Newsgroup: it.fan.startrek
Titolo: La TAS è canon?

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/editorials/article/17178.html
Canon Fodder: The Star Trek Animated Series
And finally...
After a long, long wait, fans of the Star Trek animated series will be
happy to learn that all 22 episodes of the 1973-74 production will
eventually be released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment. (Although
date and contents are still to be confirmed. Watch this space!)
This is great news, of course, to completionists and Star Trek fans in
general. Many of us have our own fond memories or perceptions of this show,
and it's no wonder that the animated installment has been hotly contested
for years as to its status within the Trek oeuvre. Are the people, places
and things contained therein part of what we call "Star Trek"? It's a big
question, perhaps not answerable here, but it's not without historical
precedent: Just what is this "canon" that they speak of?
From the time that mankind could print religious texts, the question was
asked: What is "canon," or texts accepted as genuine when it comes to
documenting official history? The bible, with one standard set by the King
James Version, originally contained the books that were deemed non-canon,
or "apocryphal" ("The Book of Judith," anyone?). But this section, the
"Apocrypha," was placed in between the Old and New Testaments to set the
books apart from what were considered divine texts. Although the Apocrypha
was removed from the King James Bible, you can still find some editions
that include it. But for the Bible in general, total agreement on all the
books and all the translations simply does not exist.
In Star Trek, canon is also an issue. When the question of what is or isn't
canon first raised its head is unclear, but it is probably in connection
with the content of the original novels as opposed to the TV shows, and
later the movies. At the time, there was only one television show, and a
series of various novelizations, original novels and comic books. The
question was a natural one: What exactly is considered part of Star Trek
lore, and what isn't? (And if it isn't, why not?) Perhaps the simple answer
is that the books are numerous and detailed; to hold all those facts and
stardates and who did what to whom when is just too much to ask any single
fan to retain.
To make things easy, Gene Roddenberry stated that if it appears on screen
it's canon. But in time, even Gene's theory would come under fire by his
own standards. There were certain movies and shows that he felt didn't meet
Trek standards. Roddenberry certainly had his own issues with the animation
of the Saturday morning spin-off show and didn't consider it canon — even
though the show avoided being the "Archies in Space" as he had feared.
For fans, the animated show (known simply by its on-screen name as Star
Trek, but referred to now by names such as "The Animated Adventures of Gene
Roddenberry's Star Trek," or even abbreviated as ST: TAS or TAA) hailed the
beginning of a resurgence of Trek. Supporters argue that its legacy is
manifest: It featured some of the top writers of the day in Larry Niven,
David Gerrold, Samuel A. Peeples, D.C. Fontana, Stephen Kandel and even
Walter Koenig; it featured new characters, places and aliens; it had
recurring guest stars such as Roger C. Carmel and Mark Lenard and follow-up
stories to the "Tribbles" and "Harry Mudd" sagas; it came with a bona fide
Star Trek stamp of approval with Gene's name attached, as well as D.C.
Fontana's; and, bottom line, it was a Saturday morning show that didn't
insult one's intelligence. One reviewer at the time even suggested that the
animated series was too good for Saturday mornings ("a Mercedes in a
soapbox derby") and should be moved to prime time! (Los Angeles Times, 1973)
Detractors have a different take on the series. They argue that the show's
animation was rudimentary at best, with repeated sets and one standard
overhead shot of the Bridge used endlessly. Also, a main character was
scrubbed (Chekov) for budget reasons and replaced by a couple of aliens
that could be voiced by Majel Barrett and James Doohan, who did the lion's
share of the voices anyway. And, just as a matter of taste, some see the
animated series as silly and inconsequential.
On the other hand, principal characters in the show were voiced, sans
Koenig, by the original actors. Sure, you had new characters with wings and
tails and three legs, and you had other imagery inconsistent with the style
of the Original Series, but that was simply a part of the broader visual
scope available through animation. In fact, one of the things that sold
Gene on the concept of an animated series was the fact that budgets were
not an issue. Also, the animated show introduced concepts that would be
seized upon in future Star Trek incarnations such as the holodeck ("The
Practical Joker"). And fans seem to hold as "factual" that Robert April
("The Counter-Clock Incident") was the first captain of the Enterprise
NCC-1701, preceding Christopher Pike.
So the question remains, is Star Trek: The Animated Series (or Animated
Adventures) canon, or not? We would like to think so, if only so we can
make more work for ourselves and all future historians! At some point, we
would like to start adding more information to our site gleaned from this
show and have it form part of the overall collective consciousness of Star
Trek. Or, do we simply leave the whole issue ambiguous and let the fans
decide in their own mind what they consider canon? Put to a vote on the
site, fans, so far, favor the canonization of the animated series by a
margin of 2-1. You can still have your say, so vote now. Let the white
smoke billow!
Confirmed details of a DVD release for the animated series should be coming
soon!
-- 
Jolan Tru, Filippo "Hytok" Simone
L'oracolo sampdoriano di Sunnydale
http://janeway.splinder.com/
http://lacasadeglielfi.altervista.org/
Inviato da X-Privat.Org - Registrazione gratuita 
http://www.x-privat.org/join.php

 
http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/editorials/article/17178.html
Dicano quello che vogliono, la qualita' di quella serie, nonostante
l'animazione scarsa della FIlmation (a cui va comuqnue dedicato un
affettuoso ricordo per cio' che ha prodotto nei suoi anni di attivita'), la
considero talmente buona che personalmente non puo' non essere parte del
mio canone :)
-- 
Michele Amadesi, illustrazioni --> 
http://www.sektoralpha.it
FREE BOOKS --> 
http://www.free-books.it
STAR TREK THE GOLD KEY COLLECTION --> official web site coming soon