Fanon

The term Fanon is a portmanteau of "fan" and "canon". The term is used to refer to non-canon commonly confused as canon or to fan fiction elements that get accepted as "fact".
==Fanon assumed as canon==
Some fanon is considered "community wide". It applies to certain "facts" that may have been accepted as a truth by a large number of fans, although not necessarily true, and thus either replaces an established canonical fact in the minds of those fans, or fills a plot-hole.
One example of this form of fanon is Sulu's first name. Hikaru was used for years in fan fiction and books before finally being "canonized" in ST IV.
==Fanon made official canon==
Fanon is occasionally adopted by authors, such as the Franz Joseph Enterprise deck places being seen on screen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and so becomes canonical. Fanon which is accepted officially as part of the canon ceases to be fanon.
==Individual fanon==
Fanon can also take the form of personal beliefs held by individuals. In this case, an individual may create an expansive backstory, possibly a fan fiction, which he or she accepts as "true."
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