Timeline_of_fictional_future_events Timeline_of_fictional_future_events

Timeline of fictional future events - Definition and Overview
Related Words: Fantastic, Fictitious, Forged, Imaginary, Invented, Legendary, Manufactured, Mythic, Mythical, Mythological, Mythopoeic

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.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
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 49th century
17 52nd century
18 61st century
19 62nd century
20 Distant future

20.1 Notes

21 Links

19th century

  • 1900
    • The Astronef stories by George Griffith

20th century

  • 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)
  • 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)
  • 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)
  • 1997
    • Events of Escape from New York.
    • 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).

21st century

  • 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.
  • 2022
    • New York City has become overpopulated with 40 million starving citizens. (Soylent Green)
  • 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 imprionment 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.
  • 2035
    • On the eve of man's first flight to the moon, an uprising against progress becomes violent. (Things to Come)
  • 2038
    • Launch of the 7th Macross Battleship that will travel to the center of the Milky Way. (Macross 7)
  • 2044
    • 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)
  • 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.
  • 2071
    • The crew of the ship Bebop travel around the Solar System, trying to catch "bounty-heads." (Cowboy Bebop)
  • 2084
    • War between Earth and Mars virtually destroys humanity. The Universal Migrator
  • Late 21st century
    • Superman leaves Earth. ("DC One Million")

22nd century

  • 2112
    • Man tries to revive the guitar in colorless totalitarian society, commits suicide after failure.(Rush's 2112 (album))
  • 2157
    • 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)
  • 2181
    • 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
  • 2196
    • Privately owned high mobile battleship Nadesico launches on the mission to rescue survivors of the Jovian invasion of Mars. (Martian Sucsessor Nadesico)

23rd century

    • A possible setting of Red Dwarf before the radiation accident.1
  • 2245
    • The last Earth fleet returns home; Jung Freud becomes president of the UN. (Gunbuster)
  • 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.
  • 2267
    • The events of Crusade, starting with the release of the Drakh plague into the atmosphere of Earth.
  • 2291
    • Legalization of 'Consensual murder' marks the start of the official "Tournaments" in the game Unreal Tournament

24th century

25th century

26th century

  • 2526
    • Earth is lost to humanity, and is renamed Lost Jerusalem. (Xenogears)

27th century

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

30th century

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)
  • 3000
    • January 1st - 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.
  • 3007
    • The alien Badoon invade Earth and the Guardians of the Galaxy resistance group is formed. (Marvel Comics)
  • 3014
    • The Guardians of the Galaxy succeed in liberating Earth from the Badoon (Marvel Comics)
  • 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.

33rd century

  • 3200s

35th century

40th century

49th century

52nd century

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)

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))
  • 14292
    • July 6-Noriko and Amano return home in the Gunbuster. Earth appears to be dead, but lights up into an enormous "WELCOME HOME" as they enter orbit.
  • 23,391 ± 400 (10,191 years after the formation of the Spacing Guild)
  • 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)
  • 505th century
    • Solaris, the anti-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")
  • ~1,000,000
    • The Solar System is destroyed as the Human race leaves its cradle for the last time (Babylon 5).
  • ~3,002,181
    • 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
  • 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)
  • 4,000,000,000
    • Events on a chunk of Michigan that's traveling through space. (Sharr White's Safe From the Future)
  • 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)
  • 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."

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