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Ji Dian Station

Timeline of events in the 'Verse
by Rory Clark
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Here's how the story has been progressing. This includes information about principal characters found in the Firefly series as well as the movie when we can find them.

2020Star cluster in Taurus is discovered, designated "32Tauri(2020)". Five stars and 14 gas giants found.
2021Recycling programs beginning to fail, global warming increases
2027 to 2042Terrestrial planets found by the dozens in 34Tauri(2020). Most are believed to be within acceptable limits for terraforming.
2027P/2027(White Sun)03 showing chemical signature of Earthlike conditions. Dispite reddish hue, P/2027(White Sun)04 showing similar conditions.
2030It's official: Earth will lose the ability to sustain 21st century society and current population levels within 100 years.
2035The quantum nature of gravity is deduced, allowing for rapid and unprecedented advances in gravity manipulation technologies. Creation of artificial gravity and gravity screening soon follow.
2037Space technology development vastly accelerated by new discoveries. Due to the advent of gravity technology, terraforming can take decades instead of centuries.
2040First theories for evacuating the Earth presented. Gravity manipulation technology makes evacuation plausible idea.
2042Terraforming technology tested on Mars with positive results.
2045Terraforming of Venus, Mars and Earth's moon begun. Terraforming efforts will be abandoned within two years due to a lack of native resources.
2048Failure of terraforming efforts in the Solar System hit home. Global morale sink to new lows as riots break out in many major cities. Earth's governments decide that fast action is required to keep society from falling into chaos. As rebuilding Earth?s ecosystem no longer appears to be an option, a plan for mass exodus is proposed instead. The GEA (Global Exodus Alliance) is formed and given unlimited governmental authority and complete control over Earth's meager remaining resources as member nations cede their power to the organization. The GEA moves quickly to take control of infrastructure, police and military and most of the private sector as well, all in the name of mobilization of the greatest single endeavor in human history.
2052Collection and storage of samples of all life on Earth begun.
2060With plans for colonization in place, global resources mobilized, and construction of arks and ark modules on-going, the GEA makes its final move to cement control over humanity: The GEA publishes the "Articles of Alliance", a super-constitution which supersedes all other legal systems on the planet. As China and the U.S. are contributing most of the resources and much of the know-how to the Exodus Project, they take joint stewardship over the new "global government". Smaller countries are given a choice ? toe the line or give up any chance of having their populations join the exodus. Results are almost immediate ? unilateral capitulation of 98 percent of Earth's governments. The Alliance is born.
2072First Wave: Dozens of robotic terraforming ships are launched. Their targets are two planets orbiting the Verse's central sun, a white primary, dubbed "White Star" (later, simply ?White Sun?) by the Americans and "Bai Hu" or "White Tiger" by the Chinese.
2075Latest projections show Earth unable to support more than 5 percent of current population within three decades. GEA recommends a vast expansion of the Exodus Project and Alliance approves ? remaining cities will be systematically dismantled to increase the size of the ark fleet tenfold. Pollution runs wild as ark fleet is considered the only priority.
2090Loading of ships begun with cargo, fuel, and stored genetic samples.
2094Boarding of the ark ships begins. Over the last five decades, Earth population has dropped to around one billion due to starvation, disease, toxic contamination and criminal activities. Reproductive rates have dropped to near zero. Most of the Earth's population now lives in squalor. Although most ark ships will not depart until completely loaded (a process that takes years), survivors welcome the safe, sterile, climatecontrolled environments of the Ark ships after the horror Earth has become. A rich black market develops that sells positions in the boarding lottery, falsified medical certificates and other items needed to gain quicker access to the arks.
