It is a common enough occurrence to hear in fan discourse that one media franchise or another has been ruined. Some argue, for example, that the addition of Episodes VII–IX to the Star Wars Saga undermined the previous six episodes, with the Sequel Trilogy’s political conflicts lessening the impact and significance of prior events, and with the Sequel Trilogy’s depiction of certain pre-existing...
On the horizon looms Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated sitcom set in the Star Trek universe. Though this will not be the first Star Trek animated series (that distinction goes to the aptly named Star Trek: The Animated Series), Lower Decks will be Star Trek‘s first sitcom. Moreover, the series will, as far as I can tell, be considered canonical to the Star Trek franchise. As such, it...
While writing my two previous articles, which concerned the concept of fictional canonicity, I had three real-world franchises primarily in mind: Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars. The former two franchises have simple canon policies, but Star Wars‘ canon policy is relatively complex and has evolved over the franchise’s history. For after being acquired by Disney, Lucasfilm...
In my previous article, I introduced the concept of fictional canonicity. In this article, I will detail my issues with the concept and propose a solution. As a quick recap, in my previous article, I defined a fictional canon as a body of works that constitute the official history within a given fictional setting. My issue with this idea can be summed up in two words: who cares? That the current...
My favorite film series is Star Wars, and it has been since I was very young. Despite this, my interest in the franchise waxes and wanes. Currently, my interest in Star Wars is on the upswing, spurred on by my anticipation of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and the upcoming film The Rise of Skywalker. As I await these upcoming canonical entries in the Star Wars franchise, I am also reading Han...
In their creative endeavors, artists often partake in a struggle, the struggle between timeliness and timelessness. Timely works speak to the present, while timeless works speak to eternity—or at least to such a long span of time that humans might perceive it as eternity. Both of these have value; both have pros and cons. Which an artist ought to pursue depends upon the project at hand and the...
Many of the most popular and influential books on writing drama and fiction focus on plot structure—and rightly so, for without structure narratives could not function. Considerably less emphasis has been placed on understanding serialized narratives and how their structures differ from non-serialized narratives. Over the next few entries in this blog, I intend to articulate some of my ideas and...
Words encapsulate and transmit meaning. A word without a meaning others can understand is useless. I’ve heard some say that art is whatever you say it is; if that’s the case, then I see no reason to ever use the word. I want the word art to be useful, so I strive to give it a useful definition. However, I will concede that art is difficult to define. Art is experiential, meaning that...
In my last post, I posited my definition of art: essentially, art is the cultivation of aesthetic value for its own sake. This definition relies upon another disputable definition, that of aesthetics. What are aesthetic values? To properly answer this question, we must first answer another question: what is the purpose of art? According to my definition, all art is manmade. As such, all art...
Throughout history, many different definitions of art have been posited. Since I intend to discuss art frequently on this blog, I feel it would be prudent to clarify what I mean when I use the term. My definition implies certain presuppositions, so I shall begin by pointing some of them out and explaining why I rely upon them. Art is not beauty. Art is usually or possibly always beautiful—I...
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