, it only differs from the attack on the Kelvin. Other than the Federation and Klingon Empires, no other races have been shown to have changed in any other way.
    Simon Pegg disagrees.

    Well if he thinks so he can feel free to put it into canon because until he does it carries as much weight as any other behind the scenes stuff, i.e. zero. Until he makes it a feature of the next KT film we fall back on the established rules of ST time travel shown in Parallels and about a dozen other episodes with only one or two exceptions.

    It's also pointless fanwank on Peggs part as a way to sate the bitchy fanbois who can't seem to handle the fact that the Kelvin isn't made of grey cardboard firing pink lasers.​​
    22762792376_ac7c992b7c_o.png
    Norway and Yeager dammit... I still want my Typhoon and Jupiter though.
    JJ Trek The Kelvin Timeline is just Trek and it's fully canon... get over it. But I still prefer TAR.

    #TASforSTO


    '...I can tell you that we're not in the military and that we intend no harm to the whales.' Kirk: The Voyage Home
    'Starfleet is not a military organisation. Its purpose is exploration.' Picard: Peak Performance
    'This is clearly a military operation. Is that what we are now? Because I thought we were explorers!' Scotty: Into Darkness
    '...The Federation. Starfleet. We're not a military agency.' Scotty: Beyond
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    psycoticvulcanpsycoticvulcan Member Posts: 4,160 Arc User
    edited January 2017
    Official canon = just the shows and movies.
    Soft canon = novels, video games (including STO), etc.

    Personally, I think STO jumped the shark a while ago so I wouldn't really have included it in my headcanon anyway.

    And I have a lot of troubling accepting TAS as canon, considering the sheer absurdity of some of its concepts. For instance, the Earth/Ferasan War that supposedly happened in the 2060s.
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    crypticarmsmancrypticarmsman Member Posts: 4,113 Arc User
    artan42 wrote: »
    artan42 wrote: »
    It dosn't. It's an alternate timeline, it only differs from the attack on the Kelvin. Other than the Federation and Klingon Empires, no other races have been shown to have changed in any other way.
    Simon Pegg disagrees.

    Well if he thinks so he can feel free to put it into canon because until he does it carries as much weight as any other behind the scenes stuff, i.e. zero. Until he makes it a feature of the next KT film we fall back on the established rules of ST time travel shown in Parallels and about a dozen other episodes with only one or two exceptions.

    It's also pointless fanwank on Peggs part as a way to sate the bitchy fanbois who can't seem to handle the fact that the Kelvin isn't made of grey cardboard firing pink lasers.​​

    Except the JJ Films themselves have never made a real 'in film' statement regarding whether the 'Kelvinverse' is just a divergent timeline - OR a completely separate 'Universe/Reality' (much like what fans call the 'Mirror Universe') - but, given what has been shown in the JJ Verse films (and most recently 'ST:Beyond'); I would tend to believe it's a separate Universe/Reality that the Narada and the Jellyfish (with 'original Spock') fell into after passing through the singularity. It would explain the massive visual/technological differences as well as go far in explaining the different look of all the characters. ;)
    ^^^
    But again, it's never been explicitly stated in the films themselves one way or the other.
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