But in a lot of ways, the weaker canon got, the better it was for fandom: there was so much to fix and redo, so many opportunities for fanficcers.
Yes, I agree with this. It's always seemed to me that the best fandoms for fic are the ones where there is a lot that begs to be fixed or expanded on. If the source material feels so complete that you leave it totally satisfied — or so excellent that you don't think you could do any better — it tends to discourage the growth of a creative fandom.
I only lurked in VOY, but I remember that as the writing on the show got weaker, I became more immersed in reading fic, even to the point where I'd miss episodes of the show and barely realize that I had. I'm pretty sure there are eps I still haven't seen. I also kind of remember (and you can tell me if this fits your recollection) fic getting less canon-bound as the series went off the rails, with more elaborate AUs and fewer post-eps or otherwise deeply-enmeshed-in-canon stories being posted.
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Yes, I agree with this. It's always seemed to me that the best fandoms for fic are the ones where there is a lot that begs to be fixed or expanded on. If the source material feels so complete that you leave it totally satisfied — or so excellent that you don't think you could do any better — it tends to discourage the growth of a creative fandom.
I only lurked in VOY, but I remember that as the writing on the show got weaker, I became more immersed in reading fic, even to the point where I'd miss episodes of the show and barely realize that I had. I'm pretty sure there are eps I still haven't seen. I also kind of remember (and you can tell me if this fits your recollection) fic getting less canon-bound as the series went off the rails, with more elaborate AUs and fewer post-eps or otherwise deeply-enmeshed-in-canon stories being posted.