The Precedent Rule is a major governing factor in establishing the crossover of Extraordinary! The rule is given as that the first version of a character, event, item, or story is used instead of later versions, and that, in the absence of a defined date, a work of fiction is assumed to take place when it was first created. However, there are a number of aversions to the Precedent Rule, which are detailed here. This page will also include media which are excluded from the universe of Extraordinary! for other reasons.
Aversions of Chronology
In some cases, a more recent work is given precedent because, internally, it is set earlier than another. This is especially prominent in characters who are given as first appearing at a given point and still going strong decades later, even in excess of a century.
In some cases, a more recent work is given precedent because, internally, it is set earlier than another. This is especially prominent in characters who are given as first appearing at a given point and still going strong decades later, even in excess of a century.
Aversions to Combine
Some established elements of fiction are not so much averted or omitted as they are revised in order to mesh with the rest of the setting.
Some established elements of fiction are not so much averted or omitted as they are revised in order to mesh with the rest of the setting.
- Force-sensitivity as described in Star Wars and its expanded universe is used to explain otherwise unexplained psychic powers, especially telekinesis.
- Partly for consistency, almost all zombies are treated as having been infected with solanum (from The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z) despite being very recent in part because there are consistent rules for solanum zombies. That said, there are several other types of zombies which are also included.
- The Lidenbrock Expedition as described in Journey to the Center of the Earth is revised to take place in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar rather than its own Hollow Earth despite predating the latter by fifty years. Generally speaking, the Hollow Earth is revised as actually being large subterranean regions rather than the whole interior of Earth paralleling the surface world, and Pellucidar itself is revised as being a large region underneath western Europe and the northern half of Africa rather than all of Earth, with the Lidenbrock Sea and other subterranean features mentioned in Journey to the Center of the Earth being part of Pellucidar, and in particular is underneath the northern Atlantic Ocean.
- Though providing an ideal replacement for several elements of mid-20th century history and figures of the time, 1940's The Great Dictator is mostly ignored. This means that, instead of being replaced by fictional equivalent Adenoid Hynkel, the historical figure of Adolf Hitler remains as himself in Extraordinary!, in part because so much more fiction uses Hitler himself as a character rather than a proxy for him.
- Many fairy tales do not include names even for very important characters. Because of this, later adaptations or artwork of various fairy tales, folklore, and mythology which give names to previously unnamed characters are used instead. Disney adaptations of these fairy tales are mostly avoided--in part because they postdate other adaptations, drastically change the original stories, or simply because that would be too obvious--but are still used in a number of situations.
Aversions of Respect
Some aversions to the Precedent Rule are made for more sensitive reasons than others. Not all fiction is so kind and respectful as most, sometimes trying to push an agenda for a particular group or individual which distorts the facts of historical events and real people so much as to be unrecognizable. Generally speaking, historical revisionism (not to be confused with alternate history or counterfactual history, which discusses and explores what could have been rather than claiming obvious fiction as truth) is ignored, especially if it endorses a bigoted agenda. (Ex: 1903's The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, 1915's The Birth of a Nation)
Some aversions to the Precedent Rule are made for more sensitive reasons than others. Not all fiction is so kind and respectful as most, sometimes trying to push an agenda for a particular group or individual which distorts the facts of historical events and real people so much as to be unrecognizable. Generally speaking, historical revisionism (not to be confused with alternate history or counterfactual history, which discusses and explores what could have been rather than claiming obvious fiction as truth) is ignored, especially if it endorses a bigoted agenda. (Ex: 1903's The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, 1915's The Birth of a Nation)
- 300 (1998 comic, 2006 film): while 300 is arguably historically accurate in the actual events it portrays, the aesthetics and style of the story is not. The events of 300 are not entirely discounted, but its inspiration, 1962's The 300 Spartans, is given precedent and the portrayal (but not the actual characters) of 300 is given as artistic license by the in-universe character of Dilios to motivate the Spartan army for an upcoming battle with the Persians.
