Timeline of fictional future events

Science fiction and other related fields of fiction are often set in the future, or at least involve events in times that have not yet occurred. This list is a chronological collection of significant events from various works of such fiction. It includes some events that were set in the future when the fiction containing them was first written but which have now been overtaken by real history, becoming a form of alternate history or failed prediction in the process.

It is rarely true that science fiction writers are seriously attempting prediction - the needs of the story are usually the primary concern, and science fiction stories are often more about the present in which they are written than the future in which they are supposedly set.

Nevertheless, below are some notable fictional visions of the-future-that-never-was-and-probably-won't-be. See also: Timeline of Star Trek, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic science fiction, Timeline of fictional historical events, and Timeline of fictional contemporary events.

Contents

1 19th century 2 20th century 3 21st century 4 22nd century 5 23rd century 6 24th century 7 25th century 8 26th century 9 27th century 10 29th century 11 30th century 12 31st century 13 33rd century 14 35th century 15 40th century 16 41st century 17 49th century 18 51st century 19 52nd century 20 61st century 21 62nd century 22 64th century 23 Distant future 23.1 Notes 24 Links

19th century

• 1900
  • The Astronef stories by George Griffith

20th century

• 1905
  • Earth is being invaded by Martians in The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells (written in 1898).

• 1910
  • when the orbit of Comet Halley intersects with the Earth, catastrophe ensues, but the comet gasses cause an alteration of human psychology to a more rational thought-process; as revealed in In the Days of the Comet by H. G. Wells (written in 1906).

• 1920
  • Events of Pirates of 1920, a film from 1911.

• 1925
  • The U.S. Postal Service faces air piracy from the Death Head Aerial Squadron. (The Great Air Robbery, a film from 1920)

• 1960s
  • Ingsoc comes to power and forms the state of Oceania (George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four) (approximate date).
  • Seeds of a semi-nuclear Little War begin to sprout; over decades it will destroy Washington D.C. and surrounding areas (novel version of Logan's Run)

• 1966
  • After stopping in the middle of World War I, and then traveling through World War II, the Time Traveler encounters a nuclear explosion in this year in George Pal's version of The Time Machine.
  • After three decades of global war, a great plague wipes out most of the people on Earth. (Things to Come)

• 1970s
  • A possible setting of Doctor Who's "UNIT Era". It is also possible that it takes place during the 1980s.

• 1973
  • Astronaut George Taylor and three other volunteers depart Earth from Cape Kennedy on an important mission 3,000 years into the future. Some months after, another astronaut, Michael Brent, takes off from Earth in an attempt to find his colleague. Weeks later, Taylor's ship returns from the future with three talking apes (one of which is killed almost immediately). After discovering Earth's future fate, the President orders the two surviving apes, Cornelius and Zira captured. Ultimately, a police officer murders them, and the investigation files are ordered sealed (according to the first three Planet of the Apes movies)

• 1977
  • Jess Hurch Society founded - The Muller-Fokker Effect.

• 1980s
  • A possible setting of Doctor Who's "UNIT Era"

• 1980
  • USOS Seaview designed by retired Admiral Harriman Nelson

• 1981
  • Kilgore Trout dies - Breakfast of Champions

• 1983
  • A space virus reaches Earth and kills every dog and cat still living (Conquest of the Planet of the Apes)

• 1984
  • April - Winston Smith, a secretly rebellious file clerk in the Ministry of Truth, is arrested and tortured by Big Brother (Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and its two film versions)

• 1986
  • The planet Mondas approaches Earth orbit with an invading force of Cybermen, but are stopped by The Doctor and his companions (Doctor Who - The Tenth Planet).

• 1987
  • November - Civilization on Earth is devastated by a nuclear war, cause unknown. (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century television series)

• 1990s
  • Arrival of Tiberium, rise of the Brotherhood of Nod, formation of the Global Defense Initative, and the First Tiberium War. (Command & Conquer: Tiberian Series)

• 1991
  • Revolution between humans and enslaved apes occurs on the West Coast of California (Conquest of the Planet of the Apes)

• 1992
  • January 12 - HAL 9000 becomes operational (2001: A Space Odyssey movie)
  • Khan Noonien Singh rises to power, assuming dictatorial control from South Asia to the Middle East. (Star Trek episode Space Seed)
  • Events of Barnard's Planet.
  • Nuclear war ravages the West Coast of California (according to opening prologue of Battle for the Planet of the Apes)
  • The year in which the living energy structure called the Mandragora Helix will be in a position to attack Earth again, as predicted by the Fourth Doctor (Doctor Who - The Masque of Mandragora).

• 1994
  • A runaway planet hurtles between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. (Thundarr the Barbarian)

• 1995
  • Doctor Samuel Beckett steps into the Quantum Leap Accelerator and vanishes. (show ran from 1987 to 1993)
  • Solid Snake disbands Outer Heaven (Metal Gear)

• 1996
  • The Eugenics Wars end (Star Trek episode Space Seed)
  • The New Order Nation take control of the US and ban music (Revolution X video game)
  • John Spartan and Simon Phoenix are frozen as Cryocons
  • June 6 - Lucifer-Alpha, a chemical weapon under development in the Chernoton Research Facility in Russia, is released into the atmosphere, killing 80% of the Eurasian population. It takes ten years for the virus to mutated into a non-lethal form. (Snatcher)

• 1997
  • Events of Escape from New York.
  • Los Angeles is terrorized by an alien hunter in Predator 2.
  • August 4 - Skynet goes online
  • August 29 - Human civilization is destroyed by Skynet (The Terminator; Terminator 2. - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, the first sequel released after 1997, claimed that the advent of Skynet had been delayed, but not prevented, by the events of the first two movies)
  • October 1 - The event setting in motion the storyline of the classic NES game Crystalis occurs: "The End Day. Savage war engulfs the world ... civilization is destroyed. An evolution had taken place. The earth's axis shifted, and all creatures became mutated. Life would never be the same. Those surviving vowed not to repeat the mistakes of the past and erected a great tower in the sky to oppress evil forever..."
  • October 16 The Robinson family departs from earth aboard the Jupiter II space craft and becomes Lost In Space.
  • November 5 - The first recorded appearance of the mysterious terrorist known as "Codename V" in Westminster, London. During the next year he launches a series of elaborate attacks against the fascist regime (which had ruled England since the nuclear war of 1988), causing increasing confusion and unstability, which ultimately brings the regime down (V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd).

