1997

Events

Dated Events

• View-Askewniverse: February 20. Dante is probably at work. (Clerks: The Animated Series: Episode IV)

Real World February 22. Scientists in Scotland reveal the successful birth of the clone sheep, Dolly.

• View-Askewniverse: March. Bethany Sloane gives birth to a baby girl who is now the Last Scion. (Nine months after Dogma)

Real World March 4. U.S. President Bill Clinton bans federal funding for human cloning.

Real World March 11. A nuclear waste reprocessing plant in Japan explodes, exposing 35 workers to low-level radioactivity.

Real World March 26. The members of the Heaven's Gate cult are found dead, having commited suicide.

Real World April 21. The first people are "buried" in space when 24 remains are sent into orbit on a Pegasus rocket.

Real World May 2. Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister of the U.K.

Real World May 11. IBM supercomputer Deep Blue totally defeats grandmaster Garry Kasparov in chess. (This is opposed to last year's single-match defeat.)

• Men In Black (Films): Late May orJune. Agent Jay captures Jarra when the alien scientist tries to steal Earth's ozone. He is imprisoned in MiB headquarters. (5 years and 42 days before Men in Black II)

Real World July 1. Hong Kong is rejoined with the rest of China.

Real World July 10. DNA analysis on samples from a Neanderthal skeleton lend credence to the "out of Africa" theory of human evolution.

Real World July 25. K.R. Narayanan becomes the first Dalits caste member to become President of India.

Real World August 31. Princess Diana of Wales is taken to a hospital in Paris after a car crash; she dies the next morning.

• Harry Potter: September 1. In theory, Harry Potter begins his seventh and final year at Hogwarts.

Real World November 10. Giant telecom companies WorldCom and MCI announce their merger into MCI-WorldCom.

Real World December 29. The potential spread of a deadly strain of flu leads Hong Kong to start killing all of the 1.25 million chickens in its territory.

Undated Events

• Doctor Who, Doctor Who (Expanded Universe): c. 1997. By this time, a five-pound piece has entered circulation in the U.K. The Seventh Doctor reunites with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (coaxed out of retirement to work with the Doctor) to help UNIT repel an attack from an alternate Earth led by Morgaine of the Fey. (Doctor Who: "Battlefield"; A History of the Universe by Lance Parkin)

• Doctor Who (Expanded Universe): c. 1997. The Seventh Doctor winds up in this time with poet William Blake, but is unable to save UNIT troops from Hunters. (The New Doctor Who Adventures: The Pit; A History of the Universe by Lance Parkin)

• Austin Powers: Doctor Evil is thawed from his cryogenic sleep in space, and steals a nuclear warhead from Kreplachistan, with which he plans to hold the entire world ransom for $1 million. In response, the United States and Russia demand that the Ministry of Defence thaw Austin Powers to stop him. Both Austin and Dr. Evil have trouble adapting to the 90s, but ultimately Austin manages to thwart Evil's plans with the help of Vanessa Kensington. For his efforts, Austin is set to knighted (although it would be quite a while before the ceremony actually took place). (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery)

• DC (Generations): Sinestro wipes out most of the Green Lantern Corps, eventually travelling to Earth to take out Green Lantern Kyle Rayner and those who had once been or could have been Green Lantern (Alan Scott and Hal Jordan). Batman (Bruce Wayne Jr.) tracks down "Ra's al Ghul," and attempts to pass on the mantle of Batman to Robin (Clark Wayne); however, he reveals his knowledge that Bruce Jr. is not his father, and adopts instead the identity of Knightwing. Sinestro battles the Justice League of America while Knightwing make his debut fighting a new Ransak, whom he learns is the original's vengeance-driven daughter. Hal Jordan adopts Kyle Rayner's power ring. Using his will, Hal is able to overcome the ring's yellow weakness and defeat Sinestro. The Guardians of the Universe summon Kyle, Hal, Alan, and Carol Ferris, and reveal that the weaknesses of the power rings had always been psychological, designed to prevent the wielders from being corrupted by limitless power. They ask Hal to help them rebuild the Green Lantern Corps, which he later accepts, becoming Green Lantern III. (Superman & Batman: Generations II)

• GURPS Infinite Worlds: Paul van Zandt has by this time discovered 23 timelines in addition to Earth-Beta, and personally visited six. He has gathered the nucleus of what becomes Infinity Unlimited and White Star Trading. (GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns, GURPS Time Travel)

• Men In Black (Series): Agent Kay's memory is restored in an unseen case. Events of Men in Black: The Series season 1.

• Predator: Events of Predator 2.