- The Birth of a Nation (1915 film): because of the blatant revisionism present in the film--as well as in its inspiration, 1905's The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan--and partly as a commentary on the then-common practice of ethnic Africans being portrayed by white actors in blackface, the events of the story are themselves revised as being a false-flag operation by the Ku Klux Klan in an attempt to cast themselves as heroes, which eventually backfires when their subversive efforts are revealed.
- The Da Vinci Code (2003 novel, 2006 film): in part because of the nature of the backstory to The Da Vinci Code and in part because so much other fiction portrays it otherwise, the interpretation of Jesus in The Da Vinci Code as not only surviving the Crucifixion but leaving Israel with Mary Magdalene to become the ancestors of the Merovingian dynasty, with the Resurrection never taking place as a result, is revised: the Crucfixion and Resurrection take place as described in the Bible, but the conspiracy surrounding the Merovingians still takes place, except that Brian Cohen (from Monty Python's Life of Brian) is the actual progenitor of the Merovingians, somehow surviving his own crucifixion and being mistaken for Christ again like he was during the events of the film.
- The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (1903 text): in the fictional universe of Extraordinary!, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is given the exact same treatment as it has and deserves in real-life: an anti-Semitic forgery intended to cast Jews as seeking world domination as a means of justifying pogroms and genocide against them, taken as fact only by bigots and conspiracy theorists.
- The Legend of the Titanic (1999 film) and Titanic: The Legend Goes On (2000 film): as a matter of respect to the victims of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, the two Italian animated films based on it, made to profit from the release of 1997's Titanic, are ignored. However, other fiction set on the RMS Titanic are included in the world of Extraordinary!
Exclusions of Continuity
Over the years, some works of fiction have become famous or successful enough to have led to being given successive entries that the original creators never intended, or were remade for the audience of a new generation. Inevitably, some of these later creations have been disavowed either by their original creators, by those who made other successive entries, by those who acquired the rights to the source material, or by the audiences themselves. These select works are subject to discontinuity and, therefore, are mostly ignored in Extraordinary!
Over the years, some works of fiction have become famous or successful enough to have led to being given successive entries that the original creators never intended, or were remade for the audience of a new generation. Inevitably, some of these later creations have been disavowed either by their original creators, by those who made other successive entries, by those who acquired the rights to the source material, or by the audiences themselves. These select works are subject to discontinuity and, therefore, are mostly ignored in Extraordinary!
- Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles (1996-1997 cartoon): the third season of the Disney animated series Gargoyles is generally disliked by viewers, and was all but officially decanonized by a comic book version of the series by its original writer which ignored the third season, except for its first episode. Reflecting this, the events of Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are ignored here.
- Highlander (1986-2007 franchise): because of the confusing and contradictory nature of all the films and series which followed it, the entire Highlander series with the exception of the original 1986 film are ignored.
- Jaws 3-D (1983 film): the third installment to the Jaws film franchise was ignored when the fourth film, 1987's Jaws: The Revenge, not only did not acknowledge Jaws 3-D but was also marketed as the final film in the Jaws trilogy, indicating that even the film's creators refused to acknowledge the third film any longer.
- The Lion King 1½ (2003 film): the interquel to Disney's The Lion King, set between the original film and its sequel The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, is ignored mainly because of the format it is presented in, as home movies of the characters Timon and Pumbaa in direct contrast with most of the rest of the original film's franchise, which also features cameo appearances by many other Disney characters whose presence drastically conflicts with The Lion King.
- Planet of the Apes (1968-1973 film series): the success of 1968's Planet of the Apes led to several sequels. With the exception of its the first sequel, 1970's Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the entire film series was ignored with the production of 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its own sequel, 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, (and an upcoming third film, War for the Planet of the Apes) and this is reflected in Extraordinary! for a number of reasons, primarily that the premise of the rebooted film series starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes is still fundamentally similar to the sequels--in part owing to it being a partial remake of 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, with its sequel being of a similar case for 1973's Battle for the Planet of the Apes--but is executed more plausibly in part because of the changed perceptions of apes in general as well as how scientific knowledge has advanced since the 1970s. Therefore, the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and its sequels are used as the origins of the original Planet of the Apes film in Extraordinary! Furthermore, the Planet of the Apes films are treated separately from the novel which inspired them, 1963's La Planète des Singes, because of the radically different premises between them: La Planète des Singes is set on an actual alien world, whereas Planet of the Apes is set on Earth in the distant future so, in a further aversion of the Precedent Rule, both the novel and the film can take place in the Mainline of Earth-Prime. The first remake of Planet of the Apes from 2001, directed by Tim Burton, is partially ignored: the setting and culture of the ape society from the 2001 film is meshed with that of the original film, but the plot and characters are mostly ignored.
