\'ka-nen\ (n.) — a sanctioned or accepted group or body of related works.
- For other uses, see Wikipedia:Canon
As Star Trek grew in both size and popularity in the 1980s, fans were faced with the problem of how to treat the ever-growing collection of episodes, movies, novels, comics, technical manuals, and more.
The Star Trek canon is generally defined as all live-action television series and feature films released by Paramount. Various "official" references (such as the Star Trek Encyclopedia or the Star Trek Chronology) may be used as a guide to canon information, but are not canon in and of themselves. The animated Star Trek cartoon series (aired 1973-1974), the various novels, and other creative works are not considered canon.
The definition of Star Trek canon may vary for different fans, and therefore the question may become especially difficult. In those cases, the term fanon is used to refer to "fan canon" (of which the term is a portmanteau). It applies to certain "facts" that may have been accepted as a truth by a large number of fans, and thus either replaces an established canonical fact in the minds of those fans, or fills a plot-hole.
Fanon can also take the form of personal beliefs held by individuals. In this case, an individual may create an expansive backstory, possibly a fan fiction, which they accept as "true." These have even less standing than the fanon mentioned above. The following articles define various aspects of fan fiction: fan gaming, fan productions, fan publications and fan websites.
- Star Trek source fiction includes canon productions, licensed productions and other licensed publications, licensed websites, licensed gaming and limited license gaming.
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