PaxVenire
Wasteland Peacemaker
I wanted to talk about this for a long while now, but with the Fallout TV show out, the topic is at it's most relevant. This is also mostly for newcomers or lurkers who came to discuss canonicity as most of the regulars on here already know this.
I've noticed in the past few days, from both Bethesda haters and Bethesda lovers, the major discrepancy people are having with the changes to the lore in the new Fallout TV show. I'm not going to spoil the show, but I will say it is a bit crazy to see even the major Bethesda lovers taken aback by this show's decisions. But what I really have been seeing is the rise in complaining about "canon", specifically when it comes to Bethesda's stance that the TV show is canon despite the irreparable lore breaks within the show.
A lot of people are questioning the canonicity of the Fallout TV show and drawing major mental gymnastic conclusions for the retcons working with the series, but none of that matters because canon is nothing more than a tool. Canon is what you make of it, not what you're told. If you watched the Fallout TV show and found yourself banging your head trying to figure out how it makes sense with a game that came out in the 1990s or 2010, I have something to tell you: You're already doing more work out of passion for the IP than the Hollywood scriptwriters who just got paid millions to confuse you. Bethesda, Amazon, Kilter Films, they're all corporations selling you a product. They don't give a shit if X NPC said Y thing in Z game. They are telling their story and God be damned if they're gonna change course because some fictional event happened differently four games ago.
Bethesda calls the show canon not because they genuinely scrubbed through every line of dialogue in the series and meticulously crafted the script to fit in with every game. They call it canon because they know they can use that word to manipulate their fans into garnering more hype. The more people interested, the more people watch, the more money they get. But the word has no true meaning.
If a history book came out tomorrow that inserted World War II in between the First and Second Punic Wars and Stalin as the ruler of Mesopotamia, and the publisher tried convincing you this is how actual history went down, you would tell them to fuck off. So why give that power to these corporations? If the Fallout TV show fundamentally changes something clearly established in a game you like, and Big Brother Bethesda tells you "This show is canon", why waste your time worrying about what people who clearly don't give a shit said. Tell them to fuck off.
I'm not even trying to be a cunt and say you can't be bitter or disgruntled over the state of the series, of course you can. A lot of people are and a lot of people have been. The lore breaks are insane and you have every right as a passionate fan to be upset and voice your opinion. If you loved the show and personally find it better than something that came out previously, good for you. If you've crossed every dot and found a way to miraculously make it all make sense to you, congrats, you did the work for them. But for the majority who are upset and confused, just stop allowing corporations to tell you what is "canon". If they don't give a shit to ensure consistency, why are you doing it for them?
I love Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas. That's my canon. Some of you might hate Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas, but love Fallout 3, 4, and 76. That's your canon. Some of you might not have played the games and love the show. That's your canon. Or perhaps you love all Fallouts and consider them all canon, good for you. I can't tell you what to find canon, and you can't tell me what I find canon, and some out of touch corporation pushing products absolutely can't tell any of us what's canon. Fighting over canon is like kindergarteners at recess pointing at each other and crying that their action figure is cooler. When you learn to just stop worrying about that stupid made up tool of a word, and step back and see how it's used to manipulate, you'll finally see that the game was rigged from the start.
I've noticed in the past few days, from both Bethesda haters and Bethesda lovers, the major discrepancy people are having with the changes to the lore in the new Fallout TV show. I'm not going to spoil the show, but I will say it is a bit crazy to see even the major Bethesda lovers taken aback by this show's decisions. But what I really have been seeing is the rise in complaining about "canon", specifically when it comes to Bethesda's stance that the TV show is canon despite the irreparable lore breaks within the show.
A lot of people are questioning the canonicity of the Fallout TV show and drawing major mental gymnastic conclusions for the retcons working with the series, but none of that matters because canon is nothing more than a tool. Canon is what you make of it, not what you're told. If you watched the Fallout TV show and found yourself banging your head trying to figure out how it makes sense with a game that came out in the 1990s or 2010, I have something to tell you: You're already doing more work out of passion for the IP than the Hollywood scriptwriters who just got paid millions to confuse you. Bethesda, Amazon, Kilter Films, they're all corporations selling you a product. They don't give a shit if X NPC said Y thing in Z game. They are telling their story and God be damned if they're gonna change course because some fictional event happened differently four games ago.
Bethesda calls the show canon not because they genuinely scrubbed through every line of dialogue in the series and meticulously crafted the script to fit in with every game. They call it canon because they know they can use that word to manipulate their fans into garnering more hype. The more people interested, the more people watch, the more money they get. But the word has no true meaning.
If a history book came out tomorrow that inserted World War II in between the First and Second Punic Wars and Stalin as the ruler of Mesopotamia, and the publisher tried convincing you this is how actual history went down, you would tell them to fuck off. So why give that power to these corporations? If the Fallout TV show fundamentally changes something clearly established in a game you like, and Big Brother Bethesda tells you "This show is canon", why waste your time worrying about what people who clearly don't give a shit said. Tell them to fuck off.
I'm not even trying to be a cunt and say you can't be bitter or disgruntled over the state of the series, of course you can. A lot of people are and a lot of people have been. The lore breaks are insane and you have every right as a passionate fan to be upset and voice your opinion. If you loved the show and personally find it better than something that came out previously, good for you. If you've crossed every dot and found a way to miraculously make it all make sense to you, congrats, you did the work for them. But for the majority who are upset and confused, just stop allowing corporations to tell you what is "canon". If they don't give a shit to ensure consistency, why are you doing it for them?
I love Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas. That's my canon. Some of you might hate Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas, but love Fallout 3, 4, and 76. That's your canon. Some of you might not have played the games and love the show. That's your canon. Or perhaps you love all Fallouts and consider them all canon, good for you. I can't tell you what to find canon, and you can't tell me what I find canon, and some out of touch corporation pushing products absolutely can't tell any of us what's canon. Fighting over canon is like kindergarteners at recess pointing at each other and crying that their action figure is cooler. When you learn to just stop worrying about that stupid made up tool of a word, and step back and see how it's used to manipulate, you'll finally see that the game was rigged from the start.
