So Gizmodo published an article recently about the supposed effect of canon on established franchises like Star Wars or what have you.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the article suggests that fans and critics adherance and love of canon or continuity is "above all else a toxic attitude." The article itself is actually rather shallow and doesn't have too much detail or substance beyond the author opining with references to 'filler episodes' and fans eager devouring of spoilers and how the death of an author is immaterial when you have fandom wikis etc.
There are related questions however. How important is canon and continuity on enhancing or detracting from the value of a story? Does it lead to unwarranted or toxic criticism of an otherwise good work? Should canon/continuity get in the way of telling a good story in that franchise or setting?
Our Fascination With Canon Is Killing the Way We Value Stories
As the pop culture we love becomes increasingly dominated by vast franchises of interconnected worlds and stories, so does it become dominated by one, singular question from diehard fans: Is the thing we’re about to consume canon to everything else we’ve consumed before? It’s an attitude that’s...
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Perhaps unsurprisingly the article suggests that fans and critics adherance and love of canon or continuity is "above all else a toxic attitude." The article itself is actually rather shallow and doesn't have too much detail or substance beyond the author opining with references to 'filler episodes' and fans eager devouring of spoilers and how the death of an author is immaterial when you have fandom wikis etc.
There are related questions however. How important is canon and continuity on enhancing or detracting from the value of a story? Does it lead to unwarranted or toxic criticism of an otherwise good work? Should canon/continuity get in the way of telling a good story in that franchise or setting?