- Star Wars Legends (1976-2014 franchise): following the release and massive success of 1977's Star Wars, (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) many spin-off works were produced across all forms of media--comic books, novels, television series, video games, and so on. These were all classified as being in the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars and almost all of them were considered canon to the original films, leading to high levels of confliction within the franchise, though the Original Trilogy and then the Prequel Trilogy of the films were always given precedent due to the involvement of series creator George Lucas. In 2012, the Disney Corporation acquired Lucasfilm--the company which owned and produced the Star Wars franchise--and announced its intention to begin producing new Star Wars media when the license held on it by Dark Horse Comics expired in 2014. This led to the official disowning of the old Expanded Universe--now rebranded as Star Wars Legends, stories set within the Star Wars universe which may or may not have actually happened--and all entries to it now being considered non-canon. However, there were two exceptions: in addition to the Original and Prequel Trilogies and all subsequent entries to the Star Wars franchise, the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and its pilot film are considered canon. Based on this ruling, only the Original and Prequel Trilogies, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and all entries to the series from 2014 onwards are taken into account for Extraordinary! That said, some elements of Star Wars Legends may still be included anyway, but only if they are not contradicted by the established canon in any way, shape, or form.
Exclusion of the Internet
For the most part, works which originated on and exist almost exclusively on the Internet are excluded from the world of Extraordinary!, partly because of the radically different interpretations of characters, events, items, and media that can exist in fan-creations, especially in fanfiction, (ironically, Extraordinary! is such a fan-creation) and in part because it is debatable if such works are even published, contrast physical films, literature, and so on. With that said, some web-original works are still included, meaning that this section describes inclusions rather than exclusions.
For the most part, works which originated on and exist almost exclusively on the Internet are excluded from the world of Extraordinary!, partly because of the radically different interpretations of characters, events, items, and media that can exist in fan-creations, especially in fanfiction, (ironically, Extraordinary! is such a fan-creation) and in part because it is debatable if such works are even published, contrast physical films, literature, and so on. With that said, some web-original works are still included, meaning that this section describes inclusions rather than exclusions.
- Red vs. Blue (2003 machinima): though explicitly a fanmade machinima series based on, made using, and set in the Halo video games, Red vs. Blue is included in Extraordinary!, set contemporarily to the events of the actual Halo series in-universe.
- Xiǎo Xiǎo (2001 flash series): this animated series of stick figure fighting is incorporated despite its originating on the Internet and virtually lacking an actual narrative. However, Xiǎo Xiǎo as it exists in Extraordinary! is almost unrecognizable compared to the original since the stick figure characters are translated into more typical human form.
Exclusion of Role-playing Games
Generally speaking, role-playing games--be they tabletop, text-based, or video games--are ignored in the broader multiverse of Extraordinry! In part, this is because almost anything can happen in these settings and it would be too difficult to determine a series of events in these worlds. The canonical lore of these settings, though--especially non-interactive media set in them--are taken into account. Keep in mind, though, that many role-playing games are set on their own fictional worlds or continents, anyway, and would therefore not take place in Earth-Prime at all.
Generally speaking, role-playing games--be they tabletop, text-based, or video games--are ignored in the broader multiverse of Extraordinry! In part, this is because almost anything can happen in these settings and it would be too difficult to determine a series of events in these worlds. The canonical lore of these settings, though--especially non-interactive media set in them--are taken into account. Keep in mind, though, that many role-playing games are set on their own fictional worlds or continents, anyway, and would therefore not take place in Earth-Prime at all.