what ISNT canon?

As far as Alien 3 and Alien R.... and Canon...

I think it would then be a case of a Fork in the Road.... like a Book you can change the outcome.... so we get to Aliens... then the fans can choose to accept.. Alien 3 and Alien R happen... or chose Alien 5 happened.... i dont think it would be put as anything else... like dreams.... or tear in the universe fabric and space Star Trek Lark...

As far as AVP and maybe the Comics even Alien ones.. i guess we have to consider them alternative Parallel Universe Stories...  maybe like the 1989 onwards Batmans... compared to the Dark Knight series and then compared to what ever route they take now with the New Batman Character as seen in the Superman vs Batman series.

Absolutely Neo, happy to be your bff forever! XD

Lone XD

So...I've made my choice and the rest of you can go to hell!

ONLY JOKING!!! 

Whaat!!!

EDIT: oh... XD

I tend to accept as canon what they present on screen..as part of story 100%.

SM is only interested in facts. He doesn't look outside of the box, or speculate, or propose ideas. 

He is here to correct us and put us straight about our misconceptions.

...and before anyone decides to get their flamethrowers out that is not meant as a criticism or attack, it is a fact!

the alien movie series, prometheus, alien isolation, aliens colonial marines (unfortunately), aliens defiance, the life and death series, and the fire and stone series, I believe they are all canon

According to Xenopedia, Fox hasn't done the best job at regulating canon. The site itself proposes the following hierarchy be used to determine what is canonical. It is configured to give higher validity to the upper tiers. If something on a lower tier conflicts with something on an upper tier, the upper tier overrides the lower tiers.

From Xenopedia:

The Hierarchy of Canon

Generally speaking, the media of the franchise is ranked as below, with the top tier representing the 'pinnacle' or baseline upon which everything else is built, the core sequence of events that are irrefutably true. Successive tiers are given reduced precedence in relation to this baseline. Essentially, information from media in the second tier that contradicts information from the first tier is considered non-canon, and so on down the list.

The hierarchy of canon used on this wiki is as follows:

1. Theatrical films
2. Video games
3. Books
4. Comics
5. Toys/other merchandise

"SM is only interested in facts. He doesn't look outside of the box, or speculate, or propose ideas. 

He is here to correct us and put us straight about our misconceptions.

...and before anyone decides to get their flamethrowers out that is not meant as a criticism or attack, it is a fact!"

You forgot the passive bit in your passive aggression there.

"According to Xenopedia, Fox hasn't done the best job at regulating canon. "

They're correct up to a point.  They've done a better job in recent years.

That said, I don't agree with Xenopedia's hierarchy.  The comics, books and game should all be the same equal tier.

S.M

Your thoughts are noted. I agree with your rejection of Xenopedia's hierarchy to a degree. For the most part in that it isn't an official hierarchy. I do however see it as an effective tool. It's inclusive of all media and offers a method for resolving conflicts. Their admitted reasoning behind the order of importance is based on audience size.

While it can prove effective in developing theories that will likely not conflict with the top tier it IS in fact only based on assumptions that Fox would likely follow a similar train of thought. 

SM That was actually meant to provide some support, of course now you will tell me you don't need my support! LOL

@Lone, 

Regardless of how SM chooses to respond we all need to adhere to the community guidelines and refrain from throwing any shade at another member. Not everyone will be as open to explore these concepts as you or I. Some prefer to deal with only facts and established content and that's okay. Let's remember to get along now and enjoy the forums together. :) 

@QE Shaw

I'm not sure of Xenopedia's reasoning behind the different tiers and why one medium would take precedence over another. I'll have to look into it more.

S.M

Understood. If you'd like to read the full article the excerpt came from, you can find it here. It's not too long but it does go into detail on Xenopedia's stance. 

Cheers.  I'll have a read.

I think Lone was pointing out the fact that S.M has considerable knowledge and facts (not least of all his own work within the Alien franchise) to back up his opinions (in reference to assertions from others that he was making it up by not naming an individual). I don't think her intent was to criticise him at all.

Everyone has a different style with regards to how they post comments/opinions. My wife often often tells me to get to the point, so I guess that indicates mine tend to be somewhat verbose!

Anyway, discussions about canon are generally very subjective. The point is, we can all have our own opinion on what is/isn't canon, but at the end of the day, whomever owns the franchise has the ultimate say. For me, what's in the movies is what I consider to be fact, and I'm happy for subsequent movies to dictate that. It gets way too complicated (and expensive!) to keep all other possible sources of canon in scope.

When I talk about what is and isn't canon, I'm saying 'This is what Fox considers canon'.

People are of course free to pick and choose what they like - but for those after an official stance and a common point of reference for discussion - there it is.

I read the xenopedia often.I find it reliable.It was some of the things i read there that led me to starting my chestburster thread.

This guys said they are canon.