Multiversal Omnipedia:About the Multiversal Timeline

Revision as of 20:35, 22 January 2007

The Multiversal Timeline is intended to do for fictional history what the MOA proper does for everything else. It is also intended to be as inclusive as possible.

The pages follow a specific format- this is easily seen by viewing the existing pages. Historical information from the alternate universes of a fiction's main canon- for example, the Mirror Universe from Star Trek- is included in italics.

The following universes, however, require some special attention:

• Andromeda - According to A Commonwealth Timeline on the official All Systems University site and message board posts citing Andromeda writer Zack Stentz, 6811 CY is the same as 1891, the year the Thomas Common English translation of Nietzsche's Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra) was published. This is reinforced by the FAQ on the Andromeda Web site, which associates 5167 with the year Dylan Hunt was freed from the black hole (10087 CY). Thus, 0 CY is 4921 BC.
• Dragon Ball - This timeline uses the AD dating system, but otherwise bears no resemblance to our history. It should simply be treated as a very different timeline.
• Dune - According to the official Dune novels timeline, c. 11,000 B.G. (Before Guild) is c. AD 2000, while 1 A.G. (After Guild) is c. AD 13,000.
• Dungeons and Dragons - Although this link has not been solidified, the D&D multiverse has two links to Earth. The first is to the Mystara setting, with Diane de Moriamis leaving her native Averoigne (a French province from an alternate Earth around the year 1600) and arriving on Mystara in 1012 AC (After Crowning). Thus, c. 1600 is 1012 AC. The second is between the Masque of the Red Death "Gothic Earth" and Ravenloft; the domain of Odiare was taken from Gothic Italy between the years 1550 and 1700 (since it's a "Renaissance" level domain). Using a relation that connects the years 921 AC (Mystara) and 635 BC (Ravenloft), this event would then take place in c. 1612. The full reasoning connecting the D&D worlds (and a conversion system using that reasoning) can be found here. (Warning: May not work under Netscape.) Until contradicted by newer information, it can be safely assumed that those two anchor dates are at least somewhat accurate.
• Gundam (Universal Century), Gundam (Turn-A Gundam) - UC 0001 is AD 2081, as meticulously determined by this site. It is also extremely probable that "Correct Century" is a continuation of "Universal Century," so CC 2345 is AD 4425.
• Lord of the Rings - Middle-Earth's timeline is broken into four (known) Ages, and takes place as some inspecific date in Earth's prehistoric past. However, a letter from J.R.R. Tolkien in 1958 dated the end of the War of the Ring at about 6000 years prior; so year 3019 of the Third Age is about 4043 BC. Extrapolating from that, year 1 of the First Age is c. 11,084 BC; year c. 584 of the First Age/year 1 of the Second Age is c. 10,501 BC; year 3441 of the Second Age/year 1 of the Third Age is c. 7061 BC; and year 3021 of the Third Age/year 1 of the Fourth Age is c. 4041 BC. In addition, the Shire uses Shire Reckoning, which starts at S.R. 1 (III 1601, c. 5461 BC).
• Robotech - As derived from Robotech: The Complete Handbook and the data collected here, 671 A.R. (Aeon Robotech, four years pass to our one) was in December AD 1999, which means 1999 spanned the years 668 to 671 A.R. Aeon Robotech switched from Aeon Lanack (A.L.) in 1936 A.L.
• Star Wars - Star Wars was, until recently, completely incomparable to Earth standards. However, information from an alternate-universe story in Star Wars Tales #19 makes it possible to date the original film (0 B.B.Y., Before the Battle of Yavin) to c. AD 1815. More explanation can be found on the entries for 1814 and 1940.
• Warhammer 40,000 - Uses an abstraction of the A.D. dating, listing years in the format (year in millennium).M(current millennium number). For example, AD 2004 would be 004.M3 (third millennium, year 004).
• Rifts - As implied by the Triax and the NGR book and confirmed in the Rifts FAQ on the Palladium site, 1 PA (Post Apocalypse) is the same as AD 2287.
• Gallatin Universe - As explicitly stated in The Probability Broach's timeline, 0 A.L. (Anno Liberatus) is the same as 1776 C.E. (AD 1776).
• Star Fleet Universe - The history of the Star Fleet Universe differs from that of the mainstream Star Trek universe, but there is one commonality- the Organian Peace Treaty imposed on the Federation and Klingons. According to the Star Trek Chronology, the Organians imposed the Treaty in 2267; in the Star Fleet Universe timeline in GURPS Prime Directive, this event occurred in Y156.

A converter covering several of the above can be found here. (Warning: May not work under Netscape.)

(A note about the conversions: They work on three assumptions that are likely incorrect: a) the years in these other systems are as long as A.D. years (excepting Robotech, where four fit into one of ours); b) any differences in numbers of day per year, or number of hours per day, can be chalked up to differences between the way that universe measures days and hours; c) the years begin and end at the same time as A.D. years. As such, people interested in strict accuracy are advised to add "approximately" before every converted date. If anyone feels up to concocting a more accurate way of converting dates, I'd be extremely glad to see it!)

In addition to the main timelines, there's also the Chronology Index, to list timelines for individual universes. On these pages, you can also find histories for universes with no precise connection to real-world history (such as Advance Wars, Gundam (G-Gundam), Gundam Seed, Gundam Wing, Gundam X, Ogre Battle, Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Hercules-Xena, Sonic The Hedgehog (and all variants thereof) and Voltron) or universes dated relative to the changing present day or a specific event (such as Big O, Elfquest, Everquest, Final Fantasy (All but The Spirits Within), He-Man (2000s), Kingdom Hearts, Kirby, Legend of Zelda, Pokémon (and all variants thereof), Quest for Glory, Reboot, Redwall, Secret of Mana 2, Skies of Arcadia, Slayers, Soulblazer, Starfox, Swat Kats, Warcraft; Contemporary Amalgam, DC, Image, Marvel and Wildstorm (and all variants thereof); Jonny Quest, and Super Mario Bros.)

If anyone can find a way to connect any more universes to Earth dating as well, I would be extremely interested in hearing from you. I'm especially looking for a way to plug in the Gundam alternate universes.

-Jeb