This is a
Future History timeline of
Isaac Asimov's
Galactic Saga. It was origionaly written some time ago but has been given total overhaul and now should be largely the same as the 'official' timeline in 'Foundation's Triumph'.
THIS CONTAINS PLOT INFO. IF YOU HAVEN'T COMPLETED A SECTION OF THE SERIES, DON'T READ THAT SECTION OF THE TIMELINE
If you do don't say I ruined the story for you. The timeline is, however, ideal for refreshing your memory before re-reading one of the books
1982 , AD : Birth of Susan Calvin. Incorporation of US Robotics and Mechanical Men.
2007 , AD : Susan Calvin begins work for US Robotics. Later becomes chief robopsychologist.
Early 21st C , AD : A social and technological renaissance flowers on Earth.
Exploration of Sol System Colonisation of Mars and LEO
Experiments aimed at producing jumpdrive accidently throw passer-by Joseph Schwartz to the year 13327AD (in Pebble in the Sky)
Hyperatomic Drive allows first successful Jump
2064 , AD : Death of Susan Calvin
2070-3200 , AD : Extrasolar colonisation begins on several planets including Aurora.
First Chaos outbreaks affect humanity, breaking down confidence.
The aftermath of the Chaos Plagues on Earth cause Terrans to build underground hive-cities.
On Earth Robots are banned from cities.
Aftermath of Chaos Plagues on colony (Spacer) worlds cause colonists (spacers) to loose empathy.
Relations between Earth and Spacer worlds decline
3200-3500 , AD : The last Spacer world, Solaria, is settled by the Spacer world Nexon.
Decline of the Robot-Dependant Spacer culture begins.
Dr Han Falstolfe of Aurora begins work on humaniform robots
3470 , AD : Spacetown (a Spacer enclave) is established near New York City prompting xenophobic anti-Spacer and anti-Robot riots.
3500 , AD : R. Daneel Olivaw is assigned to work with Terran investigator Elijah Baley to investigate the murder of a prominent Spacer in Spacetown (in The Caves of Steel).
3501 , AD : Elijah Baley and Daneel Olivaw pursue a murder investigation on Solaria (in The Naked Sun).
Dr Han Falstolfe enters politics in the Auroran government, he pursues a pro-Terran policy.
Opponents of Falstolfe led by Kelden Amadiro seek to promote an expansionist policy of terraforming and populating new planets.
3503 , AD : Elijah Baley carries out investigation on Aurora accompanied by Daneel Olivaw and Giskard Reventlov, a telepathic Robot (in Robots of Dawn).
Aurora lets Earth begin an expansionist programme
Giskard advises Elijah that the new Settler worlds must be completely Robot-free.
3505 , AD : Second (Settler) wave of emigration begins led by Ben Baley. First Settler planet is named Baleyworld.
3537 , AD : Death of Elijah Baley on Baleyworld
3537-3696 , AD : Number of Settler worlds grow fast resulting in tense relations between Settlers/Earth and Spacers
3696 , AD : Kelden Amadiro and Levular Mandamus begin planting nuclear amplifiers througout Earth to take revenge for their political defeat which had resulted in the the permission for Earth to found colonies.
3700-3800 , AD : Death of Dr Han Falstolfe.
Population of Solaria vanishes
Daneel Olivaw and Giskard Reventlov formulate the 0th Law to override the Calvinian 3 Laws for the greater good of humanity as a whole.
Giskard provides Daneel with telepathic abilities.
Amadiro turns on nuclear amplifiers that will make Earth uninhabitable. Giskard permits this for 0th Law reasons as it will encourage the expansion of humanity. Giskard promptly dies as this will also cause the death of millions, a fact that is unquestionably against the 1st Law.
3801-3855 , AD : Spacer world Inferno is doomed by ecological
breakdown as well as the general Spacer cultural
decay. Settler terraforming specialists are brought in to
stabilise the environment. Robots are built with
weakened 1st Laws to allow them to work with humans in the
risky re-terraforming project.