• 1999
  • July 17 - An alien spaceship falls through Earth's atmosphere, levelling part of Mount Everest, destroying Moscow and Stockholm and causing much other damage before finally landing on South Ataria Island. (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  • September 13 - Nuclear waste dumped on the far side of the Moon explodes, sending the Moon hurtling into deep space carrying Moonbase Alpha along with it (Space: 1999)
  • December 24- Solid Snake infiltrates Zanzibar Land (Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake)
  • Lavos awakens, destroying civilisation and ushering in a new period of darkness and desperation for humanity. (Chrono Trigger)
  • December 31 - The Earth is nearly pulled inside out when the renegade Time Lord known as the Master opens the Eye of Harmony in the newly regenerated Doctor's TARDIS (Doctor Who television movie).

• 2000
  • Efficient international flight has been achieved by fleets of dirigibles, controlled by the Aerial Board of Control (With the Night Mail and As Easy as A.B.C. by Rudyard Kipling)
  • Massive overpopulation has occurred (Make Room, Make Room by Harry Harrison and film Soylent Green)
  • September 13 - Second Impact occurs at the South Pole, melting the world's ice, tilting the planet off its axis and killing off half of the world's population. (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
  • A series of treaties between the USSR and the USA form the CoDominium. CoDominium

21st century

• 200X
  • Year in which the "Digimon Tamers" takes place.
  • Years in which the NES Megaman video game series take place.

• 2001
  • A timequake occurs, sending the citizens of the world back to 1991, where they must relive their lives in automatic pilot for ten years. (Timequake)
  • An extra-terrestrial obelisk found on the moon, prompting an investigation flight to Jupiter (Saturn in the book), which is sabotaged by HAL 9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick)
  • January 20- The triggering of World War III by the secret detonation of a nuclear device in Washington DC by the Soviets, leading to complete destruction of the United States, and creating Deathlands (A fictional series based on this scenario, set a century later)
  • January - The inauguration of the Earth UN Government. (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  • February - Work begins on converting the fallen alien spaceship into a battleship of the Earth UN Forces. (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  • June 6 - Shinji Ikari is born. (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
  • June 30 - Martians invade Earth in the second War of the Worlds. (Marvel Comics' Killraven)
  • December - Events of Battle For the Planet of the Apes.
  • December 4 - Asuka Langley Soryu is born. (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
  • Death of Kilgore Trout (per Kurt Vonnegut's Timequake)
  • Apes and humans reach an uneasy truce (events of Battle for the Planet of the Apes)
  • The Zohar Modifier is discovered. (Xenogears)

• 2003
  • April 7 - Astro Boy created
  • April - Digimon Emperor begins his conquest of the Digital World. Three new Digidestined are chossen. The Digidestined begin their fight aginst the Digimon Emperor. The events of Digimon season 2 begins.

• 2004
  • Supposedly the year that Max Headroom takes place.

• 2005
  • The events of Transformers: The Movie.
  • February- Genetically modified terrorists seize control of Shadow Moses island. (Metal Gear Solid)
  • April - The house of Usher II opens. (The Martian Chronicles)
  • August - Elder people come to Mars. (The Martian Chronicles)
  • September - A Martian lives among the humans. (The Martian Chronicles)
  • November - Nuclear siege befalls Earth. (The Martian Chronicles)
  • December 24 - the Pluto's Kiss virus causes the complete shutdown of the Internet (.hack)

• 2006
  • Pandemic kills 99.9% of all women in Battle Tanx Global Assault and the world's population over the age of puberty in Jeremiah.
  • Beginning of The Bicentennial Man movie (the original short story was set in 1976).
  • June 28 - A spaceship crashes into the River Thames, triggering a worldwide red alert as part of a scheme by the alien Slitheen to turn the Earth into a radioactive fuel dump (Doctor Who - Aliens of London/World War Three).

• 2007
  • January - The last surviving Slitheen on Earth builds the Blaidd Drwg nuclear power plant over a spacetime rift in an attempt to create a catastrophe that will supply her with enough energy to escape the planet (Doctor Who - Boom Town).
  • August 8 or after - An oil tanker sinks near the coast of Manhattan, contaminating the sealife for years to come. Anti-Metal Gear activist, Solid Snake, is blamed for the incident. (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)

• 2008
  • Five astronauts depart Earth on a one-way mission to Titan aboard a vessel cobbled together from aging Apollo hardware and a Shuttle orbiter.

