How important is Star Trek "canon" to you?

[Cogito]

Exactly. The only "fact" that is above questioning is the existence of Wesley.

To be pedantic (no surprise there, eh?) even that isn't above questioning. Is he human? Is he even real? There's nothing in canon to prove that he isn't a Q, or some other similar thing, or a collective hallucination, or just a very detailed bad dream. God knows the Trek writers weren't afraid to use bizarre contrived plot twists when they felt like it, and there's nothing wrong with fanfic writers doing the same. The more contrived it is the less likely readers are to buy into it, but almost anything shown or implied in the show can be negated if you try hard enough. We already 'know' that the entire crew died and Earth was destroyed, Trip and T'Pol drifted apart and he died a pointless and stupid death a few years later, and they married and raised a son. With a little imagination, anything is possible.

[putaro]

or just a very detailed bad dream.

This is entirely your fault! I give you, the "Dallas" interpretation of Enterprise:

Charles "Trip" Tucker the 3rd woke up, slightly disoriented.

His wife, as always an early riser, was seated in a chair near the window, reviewing a document from the Vulcan Science Academy.

"That was the damndest dream ever!" said Trip.

"Would you care to discuss it?" asked T'Pol.

"We can talk about it on the way to the meeting. Long story short, you and I were on the NX-01 Enterprise. You were the Science Officer and I was the Chief Engineer. And then, at the end, there was this weird bit with people from Picard's Enterprise, the 1701-D."

"Indeed. I warned you about overindulging in Mexican food last night."

"You're right, you're always right. I gotta get ready. We're supposed to meet with Daniels in an hour."

And so began another day in the 31st century.

[Cogito]

[panyasan]

"Indeed. I warned you about overindulging in Mexican food last night."

But I disagree on one point. Wesley isn't an alien or a bad dream. (I kind of like him. ) Look at his horrible brownish clothing, his friendship with Stuart Stu and the way he talks back to his mother: he is totally human.

[Cogito]

he is totally human.

He started off ordinary enough, but what's with all that stuff about bending space/time with his mind and phasing into a different plane of existence - totally human?

[panyasan]

he is totally human.

He started off ordinary enough, but what's with all that stuff about bending space/time with his mind and phasing into a different plane of existence - totally human?

Now I start doubting.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

This is an absurd example, but it isn't canon that Beverly Crusher and her husband ever had sex. We don't see it on the screen. Nobody ever says they did. So it isn't canon.
However, if you use logic, of course they had. The proof is their son. So in the narrow definition of canon, the Crushers never had sex. But the fact that they did, is Wesley.
That's what I meant that the facts of canon aren't always clear (the Crushers never had sex) because if you use logic, it woudl suggested the opposite (their son Wesley).

Well, I seem to recall that there were some fans (Picard/Crusher shippers mostly) who thought that Picard was the father... Nothing in canon explicitly forbids that twist, should someone like to make it.

[Silverbullet]

Believe there once was an interview with Bragga or Berman, in which it was stated that the fans could fill in the spaces between t he episodes. Not everything could be shown due lack of time and space in each episode.

So if we want to imagine that Trip and T'Pol actually were intimate between episodes we can. But would not be canon if it wasn't shown on screen and was only in the Fans imagination.

Fanfic does a great job of filling in those blanks between the episodes or at the end of an episode with missing scenes and stories. So, in a way that is Fan Canon.

SB

[panyasan]

This is an absurd example, but it isn't canon that Beverly Crusher and her husband ever had sex. We don't see it on the screen. Nobody ever says they did. So it isn't canon.
However, if you use logic, of course they had. The proof is their son. So in the narrow definition of canon, the Crushers never had sex. But the fact that they did, is Wesley.
That's what I meant that the facts of canon aren't always clear (the Crushers never had sex) because if you use logic, it woudl suggested the opposite (their son Wesley).

Well, I seem to recall that there were some fans (Picard/Crusher shippers mostly) who thought that Picard was the father... Nothing in canon explicitly forbids that twist, should someone like to make it.

Sigh. And I thought I had chosen a simple example as illustration. Never underestimate the creativity of the fans.

[Cogito]

Well, it's hard enough to get people to agree about things in the real world, let alone when we start escaping into fantasy worlds.

[panyasan]

I didn't mind, only find it slightly amusing.

[Snorpenbass]

Of course, for it to be a perfect "Dallas" ending it has to be T'Pol's dream, and she wakes up to find Trip in the shower.

...I am not ashamed that I know that detail. I grew up in the 80's.

[panyasan]

Of course, for it to be a perfect "Dallas" ending it has to be T'Pol's dream, and she wakes up to find Trip in the shower.

...I am not ashamed that I know that detail. I grew up in the 80's.

Please write both versions!

[Cogito]

Of course, for it to be a perfect "Dallas" ending it has to be T'Pol's dream, and she wakes up to find Trip in the shower.

[Asso]

or just a very detailed bad dream.

This is entirely your fault! I give you, the "Dallas" interpretation of Enterprise:

Charles "Trip" Tucker the 3rd woke up, slightly disoriented.

His wife, as always an early riser, was seated in a chair near the window, reviewing a document from the Vulcan Science Academy.

"That was the damndest dream ever!" said Trip.

"Would you care to discuss it?" asked T'Pol.

"We can talk about it on the way to the meeting. Long story short, you and I were on the NX-01 Enterprise. You were the Science Officer and I was the Chief Engineer. And then, at the end, there was this weird bit with people from Picard's Enterprise, the 1701-D."

"Indeed. I warned you about overindulging in Mexican food last night."

"You're right, you're always right. I gotta get ready. We're supposed to meet with Daniels in an hour."

And so began another day in the 31st century.

Of course, for it to be a perfect "Dallas" ending it has to be T'Pol's dream, and she wakes up to find Trip in the shower.

...I am not ashamed that I know that detail. I grew up in the 80's.

Please write both versions!