Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology
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The Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology was published in 1980 by Stanley and Fred Goldstein, and illustrated by Rick Sternbach. At the time of its publication, "canon" consisted solely of the Original Series and Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
The timeline described in Spaceflight Chronology and the events and ships therein were used by a number of other licensed works from the 1980s, such as the novels The Final Reflection, Strangers from the Sky, and Spock's World, reference book "Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise", and FASA's Star Trek: The Role Playing Game.
The SFC timeline was increasingly strained by the events of the TOS movies, and eventually invalidated by details that were revealed over the course of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Due to this, some details from the SFC timeline inevitably must be disregarded. However, other details can be adapted (albiet imprecisely) into the now-standard timeline.
Contents |
[edit] Timeline
The timeline presented in the book was as follows:
[edit] 20th Century
[edit] 21st Century
[edit] 22nd Century
[edit] 23rd Century
[edit] 24th Century
FASA's reference stardate system was a modified version of the SFC timeline, and dates from novels, FASA products, and other items based on this timeline are incorporated (with source notes).
[edit] Differences from the Standard Timeline
[edit] World War III and the late 20th/early 21st centuries
In the SFC timeline WW3 appears to be synonymous with the Eugenics Wars, is over by 1996, and has negligible effect on the expansion into space. The first decades of the 21st century are one long march of progress into the solar system, climaxing with manned sublight voyages to nearby star systems.
- Events from 1957 to 1979 follow the historical record.
- NASA's Space Shuttle was wildly successful, creating a permanent foothold in space (including solar power satellites, beaming power to Earth), and phased out in favor of more advanced craft by 1992.
- Starting in 1995, the DY-100 is the first mass-produced spacecraft, making regular runs to Luna and adapted for the first manned mission to Mars.
- A permanent moonbase is established in 1998. A second base on the farside began operations by 2004, which was the site of the first off-Earth human birth in 2005.
- The first L-5 city is completed in 2007. By 2019 there will be seven.
- 2008 sees the development of a new Earth-Moon liner and the Aventeur-class, which will make manned voyages to the outer solar system over the following two decades. S.J. Christopher's ship visits Saturn in 2020.
- The 2010s see several Marsbases built, and the first homesteading in the asteroid belt.
- The 2020s bring further development of the Asteroid Belt supported by ships like the DY-500, and the first steps of terraforming Venus.
- By 2042 there is a base on Pluto, and manned sublight missions en route to Barnard's Star and Alpha Centauri.
- By 2044 the Interplanetary Communications Network guarantees reliable communications throughout the solar system.
[edit] Summary
The SFC envisions much more rapid development in this period than later canon, and the situation at the end is completely different. It is very problematic to adapt SFC events in this period to the standard timeline. They need to be determined on a case-by-case basis to see how they mesh with later canon.
[edit] First Contact and Early Warp
Following some 50 years of exploration, expansion, and development into the solar system, Earth was a stronger and more dynamic entity at mid-21st century in the SFC timeline than the war-ravaged place on the brink of complete collapse that emerged in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek First Contact, and Star Trek: Enterprise. The flow of events in its first contacts with its alien neighbors and interactions with them are equally different.
- The sub-light UNSS Icarus arrives in the Alpha Centauri system in 2048, and discovers native inhabitants so much like humans that speculation of a common ancestor is unavoidable.
- Icarus science officer Frank Jocasta helps break the communication barrier with Centauran physicist Zefrem Cochrane, and is "electrified" by the warp principle Cochrane is developing.
- Normal-space transmissions from UNSS Icarus about Centaurans and Cochrane's warp principle cause a sensation on Earth when received (in 2052). An intensive warp drive development program and diplomatic mission to AC are implemented as soon as possible. The first diplomatic mission arrives at AC in 2059 aboard a sub-light ship.
- 2055: The WD-1 test vehicle becomes the first vessel to exceed lightspeed. A chimpanzee passenger demonstrates that living beings can travel at warp with no ill effects. Earth's spaceship builders start designing the first generation of warp drive ships.