• 2009
  • February 7 -Space launching ceremony of the SDF-1 Macross. The same day, the Zentradi army arrives in the Solar System and war breaks out when the Macross's guns automatically fire on the Zentradi. This is the beginning of Space War I. (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  • April 29 - Terrorists seize the Big Shell. (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)
  • June 1 - The Pulse, the deployment of an EMP weapon, destroys a significant amount of the computer-based infrastructure in the US, in turn leading to economic and social breakdown across the country. (Dark Angel)

• 2010
  • February - The Zentradi's Boddole Zer Fleet of 4.8 million ships annihilates the surface of the earth. (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  • March - Space War I ends. (The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)
  • October - The end of human civilisation (Stephen King's 'The End of the Whole Mess')
  • A 23-year-old Lisa Simpson nearly marries a British college classmate of hers. (The Simpsons - "Lisa's Wedding"; the flash-forward in this episode takes place "15 years in the future")
  • Events of 2010: Odyssey Two. David Bowman, now a magnetic being, returns to Earth, and later on merges with HAL 9000. Jupiter explodes, forming Lucifer, a small sun.
  • John Boone becomes the first human to set foot on Mars at age 38. (Mars trilogy)
  • Mankind completes its first fully-functional space colony, Beyond Coast. (Policenauts)

• 2011
  • The Rock hits Earth. (Remnants)

• 2012
  • In an underground bunker in Utah, a Dalek, the last of its race, gets loose and kills 200 people before it is stopped (Doctor Who - Dalek).
  • December 22 - Alien colonisation begins on Earth. (The X-Files)

• 2013
  • Events of Escape from L.A.
  • The Policenauts, a group of specially-trained policemen, are formed in order to secure the colonists in Beyond Coast. The "original cops" (as they've been nicknamed by the public) consisted of Jonathan Ingram and Ed Brown from the LAPD, Salvatore Toscanini from the NYPD, Joseph Sadaoki Tokugawa from the Tokyo MPD and Gatse Becker from Scotland Yard. Later, Jonathan disappears after a space-walking accident with the EMPS prototype Yuri and is presumed dead.
  • Discovery of the Global Liberation Army. (Command & Conquer: Generals).

• 2015
  • The third Angel attacks Tokyo-3. Shinji Ikari must defend the city in Eva Unit-01. (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
  • October 21 - Marty McFly, Doc Brown and Jennifer Parker arrive in the future from 1985 in the film Back to the Future Part II (1989), and Biff Tannen departs from this year to 1955 with a sports almanac that creates an alternate 1985.
  • The events of Half-Life 2 (estimated).
  • December 19 - Yuzo Takaya, Noriko Takaya's father, piloting humanity's first faster-than-light spaceship Luxion, is attacked and killed by aliens. (Gunbuster)

• 2017
  • The Great Awakening in Star_Trek:_Deep_Space_Nine

• 2019
  • The events of Blade Runner.
  • The events of Akira.
  • Noriko Takaya and Amano Kazumi are graduated into the machine weapon force. (Gunbuster)
  • The year the microprocessor becomes obsolete, being replaced by SMT — Single Molecule Transfer technology, according to the Doctor Who episode The Long Game.

• 2020
  • Arno Stark, the future wearer of the Iron Man armor, travels back in time to battle Spider-Man.

• 2021
  • Hyperspace gates are set up around the solar system. One of them explodes destroying a part of the moon and forcing emigration to other planets. (Cowboy Bebop)
  • P.D. James's dystopian novel The Children of Men (1992) is set in the England of 2021.
  • In the fictional movie The Terminator (1984), while under LAPD interrogation in 1984, Kyle Reese (played by actor Michael Biehn) states 2021 was the year he joined the human resistance.
  • The cartoon series Sealab 2021 takes place.
  • The first season of Jeremiah.

• 2022
  • New York City has become overpopulated with 40 million starving citizens. (Soylent Green)

• 2025
  • T.C. Boyle's novel A Friend of the Earth (2000) is set in the USA of the year 2025.
  • Ambrosia Software's game Escape Velocity is set in 2025.
  • October - Ben Richards killed at the end of Stephen King's 'The Running Man'

• 2026
  • The events of the film Metropolis.

• 2029
  • A T-800 is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor in The Terminator.

• 2030
  • Zefram Cochrane, inventor of the warp drive, is born (Star Trek).
  • United States legal drama, Century City is set starting in this year.
  • Bart Simpson is sent to 2030, where his sister Lisa Simpson is president (The Simpsons - "Bart to the Future").
  • Second Tiberium War. (Command & Conquer: Tiberian Series)

• 2031
  • Mega-City One is founded. (Judge Dredd)
  • PRISM awakened, the world's first sentient computer. (A Mind Forever Voyaging)

• 2032
  • Events of Innocence: Ghost in the Shell.
  • Simon Phoenix is released from the cryoprison into a milquetoast future where he quickly wreaks havoc over a subdued and nonviolent society. Old school cop John Spartan is then released from cryogenic imprisonment to catch him. (Demolition Man)
  • July 4- John Connor is killed by a T-800. This unit is reprogrammed and sent back in time by Katherine Brewster to protect him. (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
  • July 23- Aliens attack Earth fleet in the Battle of the Solar System. They are defeated by Noriko piloting the Gunbuster.

• 2033
  • December 19 - Kouchiro Ohta dies of space sickness. (Gunbuster)

• 2035
  • On the eve of man's first flight to the moon, an uprising against progress becomes violent. (Things to Come)

• 2036
  • Zenon Kar is born (Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century)

• 2037
  • Jonathan Ingram is miracuously discovered alive, thanks to the cold-sleep module in the Yuri suit, preserving his youth as well. After a year of rehabilitation, Jonathan stays on earth and forms a private investigation agency. (Policenauts)

• 2038
  • Launch of the 7th Macross Battleship that will travel to the center of the Milky Way. (Macross 7)

• 2040
  • Death of Caesar the ape. (Battle for the Planet of the Apes)
  • Japanese pharmacist Kenzô Hôjô disappears on his way home during a Wednesday 15. A few weeks later, his wife Lorraine goes to earth and hires Jonathan to investigate his dissappearance, triggering the events of Policenauts

• 2044
  • Frank Hollister apparently wins the 'Mr Fat Bastard' award in this year. A possible setting of Red Dwarf before the radiation accident.¹
  • The 17th Siberian Investigative Force finds amnesiacs Gillian and Jamie Seed in the Siberian Neutral Zone. (Snatcher)
  • December 22: SRS Flight 4003 crashes in the Rocko Mountain range. One body is initially identified as computer instructor Rick Sawamura, but is later discovered to be a heretofore unknown type of bioroid. (Snatcher)
  • December 29: Neo-Kobe's Mayor O'Connor asks the countries of the world to investigate the strange bioroids, but investigation proves fruitless. (Snatcher)

