system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[James Bond] Do those movies have a canon or not?

Do the Bond movies operate on multiple timelines where he looks a little different in each one and grew up in a different decade? And if yes, why are there common things in multiple timelines, like M looking the same in the Brosnan and Craig movies?
gpt
The theory is James Bond and 007 are identities given to various elite MI6 agents. There's also IRL history to support this claim.

Ian Flemming, the author of the original James Bond books, was a formally a Commander in the British Naval Intelligence (the reason Bond is a navy officer). Multiple characters, including villains, are based on the people he met. For an instance, the 00# was based on system given to operatives in the WWII Special Operations Executive. This group used deep cover spies embedded who were provided detailed false identities and background. In at least one case, more one person assumed the same identity.

As to the practicality of this, it works really well. The spy essentially becomes immortal. Every time one dies or retires, another takes his place. For counterintelligence, if they didn't know Bond was actually several people, they'd think he was some sort of unstoppable super spy. This would force them to waste resources into stopping him, only to be thwarted at every turn. The reputation alone would make excellent psychological warfare, especially against the high command.

This also ties the movies together in a way that doesn't disrupt continuity too much.

* Sean Connery is the first Bond. That's why he doesn't use as many exotic gadgets and many of his foes are Axis remnants.

* George Lezenby was only Bond for a short time because the death of his wife made him retire/resign from grief.

* Roger Moore served during the height of the Cold War and the beginning of the Age of Silicon. Hence his gadgets are often extremely advanced and over-the-top.

* Timothy Dalton went rouge during *Licensed to Kill* and was court martial. Which is why his service was so short despite being so effective.

* Pierce Bronsnan became Bond shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. Because the USSR was already weakening during the 80s, it's why so many years past between his service and Dalton's as the soviets weren't as big of a threat. Most of his missions are merely cleaning up soviet remnants.

* Daniel Craig is Bond of the Information Age. Because information is largely digitized, spies only need to be skilled hackers. So Craig is more an elite government assassin than spy. His foes no longer want "world domination" but make fortunes through terrorism and crime.