Summary
- The confusing canon of the Ghostbusters Classification System has been scattered across multiple entries in the series.
- The Classification System helps to identify and document the various beings the Ghostbusters encounter.
- Identification helps to establish their role as scientists and serves as an invaluable tool.
In the world of Ghostbusters, New York's paranormal proton packers need to know what they're up against, and it all begins with classification. In both real-world scientific research and the fictional scenarios presented in the Ghostbusters series, one of the crucial skills for a researcher is the ability to describe and classify their observations. When it comes to the supernatural, there's a reason why when there's something strange in a neighborhood, people call the Ghostbusters. It's because they're more than just paranormal exterminators; they're scientists who can recognize and confront the supernatural while the world comes to grips with it.
Helping to popularize the fields of paranormal investigation and parapsychology, the original Ghostbusters movie launched an entire franchise of popular supernatural comedies. Over the years, the Ghostbusters' mythology grew, fleshing out the world and characters established by the 1984 film. Having garnered multiple sequels, animated series, and a variety of surrounding media. As another Ghostbusters movie approaches, audiences are piecing together theories surrounding the nebulous canon and wondering how exactly they'll manifest as part of a broader legacy.
How the Ghostbusters Classify the Paranormal
Since its introduction in the first Ghostbusters, the way they classified their encounters has remained a mystery. Mostly surfacing in the surrounding media, various creators were left to interpret how the Ghostbusters used their system to describe paranormal entities. While fans often struggle to determine which interpretation of the identification system is canonical to the films, it's typically pieced together from four primary sources: the Ghostbusters cartoons, Ghostbusters: The Video Game, West End Games' TTRPGs, and the IDW comic series. Regardless of which system is correct, it has helped to establish the Ghostbusters as paranormal researchers and their scientific origins.
In the past, fans could only theorize through the Ghostbusters movies how the classification methods were used. But West End Games' Ghostbusters TTRPG provided the first detailed explanation of a classification system. Ranging from Class I to Class VII, these designations primarily relied on an entity's manifestation and the necessary elimination methods. For instance, Class V encompasses non-human spirits like Slimer and Muncher, which were manageable with proton packs. But Class VII ghosts included powerful deities like Gozer, which demanded creative solutions to eliminate it. Although somewhat obscure today compared to games like Dungeons & Dragons, West End Games' classification served as the foundation for the Ghostbusters classification system across various forms of media, aiding the fictional paranormal investigators in assessing potential threats. Despite minor variations, such as in IDW's comics and Ghostbusters: The Video Game, the system remains a vital tool for evaluating sites like haunted houses, emphasizing the importance of accurate identification. After all, confusing a Class VI entity resembling a giant penguin with a lower-class, bird-obsessed deity could lead to messy consequences.
In the animated spin-offs like The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters, the way ghosts, demons, and other entities are classified is completely different. Typically ranging from Class 1 to Class 13 (with potentially even stronger beings lurking beyond that), the animated Ghostbusters seemingly ranked manifestations by how much psychokinetic energy they possess and how dangerous they are. Although attributed to Tobin's Spirit Guide and other in-universe periodicals, J. Michael Straczynski, a writer for The Real Ghostbusters, admitted that he loosely based the system on the Ghostbusters movie. He mentioned that The Real Ghostbusters classification system often appeared at a script's convenience, possibly explaining why a creature like Slimer was identified as a Class 5, while a ghost capable of causing nuclear disasters was only a Class 4. Regardless, The Real Ghostbusters is not only nostalgic but considered one of the most definitive takes on the mythology, and its chaotic classification methods are part of that.
Why Chaotic Naming Conventions Are Part of the Process
Although sometimes referred to as "Description" or "Identification" as part of an encompassing system cobbled together by fans known as "CDI" (Classification Description Identification), "Traits" as listed in West End Games' Ghostbusters TTRPGs, are said to be informal and unstandardized, but no less common in the field. These labels cover various aspects, from anatomical characteristics like "Full Torso" and "Vaporous" to behaviors like "Free Roaming" and "Possessor." Additionally, they encompass origin-related descriptors such as "Transdimensional." While these distinctions come off as a matter of semantics, they play a vital role in identifying and effectively addressing paranormal entities. Ghostbusters quickly learn that not all ghost hunters can resolve problems with a proton stream, as comprehensive research is often just as crucial.
The Classification System might initially appear as a minor detail in the Ghostbusters lore, but it reveals a deeper truth about their world. The Ghostbusters are scientific pioneers diving into the furthest realms of physics, biology, psychology, and almost every other imaginable field of study. In the Ghostbusters: The Video Game guide it has even acknowledged the unique challenges of advancing the scientific study of the supernatural and exploring a realm dominated by phenomena few people could comprehend. The Ghostbusters themselves mention in Prima's guide for Ghostbusters: The Video Game the difficulties they faced in coining terminology, especially when integrating terms like "Venkmanites," suggesting why their classification of supernatural entities might seem erratic.
What the Classification System Says About the Ghostbusters
The Ghostbusters are the foremost experts in dealing with the unexplainable, and for good reason. They have passionately embraced the responsibility of modernizing the field of paranormal research, displaying tremendous courage that goes beyond chasing ghosts. Not only did the Ghostbusters confront entities like Gozer, but they also ventured into a realm of supernatural study that people like Walter Peck skeptically dismissed. They introduced innovative methods, technologies, and approaches to document terrifying mysteries of the unknown, building upon the work of spiritualists who came before them. Even in a world filled with the extraordinary, the Ghostbusters understand that the seemingly mundane can represent progress. In addition to their ability to protect the world from otherworldly manifestations like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, their tireless pursuit to study the frightening world of the unknown is what has continued to define them as heroes.
William Shakespeare once profoundly asked: "What's in a name?" However, when it comes to classification, name, description, and other traits are much more vital than many give it credit for. Sometimes, the first and most important step to confronting the unknown is to name something, describe it, and document it for the world to see. Understanding a chilling unsolved mystery is just as important as confronting it because defeating fear and ignorance requires that people know what lurks in the shadows. After all, as the Ghostbusters have shown us, while a nuclear accelerator can be handy, knowledge is often the most powerful tool one can possess.