MarioWiki:Canonicity: Difference between revisions

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(Canonicity policy change per sysop discussion on forums. Please direct comments/complains to the talk page.)
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As with all fictional universes, the [[Marioverse]] has a set of '''canon''', or '''levels of official material'''. The Super Mario Wiki attempts to create the most accurate articles possible, and will turn to different official materials to help understand conflicting issues. Video games are of the highest canon, especially video games published by Nintendo (usually with the [[Official Nintendo Seal]], as opposed to ''[[Mario's Time Machine]]'' and ''[[Hotel Mario]]''). Both remakes and the original versions have the same level of canon - they are simply alternate versions of the same game. The events depicted in the games take precedent over other official material. This includes instruction manuals, which often have story elements not depicted in the game itself, and official player's guides from Nintendo. Instruction manuals take precedent over player's guides, as manuals are specifically packaged with the game.
The '''Canon''' of a series is a classification of which events actually occurred and which characters, locations, etc. actually exist within the series' fictional universe.  Creators of series occasionally issue official statements as to canon, thus creating an official canon. Presently, '''the ''[[Mario (series)|Super Mario]]'' series and its spin-offs do not have an official canon.  Therefore, under no circumstances should any user argue that any official source does not apply because it is "non-canon."  Whether a source is canon or non-canon to another source is of no importance to the articles. Since there is no canon, any assertion that a canon does exist is speculation, and therefore does not belong on the articles.''' However, there are hints at a continuity within the series.  This concept is explored at length in ''[[MarioWiki:Chronology]]''.


Any information that is made up by fans (including fan-made stories and video games) are considered '''non-canonical'''. [[Beta Elements]] are also non-canonical, as they were not released in the final version of the game.
The issue at hand is that certain sources are not directly linked to the rest of the series' continuity.  For example, ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!]]'' can be considered to be in a separate timeline from ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' or take place prior (live-action segments) and after (cartoon segments) the events of the video game. For this reason, the ''Super Mario Wiki'' wishes to clarify that in no way should its organization of articles be considered an assertion of canonicity in the ''Super Mario'' series.  Rather, our organization is simply a way to convey information in the clearest manner possible.
 
Comics, cartoons, and movies are difficult to place, so we consider them to be '''alternate-canon'''. It is unknown if they should be considered official in the realm of video games, but at the very least each medium has its own canon.


Our goal is to cover the entire ''Super Mario'' series.  Thus, it is of little to no importance whether or not a particular source is canon to another source.
[[Category:MarioWiki Policy|{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:MarioWiki Policy|{{PAGENAME}}]]
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Revision as of 09:57, September 16, 2008

The Canon of a series is a classification of which events actually occurred and which characters, locations, etc. actually exist within the series' fictional universe. Creators of series occasionally issue official statements as to canon, thus creating an official canon. Presently, the Super Mario series and its spin-offs do not have an official canon. Therefore, under no circumstances should any user argue that any official source does not apply because it is "non-canon." Whether a source is canon or non-canon to another source is of no importance to the articles. Since there is no canon, any assertion that a canon does exist is speculation, and therefore does not belong on the articles. However, there are hints at a continuity within the series. This concept is explored at length in MarioWiki:Chronology.

The issue at hand is that certain sources are not directly linked to the rest of the series' continuity. For example, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! can be considered to be in a separate timeline from Super Mario Bros. or take place prior (live-action segments) and after (cartoon segments) the events of the video game. For this reason, the Super Mario Wiki wishes to clarify that in no way should its organization of articles be considered an assertion of canonicity in the Super Mario series. Rather, our organization is simply a way to convey information in the clearest manner possible.

Our goal is to cover the entire Super Mario series. Thus, it is of little to no importance whether or not a particular source is canon to another source.

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