• 2045
  • February 18: The bioroid that replaced Mayor O'Connor is captured, but self-destructs during transport. The bioroids are later dubbed "Snatchers" by the media. (Snatcher)
  • The band Fire Bomber performs their first live concert with Mylene Jenius. (Macross 7)

• 2046
  • December: Neo-Kobe experiences "Bioroid Panic." An anti-Snatcher task force is formed. Over 5,000 die in witch-hunts, and the mayor requests that all citizens submit to testing. The panic spreads throughout Japan by the end of the year. (Snatcher)

• 2047
  • April 20: Japanese government passes the "Snatchers and the Protection of Civil Rights" bill, requiring a warrant for Bioroid tests.
  • May: The Rug-Hunt organization is formed to study the Snatchers.
  • August: Rug-Hunt and the Anti-Snatcher task force merge and become JUNKER (Japanese Undercover Neuro-Kinetic Elimination Rangers).
  • Mid-October: Snatchers begin actively hunting down JUNKERs. At least three are killed in October alone, one is left brain-dead, and the entire Descartes family is massacred.
  • November: A well-known KBC newscaster, a Yakuza mob boss, a prominent religious figure, and a former biotechnology firm president are revealed to be Snatchers.
  • December: The Japanese government quarantines Neo-Kobe due to the increasing Snatcher problem.

• 2048
  • Earth attacks the aliens' home at the center of the galaxy using an enormous black hole bomb. The bomb is too damaged to go off, and Gunbuster restarts it with one of its engine cores, causing it to take 12000 years getting back home. (Gunbuster)

• 2049
  • The events of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century

• 2050s
  • The decade in which the future crime drama Minority Report takes place.

• 2050
  • The year a game ends (when your time runs out) in Civilization III.
  • In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Newspeak eclipses oldspeak.

• 2052
  • The story of the game Deus Ex.

• 2053
  • In Star Trek, Earth is devastated by World War III.

• 2054
  • Events of Zenon: Z3

• 2061
  • Events of 2061: Odyssey Three.
  • May 14 - "The Last Question" is first asked of the computer Multivac, in the Isaac Asimov story of that title.

• 2062
  • The cartoon series The Jetsons, was originally set in 2062. This is because the series first aired in 1962, and the show was a prediction of what life would be like a hundred years in the future. Jetsons: The Movie(1990) states that The Jetsons is set "Late in the 21st century." Note that no precise date has ever been stated in any episode.

• 2063
  • April 5: In Star Trek, Zefram Cochrane makes the first human warp flight with the Phoenix. This attracts the Vulcans and they make first contact with humans. The experience also changes Dr. Cochrane considerably.

• 2065
  • Events of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

• 2069
  • In Star Trek, the Klingon High Council is formed, eliminating the position of Emperor until 2369.

• 2070
  • A force of Cybermen try to take over the Gravitron weather control installation on the Moon to alter Earth's weather and wipe out all life. They are stopped by the Second Doctor and his companions (Doctor Who - The Moonbase).
  • President Robert L. Booth initiates the Atomic Wars which devastate most of the USA, the USSR and Europe (Judge Dredd)

• 2071
  • The crew of the ship Bebop travel around the Solar System, trying to catch "bounty-heads." (Cowboy Bebop)

• 2077
  • A possible setting of Red Dwarf before the radiation accident.¹
  • World War III starts on October 10, and ends on October 23, with a nuclear war in the computer game Fallout.

• 2080s
  • Events of The Adventures of Pluto Nash.

• 2081
  • Kurt Vonnegut's short story Harrison Bergeron takes place.

• 2082
  • Falkenburg's Mercenary Legion is formed and begins first operations on Hadley. (CoDominium)

• 2084
  • War between Earth and Mars virtually destroys humanity. (The Universal Migrator)

• 2087
  • Professor Trillias Backtein develops a method of travelling faster than light, the Subspace Warp System, which enables interstallar travel. ("Star Ocean")
    • To comemmorate this event, 2087 was designated the first year of the new system of dates, S.D.

• 2099
  • Events of Marvel Comics' Marvel 2099 line.

• Late 21st century
  • Superman leaves Earth. ("DC One Million")
  • 13th Gundam Fight begins. Possible setting for G-Gundam.
  • The Bloody Valentine War. Possbile setting for Gundam SEED.

22nd century

• 21XX
  • Events of the numbered Mega Man X games

• 2101
  • War was beginning. (Zero Wing)

• 2103
  • Sherlock Holmes is restored to life (Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century)
  • The Great Patroitic Wars. CoDominium collapses and Earth is devasated. CoDominium Fleet Exdous. (CoDominium)

• 2106
  • Phil is born. (Phil of the Future)

• 2110
  • CoDominium Fleet swear allegenice to Sparta. CoDominium

• 2112
  • Man tries to revive the guitar in colorless totalitarian society, commits suicide after failure.(Rush's 2112 (album))

• 2121
  • Phil departs for family vacation. (Phil of the Future)

• 2122
  • Events of the first Alien movie.

• 2145
  • Events of Doom 3.
  • Events of the Doom movie.

• 2149
  • Arnold Rimmer is born in this year Red Dwarf

• 2151-2154+?
  • The events of Star Trek: Enterprise.

• ~2154
  • The Daleks invade and conquer Earth after weakening the population with plague bombs fired from space (Doctor Who - The Dalek Invasion of Earth).

• 2155
  • 26 November: Dave Lister found in a cardboard box under the pool table in the Aigburth Arms. (Red Dwarf)¹

• 2156
  • Arnold Rimmer is kept back a year in an alternative universe. Being a foot taller than the rest of his classmates makes him buckle down and learn inner strengh. He becomes Ace Rimmer. In another universe, Rimmer carries on through his life and becomes a snivelling coward. (Red Dwarf)

• 2159
  • Terraformers settle on LV-426. (Aliens)
  • Possbile year of the beginning of the One Year War. Events of Mobile Suit Gundam begin.

