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If you’re a fan on the internet, shipping has nothing to do with boats or delivering packages. In fandom-speak, “ship” is both a noun and a verb. A shortening of the word relationship, ship in noun form refers to a fictional couple (or would-be couple) beloved by fans. To ship refers to the act of rooting for such a couple.
To understand shipping, we need to get into the concept of the canon. Within fictional media, a “canon” event is one that is written into the official text. Thus, a canon couple is one that is in a stated romantic/sexual relationship in a film or series, while a non-canon couple is one that isn’t together—though fans may wish them to be.
One of the earliest uses of “ship” in this context comes from the show that started it all: The X-Files. Fans who wanted Scully and Mulder to get together were known as “relationshippers” – shippers, for short. There was tension between shippers and non-shippers, and The X-Files drama is an early example of how heated such debates can become.
Though there was only one primary ship in The X-Files, the Scully/Mulder debate was a precursor to a phenomenon that has defined fandom in the social media era: ship wars. Fans are very passionate about their chosen ships, which can lead to feuds between shippers. Some famous examples of feuding ships include “Bangel” vs. “Spuffy” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Edward vs. Jacob from Twilight, and Kataang vs. Zutara in Avatar: The Last Airbender. During Tumblr’s heyday, these ship wars got downright vitriolic, illuminating the toxic elements of fandom.
The relationship between shippers and creators is complex. In some cases, writers give into fans’ desires to see more from their favorite ship. (This is called “fan service.”) In other instances, writers tease fans with little hints without ever giving them what they want. (When it involves non-canon, queer ships, this is called “queerbaiting.”) Some showrunners rebuke shippers outright, as we saw with Sherlock’s popular JohnLock ship.
As with all types of internet discourse, trends in shipping culture mirror the social dilemmas of the world more broadly. The loudest, most popular ships often involve white, straight characters. When it comes to queer ships, gay male ships gain more visibility than lesbian ones. Think of the popularity of “Reylo” from Star Wars above Rey/Finn or Finn/Poe, or the rivalry between fans of “Clexa” (a canon lesbian couple) and “Bellarke” (a non-canon straight couple) from The 100. Though Tumblr is no longer a fandom hotspot, these dynamics persist.
Why it matters
Someone’s favorite ship can reveal a lot about them as a person—their desires, their values, or simply their guilty pleasures. Shipping is an enormous part of pop culture fandom, and it’s a cultural force that both fans and creators must contend with.
Trends in shipping expose where we are in terms of representation and what fans want from their favorite shows or movies. Like every aspect of fandom, there are dark sides and light sides to shipping culture, but one thing’s for certain: It’s never a good idea to come for someone’s ship.