Hostility to New Law robots grows
As part of the re-terraforming project it is proposed that a comet is
manoeuvred to skim the atmosphere of Inferno. Political
terrorism causes potential oblivion as result of cemetary
impact, this is narrowly avioded, primarily as a result
of actions by a small number of robots. The crisis results
in merging of Spacer and Settler populations on the
planet
3800-12000 , AD : As a result of Giskard's actions the Great Diaspora
also called the First Dark Age begins.
The majority of robots are split into two camps.
Giskardians, led by Daneel follow the new 0th Law
'religion'. Calvinians who follow the tradional 3 Laws
see this as an outrage. Robotic civil war ensues, mostly
unseen by humans.
Robotic ships operating under Auroran programming
are launched to prepare planets for a planned
colonisation by Spacers, a project that never takes place
due to social conservatism. Later evidence will imply
that these ships obliterated millions of low tech races
through high powered mazers used for producing topsoil
during terraforming.
At an unknown point the robotic war reaches Inferno
and the New Law robots are largely destroyed, though
some manage to go into hiding.
Spacer worlds stagnate and eventually die out
Daneel places mental broadcasters (Giskards‘)
around each Spacer world to prevent rediscovery of
Spacer tech/society.
Settler worlds spread througout the galaxy, falling
into feudal government structures and forming
principalities and kingdoms.
Settler world Rhodia and the Nebular Kingdoms led
by the Noble Hinriad family manage to shake off rule
by the Tyrann Kingdom and in the process redescover
democracy (in The Stars Like Dust.
Damping effects such as historical amnesia, brain
fever and use of orbiting mind control devices
(Giskards‘) are introduced by Daneel to fight the
re-emerging Chaos Plague. Some Calvinians and
Humans (notably the Nebular Kingdoms) fight the
amnesia. Nebular kingdoms have to admit defeat but
manage to broker a deal with Giskardians: Nebular
kingdoms will be left alone in return for them not
interfering in the rest of the galaxy
12000-12300 , AD , The Trantorian Republic of five worlds goes on the
offensive, renaming itself the Trantorian Confederation
and later the Trantorian Empire. R. Daneel uses his basic
grasp of the laws of humanics‘ to guide it and steer it
away from Chaos. in the process human origins are
forgotten. By 12300AD half of the inhabited worlds of the
galaxy are part of the Trantorian Empire, other states are
forced to look to Trantor when conducting their affairs
example being the rebellion of Florina against the
Sark Kingdom in 12300 (in the Currants of Space)
12500AD/1GE , - , Trantor declaires itself the Galactic Empire and begins
the Galactic calendar (GE)
827 , GE , Arrival of Joseph Schwartz (thrown forward from the
early 21st Century AD. A now radioactive and sparsely populated
Earth tries to revolt against the Empire by using a
bio-weapon. The rebellion fails, partly thanks to Schwartz
with the use of a mentalic amplifier. Schwartz travels
the Empire‘s core worlds campaigning for aid for Earth.
He comes to the attention of the Emperor who reacts
favourably and provides shipments of non-radioactive soil
This effort is mysteriously abandoned
c900 , GE , Forced evacuation of Earth. Establishment of a colony
of the Earth refugees on planet Alpha.
975 , GE , A non-human intelligent race is discovered on a desert
world and is moved to Cephus 18. Later they mysteriously
obtain ships and escape beyond the galaxy (in the short story Blind Alley).
c2000 , GE : Daneel Olivaw and R. Yan Kansarv establish a robot
production and repair facility on the planet Eos, far
outside the galactic plane.
The great political philiosopher Ruellis (Daneel)
helps to establish the principles of good paternalistic
government, augmenting the stability of an unchanging
society against Chaos.
c3000 , GE : During a severe Chaos outbreak AI sims of Voltare
and Joan of Arc are used to debate about machine
intelligence.
With the support of Calvainian robots, the Empress
Shoree-Harn attempts to introduce a new calendar and
shake up the social order. She has little success.
8789 , GE , Severe outbreak of Chaos on planet Lingane. Manages to
stay in the Renaissance stage for eight years.