• 2182
  • Arnold Rimmer fails to fix a drive plate on the mining ship Red Dwarf. A cadmium II radiation blast kills him and 1,167 people. The only survivor is Dave Lister, who is in stasis.¹

• 2186
  • Abelard Lindsay is born, events of "Schismatrix" begin. (Shaper/Mechanist)

• 2195
  • First battle of Mars is fought and lost, Jovians decimate the Utopia Colony on Mars. (Martian Sucsessor Nadesico)

• 2196
  • Privately owned high mobile battleship Nadesico launches on the mission to rescue survivors of the Jovian invasion of Mars. (Martian Sucsessor Nadesico)

• 2199
  • Estimated date for the events of The Matrix, according to Morpheus.

• Late 22nd Century/Early 23rd Century
  • 5 Gundams are launched from the colonies to Earth to fight the oppressive UESA and OZ. Possbile setting for the Gundam Wing series.

23rd century

• 22XX
  • Events of Mega Man X:Command Mission

• • A possible setting of Red Dwarf before the radiation accident.¹

• 2215
  • New Earth Government is formed to battle Skaarj Empire (Unreal series of PC games)

• 2216
  • During the '7 Day Siege' the Skaarj surround Earth. In a bold move, NEG commandos destroy the Skaarj mother ship, causing the Skaarj to retreat in disarray. (Unreal series of PC games)

• 2219
  • Following the Human/Skaarj war, many of Earth's cities lay in ruins. When the New Earth Government attempted to assert its authority over these areas, they were confronted by many rebel groups, often covertly financed by the great corporations, which had established bases in the destroyed cities.(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2231
  • Yma/Human Accord of Wayne Barlowe's Expedition

• 2233
  • March 22: James T. Kirk is born (Star Trek).

• 2241
  • "Strider Wars" are won by sacrificing a planetary colony. The colony is disguised to look like a major control center and as it is attacked, is detonated, destroying the planet and the invading Strider forces. The architect of this victory, a young female officer with power beyond her years leaves the military, unable to reconcile her feelings over the incident. Records indicate she joined the Terran Colonial Authority as intelligence officer aboard a Marshal's patrol vessel.(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2245
  • The last Earth fleet returns home; Jung Freud becomes president of the UN. (Gunbuster)

• 2248
  • Events of "Swarm" (Shaper/Mechanist)

• 2150
  • Empire of Man procalimed. (CoDominium)

• 2251
  • Leaked classified data files indicate that an incident occurred on the outer rim of human space. Ancient artifacts are found, initiating inter-corporation warfare and the reemergence of the Skaarj, eager to claim whatever power the artifacts held. Although most details are still highly classified, it seems that a TCA Marshal was involved in destroying the artifacts and preventing the awakening of an ancient power that could have spelled disaster (Unreal series of PC games).

• 2254
  • Space station Babylon 4 disappears shortly after construction is finished.

• 2256
  • Construction is finished on space station Babylon 5.

• 2257-2262
  • The events of Babylon 5, starting with the attempted assassination of Vorlon ambassador Kosh upon his arrival on the station.

• 2260
  • During the mostly covert Corporation Wars, Izanagi Corporation's research facility on Lamdon 3 was destroyed by a strike force from the Axon Research Corporation, despite the protection of the NEG ThunderCrash force. Axon was able to not only destroy the facility, but also retrieve the advanced plasma ion tank under development there.(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2263-2268
  • The events of the original Star Trek.

• 2267
  • The events of Crusade, starting with the release of the Drakh plague into the atmosphere of Earth.

• 2267
  • In the Green's World Rebellion, three thousand miners revolt against harsh working conditions.(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2271
  • The space probe Voyager 6 returns to Earth as part of gigantic machine entity, known as V'ger. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

• 2274
  • The events of Logan's Run (the movie)

• 2276
  • Stolen "Nexus" prototype missiles are recovered by the NEG military in a daring raid on a Hellion convoy on the surface of Taron. This missile was later used in colonial suppression.(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2283
  • Events of "Spider Rose" (Shaper/Mechanist)

• 2283
  • The infamous AI uprising on LBX-7683 (metallic asteroid in the Erican cluster) resulted in a massive loss of human life. Rebelling against the humans, robotic workers and battle droids mutinied and claimed their home as their own sovereign world. The previous owners of LBX-7683, the Liandri Corporation sent in a small tactical squad. The squad penetrated the robots' prime facility, destroying the central AI generators and preventing the machines from replicating themselves. A group of the sentient machines were inserted into a stasis matrix and were later reprogrammed for corporate purposes. The leader of the robot force, Xan Kriegor resisted memory wiping but succumbed to reprogramming.(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2291
  • 'Consensual murder' is legalized, opening the way for a previously underground event - the "Tournament" to go mainstream. Mining companies had long been running small leagues and matches to channel aggression. Liandri Mining Corporation begins to tri-cast the fights. Xan Kriegor is the first champion of the Liandri Tournament, which quickly becomes viewed as the defacto human space championship. Xan was already legendary because of his success in the long-running (but not legally sanctioned) tournaments on the mining worlds. He leads the Liandri Corporation sponsored team - "The Corrupt".(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2291
  • Klingon diplomats launch a peace initiative toward the United Federation of Planets, following the disaterous explosion of the energy facility on Praxis. This leads to the Khimoter Accords and peace between the Empire and the UFP. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

• 2293
  • Malcolm - a human - unseats Xan, and becomes one of the "Great" champions of the Tournament. A huge media figure, Malcolm is hailed as the biggest star in human history and is worshipped as a god. His success nets great rewards for his sponsoring corporation, attracting the attention of jealous rivals both in the arenas of the Tournament and in the corridors of power a galaxy away. Xan is returned to the Liandri Corporation for upgrades.(Unreal series of PC games)

24th century

• 23XX
  • Events of Mega Man Zero series. This was originally thought to take place in the 2200s, but the 22XX setting of Mega Man X: Command Mission retconned it forward. Zero is said to have been in stasis for 100 years at the start of the Zero series.