2095The Alliance declares global martial law.
2097First ark ships begin to depart. Priority is given to those ships populated with the ancestors of those who will act as the terraforming and construction labor force upon arrival.
2100Loading of the ark ships is complete. Over a quarter billion people are contained in hundreds of ships ranging in size from a municipal stadium to a small city. Remaining planet-side population negligible-?the death rate during the years loading took place rose to near-extinction levels. Those who remain are either too ill to make the journey or are considered "undesirable" by the GEA.
2101The final Ark ship leaves Earth orbit.
2110All telemetry data from Earth ceases. It is assumed that remaining Earth population is 0.
2164 TO 2190As the Exodus fleet approaches, higher resolution imaging of the Verse becomes possible. Observers discover hundreds of planets and moons, many of which appear to be terraformable.
2190Last person in the fleet who was born on Earth dies.
2218Last member of first ?star generation? dies.
2200Robot terraformers arrive and ?tweak? P/2027(White Sun)03 and P/2027(White Sun)04, start terraforming P/2028(White Sun)13.
2220Terraforming of P/2027(White Sun)03 ?Londinium? complete. Terraforming of P/2027(White Sun)04 ?Sihnon? complete. Arks arrive in the Verse; start terraforming other worlds, mostly core worlds.
2225Colonization of Londinium and Sihnon complete.
2240P/2028(White Sun)13 ?Bernadette? ready for colonization. Terraforming of worlds in Georgia and Red Sun systems begun.
2251Terraforming of P/2030(Red Sun)08 ?Harvest? complete.
2253Decision to use nano-compression technology to compress and ignite brown dwarfs. P/2020(Blue Sun)01 ?Burnham? first brown dwarf to be ?helioformed? due to distance from core systems. Ignition successful but produces random bursts of radiation.
2255Terraforming of P/2028(White Sun)12 ?Liann Juin? complete.
2256Terraforming of P/2027(White Sun)06 ?Osiris? complete.
2258Helioform process improved to mostly stable levels, minor radiation bursts but within acceptable levels. P/2020(Red Sun)02 ?Heinlein? helioformed.
2259Heinlein stable. Heinlein?s satellites available for terraforming. P/2020(Red Sun)01 ?Himinbjorg? helioformed.
2260Himinbjorg stable. Himinbjorg?s satellites available for terraforming. P/2020(Georgia)01 ?Murphy? helioformed. Helioform technology vastly improved, declared safe for brown dwarfs inside inner solar systems.
2261Murphy stable. Murphy?s satellites available for terraforming. P/2020(White Sun)02 ?Lux? helioformed.
2262Lux stable. Lux?s satellites available for terraforming. Radiation burst problem at Burnham resolved. S/2038(Burnham)01 ?Miranda? available for terraforming.
2266Terraforming of P/2027(White Sun)07 ?Ariel? complete. Terraforming of P/2028(White Sun)09 ?Valentine? complete. Terraforming of P/2027(White Sun)08 ?Bellerophon? complete.
2270P/2020(Kalidasa)01 ?Penglai? helioformed. Terraforming of P/2028(White Sun)11 ?Albion? complete.
2271Penglai stable, satellites available for terraforming. P/2020(White Sun)01 ?Qin Shi Huang?, last brown dwarf to be helioformed, is ignited.
2273Qin Shi Huang stable. S/2032(Qin Shi Huang)01 ?Santo? available for terraforming.
2290Comm Station Ring 1 asteroids terraforming complete. Cortex coverage expanded.
2305Comm Station Ring 2 asteroids terraforming complete. Cortex coverage optimum for four inner systems, considered mostly reliable in Blue Sun system. Terraforming of S/2032(Qin Shi Huang)01 ?Santo? complete.
2308Terraforming of S/2040(Lux)02 ?Persephone? complete except for S/2176(Persephone)01 ?Hades?. Terraforming of S/2040(Lux)01 ?Pelorum? complete.
2404Terraforming of S/2037(Murphy)02 ?Shadow? complete.
2407Terraforming of S/2041(Murphy)03 ?Hera? complete.
2417Terraforming of S/2036(Heinlein)02 ?Silverhold? complete.
2420Titan Terraforming Project complete. The moons of gas giants P/2020(Kalidasa)02 ?Heaven,? P/2020(Kalidasa)03 ?Zeus,? P/2020(Kalidasa)04 ?Djinn?s Bane,? P/2020(Blue Sun)02 ?Fury,? and P/2020(Blue Sun)03 ?Dragon?s Egg? are ready for colonization, except for S/2165(Fury)03 ?Seventh Circle? and S/2178(Zeus)06 ?Betty.? While the moons are ready for colonization, they are not opened to colonists until 2436.
2433Terraforming of P/2031 (Kalidasa)16 ?Beaumonde? complete.