• Tick (Live): Arthur waits for several hours trying to get the Immortal's autograph, but for unexplained reasons the Immortal never shows up. (The Tick: "The Funeral")

New Fictional Works

Notable Books

3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, Jingo by Terry Pratchett, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) by J.K. Rowling, Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut.

Notable Films

• Aberration, Air Force One, Alien Force, Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy (TV movie), Alien Resurrection, An American Werewolf in Paris, Anaconda, Anastasia, Atomic Dog
• Batman and Robin, Bleeders, Bombshell, The Borrowers, Bram Stoker's Shadowbuilder, Bram Stoker's The Mummy, Casper: A Spirited Beginning, Clover (TV movie)
• Club Vampire, Conceiving Ada, Conspiracy Theory, Contact, Cube, Curtain Call, Dead Men Can't Dance, Deep Rising, The Devil's Advocate, DNA, Ebenezer
• The Eighteenth Angel, Escape from Atlantis, Event Horizon, Evil Lives, Face/Off, Fairy Tale: A True Story, The Fifth Element, Flubber, Future Fear, The Game
• Gates of Hell Part II: Dead Awakening, Gattaca, Giga Shadow, Grizzly Mountain, Gut-Pile, The Haunted Sea, Hercules, Hideous, The Hunchback, I Married a Strange Person
• In His Father's Shoes, Invisible Mom, Jack Frost, The Jackal, Judge and Jury, Knocking on Death's Door, Kull the Conqueror, Laserhawk, The Last Broadcast, Little Ghost
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Mean Guns, Men in Black, The Midas Touch, Mimic, Moonbase, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, My Magic Dog, Mystery Monsters, The Night Flier
• Night of the Demons 3, Operation Condor, Operation Delta Force 2, PUNKS, Perfect Blue (Japan), Phantoms, The Postman, Power Rangers: Turbo - The Movie
• Premutos: Lord of the Living Dead, Prince Valiant, Princess Mononoke (Japan), The Prophecy II, Ravager, Rebirth of Mothra II (Japan), Redline, RPM, Safe House
• The Saint, Scorpio One, The Second Civil War, The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli and Baloo, The Secret Kingdom, Shrieker, Sore Losers, Space Truckers (TV movie)
• Spawn, Specimen, Spectre, Star Kid, Star Wars Special Edition, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Special Edition, Starship Troopers
• Steel, Tidal Wave: No Escape, Tomorrow Never Dies, Trucks, Two Orphan Vampires, The Vampire Journals, Volcano, Warriors of Virtue, When Time Expires, Wishmaster, Young Hercules.

Notable Comic Books

Amalgam Comics (second wave).

Notable Television Series

• Beginning: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Earth: Final Conflict, Extreme Dinosaurs, Extreme Ghostbusters, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Invasion (miniseries), Ivanhoe (miniseries), The Legend of Calamity Jane, Men in Black: The Series, Mission Genesis, Mummies Alive!, Night Man, The Odyssey (miniseries), Roar, Sailor Moon Stars (Japan), The Shining (miniseries), Spawn, Stargate SG-1, The Visitor, Zorro.

• Continuing: Babylon 5 (Season 4), Beast Wars (Season 2), Early Edition (Season 2), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (Season 4), Highlander: The Series (Season 6), The Incredible Hulk (Season 2), Millennium (Season 2), The Outer Limits (Season 3), Poltergeist: The Legacy (Season 2), Reboot (Season 2 ends), Sliders (Season 3 ends), Spider-Man (Season 4), The X-Files (Season 5), Xena: Warrior Princess (Season 3).

• Ending: BAD (Bureau of Alien Detectors), The Burning Zone, Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys, Darkstalkers, Dragon Flyz, Flash Gordon, Jumanji: The Animated Series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, The Mighty Ducks, Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, The Neverending Story, Princess Gwenyvere and the Jewel Riders, Sky Dancers, The Tick, Vor-Tech, Wing Commander Academy, X-Men.

Notable Role-Playing Games

The Babylon Project, Blue Planet, Bubblegum Crisis, Champions: The New Millennium, Changeling: The Dreaming (2nd Ed.), Cthulhu Live, Heavy Gear (2nd Ed.), In Nomine (2nd English Ed.), Jovian Chronicles, Legend of the Five Rings, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Men in Black, Multiverser, Usagi Yojimbo, Werewolf: The Wild West.

Notable Electronic Games

Diablo (PC), Dungeon Keeper (PC), Fallout (PC), Final Fantasy 7 (Japan) (Playstation), Tomb Raider II (PC), Zork: Grand Inquisitor (PC).

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