Gallowpedia:Canon
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In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story. This policy describes the current system for determining what is canon on the MediEvil Wiki.
The hierarchy of canonicity
Due to varying authorship for the released materials, contradictions between sources can arise. In order to ensure that the MediEvil Wiki's articles don't contradict each other, a hierarchy of canonicity is set in place to decide which sources take precedence and which facts should be accepted as canon.
- Tier 1: Information originating from mainline MediEvil games and accompanying materials, with the latest entries taking precedence.
- e.g. MediEvil (1998), MediEvil 2, MediEvil (2019), and their manuals.
- Tier 2: Information originating from officially licensed works (e.g. publications, media releases) with direct involvement from the games' creators or creative team.
- e.g. MediEvil: The Game Prequel, official websites, press releases.
- Tier 3: Information originating from non-official or non-licensed works with direct involvement from the games' creators or creative team.
- e.g. Developer interviews, blogs, and so on.
- Tier 4: Information originating from officially licensed works without direct involvement from the series' creators and/or creative team.
- e.g. Medievil Times, MediEvil booklet, strategy guides, and so on.
Examples of usage
- In the An Introduction to MediEvil section of the MediEvil comic, Sir Dan's year of birth is given as 1154. This contradicts MediEvil 2, where in a book at the beginning of The Museum, Sir Dan's birth year is said to be "around 1250." This information is reconciled by shifting forward the year in the comic by 100 years, thus making 1254 Dan's canonical year of birth.
- Lord Palethorn is said to be 56 years old in the Medievil Times promotional newspaper. This contradicts the official MediEvil 2 website and other press releases where he is said to be 45 years old. Because the newspaper was created by the Claydon Heeley Jones Mason advertising agency, it is considered a tier 4 resource and thus ranks lower than the official website for the game, making Palethorn's canonical age 45.
Apocrypha
On the MediEvil Wiki, the word apocrypha refers to works outside of the accepted canon.
MediEvil: Resurrection
MediEvil: Resurrection is not considered a mainline MediEvil game on the MediEvil Wiki. This is due to it having many storyline changes that are ultimately irreconcilable with the original game and the 2019 remake. Examples of such changes include the replacement of Morten the Earthworm with Al-Zalam and the introduction of the Anubis Stone.
As such, information from MediEvil: Resurrection should be presented on articles as an incorrect, alternative history, as is done in the MediEvil comic:
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On article pages whose subjects only exist in MediEvil: Resurrection, it is fine to present them as fact, so long as the Resurrection article notice appears at the top of the page.
Ghosthunter
Although Ghosthunter is not considered a part of the MediEvil series, the game features a character called Colonel Freddie Fortesque, who is said to be a relation of Sir Dan. While the Colonel is not strictly canon to the MediEvil universe, it is acceptable to mention him and the references he makes on relevant pages, such as the Fortesque family article.
However, covering the entirety of the Ghosthunter universe is beyond the scope of the MediEvil Wiki. Therefore, please refrain from making pages about anything Ghosthunter-related that exists outside of the HMS Victoria level in which the Colonel appears.
Crossovers
A crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the same context. MediEvil has had several crossovers, the major ones being Everybody's Golf 2, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and wipEout purE. Due to their nature as crossovers and the generally limited involvement of the MediEvil development teams in their creation, they are not considered a part of the canon. However, they should still be mentioned on relevant pages in an appropriate non-canon section.