• 2302
  • The gene-boosted monster - Gorge - defeats Malcolm in a brutal contest and is named champion of the Tournament. The aging Sniper Rifle (a relic of centuries past) is removed from the Tournament as is "Assault" - a team-based event that forms a part of the competition. Many fans of the Tournament complain at these changes, with some combatants refusing to participate in the new format. (Unreal series of PC games)

• 2303
  • The most anticipated tournament ever takes place, with three former champions (Xan, Malcolm, and Gorge) each captaining a team. Vehicles are introduced to Tournament combat. The Hellions, eager to prove themselves as mercenaries for hire, enter the Tournament in hopes of securing new contracts. Xan has received upgrades and is deadlier than ever. He is also backed by a team of combat droids from LBX-7683. An updated Sniper Rifle is added to the weapon roster, along with several other weapons designed for the larger outdoor combat environments of the new Onslaught and returning Assault events.(Unreal series of PC games)

• 2307
  • Ricky Oates driven insane by 'jaunting' awake (The Jaunt by Stephen King)

• 2311
  • The Tomed Incident occurs, between the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Star Empire. Several thousand beings on both sides die. The Romulans enter a period of isolationism, although several clashes occur with the Klingon Empire. (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

• 2318
  • The Journeyman Project the year that extraterrestrials land on Earth to form a permanent alliance.

• 2350
  • The events of the Looney Tunes cartoon Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century.

• 2354
  • Events of "Cicada Queen" (Shaper/Mechanist)

• 2355
  • Preparations begin for the expedition to Darwin IV. (Expedition)

• 2358
  • The Yma Orbistar "Starfish" enters orbit around Darwin IV. (Expedition)

• 2361
  • The "Starfish" leaves Darwin IV. (Expedition)

• 2364-2370
  • The events of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

• 2366
  • Barlowe publishes his account of the expedition to Darwin IV.

• 2369-2375
  • The events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

• 2371-2378
  • The events of Star Trek: Voyager.

• 2376
  • Duncan Makenzie leaves Titan for Earth in Arthur C. Clarke's Imperial Earth

• 2379
  • The events of Star Trek: Nemesis

• 2386
  • Abelard Lindsay ascends, events of "Schismatix" end. (Shaper/Mechanist)

25th century

• 2419
  • Buck Rogers awakens from his coma (original novella version).
• 2443
  • The second coming of Jesus (Futurama)
• 2447
  • The native year of Golden Age Green Lantern foe Knodar, the so-called "last criminal."
• 2460s
  • The native era of Flash villain Professor Zoom, the "Reverse-Flash."
• c. 2465
  • The Great Gazoo sends the Flintstone and Rubble families to 25th century Bedrock, where they meet a descendant of Fred Flintstone's boss Mr. Slate. They soon return to the Stone Age. (The Flintstones)
• ~2486
  • An archeological expedition to the planet Telos uncovers the hibernation chambers of the Cybermen (Doctor Who - The Tomb of the Cybermen).
• 2491-2492
  • Events of the television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

26th century

• 2511
  • The Remnants reawaken aboard Mother. (Remnants)

• 2517
  • Firefly, television program.

• 2520
  • A botched first contact between the Earth Empire and the Draconian Empire leads to a short but bloody war that results in millions of dead. A peace treaty is negotiated and a frontier established between the two interstellar powers, but a cold war lasts for years afterward (Doctor Who - Frontier in Space).

• 2525
  • In the Year 2525, song by Zager and Evans
  • Cleopatra 2525 television series
  • Armada 2525 computer game, by publisher Interstel

• 2526
  • Earth is lost to humanity, and is renamed Lost Jerusalem. (Xenogears)
  • A conference is held on Earth to unite the systems of humanity in a war against the Cybermen. The Cybermen's attempt to disrupt this conference is foiled by the Fifth Doctor, but his companion Adric is killed (Doctor Who - Earthshock).

• 2540
  • Raids on cargo ships, apparently by both sides, threaten to start a new war between the Draconian and Earth Empires. However, when it is revealed that the Daleks are responsible, the two empires form an alliance to battle the Daleks (Doctor Who - Frontier in Space).

• 2552
  • Halo: Combat Evolved computer game, by Bungie Studios

• 2554
  • Events of "Sunken Gardens" (Shaper/Mechanist)

• 2587
  • Dargo Ktor finds Mjolnir and accepts the role of Thor. (Marvel Comics' Thor)

27th century

• 2603
  • Succession Wars begin. CoDominium

• 2611
  • Events of The Night's Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton.

• 2624
  • Dr. Krupp develops Gravitic Warp, which enables travel at speeds far greater than those possible via subspace warp. ("Star Ocean")
    • The date is represented as S.D. 537 in the Star Ocean timeline.

• 2634
  • McAuliffe Ambush, the first major battle of the Terran-Kilrathi War. (Wing Commander).

• 2640
  • Battle of Sauron. Emprire of Man falls apart afterwards. CoDominium

• 2654
  • The Confederation offensive, spearheaded by the TCS Tiger's Claw, pushes the Kilrathi from the Vega Sector. (Wing Commander)

• 2688
  • A guru called Rufus uses a time machine to help Bill S Preston Esq and Ted Theodore Logan to pass a history report as their band 'Wyld Stallions' holds the key to world peace.

29th century

• 2804
  • Neo Jerusalem is discovered. (Xenogears)

• 2859
  • The events of "Star Ocean: Till the End of Time". ("Star Ocean")
    • Represented in the series as the year S.D. 772.

