[Clawandfang]

Just a quick question.
Is there another list somewhere, where all the campaigns which have been checked by people and have been designated as "canon", or isn't there, or is this it?

EDIT: Now that this post has been moved from the thread it was previously inhabiting, I thought that I should mention that when I say "is this it?" I am referring to the thread "FS/FS2 Campaigns list (new thread)".

[Dark Hunter]

No user-made campaigns are considered canon. None.

There is a list of campaigns in the Wiki, but I'm not sure how recently it's been updated.

[Clawandfang]

No user-made campaigns are considered canon. None.

Right, I was wondering why there wasn't a list. So what does something have to do (or have done to it?) in order to be canon? It would be nice to expand on what is already canon.

[Dark Hunter]

For something new to be canon, would have to make it. They and only they are allowed to say new canon things.

[Clawandfang]

Hmm.

What are the chances of that happening though?

[Dark Hunter]

Slim to nil.

In fact, the only things I think they've ever said that weren't confirmed in the games are:

1. The hallfight aliens are indeed Shivans... not robots, and not suits, but Shivans in their natural form.
2. Shivans are a "symptom of a much bigger problem". Make of that what you will.

[Clawandfang]

Okay, maybe I'm going to sound stupid here, but is there such a thing a semi-canon? Not officially  canon but everyone considers it so?

[haloboy100]

i guess, but i don't see the point of having a "semi-canon" to begin with.

[Nuclear1]

Derelict has achieved something of a legendary semi-canonical status.

That's really the only one that has gotten to that level though.

[BlueFlames]

Derelict has achieved something of a legendary semi-canonical status.

That's arguable.  There's enough campaigns out there set after the time period Derelict is set in that don't endeavor to be compatible with the events of Derelict.  By the same token, though, as user-generated timelines go, Derelict is probably the one that campaign developers build off of the most.

[Clawandfang]

i guess, but i don't see the point of having a "semi-canon" to begin with.

Okay, I understand that; but I think it would be great to be able to play a series of, perhaps completely unrelated, campaigns and know they fitted in with each other. Sometimes I feel a bit odd when starting a  new campaign, knowing that I'm going to have to completely forget what happened in the last one I played in order for this one to make sense.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Okay, I understand that; but I think it would be great to be able to play a series of, perhaps completely unrelated, campaigns and know they fitted in with each other. Sometimes I feel a bit odd when starting a  new campaign, knowing that I'm going to have to completely forget what happened in the last one I played in order for this one to make sense.

   Personally I have no interest whatsoever in "semi-cannon" either. In every game I've been involved in that's died out, people have always said "let's form a council and make semi-canon stuff."

    Though, with regards to your line of thought. I think it would be cool to have like a big spreadsheet, or like . . . a campaign tree sort of thing that listed different campaigns in relation to one another. Actually yeah that'd be super cool. On the left side have a list of years, then have things branching off one another and to other campaigns and so forth. Though it would require people's input on where their campaign fits in.

[Goober5000]

"Canon" refers to the known FS universe, described by .  There has to be a non-negotiable core to fall back on, and to keep stories coherent.

But there's nothing preventing someone from establishing their own continuity, even though it isn't canon.  Several campaigns take place in the Derelict continuity.  Several campaigns take place in the Inferno continuity.  Many more campaigns are compatible with certain continuities, even if the campaign designer doesn't explicitly place them in one.

The vast majority of continuities are compatible with canon, even if not many of them are compatible with one another.  (I don't think Derelict and Inferno are compatible.)  Most campaigns don't contradict canon unless there's a very good reason for them to do so.  (Silent Threat: Reborn is one of these.)

[Clawandfang]

The vast majority of continuities are compatible with canon, even if not many of them are compatible with one another.

That is the point I'm making of course. Is there some way of dividing the campaigns up into fairly large "continuities", where one can be sure that each and every one will fit in with the rest? Although, come to think of it, that sounds like quite a lot of work...

EDIT: Blimey, I didn't realise that a "quick question" could get stickied so quickly...

[Nuclear1]

Well it is a question that gets asked a lot...might as well have an answer before it even gets asked next time.

[Goober5000]

The sticky was an accident, caused by the thread being split from a stickied thread.

[TrashMan]

Yup, no list of canon campaigns (it would be a VERY short list if we made it...1 entry)

But you could make a list of campaigns that don't contradict canon

[Goober5000]

Yup, no list of canon campaigns (it would be a VERY short list if we made it...1 entry)

Or three.  But really, who's counting...

[terran_emperor]

FreeSpace Main Campaign
Silent Threat
FreeSpace 2 Main Campaign

I suppose you could count the made multiplayer campaigns as Canon; like Operation Templar

[haloboy100]

Not like it matters, Templar sucked IMO