2435Terraforming of P/2027(Blue Sun)04 ?New Canaan? should be complete, but having trouble. Terraforming of New Canaan?s moons completed on schedule.
2436Core resources running low, Londinium importing over 60% of raw materials despite extensive recycling programs. Rimward expansion begins as worlds in Kalidasa and Blue Sun systems complete terraforming.
2444Patience born
2449Adelei Niska born
2460Shepard Derrial Book born
2477Jayne Cobb born
2484Zoe Alleyne born
2486Malcolm Reynolds born
2486Hoban "Wash" Washburne born
2493Bridget/Saffron/Yolanda born
2495Simon Tam born
2497Kaywinnit Lee Frye born
2500River Tam born.
2501The Blue Horizon Corporation opens Ji Dian Station in the highest geosynchronous orbit around the protostar Heinlein, in the ring system, dubbed the Valley, to mine the locked bodies for heavy metals and fissionable materials.
2503The 'Aught-Three' redesign of the Firefly-class medium transport begins production. (Dubbed the 'aught-three' due to the year of its release.)
2506Terraforming fails on Miranda. Some settlers die. Miranda removed from maps of habitable worlds.
The Blue Horizon Corporation files for bankruptcy protection as massive debts incurred by bad contracts. The Alliance seizes control of Ji Dian Station.
Interstellar war, or the Unification War, begins
2508, DecIndependent Forces are pinned down outside of New Kasmir
2509Explosions in Ji Dian Station's hydroponics floods life support with radiation. Twenty-eight people are killed and numerous people are missing in the accident and the station is subsequently shut down.
2510The Siege of Du-Khang
2511The Battle of Serenity Valley
Unification War ends
Yolanda married to Durran Haymer
2512Malcolm Reynolds buys a used Firefly-class medium transport and begins to assemble a crew for the ship he has named Serenity.
2513J.D. purchases Ji Dian Station for what many people assume was a steal.
Ji Dian Station: Ghost Town
2514Jayne Cobb pulls a job on Higgins Moon
2515Ji Dian Station becomes fully operational again and even manages to turn a small profit.
2516Inara and Captain Reynolds enter into a business arrangement regarding the leasing of one of Serenity's shuttles.
Jayne Cobb leaves his employer of the time and defects to Serenity.
2517, Late MaySerenity takes on Shepherd Book, Simon Tam and River Tam. Episode: Serenity.
2517, Unification DayThe crew of the Serenity take on a job stealing medical supplies from a border moon. Episode: Train Job.
2517, AugustEpisode: Bushwhacked
2517, SeptemberEpisode: Shindig
2517, Early OctoberEpisode: Safe
2517, Late OctoverEpisode: Our Mrs. Reynolds
2517, Mid-NovemberEpisode: Jaynestown
2517, Mid-DecemberEpisode: Ariel
2517, Late DecemberEpisode: War Stories
2518, AprilEpisode: Trash
2518, Late AprilEpisode: The Message
2518, May 15Ji Dian Station: Auction: Earth That Was (opening game)
2518, Late MayEpisode: Heart of Gold
2518, June 16Ji Dian Station: Whistling in the Dark
2518, Early JulyEpisode: Objects in Space
2518, July 21Ji Dian Station: Heroes and Villians
2518, August 18Ji Dian Station: Hidden!
2518, Late AugustEpisode: Objects in Space
2518, September 15Ji Dian Station: Storm Clouds
2518, Early OctoberComic Books: Those Left Behind
2518, October 20Ji Dian Station: The Bone Orchard
2518, Mid NovemberMovie: Serenity
2518, November 17The Ace Space Race runs through "the Maze" of gravity wells, offering a purse of ?50,000 to the winner. The race is won by a new comer, Dililah Jarvis, though she is injured when her ship was impacted by another ship whose retro boosters failed. Persons unknown patch into the Cortex and broadcast a video. The transcript and captured audio can be found here.
Ji Dian Station: The Ace Space Race

Note: Although there is no definitive time line for available for some of these events, we did I our best to remain true to the best sources we could find. With that said, we did take some liberties to stretch it out a bit and make it work with our game time line. Used this invaluable website for ordering the episodes and the Quantum Mechanix white paper, The Verse in Numbers was used to populate information about when planets were discovered, terraformed, and colonized.

Last updated on 7/10/2009 11:56:22 PM by Rory Clark
Other documents at this level:
     Ji Dian Station: An Overview
     Money matters in the 'verse
     Objects in Space
     People, Places, and Things

Documents below this one:
     Broadcast Transcript

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