posted
Originally, the first series was set in the years 2196 to 2200. ("Where No Man Has Gone Before") Many events related to space travel and earth history were either mentioned or implied in the episodes.
According to the history of the original series, as opposed to later series history and the Chronology, the development of FTL engines and the Third World War (Eugenics War) were in the same decade, perhaps even in the same years. Note: the SS Valiant, a warp driven ship, left Earth in 1996. 1996 is the same year that saw the close of the Third World War. I feel that the writers were implying a situation that may have existed in this decade. After wars, there are technological changes. For instance, in World War II, pilots went from flying propeller planes to jet planes. The technological change that accompanied the last world war is sublight ships to warp ships. I don't precisely know the reason; however, I don't believe that Cochrane would do this for money, fame, or scantily clad women. There is a possibility that Cochrane may have been a chief scientist or engineer on a project funded by a governing agency. This chief team leader may be remembered as the discoverer of the warp drive and his contributions to space exploration afterwards. Here, I am thinking of Werner Von Braun who is remembered for his contributions to the American space program. I find this scenario more believable than that presented in First Contact. As my mother said, "They caught the spirit, but not the details."
If you have additional ideas, I would like to hear them.
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takeoffs are optional; landings are mandatory
[This message has been edited by targetemployee (edited October 05, 2000).]
posted
I few points 1. How do figure that the first series was set from 2196 to 2200. (Show your math!) 2. Is the Eugenics War the same as WWIII? I'm pretty sure that both events are mentioned in TOS, suggesting they're not the same thing. 3. I'm not so sure if a warp ship would be that helpful in a war taking place on a single planet. In fact, I always thought that the Eugenics War was mostly in Asia and the Mideast. Even if combat was in orbit, I don't think FTL would help so much or be worth the expense of development. Spending so much just for morale purposes is also unlikely, I think. 4. I agree that Cochrane's backwoods camp seems a bit too primitive for developing warp drive. Before First Contact came out I had always assumed warp drive was the result of a massive government project, something like the Manhattan project.
------------------ When you're in the Sol system, come visit the Starfleet Museum
posted
MASAO 1. a.Where No Man Has Gone Before Set two hundred years after 1996 Events of 1996-Writing of Nightingale Women and loss of SS Valiant b.Space Seed Set two hundred years after 1996 Events of 1996-Third World War (Eugenics War) Third World War identified by Spock from library computers; Eugenics War identified by McCoy. Same war. I will recite dialogue at a later time.
Math 1996 plus 200 is 2196. Five year mission is 2196 first year 2197 second year 2198 third year 2199 fourth year 2200 fifth year
2.The difficulty that I encounter when in conversation about this issue-the Third World War and the Eugenics War-is that people think that two separate wars are occuring. This is how we speak of wars nowadays. The Persian Gulf War is the Persian Gulf War. In centuries past, wars could be given multiple names. The American Civil War is known as the Civil War by the north and history books and known by the south as the War of Southern Succession. Further, compounding matters, there are wars where there are wars within a war. One Hundred Years is actually a small number of wars fought between England and France. 3. Khan was one of many leaders. He was dictator over the Middle East and Asia. The other leaders controlled other parts of the world.
Earth in the time of the Third World War had many classes of spaceships. The DY-100 Class is one of the most advanced of the decade.
posted
I can see how your math works, but I don't understand where you get the basic assumptions. Where is it said that the Valiant was lost in 1996 exactly? Either this timepoint or the other end of the 200-year interval has to be fixed, and I haven't seen any indication that the date of "WNMHGB" was fixed as 2196 by dialogue or computer screens or any other such hints.
The only three times I remember of TOS where both a fixed timepoint and a time interval were concisely given would be:
1) Space Seed (1996 is explicitly the year the EWs ended, and Kirk says this was 200 years ago) 2) Tomorrow is Yesterday (1969 is the year the ship travels to, and Kirk says a wait of 200 years in jail should be "just about right") 3) Squire of Gothos (events of the 1800s are discussed by Trelane, and Spock reasons that it took 800 years for lightspeed information of them to travel to Gothos)
Thus, the first two say TOS was in the 2190s and the last says it was in the late 2600s. Other episodes offer less concise clues.
posted
I think that the producers of TOS went out of their way not to indicate the exact year when the series took place. A couple of times they might have been forced into a corner, as in Space Seed, or a date slipped through. But as far as I know, they never said within an episode, this is the year 2197. If they had wanted to fix the date, I'm sure they could have. Okuda's Chronology addresses this issue, of course. Several earlier fan chronlogies, like that by James Dixon, have usually arrived at earlier dates for TOS than did Okuda. Anyways, the 2260s for TOS are almost universally used, so we're sort of stuck.
------------------ When you're in the Sol system, come visit the Starfleet Museum
posted
Yeah, Generations pretty well pinned it down. We know when the main body of the movie took place (2271, wasn't it?), and there was a specific number of years between the opening and the main body (87, I believe). Thus we know when the final segment of the TOS movie saga took place, and can work backwards from that. Admittedly, you have spaces where there could be a lot more time than is assumed passing, but if TOS took place at the turn of the 23rd century, then Kirk would have been well over 100 by the time Generations came about. Ain't no freakin' way.
------------------ "The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." - George Bernard Shaw
posted
Omega, remember TNG is 24th century, so 2371.
------------------ [Bart's looking for his dog.] Groundskeeper Willy: Yeah, I bought your mutt - and I 'ate 'im! [Bart gasps.] I 'ate 'is little face, I 'ate 'is guts, and I 'ate the way 'e's always barkin'! So I gave 'im to the church. Bart: Ohhh, I see... you HATE him, so you gave him to the church. Groundskeeper Willy: Aye. I also 'ate the mess he left on me rug. [Bart stares.] Ya heard me!
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