Help:Theories

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Unlike some other Wikis, Heroes Wiki is a fan site first and an encyclopedia second. This means that in addition to strictly encyclopedic content like articles on episodes, characters, and actors, it includes speculative content such as fan theories and spoilers for unbroadcast episodes.

To keep the quality of the encyclopedic articles high, all fan theories, speculation, and spoilers should be clearly marked as such and confined to the appropriate articles or article sections. For more information on what qualifies as "canon" information and what qualifies as speculation, see Help:Sources.

Fan Theories

Fan theories are just that: theories about unrevealed information from the show, created or espoused by fans.

Theories

Theory articles are the proper home for all fan theories. Bear in mind that theory articles are still articles, and not a free-for-all debate.

• Follow the formatting conventions of the articles.
• Follow the normal style guidelines just as you would for any other article. In particular, be careful to maintain a third-person perspective throughout. Avoid adding comments like "I believe" or "my theory"—even if you are the source of a theory you are posting, remember that you are collaborating with others to report fan theories, not presenting your own theory.
• Add links appropriately as you would for any other article.
• Do not add personal comments or sign entries on the Theory pages.
• Do not remove information from the theory articles merely because you personally disagree with it or do not believe a theory is plausible. Theory articles are a report of existing fan theories, not an endorsement or critique of any given theory.
• Do not remove theories unless they are conclusively disproved by a canon source. Only aired episodes and released graphic novels count as canon sources. Interviews, articles, spoilers, previews, and unaired episodes are not canon sources. See Help:Sources for more on using different sources.
• If you have information that either supports or refutes a theory, add it to the appropriate column in that theory's entry. Be sure to precede each entry in the Notes column with a line break (<br>). You can also use the appropriate designating bullet: {{plus}}, {{minus}}, or {{note}}.

Collections of Theories

You should add your theory to the appropriate article:

Article	Description	Examples
Theories:Events	Portal of theories related to events	Explosion, Peter's visions
Theories:Evolved Humans	Portal of articles related to evolved humans	Niki Sanders, Peter Petrelli
Theories:Items	Portal of articles related to items	Hiro's sword, The Company's guns
Theories:People	Portal of articles related to humans	Mohinder Suresh, Noah Bennet
Theories:Powers	Portal of articles related to powers and their effects	Space-time manipulation, Rift
Theories:Miscellaneous	Portal of all other theories	The Company, The Symbol

If you aren't sure which Theory page to add your theory to, check the category of the article to which your theory relates.

Format of the Theories Pages

To make information easier to access and understand, the theory articles consist of tables used to organize the theory, related canon citations, and notes about the theory.

The format of each theory table should be the same:

• The first column states the theory.
• The second column provides any canon-source information which supports the theory. Only canon-source evidence belongs in the second column. Unless you can cite a specific scene in an aired episode or published graphic novel, your evidence belongs in "Notes".
• The third column provides any additional information, such as canon information which refutes the theory or makes it less likely to be true, but also including non-canon source information which supports or refutes the theory. This includes any reasoning or conjecture based on canon or non-canon information. Use {{plus}}, {{minus}} and {{note}} for proper notation of relevance to the theory. Ensure a <br> is included before each tag to make sure the lines are separated.

Adding a new theory to a table

To add a new theory to an existing theory table, simply add a new row to the theory:

1. Edit the appropriate Theory article.
2. Go to the end of the table, denoted by |}.
3. Insert a new line between the last row, denoted by |-, and the end of the table.
4. Add cells for the three columns:
   1. Type a single pipe followed by the theory.
   2. On the same line, type a double pipe and the evidence.
   3. On the same line, type a double pipe and any additional information.
   4. On a new line, type a new final row mark consisting of a pipe and a dash.
5. Preview your changes, add an edit summary and save your changes.

Your entry should look like the following (existing text is in blue, your entries are in red):

|-

| [[Peter]] is [[Uluru]]. || None. || {{plus}}''Peter'' comes from the Latin ''petra'' which means ''rock''. Uluru is a rock monster.
|-

|}

Adding a new page

To add a new page, first create a red link. This can be done in a number of ways, but the easiest is to do a search for the red link:

1. In the search bar, type "Theory:PAGENAME" where PAGENAME is the exact name of the page about which you want to create a theory. For instance, if you want to create a theory about Ren, you must type "Theory:Ren Metzger" since Ren Metzger is the full name of the original article.
2. Click "Go".
3. If the page already exists, you should be directed to that page. If not, a red link should be created at the top of the search results page. Click on this link.

You are now ready to create a new theory page:

1. Click the "Create a theory page" button to load the appropriate layout for the page.
2. Follow the directions at the top of the page to appropriately sort your page, change the lead text if necessary, and add your theories. Specifically:
   1. Replace FIRSTTHEORY, FIRSTCITATION, and FIRSTNOTES with your theory, a citation and notes.
   2. For additional theories, separate one theory from the next with |-.
   3. Make sure the table is closed with |}.
3. Preview your changes, add an edit summary and save your changes.
4. Add a link to your new theory page on the original page by placing {{theories}} after the last section, but before any navigational templates.
5. Add a cell to the appropriate theories portal. For help on editing portals, see the portal help section.

Your finished page should look something like this:

{{theoryheader|sort=Petrelli, Peter|name=<!--optional override of PAGENAME-->}}
| [[Peter]] is [[Uluru]]. || None. || {{plus}}''Peter'' comes from the Latin ''petra'' which means ''rock''. Uluru is a rock monster.
|-
|}
{{theorybar}}