The Command & Conquer canon can be a confusing and contradictory mess - mostly because Westwood (and later, EA) were largely making everything up as they went along. The most obvious problem is that it's hard to see exactly how the Tiberium series and the Red Alert series fit together. Somewhat understandably, EA has taken the position that they are two separate universes. This removes the confusion and ambiguity, but is nonetheless unsatisfying. It's hard to ignore the fact that Kane undeniably appears in the Soviet campaign of the first game. You can't just explain that away. (Also, I'll be damned if I ever acknowledge what EA says about anything).
This leads some fans to make the claim that the Soviet ending of the first Red Alert (in which it is implied that, sometime around the mid-90s, the Brotherhood will eventually engineer the collapse of the Soviet state that now dominates Eurasia after Stalin's victory) is the only part of the Red Alert series that is canonical to the Tiberium universe. The level of technology present in the First Tiberium War, they claim, is not compatible with the events that occur in the Third World War.
There are two problems with this argument. First, which TW1 tech level do you mean? In Tiberian Dawn, the tech level for both GDI and Nod was rather more grounded. For instance, Nod's light tanks were repurposed and modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles, probably purchased from another nation's surplus. Weapons like the Orca gunship, orbital ion cannon, stealth tank, and Obelisk of Light do exist, but these are portrayed as bleeding-edge technology that has only recently been developed. However, in the first-person shooter Renegade, which depicts the same time period, everything gets a bit more G.I. Joe-ish, and more closely resembles the futuristic technology portrayed in Tiberian Sun. Soldiers are equipped with laser rifles, the Nod light tank is a sleek original design, and Nod has already begun Tiberium-based genetic enhancement. These portrayals are not at all consistent with each other.
The second problem is that the political climate of the First Tiberium War is not compatible with a Soviet victory over Europe in World War II. The political borders on the campaign map match their post-RL Cold War alignment. It's hard to imagine that Konigsberg would not belong to Germany in a post-Soviet-Eurostate world. Remember that there were no Nazis in the Red Alert 'verse. (This makes even less sense after an Allied victory which isn't followed by another World War - the unconquered Prussia would still be German). And Germany was not the only country whose borders are incompatible with this version of history.
Furthermore, the existence of the UN (which didn't come into being until after World War II in RL, and probably in the C&C 'verse as well) seems hard to justify. After conquering Europe, would the Soviet commander who succeeded the assassinated Stalin as premier really have suffered it to exist? If any international authority existed, it would have been dominated by the Soviets. The UN could have been formed post-collapse, but this would be a nascent organization, which is inconsistent with the long secret history within the UN that GDI is said to have. Furthermore, America's prominence within GDI as depicted in game makes more sense within the context of an American victory over the Soviets. In short, the political climate of Tiberian Dawn just feels too much like the real nineties for me to buy that it's a world in which Stalin conquered Europe.
Clearly, there isn't any way to reconcile the disparate aspects of the C&C canon in a way that is sensible and satisfying. One person's guess is as good as any other's. But unlike some people, I'm perfectly okay with this. As fun as it can sometimes be to argue over canon, I've never been particularly bothered over which series of made-up events gets to be considered "real." As far as I'm concerned, these ambiguities and contradictions give me free rein to make up whatever I like.
I have therefore decided, primarily for the sake of synergy with another mun playing Tanya Adams (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
alertcommando), to include the first two Red Alert games and Yuri's Revenge as part of the Tiberium universe (much as the excellent C&C 3 fan novelization by Peptuck does in passing). Thus, the technology of the First Tiberium War will more closely resemble the way it's depicted in Renegade than the way it's depicted in Tiberian Dawn. These events will be acknowledged through broad strokes, because a canon as confused as Command & Conquer demands vagueness on matters like these. The only tech to be specifically acknowledged will be psychic powers (an ability that died out with the last of Yuri's Psy Corps), time travel (a technology deliberately suppressed due to its inherent dangers), and the Chronosphere (essential to the Allied victory, but also too dangerous to be used).
