I was thinking of the Mayans this morning, and the controversy about the Mayan calendar in 2012 (through a long and circuitous thought process). But it got me thinking: Someone back 5000 years ago built a calendar which planned ahead 5000 years.
Lots of sci-fi books, stories, and movies are based in the future, and many of them have specific dates - Star Trek is mostly in the 23rd and 24th centuries, for instance.
This got me thinking... what is the latest date ever for the setting of a sci-fi story? I'm specifically ruling out time travel, unless a specific date is given. Vague 'millions of years in the future' like in H.G. Wells' Time Machine or a similar PK Dick story aren't really what I'm looking for, so they aren't relevant. May consider time travelers from the future if a specific date of their source is given (i.e. no "I'm from the 31st century, hello!" - not specific enough).
I'd consider just a year, or even maybe a small range of years, close enough, but no more vague than that.
Answer
I'm not sure how specific of a date you're looking for, but "Utopia", an episode of the third season of the revived Doctor Who, takes place in the year 100 trillion:
Doctor: We're accelerating into the future. The year one billion. Five billion. Five trillion. Fifty trillion? What? The year one hundred trillion? That's impossible.
Doctor Who Series 3 Episode 11: "Utopia"
Although that seems vague (and it doesn't really have a lot of significant figures), I'm inclined to take his word for it they they really did land in exactly the year 100 trillion; the Doctor really is the sort of character who'd tell us the precise year, even if he'd landed in the year 186,165,555,852,002.
But if that's still too vague, another Doctor Who; "Gridlock" takes place in the year 5 billion and fifty-three:
Doctor: I don't want to go home. Instead, this is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth. Second hope of mankind. Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built.
Doctor Who Series 3 Episode 2: "Gridlock"
Comments
Post a Comment