Near-future space timeline

[Shaft]

A few years ago, I saw a TV show about H.R.Giger's depictions of the xenomorph in Alien/Aliens in which it was suggested that Alien and Blade Runner (based on Phillip K. Dick's novel, do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) were set in the same continuity. On top of that, it is clearly established that the Aliens and the Predators also co-exist in that same reality.

I got slightly inspired and thought it might be fun to add a few other series and movies into the mix. I came up with this timeline (which doesn't match offical dates from the films I used, since I'm trying to unify them according to what makes sense to me):

 

1987

-Major "Dutch" Schaeffer encounters an extraterrestrial Hunter that uses cloaking technology and kills off his Special Forces unit in South America before self-destructing. He is debriefed by an X-Com unit.

 

1997

-A vice cop unit encounters a Predator in LA during a gang war. An X-Com unit is tracking it.

China begins building moonbases as economic depression hits the West.

NASA is privatized and sold off to the Weyland corporation to pay for government debts.

Police services in several cities are privatized.

Omni-Consumer Products field tests the ED-209 robot to control the rioting that occurs daily in many cities.

 

2004

-A nuclear explosion destroys the remnants of an Antarctic hunting maze designed by the Predators.

 

2013

-OCP field tests a cyborg "Robocop". Cyberdyne begins working on SKYNET defense network.

 

2014

-The Tessier-Ashpool corporation begins work on the Jules Verne L-5 station.

Weyland merges with Yutani corporation. Recession ends as opportunities begin opening up in space.

Massive population shift from third world countries to geosynchronous stations begins as space development corporations offer employment opportunities: the hardships of life in space are easy to cope with compared to the poverty in poor nations. Relatively few First worlders go, as they are less willing to give up the comfort they are accustomed to.

 

2020

-Tyrell corporation develops the first replicants (the Nexus-1).

 

2022

-The first true Artificial Intelligences are developed. Turing agency is established to ensure that controls are kept on them to prevent them from acheiving too much autonomy.

 

2025

-Martian miners start suffering from high rates of cancer. Many of their children are born with mutations.

 

2027

-Weyland-Yutani begins building a colony on Mars, as does China.

 

2028

-Faster-than-light travel is developped, but crews are required to spend months in hypersleep.

 

2029

-3rd generation replicants begin rebelling. Their use is restricted to working to develop off world colonies. "Blade Runner" units are formed to police the androids.

 

2032

-Skynet becomes operational. Cyberdyne downplays its effectiveness when reporting its capabilities to Turing.

 

2035

-The Nostromo disappears after responding to what appears to be a distress beacon of unearthly origin.

 

2037

-Mutant children of miners begin displaying psychic powers. They are restricted from leaving Mars out of fear that they will be able to steal secrets and read minds. Blade Runners expand their roles to hunting down rogue telepaths.

 

2041

-Four replicants are able to make it to Earth. A Blade Runner takes them down, but not before they kill off the president of Tyrell corporation.

 

2043

-Skynet instigates a war across Asia, unleashing Terminator robots on an unsuspecting populace. Cyberdyne sends in Screaming Fist operatives through Finland airspace to take on the Skynet AI that has taken over the Russian defense grid. Cyberspace Technolgy as we know it is field tested for the first time.

 

2047

China emerges from the Asian Land War as the clear victor and establishes itself as a globally dominant economic superpower.

 

2048

-Martian population begins insurgency as it seeks freedom from the Terran corporations that control it.

 

2050

-As Martian insurgency worsens, construction begins on L-5 colonies around Jupiter.

 

2057

-Wintermute AI merges with Neuromancer AI, acheiving unprecendented levels of sentience. Newly formed AI claims to sense another presence on a scale equal to it at Alpha-Centauri. The presence is Skynet, who survived by transfering itself to a hidden FTL ship that it sent off. Skynet awaits in orbit of Alpha Centauri, determined to follow its original programming.

 

2058

-Douglas Quaid finds an ancient Predator device under the surface of Mars and activates it, Terraforming the planet to Earthlike conditions within days.

 

2060

-Cylon robots are developed from the Terminator droids and are used to continue the expansion into space. Improved control methods are implemented on replicants to make them comply with Asimov's laws of robotics.

 

2061

-The Blue Sun corporation tests a trio of Martian telepaths as the core of a "future crimes" unit for its police contract in Washington DC. Though initially hailed as a huge success, the experiment is later deemed to be a failure.

 

2062

-Vast advances are made with starship travel and FTL technology, reducing the travel time between worlds to days instead of months. The BattleStar class starship becomes the most visible symbol of the Terran defense fleet.

