Star Trek Chronology Notes

The Movies


Undisputably, the films Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier all occur one after another with very short time lapses between each. In fact, the above four films are set within one to two years time, no longer. Many months being the crews exile on Vulcan between ST III and ST IV, and the alteration of bridge and systems of NCC-1701-A between ST IV and ST V.

This leaves us with the gap of time between Star Trek-The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. From the statements of Kirk and Khan we are led to believe that "Space Seed" happened 15 years ago. There is therefore a gap of 7-8 years between ST-TMP and ST II. Unfortunately this does not hold up under intense analysis. There is overwhelming data to suggest that "Space Seed" occurred further back than just 15 years.

  1. In ST II, Kirk reads the date 2283 off of the Romulan ale bottle. McCoy replies that it needs to age. Assuming it is an Earth date and not a Romulan date (FASA fans prefer the latter) then the timeline is off by 8+ years, as it brings us to 2275.
  2. In ST III, Admiral Morrow states that the "Enterprise" is 20 years old. What comes as a shock to the officers is Star Fleet's idea of decommissioning the "Enterprise." Although externally scarred from battling the "Reliant," the "Enterprise" was still quite intact and repairable. If there was only a 7-8 year gap between the time she was rebuilt and the time Star Fleet wants to decommission her, something is terribly wrong. Even more troubling is the 20 years statement, when it should be more like 55 years. The "Enterprise" is the pride of the Fleet, the finest starship and according to unanimous tech sources, the uprated "movie Enterprise" has a duration of 22 years. (This of course begs the question: Why decommission a brand new ship of the line, NCC-1701-A, after less than 5 years of service? First introduced in the closing moments of ST IV, the "Enterprise" was decommissioned after ST VI. The cumulative damage received in ST VI, including a photon torpedo Through the primary hull, is extensive but not irrepairable. However if we take into account additional events following the movie documented in the novels, partriculary "Sarek," it becomes more plausible. The final answer to this problem is the ship's first mission in ST V where Sybok commandeers the vessel and takes her to the Great Barrier at the galactic core. At the new "Enterprise's" maximum emergency speed of at least warp factor 13, sustained for hours, the structural strain placed on her frames and stanchions would be irrepairable. The result would be a vessel still spaceworthy--and capable of low speed diplomatic courier missions such as ST VI's--yet not up to par as a Class I ship of the line. Thus the early decommissioning and replacement by the upgraded "Excelsior" class starship.)
  3. In ST V, The Planet of Galactic Peace was established between the Klingons, Romulans, and Federation. If "Space Seed" (a 1st season episode) was really 15 years ago, then it occurred the same year as "Balance of Terror": the Federation's only contact with the Romulans in a century's time. According to Spock, in "Balance of Terror," no Human, Romulan, or ally had ever seen the face of the other. In other words, Nimbus III was settled 5 years BEFORE "Balance of Terror" which is impossible. It's also quite unlikely that the war-mongering Romulans would sit down with the Federation and agree to jointly settle a planet.
What is the solution to all these discontinuties? If Admiral Morrow was referring to the age of the UPRATED "Enterprise" of ST-TMP, then most of these problems are solved. 2267 + 20 = 2287. The date comes reasonably close to her maximum duration deadline (22 years--an undisputed figure given in all Treknical publications). The date also surpasses the 2283 date on the ale bottle, well within the "need to age range" (4 year old ale). It's also a reasonable amount of time after "Balance of Terror" for the Romulans to reacquaint themselves with the U.F.P. Furthermore, the actors would be portraying characters much closer to their actual ages. Otherwise, Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley would have been portraying characters 10+ years younger than themselves in ST V! The Federation Reference Series, Ships of the Fleet, and other Tech Fandom works accept this 20 year gap. The only glitch in this approach is the 15 year statements in ST II. Some were made by Khan: perhaps a Ceti Alphan year is longer than an Earth year? Either way he still clung to 200 years from 1996, "On Earth, 200 years ago, I was a prince..." He was clearly confused about time passage. FASA fans and friends of Shane Johnson's books who dispute this and point to the service pins on the uniforms as a "proof" of a 7-8 year gap will be sad to know that the pins don't hold water under close analysis, since Kirk (/./././) should have at least one more 5 year pin and possibly 2 of them (Kirk was at the Academy 15 years before "Space Seed" according to "Shore Leave"). There are even MORE problems if anyone's compared the service pins on Spock (..////..), McCoy (/../../), Chekov (..///..) and other officers. These pins and bars probably represent commendations and citations earned by the officer, and not service length at all. Even in ST VI, the number of pins and their arrangements remain identical to those in ST II, and they are carried forwards into the opening of Generations. Indeed, if they are service pins then Harriman (.///.) was probably the youngest cadet in Star Fleet history.

What is confusing and contradictory is the dating of the novels set between ST VI and the "Enterprise-B's" launch at the start of Generations. We are told twice in ST VI that the senior officers of the "Enterprise" are intending to retire in 3 months, and this is a key reference point for dating later novels. Going by the reasonably consistent months given in A.C. Crispin's "Sarek" and applying them to the late 2291 events based around ST VI (and the novels set immediately thereafter) works well for fixing months to these events. Yet with the introduction of "The Ashes of Eden" into this sequence it all falls apart! This novel, set some 6 months after the events of ST VI, repeatedly shows us that the "Enterprise" officers have decided to remain in Star Fleet (except for Scotty) and will retire in the near future. The back cover of the paperback is wrong, stating that the novel is set 6 months prior to the launch of 1701-B. Wrong because the novel "The Fearful Summons" is set some 6 months after Kirk's retirement (and some 9 months after their last voyage together). Kirk's alive and well in "Summons" so "Ashes" must be earlier than 6 months prior Generations' opener. Also the text within does not substantiate this half year figure in any way. The DC Comics adaptation makes matters even worse by having it end with 1701-B's launch, said to be under a month after "Ashes!" "Summons" meanwhile also gives us a rough estimate that ST VI was a year ago. Working with the basic framing dates (ST VI circa 15 August 2291 and Generations' opener circa 06 June 2293) and what little solid dating info available in the novels, we can piece together this period:

  15 August, 2291: The Undiscovered Country immediately followed by
                   "Shadows on the Sun" and "Best Destiny," leading into
  16 September, 2291: "Sarek" (the novel) with some events in October
  November, 2291: Original projected retirement date
  March, 2292: "The Ashes of Eden"
  April, 2292: Projected date for 1701-A's decommissioning & destruction
  June, 2292: Official retirement of the "Enterprise" officers
  December, 2292: "The Fearful Summons"
  06 June, 2293: Generations (1701-B's christening)
This seems relatively consistent with most of the facts. In fact the novelization of "Generations" sets their retirement 1 year prior to 1701-B's launch--despite confusion over the status of 1701-A. The Spring, 2294 A.D. date given in "Summons" is deliberately ignored.
Contents | Prev | Next