Forum:SH:"Special thanks" in media

This page is an archive of a community-wide discussion. This page is no longer live. Further comments or questions on this topic should be made in a new Senate Hall page rather than here so that this page is preserved as a historic record. JocastaBot (talk) 17:50, 5 November 2022 (UTC)
Forums > Senate Hall archive > SH:"Special thanks" in media

Hi everyone,

Another topic on OOU media. This time it is specifically regarding the "Special Thanks" sections, often for, but not limited to, individuals and organizations who helped in an unofficial capacity in developing the media.

I was looking at Clone Wars Connecting the Dots and noticed the following listed under Special Thanks:

Now this section can be used to thank family, friends, people who inspired the creator of the media, etc. I believe Wookieepedia has even be mentioned in the special thanks section of some media.

There are two points to this Senate Hall thread:

  1. Should we list these individuals/organizations in the credits of a media, updating a new section to Template:Credits?
    I feel that we should be listing these for the purposes of comprehensiveness. NOT listing these individuals/organizations would be painting an incomplete picture of who helped the media get to its final state, and these often provide moral or logistical support.
  2. If we do, should we create articles for all individuals listed?
    Here I think we should NOT have an article for any individual/organization that does not have an existing article (similar to my list above). As they have not contributed in a recognizable capacity, it is hard to have an article for that individual/organization. In saying that, we should link to their article if they have one already.

That's it, what's your thoughts? Manoof (he/him/his) (talk) 13:09, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

Discussion point 1

  • I feel these should be listed in the OOU appearances list, similar to people mentioned in making of books who didn't actually work on Star Wars, otherwise people might think we've missed them and the list is incomplete. Ayrehead02 (talk) 14:17, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
  • Yes, they should be listed. Jade Moonstroller (talk) 17:33, 23 September 2022 (UTC)

Discussion point 2

  • No I don't think that being thanked is enough to meet notability requirements. These individuals should be listed with Wikipedia links or as plaintext in the OOU appearances list as this will stop people feeling that they need to make articles for them. Ayrehead02 (talk) 14:17, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
  • Per Ayrehead02. If we know who is thanking them, I would also mention them in that person's article. Samonic Signatureicon (Talk) 14:31, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
  • I have to agree with Ayre. If we don't have evidence that someone actually contributed to SW in some way, they shouldn't be linked but should still be listed. VergenceScatter (talk) 14:57, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
  • Agree on both counts. OOM 224 17:16, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
  • We've brought this up in CREA before, as sometimes visual media will credit people in this way. My stance on it is to link to them if they have done other works in Star Wars, say if someone thanked Dave Filoni for a project he was otherwise unaffiliated with. People who are thanked and have zero other contributions ever in the history of Star Wars don't need to have a page created. Now, I don't know whether this needs to be a separate forum or what, but would Special Thanks be credited in the Filmography and Bibliography sections of the Creator pages themselves? Jade Moonstroller (talk) 17:33, 23 September 2022 (UTC)
    • I don't think they should be credited at all, since they didn't actively work on the subject and we don't know WHY they got mentioned. Is it they inspired the creator, or created some aspect of star wars they used and loved? or did they provide some advice or guidance when they were stuck or unsure of something? Manoof (he/him/his) (talk) 09:10, 24 September 2022 (UTC)
      • But for the sake of completion in the Credits, it's almost necessary that they are credited. However, like Ayre suggested, link to a Wikipedia page (or nothing at all) if we can. In their own articles, say Dave Filoni again, I don't think putting them into the Bibliographies or Filmographies is appropriate, because as you said, "since they didn't actively work on the subject and we don't know WHY they got mentioned." Because we want to be thorough, we should reference the thanks in the Biography portion instead. Jade Moonstroller (talk) 04:08, 28 September 2022 (UTC)
        • Oh yes sorry that's what I meant, note them in sources/biography but not in bibliography/filmography/etc. Sorry if the previous message wasn't clear! Manoof (he/him/his) (talk) 12:03, 28 September 2022 (UTC)