Fan Theories
The universe fandom is great. Such sweet and enthusiastic people.
The universe fandom is great. Such sweet and enthusiastic people.
This is another comic on How to annoy people. Here Cueball annoys Megan, a Scientist, by referring to the hypotheses that there are subsurface oceans on some of Jupiter's Moons, as "fan theories".
A fan theory is an unofficial hypothesis about a fictional work from enthusiasts instead of the official authors. Fan theories may include non-canonical background information for, or continuations of, official narratives. Since humanity is not the "author" of the universe, all thoughts and writings on the nature of the universe are, almost by definition, non-canonical fan ideas. Fan theories have been referenced before in 1401: New.
In this comic, Cueball refers to scientific hypotheses as "fan theories." Scientists might consider this as undervaluing their work, because scientific hypotheses are usually the result of much more serious research than the authorship of fiction. Charismatic cranks often obtain undeserved recognition for supposedly scientific hypotheses, so being lumped in with charlatans or pseudoscientists could be perceived as insensitive to rigorous scientists. Once again, Randall has attempted to devise a new way to annoy scientists. However, many if not most professional scientists are aware of similarities between hypotheses pertaining to fiction and non-fiction.
By referring to rigorous scientific studies as "fan theories" Randall is also elevating the experience of fandom. Though they are typically not supported by research institutions, tenured faculty positions, or grant funding, fandom communities often demonstrate a high degree of skill in literary criticism including evidence gathering, philosophical interpretation, and generative writing. This continues the trend of building connections between disciplines in STEM, social science, and the humanities.
This comic appeared a few days after renewed suggestions that life may exist within one of Saturn's moons.
The title text may be facetious, having to do with unwelcoming or inconsiderate fandoms (or scientists who are annoyed at being called "fans of the universe"), or it could be sincere.