- 2059: The UNSS Boneventure, Earth's first fully-functioning warp ship, begins operation with a mission to the Tau Ceti system. Within the next few years warp-driven trade with the Centaurans begins in earnest. Zefrem Cochrane is brought to Earth in 2061 and receives a hero's welcome.
- Technical devlopments: Warp drive (discovery and first-generation refinements), "warp radio" (subspace communications), unmanned cargo carriers.
- Political developments: The Fundamental Declaration of the Martian Colonies established that every inhabited region of the solar system has local autonomy over their own affairs. Cultural exchange with the Centaurans stengthend bonds of cooperation and friendship. Subsequent first contacts with the Vulcans, Tellarites, Andorians, Rigellians, and others. Trading at Rigel reveals that Earth electronics and space metals are more advanced than many others'.
[edit] Summary
The SFC timeline in this period is completely unlike that later established in canon: Instead of a world reeling from global war and skirting the brink of complete collapse, with a single warp test vehicle spurring the Vulcans to make First Contact, there is a thriving but peaceful society throughout the solar system, making its first expeditions to other stars. Rather than being both aided and "held back" under Vulcan tutelage, Earth is one of the most advanced and leading societies in nearby space. Many of the events in the SFC timeline simply cannot be adapted to the main timeline, and those which can would likely have to be "stretched" or altered in some way to fit the diffetrent circumstances.
[edit] Birth of the Federation and the Romulan War
This period is the SFC's closest equivalent to the period depicted in Star Trek: Enterprise, even though the dates, sequence of events, and the political circumstances have many differences.
- After five years of unofficial discussion, and another five years of negotiations and cooperative ventures, the UFP is incorporated at the first Babel Interplanetary Conference. Stardates adopted for unified timekeeping.
- A series of training accidents and pirate acts speeds up the chartering of Starfleet Academy and the further development of Starfleet from the founing members individual fleets.
- The Horizon-class becomes the first Starfleet ships designed and built entirely under UFP auspices. Starbase 1 begins operation after a year-long tow to Sector 3A.
- The UFP is harassed by "space pirates" for some 11 years before they are identified as the Romulans. They are only partially identifed by the time they attack and destroy Starbase 1.
- In the following three years Starfleet attempts to learn more about the Romulans, until an invasion force ambushes the USS Patton and outright war ensues.
- After three years of war, a decisive victory by Starfleet at the Battle of Cheron smashes the last of the Romulans' offensive capabilities and prompts subspace negotiations to end the fighting and establish the Neutral Zone.
[edit] Summary
A period of interstellar diplomacy and trade, with increasing covert provocation by the Romulans cumulating in war, this period has many strong parallels to the canon 2150s and 2160s. Major differences include the timing of the incorporation of the UFP relative to the Romulan War, and the relative strengths of the founding members (and composition; the SFC includes Rigel as a founding member), but if one includes the Coalition of Planets and compresses the timescale, a number of broad events and specific items are readily adaptable to the standard timeline.
[edit] The Interim: Advances and Setbacks
[edit] Maturing Technologies: The Constitution-Class Era
[edit] References
| Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology Timeline | 
|
|---|---|
| 1980-1999 SFC • 2000-2049 SFC • 2050-2099 SFC • 2100-2149 SFC • 2150-2199 SFC • 2200-2249 SFC • 2250-2299 SFC • 2300 SFC • 2301 SFC • 2302 SFC • 2303 SFC |
| Ships of the Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology | 
|
|---|---|
| Advance-class • Baton Rouge-class • Bode-class • Constitution-class • Declaration-class • Eagle-class • Hale-class • Horizon-class • Mann-class • Marshall-class • Portsmith-class • Rickenbacker-class • Sawyer-class • Stellarford-class • Tritium-class |
[edit] Starbases
[edit] Connections
- Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
