MovieChat Forums > Highlander (1986) Discussion > Personal Canon

Personal Canon

posted 11 years ago by Duragizer
23 replies | jump to latest

So, which parts of the Highlander franchise - the films, series, novels, comics, etc. - do all you fans out there consider part of your personal canon?

In my case, I only consider the first film completely canon. I'm also willing to accept the series for the most part, but only by ignoring the bits that conflict with the film and imagining that it takes place before the film instead of after it.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he wasn't a great big pansy.

[–] taijiquan12 11 years ago

So in your version, Duncan has died before Highlander the movie?

"Bulls**t MR.Han Man!!"--Jim Kelly in Enter the Dragon

[–] Jan_El_Senor 11 years ago

So in your version, Duncan has died before Highlander the movie?

That's the way the series should have been made....

"Don't conform, be like us...."

[–] wears-alan 11 years ago

Yep. There can be only one!

You are entitled to my opinion, whether you want it or not!!

[–] Duragizer 11 years ago

Yep. In my canon, the events of Endgame more-or-less occurred as they did in the "real" canon, just before the original movie and with Connor and Duncan's roles reversed.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he wasn't a great big pansy.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 11 years ago

In my canon, Highlander II happened in Connor's imagination while doing quaaludes in the 70s. Endgame happened in a dream Connor had after he got drunk with Brenda to celebrate winning the Prize....

"Don't conform, be like us...."

[–] Phoenix_13 11 years ago

Since every sequel in the Franchise ignores / blows out of the water parts of the original, I don't consider any of them to be canon.

Overall, I say original movie + series, though you have to ignore Connor being the last Immortal. The series was, for the most part, internally consistent (though I can point to some exceptions, like the two different stories of how Duncan got his sword -- Season 1, Episode called "Free Fall" with guest star Joan Jett, Duncan tells her the story of his sword. Then, Season 3, Episode 1 ("The Samurai"), we get a totally different version. There were probably a few others I could have expounded upon once upon a time, but I'd have to watch the whole series over again.

I started out this post by saying that the only sequel I considered canon was "Endgame," to a degree. Then I started to expound on what things did not qualify as canon with Endgame and realized there was more "not canon" than "canon," and anything 'canon' was established in either the original movie or the series.

Destroy all that which is evil, so that which is good may flourish.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 11 years ago

Since every sequel in the Franchise ignores / blows out of the water parts of the original, I don't consider any of them to be canon.

Like the movie or not, Highlander 3 is the only sequel that can be considered canon. Connor was still the only one who won the Prize at the end of the original film....

"Don't conform, be like us...."

[–] tenantennae 11 years ago

But he didn't really win the Prize, since Mario Van Peebles and his henchman were trapped and couldn't participate in the Gathering.

It's not much different than the series, where Connor "thought" he'd won the prize, despite the fact that cousin Duncan and countless other immortals were still out there.

Both contradict the ending of the film, since apparently knowing what everyone is thinking, being able to communicate with Ramirez's ghost and being able to grow old / reproduce didn't really happen or, at least, didn't mean he'd won.

To answer the original question, the first movie is the only one for me.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 11 years ago

But he didn't really win the Prize, since Mario Van Peebles and his henchman were trapped and couldn't participate in the Gathering.

Magically sealed in the cave by Nakano, essentially removing them from the Game. Connor had the Prize. This is why he immediately knew something was wrong when the cave was breached, even though he was nowhere near it. It was taken away from him when the cave was breached. It was pretty much like Highlander 2 when more Immortals showed up....

"Don't conform, be like us...."

[–] tenantennae 11 years ago

That's right, sorry.

[–] Phoenix_13 11 years ago

Jan, the title of the thread is "Personal Canon." There are no wrong answers; just what each individual fan takes as canon. Don't take it too seriously, since it's all fiction anyway, okay?

Destroy all that which is evil, so that which is good may flourish.

[–] Jan_El_Senor 11 years ago

OK. No big argument here. Just having a discussion.

Your statement was that every sequel has blown parts of the original out of the water, so none of them could actually be canon. I believe that it can be easily argued that Highlander 3 is the only sequel that does not blow parts of the original out of the water. So by your logic, it can be considered canon.

At the end of the day, we all have to pick and choose what the canon is. Obviously, that's what the producers did with each subsequent product....

"Don't conform, be like us...."

[–] HellboundHero 11 years ago

I mostly prefer the first movie's canon and wish the tv series had tried to stick to it, possibly by setting the series in the 80s prior to the gathering or by using a floating timeline where the final battle between Connor and the Kurgan happens in 1996 rather than 1986. I hate that the series trivialized the events of the movie and then later killed off Connor who was supposed to be the last surviving immortal.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Jan_El_Senor 11 years ago

In answer to the question, my personal canon includes the original movie, Highlander: The Final Dimension, and the novel, Highlander: The Element of Fire....

"Don't conform, be like us...."

[–] bondukkevin 11 years ago

My personal canon is original film and endgame.

[–] HetaAnma 11 years ago

Highlander is like a multiverse. The Prime universe is just the first movie (or the Movie + HLII Director's Cut). Then there is the universe with HL + HLIII. Then there is the TV series universe seasons 1 and 2 which don't fit into the movie universe at all (including the first movie). Then there's HL The Series season 3-6 which is in a different universe from Season 1 and 2. Then there is the animated series which goes with something perhaps or nothing. Then there's the Highlander Anime universe which doesn't go with anything. Yeah. Highlander canon.

[–] IndianaMcClane 11 years ago

Pretty much the same. The series with the original film and Endgame as the bookends is what I would probably consider my personal canon.

[–] Times_Up 10 years ago

I'll go with:

Highlander: Element of Fire

Highlander: The Series

Highlander: The Final Dimension (ignore any talk about the Prize and have it be just another battle)

Highlander (the only one that feels like a true ending)

I agree with you, that I see the 1st movie as taking place after the series, which is appropriate since it never got a proper ending anyway. Only gap is what happened to Duncan between the show and movie.

I like FD being before the 1st one, b/c Connor seems to be getting his *beep* together in that movie, right before the Gathering. Fits his character. I guess Endgame could be included as the explanation as what happened to Duncan, but with major rewrites. Remove the awful fight between the 2 and have Duncan killed by Kell and his gang violating the rules and ganging up on him. That causes some kind of natural disaster that Connor takes personally b/c of Duncan's death and kills Kell and onto FD.

Steadfast he opened his mouth, but nothing came out. What a wash out.

[–] gottfrid 10 years ago

only the first is canon to me, and worth my time, even though adrian paul was quite a decent lead.

"It doesn't matter what Bram Stoker has told you... dead people don't come back from their graves"