People use alternative terms to describe relationships all the time, but the more new terms are created, the more confused many people become.
If you’ve found yourself trying to figure out what all the new relationship-related terms mean, then you have likely come across the term “canon.”
However, you may have no idea what “canon” means in a relationship, yet you might be interested in learning its meaning.
“Canon” refers to a true relationship between two people that was written into a story.
For instance, if anyone has ever watched Star Trek: Enterprise, fans may have been interested in Captain Archer and T’Pol getting together since T’Pol actually fell in love with Lieutenant Tucker, T’Pol and Tucker were “canon.”
The term “canon” is only valid when all fans agree that a certain thing happened in a movie, television show, book, or comic book.
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Why do some people become so wrapped up in couples on TV and in movies?

Some people become wrapped up in couples on TV and in movies because it’s entertaining for them.
Some fans of certain shows and movies might consider themselves hopeless romantics, which is why they enjoy keeping up with the fictitious relationships between their favorite characters.
Others don’t really have a reason, and they simply find it fun to guess who might get together on what shows as well as to determine what’s canon and what isn’t.
Harry Potter and the canon couples
In the Harry Potter franchise of movies, many fans rooted for Harry Potter and Hermione to become canon, but Harry and Ginny were actually canon, as were Ron and Hermione.
Many fans believed that there were romantic feelings between Harry and Hermione and that they had good chemistry together.
However, J.K. Rowling didn’t write about the two of them becoming a couple, so fans had to accept the fact that these two beloved characters were not canon.
Can celebrities be considered canon?

The only time celebrities are considered canon is when they’re acting in their fans’ favorite TV shows and movies.
The real lives of celebrities aren’t included in the world of canon fandom.
However, there are fans of celebrities who like “shipping” certain celebrities together, but that’s the extent of their interest, in most cases.
Shipping celebrities together
Shipping celebrities, or people in general, together simply means setting them up on dates, and the term “shipping” is often used in the canon fan world online.
Most canon fans do not ship celebrities together and they’re simply interested in the canon facts about their favorite shows, not something that isn’t real.
This is despite the fact that most of these canon fan shows are fictitious.
The history of canon when referring to fictitious relationships

The word “canon” in reference to relationships between people in shows and movies dates back nearly 100 years ago, as, in the 1930s, Sherlock Holmes popularized this term.
Some fans argue that the term “canon” actually originated much sooner than when Sherlock Holmes came out, such as during the Shakerspherian days, but this has never been proven.
Does “canon” apply to real-life couples?
There are other definitions of the word “canon,” but there aren’t any references to this term when it comes to real-life couples.
“Canon” is a term that was created by fans of television shows and movies, so canon relationships are always fictitious. If you use the term “canon” to describe a real couple, chances are everyone, especially those canon fans, is likely to give you a strange look.
The meaning behind open canon and closed canon

“Open canon” refers to a situation in which additional episodes to a show or sequels to a movie are expected to be released in the future.
On the other hand, “closed canon” refers to a situation in which there are no plans to make any sequels and additional episodes.
These terms are easy to differentiate between one another, since open means new episodes and closed means there are no new episodes.
Is “canon” as popular today as it always was?
More canon fans exist now than ever before, and since fans have the ability to express themselves online – unlike in the 1930s – canon has become even more popular as a result.
The internet makes it easier for fans to visit the numerous forums that are available and other fandom sites, which enables them to remain up to date with their favorite couples from their favorite shows.
Are canon fans all nerds and Trekkers?

No, all canon fans are not all nerds and Trekkers, as some aren’t even Star Trek fans.
On the other hand, canon fans can be the nerdiest Star Trek fans there are, as it all depends on the person.
So, as you can see, canon fans consist of many different types of people from different walks of life, and they shouldn’t be judged simply because they’re fans of canon.
Trekkers vs Trekkies
“Trekkers” and “Trekkies” are terms that describe fans of the many Star Trek franchise TV shows, which started in the 1960s and are still going on.
However, the term “Trekker” is preferred in the world of Star Trek, as the term “Trekkie” is considered insulting and derogatory.
The term “Trekkie” is often used by non-fans, but not as an insult because they simply aren’t versed when it comes to the world of Star Trek.
Why people love Star Trek so much

There are many reasons why fans love Star Trek so much, and one is the fact that it enables them to live a fantasy about different worlds and exciting space expeditions.
Star Trek isn’t always as serious as non-fans sometimes believe, and it’s really quite funny at times.
Star Trek has many unique and interesting races of people, interesting stories that seem realistic, and it’s simply addictive to so many fans.
Do canon fans attend Comic Cons and other Star Trek events?
The canon fans that are Star Trek lovers are likely to attend Comic Cons and other Star Trek events, although it’s not mandatory for all fans to attend these events.
However, if a person is a huge fan of Star Trek, then why not attend these informative and fun events?
On the other hand, some canon fans aren’t Star Trek fans, so they’re not likely to attend such events in their spare time.
Other TV shows that canon fans love

Fans of canon love other TV shows and movies other than just Harry Potter and Star Trek.
Some other TV shows that canon fans love are Justice League, Dragonball Z, The Simpsons, Star Wars, and many more.
So, it’s quite obvious that all canon fans aren’t Trekkers or nerds.
Do “normal” people use the term “canon”?
When most people think about “canon,” they think about a large ship with weapons on it, even though it’s spelled differently.
So, no, people in the real world typically don’t use any of the canon slang language, unless they’re friends with someone who is a fan or they’re a former fan, themselves.
So, if you’re a huge canon fan, you may not want to use this term around non-fans because they will have absolutely no idea what you’re referring to.
As you can see, the term “canon” is huge in the world of movie and television show fans.
These diehard fans are often very knowledgeable about which couples are canon, and which aren’t, so if you want to learn more about this topic, you can visit some of the many canon fan sites that are available.
If you do visit some of these sites, chances are you’ll learn a lot more about the topic than you ever knew was possible.