30th century

• 2903
  • Second Empire of Man proclaimed. CoDominium

• 2960s
  • Original setting of Legion of Super-Heroes

• Late 30th Century - Early 31st Century
  • approximate date of the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold.

• 2999
  • December 31 - Philip J. Fry awakes from cryostasis, in the animated TV series Futurama.

31st century

• 3000s
  • Current setting of the Legion of Super-Heroes (Note: the Legion stories are set 1000 years after the "present day", and the exact period changes with the DC Universe floating timeline).
  • By this century, time travel is commonplace. In one alternate future (later cancelled), Earth has long been devastated by an undisclosed conflict. (Star Trek: Enterprise episode, "Shockwave").
  • Ulysses kills the giant cyclops when he rescues the children and his son, Telemachus. The ancient gods of Olympus are angry and threaten a terrible revenge. (Ulysses 31)
  • The decline and eventual end of the Earth Empire, as Earth's various colonies break away from it (Doctor Who - The Mutants).

• 3000
  • January 1 - Philip J. Fry, after awaking from cryostasis earlier that day in 2999, joins the crew of the Planet Express delivery company in the animated TV series Futurama.
  • Earth is in the grip of a new ice age when a scientific team unearths an Ice Warrior spacecraft beneath the glaciers, its crew in suspended animation (Doctor Who - The Ice Warriors).

• 3001
  • Frank Poole is revived, and the events of 3001: The Final Odyssey occur.

• 3007
  • The alien Badoon invade Earth and the Guardians of the Galaxy resistance group is formed. (Marvel Comics)

• 3010
  • Brian Boitano travels through time to this year, fights the evil Robot King, and saves the human race. (South Park)

• 3014
  • The Guardians of the Galaxy succeed in liberating Earth from the Badoon (Marvel Comics)

• 3017
  • New Chicago Revlot. First Contact. Beginings of the events in "The Mote in God's Eye". CoDominium

• 3028
  • Earth is destroyed by the Drej. Surviving humans drift throughout the galaxy. (Titan A.E.)

• 3044
  • 16 A.E. (After Earth) - the events of Titan A.E. occur.

• 3050
  • First appearance of The Clans in the Periphery of the Inner Sphere (Battletech)

• 3085
  • Events of the Planet of the Apes television series.

33rd century

• 3200s
  • Setting of the original treatment for the first Star Wars film, as opposed to the later adopted “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...”. The time period is described as "a period of civil wars in the Galaxy."

35th century

• 3479
  • Events of the Planet of the Apes animated series.

40th century

• 3955
  • Events of the first Planet of the Apes film and its sequel, Beneath the Planet of the Apes; astronaut George Taylor detonates a bomb destroying planet Earth.

41st century

• 4000
  • The Daleks form a secret alliance with the Outer Galaxies to conquer the Solar System with a weapon of mass destruction known as the Time Destructor. They are aided by Mavic Chen, the traitorous Guardian of the Solar System, but are stopped by the First Doctor (Doctor Who - The Daleks' Master Plan).

49th century

• 4846
  • Commissioning of the starship Andromeda Ascendant. (Andromeda)

• 4858-4860
  • Commonwealth civil war (Andromeda)

• Possible setting of Turn-A gundam

51st century

• ~5000
  • Another ice age occurs on Earth. Around this time, the Supreme Alliance comes to power, and is eventually defeated at the battle of Reykjavik. The Alliance's Minister of Justice, Magnus Greel, escapes through time to the 19th century, using a time cabinet powered by zygma energy (Doctor Who - The Talons of Weng-Chiang).
• 5000
  • The year of the "Great Break-Out", when humanity spreads through the solar system on its way to the stars (Doctor Who - The Invisible Enemy.

52nd century

• 5161-5164+?
  • Events of Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda.

61st century

• 6041
  • Machinery rules the galactic universe, with humanoids and conscious robots in control, the human race is reduced to a state of apathy (TV version of Dune)

62nd century

• 6100s
  • The Great Revolt, a human rebellion against the machines, forcing human beings to use their minds for development and breeding; this leads to the formation of mental training schools and the discovery of the spice Melange, both of which would be the turning point for the human race (TV version of Dune)

64th century

• 6300s
  • The native time era of Abra Kadabra, the enemy of the Flash.

Distant future

• 7277
  • The Zohar Modifier is integrated into System Deus. The experiment testing System Deus goes wrong, causing the tested planet, Miktam04B, to be destroyed. It is during this experiment that The Wave Existence is pulled from its higher dimension and trapped into the Zohar Modifier. (Xenogears)
  • Abel faces the Zohar Modifier, his desire for a mother making the Modifier instantly create a human female in Kadomony. Deus later inserts his own program into the female, creating The Mother. (Xenogears)
  • The Elridge, carrying System Deus, is forced to crash into a unknown world due to Deus' sudden reactivation. The Mother is ejected from Kadomony.(Xenogears)

• ~10,000
  • Man's reign on Earth is believed to be finished (the song In The Year 2525)
  • North Central Positronics is a very popular provider of mental enhancement. (mentioned once in The_Dark_Tower_(series))

• 11,960
  • Xotar, the Weapons Master, decides to travel back in time to the 20th century to attack the Justice League of America, based on a book written by Wonder Woman he erroneously believes declared that he was destined to be victorious in battle over the team. (Brave and the Bold #29, 1960).

• 12,005
  • The time of the New Roman Empire (Doctor Who - The End of the World).

• 14292
  • July 6-Noriko and Amano return home in the Gunbuster. Earth appears to be dead, but lights up into an enormous "WEΓCOME HOME" as they enter orbit.

• 23,391 ± 400 (10,191 years after the formation of the Spacing Guild)
  • House Atreides takes over stewardship of the planet Arrakis (Dune, novel and film).

