StarTrek.com has posted this timeline of “historical” events leading up to the launch of the very very first “Enterprise” (whose series launches this Wednesday). They seem to be rewriting chunks of their own history – no mention of the Eugenics Wars that supposedly took place in the 1990s, no sleeper ship with Khan Noonian Singh aboard, and they’ve moved the third World War around a bit. Though this should make for a better, more plausible series today, should they be rewriting the “history” of a thirty-five-year-old franchise this way? Your thoughts go below…
The Squeeze
The problem is that this 35-year-old franchise was never expected to be around in 35 years. The producers are now left with the choice of either revising actual history to match the show, or vice versa; for once, I think they made the right decision. Also, shifting the whole thing out thirty years or so would be even more confusing; it’s best just to alter things that were only referenced briefly (ie. the date of Khan’s war).
Perhaps they’ll merge the Eugenics War with WW3? I don’t know enough of the book-based backstory to say. For that matter, I don’t really care all that much. In the immortal words of MST3K: “Just repeat to yourself ‘It’s just a show, I should really just relax!'”
Re: The Squeeze
BRAVO, my good man!! I just subjected myself to countless spam to create this username just so I can reply to you! I completely agree with all you have said, mostly, though… Leave it alone!! Let it be!! It’s just a SHOW!!!! I love all incarnations of ST, and I hope they live on forever!
I’ve noticed some timeline inconsistancies in many of the original eps (cochran being alive and well on some distant planet many many years in the future…) but I watch, and I enjoy, because it is ENTERTAINMENT!!!
PSych
Re: The Squeeze
If you do indeed receive countless spam, I assure you it won’t be coming from me or my site. I just removed users’ email addresses from the publicly viewable pages (it was spamtrapped anyway, but still…) and I assure you I’ll not use them for any nefarious purpose.
If you forget your password, you can have it emailed to you. That’s the only thing I use them for, and the only thing I plan to use them for. (There may be a “have headlines mailed to you daily” thing at some point, but it’ll be optional, and the default will be no-mail.)
End of offtopic rant. Have a nice day.
Why not Australia?
Is there any story significance that we know of at this point to explain why Australia was the only nation not to join the united Earth government for 37 years? Or has this been referenced before?
Re: Why not Australia?
In the episode “Attached,” the planet Kesprytt had two nation-states, the Kes and the Prytt. When Picard and Crusher were discussing the politics of the world, they used the analogy of the United Earth government.
Crusher started saying something like, “Say one of the old nation states, say Australia, hadn’t joined the Earth government.”
Picard started saying that the analogy didn’t hold and their conversation was interrupted by a communicator tweedle.
That’s the only reference I can think of.
Re: Why not Australia?
I can’t think of a reference for that. I
suspect that’s a piece of “history” that will be
introduced for the first time during the
Enterprise premier. Keep your eyes peeled
for theangrymob’s review.
the title of the timeline
the title of the timeline is “Key events in exploration history”
are the eugenics wars a key event in exploration? unless i missed something the timeline isn’t meant to be an exhaustive pre-enterprise history.