"Official" vs. "Canon" vs. "Quasi-Canon"
It's important to be clear that "official" and "canon" aren't synonyms for each other, especially since Jane Espenson used the term "quasi-canon" in her interview with io9 to describe the map. "Official" means something that the production staff collectively uses as a starting point for writing and filming; it's a universally shared resource behind the scenes. However, this is only behind the scenes, unlike "canon," which is something that has made it to the screen for the viewing audience. As Espenson noted in the interview, "[I]t wasn't taken as prescriptive. If something great in a script contradicted the document, we didn't sweat it." In other words, writers have been free to violate an official source if a story could benefit from it - but this would not be a violation of canon, since the viewing audience would (normally) have not seen this material, and as far as they (we) are concerned, there wouldn't be a contradiction. Of course, the only piece of information from the map to cross over from "official" status into "canon" status so far has been Caprica and Gemenon as twin planets orbiting one another, since this was demonstrated on screen. --BlueResistance 13:45, 30 January 2011 (UTC)
- Thank you for bringing up this topic! It is much appreciated! I do think we need to codify this in Battlestar Wiki:Canon and applicable internal documentation. -- Joe Beaudoin So say we all - Donate 19:18, 30 January 2011 (UTC)
- I'd be happy to work on it. I think I can get to it later this week. -- BlueResistance 04:22, 31 January 2011 (UTC)