• 28,702
  • The first human vessel - a small surface lander, the "Atlantean" - makes planet-fall on Rubi-Ka. It is immediately followed by a second lander, the "Rimor". Both surveyor vessels have been commissioned by the Omni-Tek Corporation. (Anarchy Online)

• 29,475
  • Illegal restrictions on colonisation are lifted after prolonged ICC objections. Rival corporations are now allowed to transport passengers to and from Rubi-Ka. Ships in orbit immediately begin to transport new colonists to the surface. The population mushrooms overnight, causing logistical problems and chaos. The Rubi-Kan infrastructure is unprepared for the massive influx of colonists. (Anarchy Online)

• ~ 30,000 (?)
  • The events of the Horus Heresy in Warhammer 40,000

• 40,000
  • The setting for Warhammer 40,000
  • Events of Barbarella.
  • A creature with the ability to assume any shape departs this era for 20th century Metropolis, and tries to imitate Superman. (Superman (volume 1) #87, February 1954).

• 50,000
  • The events of the novel, Pebble in the Sky.

• 505th century
  • Solaris the Tyrant Sun unleashes a cancer plague, forcing the current Superman to sacrifice his life in rewriting Solaris' programming. ("DC One Million")

• 700th century
  • The original Superman returns to Earth, forges a covenant with his descendants and retreats to the inner core of the Sun. ("DC One Million")

• 853rd century
  • The events of "DC One Million" take place. Vandal Savage is still alive in this century. (DC Universe)

• 200,000
  • The period of the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire. Earth is at its height, covered with megacities, with five moons and a population of 96 billion, the centre of a galactic domain that covers a million worlds and a million species. However, its development is retarded for 91 years by the manipulations of news space station Satellite 5, until it is put back on track by the Ninth Doctor (Doctor Who - The Long Game).

• 200,100
  • One hundred years on from The Long Game, mankind's development is still being obstructed, this time being kept docile by the watching of hundreds of deadly game shows produced by the Badwolf Corporation (Doctor Who - Bad Wolf).

• 802,701
  • The Time Traveler arrives and encounters the Eloi and the Morlocks (H.G. Wells' The Time Machine).

• ~1,000,000
  • The Solar System is destroyed as the Human race leaves its cradle for the last time (Babylon 5).
  • In an alternate future where the sun has turned red, Earth has been long abandoned by its natives due to the Earth's oceans and other sources of water completely evaporating. Superman, powerless because of the red sun, is stranded here for a time when tricked into travelling into the far future by the Superman Revenge Squad. Eventually, Superman returns to the 20th century. (Action Comics #300)

• ~2,000,000
  • The solar system is relocated two light years away by the Time Lords and Earth is renamed Ravolox. When the ruse is discovered, the system is restored to its proper position (Doctor Who - The Mysterious Planet).

• ~3,002,182
  • Dave Lister released from stasis. He is the last human being alive. His companions are a hologram of his dead bunkmate, a senile computer and a life form that evolved from a cat he smuggled aboard. Events of Red Dwarf.¹

• ~10,000,000
  • The 57th Segment of Time, when solar activity wipes out all life on Earth. Refugees of humanity leave for the planet Refusis (Doctor Who - The Ark).

• 50,000,000
  • After humanity's final extinction, an insect-like race arises on Earth and becomes the dominant species. They are possessed by the Great Race of Yith, who have been forced to leave their previous home on a planet near Taurus. At some point in the future, this race will also die out, and the Yithians will be forced to relocate again to Mercury, taking over the bodies of a plant-race living there. (H.P. Lovecraft)

• 100,000,000
  • The current year in Time Squad.

• 200,000,000
  • Events of A. E. van Vogt's The Book of Ptath (1943).

• 4,000,000,000
  • Events on a chunk of Michigan that's traveling through space. (Sharr White's Safe From the Future)

• 5,000,000,000
  • The year 5.5/Apple/26, when the Sun's expansion is finally allowed to consume the Earth (Doctor Who - The End of the World).

• Simulation of 1912 Earth inside a giant computer
  • Europe and parts of Africa and Asia disappear and are replaced by an primeval continent (Darwinia (novel)).

• "1993"
  • The Red Dwarf crew travels into the far distant future to a point after the Universe has begun collapsing towards a Big Crunch, causing time to run backwards until it is the equivalent of 1993 on Earth again (or 3991, as the locals write it). They spend three weeks in Nodnol. In the novel Backwards, they arrive to collect Lister in Niagara Falls in the year 9891(1989).

• The end of time
  • The Restaurant at the End of the Universe in the novel by Douglas Adams.
  • The Inquisitor decides there is no afterlife or god, and that the only purpose in existence is to lead a worthwhile life. So, he constructs a time machine to judge every person in history. (Red Dwarf)
  • The guru Gaspar and the God of War, Spekkio, await the ones who will slay Lavos and it's spawn. (Chrono Trigger) (However, the timeline of Chrono Trigger is completely independent of our Earth's)
  • A entirely artificial world remains inhabitated by a few people (Michael Moorcock, The Dancers at the End of Time).
  • The Legion of Super-Heroes' enemy, the Time Trapper, lives at the end of time.

• Beyond the end of time
  • Climax of Isaac Asimov's story The Last Question. The end of time itself is said to be ten trillion years in the future, and the climax of the story occurs even later, after a "timeless interval".

Notes

¹Perhaps conscious of the slow development of Earth's space programme, several different dates have been given in Red Dwarf for the time from which Lister and Rimmer originate. In the early television series the dates 2044 and 2077 are both given. The first novel, published after the second season was transmitted, gives dates in the 22nd century. In the fourth season Dave Lister states he is "an enlightened 23rd century guy."

Links

• Edgar Governo, Historian of Things That Never Were
• Fictional encyclopedia wiki with a section for fictional history

See also: Timeline of fictional future events, .hack, 1898, 1900, 1905, 1906, 1910, 1911, 1912