Red Alert 3 will be considered a separate timeline caused by time travel, because that is explicitly how it's portrayed in the game. Good thing, too, because it's hard enough reconciling these sub-canons WITHOUT having to deal with the balls-out insanity of the third installment.
If you've got a problem with how I've chosen to handle things, tough. It's my account. Deal with it, fanboy.
This leads some fans to make the claim that the Soviet ending of the first Red Alert (in which it is implied that, sometime around the mid-90s, the Brotherhood will eventually engineer the collapse of the Soviet state that now dominates Eurasia after Stalin's victory) is the only part of the Red Alert series that is canonical to the Tiberium universe. The level of technology present in the First Tiberium War, they claim, is not compatible with the events that occur in the Third World War.
There are two problems with this argument. First, which TW1 tech level do you mean? In Tiberian Dawn, the tech level for both GDI and Nod was rather more grounded. For instance, Nod's light tanks were repurposed and modified Bradley Fighting Vehicles, probably purchased from another nation's surplus. Weapons like the Orca gunship, orbital ion cannon, stealth tank, and Obelisk of Light do exist, but these are portrayed as bleeding-edge technology that has only recently been developed. However, in the first-person shooter Renegade, which depicts the same time period, everything gets a bit more G.I. Joe-ish, and more closely resembles the futuristic technology portrayed in Tiberian Sun. Soldiers are equipped with laser rifles, the Nod light tank is a sleek original design, and Nod has already begun Tiberium-based genetic enhancement. These portrayals are not at all consistent with each other.
The second problem is that the political climate of the First Tiberium War is not compatible with a Soviet victory over Europe in World War II. The political borders on the campaign map match their post-RL Cold War alignment. It's hard to imagine that Konigsberg would not belong to Germany in a post-Soviet-Eurostate world. Remember that there were no Nazis in the Red Alert 'verse. (This makes even less sense after an Allied victory which isn't followed by another World War - the unconquered Prussia would still be German). And Germany was not the only country whose borders are incompatible with this version of history.
Furthermore, the existence of the UN (which didn't come into being until after World War II in RL, and probably in the C&C 'verse as well) seems hard to justify. After conquering Europe, would the Soviet commander who succeeded the assassinated Stalin as premier really have suffered it to exist? If any international authority existed, it would have been dominated by the Soviets. The UN could have been formed post-collapse, but this would be a nascent organization, which is inconsistent with the long secret history within the UN that GDI is said to have. Furthermore, America's prominence within GDI as depicted in game makes more sense within the context of an American victory over the Soviets. In short, the political climate of Tiberian Dawn just feels too much like the real nineties for me to buy that it's a world in which Stalin conquered Europe.
Clearly, there isn't any way to reconcile the disparate aspects of the C&C canon in a way that is sensible and satisfying. One person's guess is as good as any other's. But unlike some people, I'm perfectly okay with this. As fun as it can sometimes be to argue over canon, I've never been particularly bothered over which series of made-up events gets to be considered "real." As far as I'm concerned, these ambiguities and contradictions give me free rein to make up whatever I like.
I have therefore decided, primarily for the sake of synergy with another mun playing Tanya Adams (
alertcommando), to include the first two Red Alert games and Yuri's Revenge as part of the Tiberium universe (much as the excellent C&C 3 fan novelization by Peptuck does in passing). Thus, the technology of the First Tiberium War will more closely resemble the way it's depicted in Renegade than the way it's depicted in Tiberian Dawn. These events will be acknowledged through broad strokes, because a canon as confused as Command & Conquer demands vagueness on matters like these. The only tech to be specifically acknowledged will be psychic powers (an ability that died out with the last of Yuri's Psy Corps), time travel (a technology deliberately suppressed due to its inherent dangers), and the Chronosphere (essential to the Allied victory, but also too dangerous to be used).Red Alert 3 will be considered a separate timeline caused by time travel, because that is explicitly how it's portrayed in the game. Good thing, too, because it's hard enough reconciling these sub-canons WITHOUT having to deal with the balls-out insanity of the third installment.
If you've got a problem with how I've chosen to handle things, tough. It's my account. Deal with it, fanboy.
