Stargate Novels

[EllieVee]

Go to the fanfic recs thread and pick some out. It's free, after all, and some of it's certainly better than the books.

[katikatnik]

Well, as much as I love fanfiction - and I do love it and rec it - fanfics aren't officially sanctioned by TPTB. These books are the last official thing that remains of the show, last official adventures.

[EllieVee]

Well, as much as I love fanfiction - and I do love it and rec it - fanfics aren't officially sanctioned by TPTB. These books are the last official thing that remains of the show, last official adventures.

I don't think they're canon, are they, though?

[lightsyder]

I think they count as canon to MGM but not the show creators/writers.

[katikatnik]

I don't think they're canon, are they, though?

They are as much canon as deleted scenes. Not part of the show, but definitely part of the general canon. They are after all sanctioned by MGM.

[EvilSpaceAlien]

They are as much canon as deleted scenes. Not part of the show, but definitely part of the general canon. They are after all sanctioned by MGM.

By that defenition Stargate Infinity *puke* is canon, and I refuse to accept that!

[Osiristi]

SGI has been noncanonized by both TPTB and MGM on multiple occasions.

[gottaluvit]

The canon argument makes me laugh. There's no series anymore, there's no movie in production....It's the novels or just keep rewinding and watching the same old stuff. I want new stories and these books are the only new adventures we will get. Canon or not they're all we have.

The new 'Homecoming' series has been spouted as 'The only new canon' available (because of the no reset clause...and because it's looking unlikely we will get a movie) MGM or whoever has told the authors this..yet folks still argue that it's not new canon because it's not written by the writers of the show. By that argument there will never be any new canon so it's just a word to me. The only canon is the show and if it's canon folks want then set your DVD player to repeat and settle down to watch the same old stuff.

[SamJackShipper93]

I don't think they're canon, are they, though?

I'm with gottaluvit. This arguement always makes me laugh.

There are two definitions of the word "canon" in the realm of fandom. Canon can mean that the books follow the storylines of the show in question to a tee. Authors are not allowed to deviate from a plot line, or change the outcomes of what we've seen on the show. That's one of the biggest reasons it's different than fanfiction.

Two, (and in this case) it means that it's accepted as part of the storyline of the show itself (like what the Star Wars novels have become). This means that any future plotlines in Stargate could not contradict what has been written in the books. Since TPTB and MGM have both declared them "noncanonized", that doesn't apply.

So, in other words, "are the books canon"? Yes, and no.

[EllieVee]

Canon is not what fans say it is.

[Scary Kitty]

Just because MGM has approved the novels as licensed tie-ins that can be sold for profit does not automatically make them canon.

In fandoms like Star Wars and Babylon 5, those novels are approved as canon by the creators of the original works those novels are derived from (George Lucas/Lucasfilm and J. Michael Straczynski, respectively); in the case of B5, a few of the later books were even based on outlines provided by JMS. Wright, Cooper, Mallozzi and Mullie have given no such approval to the Stargate novels. On the contrary, they have repeatedly stated that the novels are NOT canon; they've never read them, they don't offer input into the writing of the novels, and they don't take the stories presented in the novels into account when writing new episodes.

We may enjoy the novels, we may wish that those stories were as canon as the episodes, but the fact is, the producers of Stargate are the final arbiters of that question, and they've said no. That's all there is to it.

[gottaluvit]

We may enjoy the novels, we may wish that those stories were as canon as the episodes, but the fact is, the producers of Stargate are the final arbiters of that question, and they've said no. That's all there is to it.

They aren't canon, no. Again..only the show is canon but the novels must adhere to canonological (ohh..looksie, a brand new word. LOL) time frames and guidelines. The writers play in the sandbox but must put all the toys back in the exact place they found them at the end of play time. If fans only want canon then they need only watch the shows repeats.

Now, when we look at the new series of books coming up, IMO they have their own canon. They have no reset and the writers have been given permission to create new stories (withing the approval limitations the company allows) and they have been told that this will be the only new canon for the forseeable future. In this case the word canon does not mean it is taking something away from the series, it simply means it is adding to it with a new way for us to enjoy all new adventures.

The fact that some fans refuse to read the book on the basis of them "not being canon" seems strange to me. The will never be any new canon when the word is applied in the manor they wish it to be. I'm happy to read the books whether they are considered canon or not.

[EllieVee]

Not being canon is not the reason I will no longer fork out my hard-earned for them.

[gottaluvit]

Go to the fanfic recs thread and pick some out. It's free, after all, and some of it's certainly better than the books.

I've read some excellent fanfiction, some novel length ones that have been better than the novels. I read fanfiction every day and have myself a very respectable list of fav fanfic links on delicious.com, but I will also continue to support my fav fandom with the only thing that will keep things going and that is dollars. Fan fiction is great, but it means little to the creators of the show and it will slowly begin to dwindle over the years. If I want my kids to have a chance at experiencing some of the Stargate magic many years from now then the popularity of the novels and spinoffs is the thing that will count. It's worked for Star Trek and Star Wars etc, kept the magic of those shows alive for new generations, it can work for Stargate as well (at least that is my hope).

[EllieVee]

I've read some excellent fanfiction, some novel length ones that have been better than the novels. I read fanfiction every day and have myself a very respectable list of fav fanfic links on delicious.com, but I will also continue to support my fav fandom with the only thing that will keep things going and that is dollars. Fan fiction is great, but it means little to the creators of the show and it will slowly begin to dwindle over the years. If I want my kids to have a chance at experiencing some of the Stargate magic many years from now then the popularity of the novels and spinoffs is the thing that will count. It's worked for Star Trek and Star Wars etc, kept the magic of those shows alive for new generations, it can work for Stargate as well (at least that is my hope).

And fair enough but you need a great set of novels.