 

2078

-Neuromancer/Wintermute and Skynet infiltrate the Cylon network and subvert them. However, most replicants appear to be resistant to Cylon control. A war breaks out that lasts 10 years, during which the Blade Runner change their focus again to Cylons. Psychics gain acceptance among humanity for their role in taking on the Cylons.

 

2088

-An armistice is agreed on. Cyberspace advances are discarded in favour of standalone systems that are isolated and more protected from Cylon hacking. The Cylons retreat to deep space where they no doubt have isolated encounters with Xenomorphs & Predators.

 

2089

-The Cylons develop the technology to transfer their consciousness to organic bodies. They begin a long term plan for a pre-emptive strike against humanity, and plan to persuade as many replicants as they can to their banner.

 

2095

-A pacification experiment goes wrong on the planet Miranda. The planet is quarantined.

-Reavers begin appearing in the outer fringe of space.

 

2098

-Unification War rages for 3.5 years after the Outer Rim Colonies declare independence & The Alliance of Worlds disagrees.

 

2102

-The battle of Serenity. The Secessionist Browncoats are defeated by the Alliance.

 

2103

-The Blue Sun Corporation isolates the gene that triggers psychic abilities. They begin extending invitations out to talented children who they believe have psychic potential.

 

2109

-The USS Sulaco is sent to investigate the loss of contact with LV-426.

[Steve]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

The 21st century is quite a busy time. It's an impressive notion to try and combine Alien, Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, Predator, Robocop and Terminator into a single timeline.

 

It might be a little too ambitious though, but that's just my two cents.

[Dale A. Ward]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

The 21st century is quite a busy time. It's an impressive notion to try and combine Alien, Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, Predator, Robocop and Terminator into a single timeline.

 

It might be a little too ambitious though, but that's just my two cents.

You forgot Total Recall.

[Shaft]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

The 21st century is quite a busy time. It's an impressive notion to try and combine Alien, Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, Predator, Robocop and Terminator into a single timeline.

 

It might be a little too ambitious though, but that's just my two cents.

 

Also, don't forget Firefly/Serenity, Minority Report and Neuromancer.

 

Yes, it is ambitious, but I'm not even going for anything that is accurate. As I said, the dates are all generally incompatible with the source material (Firefly is 500 years in the future, Aliens is 200 years, Terminator has time travel, BattleStar Galactica doesn't even have Earth in it... etc). But the timeline could be used as a springboard for a near-future campaign that has psychics, low-level space travel, replicants, evil robots, and mysterious aliens that have yet to make contact with us, much less invite us into a galactic civilization. The gun technology is still slugthrowers and very rarely an energy weapon or two. These showsa and books all had a compatible feel, so I wanted to combine them, somehow.

[Dale A. Ward]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

I must have missed the Firefly/Serenity references... and I totally forgot about the Minority Report references. Unfortunately, I've never heard of Neuromancer.

[Shaft]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

Unfortunately' date=' I've never heard of [b']Neuromancer[/b].

 

It's *the* definitive Cyberpunk novel, written by William Gibson.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Neuromancer-William-Gibson/dp/0441569595/sr=8-1/qid=1165685223/ref=pd_bbs_1/105-6462962-8323647?ie=UTF8&s=books

 

I highly recommend it.

[Edsel]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

Pretty nice time line. Makes me wish I had time for a Star Hero campaign.

Here, have some rep.

[Spence]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

 

It might be a little too ambitious though, but that's just my two cents.

 

Not from my section of the peanut gallery

 

Most of the tie-ins could be ignored in a game until the GM actually needed them, if he did. Some of it wouldn't be general knowledge and the PC's would even know about it until it was "discovered" at a suitably dramatic moment. Plus even players who lived under a rock would be familiar with most of the tie-in's.

 

Great timeline. I'd love to play a character in this gameworld.

[Shaft]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

Not from my section of the peanut gallery

 

Most of the tie-ins could be ignored in a game until the GM actually needed them, if he did. Some of it wouldn't be general knowledge and the PC's would even know about it until it was "discovered" at a suitably dramatic moment. Plus even players who lived under a rock would be familiar with most of the tie-in's.

 

Great timeline. I'd love to play a character in this gameworld.

 

Funny enough, I ran this game very briefly. The players knew that Aliens and Predators were running around out there in space, but their characters did not, as they never ran into one.

 

Well one did, but the player wasn't even sure it was Aliens. When she tried to expose it, she was kicked out of the military and black-listed, hence her becoming a civilian freighter pilot with the rest of the players.

[Yansuf]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

Blade Runner is from the book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". In that, nuclear wars have occured on Earth in the 20th century and all birds are extinct.

[Shaft]

Re: Near-future space timeline

 

Blade Runner is from the book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep". In that' date=' nuclear wars have occured on Earth in the 20th century and all birds are extinct.[/quote']

 

And people think having a horse in your condo is a luxury. I didn't keep that.