Timeline
A Timeline is a listing of significant historical events within the setting, in this case, the OTU.
- The specific chronological periodization used varies between the term era and milieu. Sometimes 'milieu' is pluralized the French language way as 'milieux', in the manner of the French language from which an ancestor of Anglic borrowed the word.
- The chronological timeline is specific to the overall sweep of Charted Space. The Technology Levels or Technological Timeline are specific to each race of sophonts.
- The timeline here exists because of the immense work poured into the Traveller Integrated Timeline.
- Please also see Setting.
Description (Specifications)
The broad sweep of history is divided, roughly, into TEN eras. These eras are largely based upon the rise and fall of Humaniti and their empire of the stars. While other races, particularly the other Major Races, may have a differing division of eras, the Imperial Encyclopedia uses the Humaniti-centric one.
The TEN Chronological Eras
1. Years of the Long Silence (-300,000 to -9236)
- A pre-history of the Ancients and other precursors such as the Kursae.
| Years of the long silence (-300,000 to -9236) | 
|
|---|---|
| TBD |
2. Rise of the Vilani (-9235 to -4046)
| Rise of the Vilani (-9235 to -4046) | 
|
|---|---|
-10000s, -9900s, -9800s, -9700s, -9600s, -9500s, -9400s, -9300s, -9200s, -9100s,
|
3. First Imperium (-4045 to -2423)
| First Imperium (-4045 to -2423) | 
|
|---|---|
| -4000s, -3900s, -3800s, -3700s, -3600s, -3500s, -3400s, -3300s, -3200s, -3100s, |
4. Interstellar Wars (-2422 to -2205)
| Interstellar Wars (-2422 to -2205) | 
|
|---|---|
| -2400s, -2300s |
5. Second Imperium (-2204 to -1776)
| Second Imperium (-2204 to -1776) | 
|
|---|---|
| -2200s, -2100s, -2000s, -1900s, -1800s |
6. Long Night (-1775 to 0)
| Long Night (-1775 to 0) |
|
|---|---|
| -1700s, -1600s, -1500s, -1400s, -1300s, -1200s, -1100s, |
7. Third Imperium AKA Golden Era (0 to 1115)
| Third Imperium (0 to 1115) | 
|
|---|---|
| 0s, 100s, 200s, 300s, 400s, 500s, 600s, 700s, 800s, 900s, 1000s, 1100s. |
8a. Rebellion, Collapse and Virus (1116 to 1220)
| Rebellion, Collapse and Virus (1116-1220) | 
|
|---|---|
| 1100s, 1200s. |
8b. Imperium Eternal AKA Lorenverse, an alternate timeline.
| Imperium Eternal AKA Lorenverse |
|
|---|---|
| 1100s, 1200s, 1300s, 1400s |
9. Fourth Imperium (1221+)
| Fourth Imperium (1221+) | 
|
|---|---|
| 1200s, 1300s, 1400s, 1500s, 1600s, 1700s, 1800s. |
10. The Galaxiad (1900+)
| The Galaxiad |
|
|---|---|
| 1890s, 1900s, 1910s |
Tracking With Real Time
From the first adventures in the Imperium, Traveller has linked the setting time in a 1:1 relationship to real time. Specifically, the OTU calendar year 1105 was created in 1979, and each day added one day to the setting as well. As a result, for example, adventures written in 1984 took place in the OTU in 1110.
This presents the ability for groups to coordinate by calendar.
An attachment of calendar date to the various milieux of the OTU can be reset to 2020 as follows:
| Era | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | 2031 | 2032 | 2033 | 2034 | 2035 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaskoydray 1 | -300,003 | -300,002 | -300,001 | -300,000 | -299,999 | -299,998 | -299,997 | -299,996 | -299,995 | -299,994 | -299,993 | -299,992 | -299,991 | -299,990 |
| Interstellar Wars | 2097 | 2098 | 2099 | 2100 | 2101 | 2102 | 2103 | 2104 | 2105 | 2106 | 2107 | 2108 | 2109 | 2110 |
| Aslan Border Wars | 298 | 299 | 300 | 301 | 302 | 303 | 304 | 305 | 306 | 307 | 308 | 309 | 310 | 311 |
| Barracks Emperors | 600 | 601 | 602 | 603 | 604 | 605 | 606 | 607 | 608 | 609 | 610 | 611 | 612 | 613 |
| Fifth Frontier War | 1105 | 1106 | 1107 | 1108 | 1109 | 1110 | 1111 | 1112 | 1113 | 1114 | 1115 | 1116 | 1117 | 1118 |
| The New Era | 1201 | 1202 | 1203 | 1204 | 1205 | 1206 | 1207 | 1208 | 1209 | 1210 | 1211 | 1212 | 1213 | 1214 |
| Galaxiad | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 |
History & Background
Traveller also contains at least one official canon alternate timeline:
Alternate Timelines: Category: Years of the Imperium Eternal (1117 to Inflection with the OTU Timeline around 1450)
- GURPS Alternate Timeline — Strephon is not assassinated, the Rebellion did not occur, and Virus was not released. Artificial intelligence still emerges with technology, and the Wave still breaks over Charted Space as usual; the timeline inflects with the OTU somewhere around 1450 Imperial.
References & Contributors (Sources)
- Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), TBD.
- Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), TBD.
- Citation Missing - Traveller Integrated Timeline