In a message dated 3/8/01 9:41:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, maya@multiweb.nl writes:

<< The recent discussion about slash has left me rather bemused about the blatant disregard for canon and the writers' intent expressed by some lystmembers. In writing B7 fanfiction, we are in effect hijacking characters created by others. It's something I, for one, am acutely aware of, and it makes me feel obliged to keep to the canon, out of respect for the show's creators.

As I writer, I'd hate it if someone would take the characters from my books and distort them to the point where they would become unrecognisable to me. And it would hurt even more if they then went on to claim that their version was the way I had really intended the characters to be, and kept ignoring my denials. >>

You seem to be saying that you think it's "okay" to write fan fiction (or even speculate about the show?) as long as the writer stays within canon. Anything else is somehow disrespectful.

I'm afraid it just isn't that simple of an issue. If you feel that fan fiction outside of canon is disrespectful, than how can you justify writing any kind of fan fiction at all? There *is* no canon other than what we saw on the screen. That's it. That's what we've got.

This comes down to splitting hairs, in my mind. It's a situation of "well, if I like it and write it (or read it) it's OKAY." Anyone who sees it differently... well, they're being disrespectful of the creators.

BTW, it might interest you to know that Terry Nation was always very interested in fan fiction and often encouraged fans to send him copies of their fanzines when he was still alive. I have a couple of letters from him commenting on some of the zines I published years ago. I don't doubt that other zine editors could say the same thing. He was also very interested in looking at zines at conventions. Terry and the actors were very much aware of slash from almost the beginning of their convention days and they used to make jokes about it. In fact, there are a number of infamous pictures of Mike Keating and Paul Darrow kissing on stage at, I believe it was, DSV. I was on staff at that convention and Keating and Darrow were cutting up, as usual. Sally Knyvette and Jan Chappel actually rehearsed a Bizarro script that Leah and I wrote and were going to perform it at one of the Scorpio conventions (I think it was number 5). Sadly, Sally was being stalked by someone and they frightened her so badly right after the rehearsal that she didn't perform in the cabaret at all that night. I suppose my point is that a) the creators and the actors and all of the other people behind the scenes at B7 really have never struck me as insulted by the creative efforts of the fans (rather the opposite) and b) they really don't need the fans to "protect" them or to speak for them, either.

Those of you who don't particularly like slash or adult fan fiction and/or drawings had best not step out on the internet into any other fandoms unless you're ready for quite a shock. B7 seems very restrained in its web presence. In other fandoms, there is an abundance of what is called "cyber art" where photo manipulation is used to put the actor's heads on bodies. You can draw your own conclusions from this point. ;-)

Annie