11865 , GE , The humaniform robot Dors Venabili is constructed on
Eos
11867 , GE , The only extragalactic human colony, in the Greater
Magellanic Cloud is abandoned. All data on the project
is suppressed
11988 , GE , Birth of Hari Seldon and of Cleon I. Daneel is aware that
the Empire is destabilizing, partly due to the explosion
of Chaos outbreaks. He is forced by the Zeroth Law to
actively interfere, first as Chief of Staff, then as
First Minister. His secret genetic experiments finally
succede in producing one man (Seldon) who is immune to
the Chaos Plague and the Brain Feaver as well as showing
amazing talents for mathematics. Separate projects
at this period lead to the isolation of those genes
which allow the use of mentalic abilities.
12010 , GE , Cleon I becomes Emperor
12020 , GE , Hari Seldon lectures at a mathematics convention on
Trantor about the possibility of predicting broad social
trends through mathematics. He calls this hypothetical
study Psychohistory‘. This is misunderstood by the
Emperor to mean that Seldon can predict the future,
making Seldon a dangerous man. Daneel extracts Seldon
from the attentions of the Imperial security services
and convinces him to attempt to develop a practical
predictive science to save the Empire.
Seldon marries Dors Venabili and they adopt a son,
Raych. Seldon and fellow mathematician Yugo Amaryl
begin to flesh out Psychohistory.
12028 , GE : Calvanian robots, led by R. Plussix, move to Trantor
and find historical documents dating from the era of
Shoree-Harn including AI simulations of Voltare and Joan of Arc
They help to seed a new Renaissance‘ on planet Sark.
Seldon helps remove the radical Laskin Joranum from
politics. Daneel (aka. First Minister Demerzel) resigns
his post. Cleon I (under Daneels influence) appoints
Seldon as First Minister
Voltare and Joan get into the Trantorian Mesh (read
super-high speed/complex/big internet) where they meet
ancient and sentient memes and trigger a rebellion among the primitive
tiktok‘ robots which had recently been developed on
Trantor. The ticktoks proceed to hunt out and kill
Daneel's humaniform companions. Seldon manages to strike
a deal that gets the memes off Trantor (in Foundation's Edge).
The Sark renaissance falls into the Chaos phase.
12038, GE : Cleon I dies and a military junta seizes power prompting Seldon to retire from politics to spend more time with is formulas (in Dors Venabli)
12040, GE : The Chaos Plague strikes the renaissance world of Madder Loss. The apparent rise and collapse of this vibrant world rocks the galaxy.
Wanda Seldon daughter of Raych is born, she later (12052GE) is discovered to have powerful mentalic abilities.
12048, GE : 'Death' of Dors Venabili and the fall of the military junta (in Dors Venabili). The 'Commission for Public Safety' takes control of the Empire through the manipulation of the puppet Emperor Agis XIV.
12058, GE : Anacreon Province seeks independance and Chaos beaks out on the world of Santani. In the upheaval Raych Seldon and his family are lost (in "Wanda Seldon")
12067, GE / 1 FE (24567AD) : Trial of Hari Seldon. Exile of the Encyclopedia Foundation to Terminus. Marks the start of the Foundation Era (FE)
12068 GE / 2FE : Reign of puppet Emperor Semrin begins.
Daneel begins to put in place his plans for the creation of the Gaia union.
Planet Ktlina experiences a great renaissance which rapidly decends into Chaos.
Mors Planch enters a time warp (a result of the events in Pebble in the Sky) to the year 12588GE (in Foundation's Triumph by David Brin).
A truce is called in the ongoing war between the Calvinian and Giskardian robots. They agree to find a single human who is untainted by robotic manipulation, a 'man who is always right' decide humanity's fate. Until that man is found they will cease the conflict.
12069 GE / 3FE : Death of Hari Seldon. Psychohistorians cause secesion on the rim (described in The Organist).
12116 GE / 50FE : Anacreon declaires independance from the Empire. This isolates Terminus and the Encyclopedia Foundation.
The hologram of Seldon appears to reveal the true purpose of the Foundation, that it is to create a Second Galactic Empire.
Terminus offers scientific support to neighbouring Kingdoms, managing to balance their powers and play one against the other (in The Mayors)
80FE-195FE : The Foundation follows a policy of playing to the increasing superstitious natures of the surrounding kingdoms but later switches to a policy of economic manipulation.
195FE : The campaigns of Bel Riose, the last great imperial leader. Riose manages to retake vast territories, but Riose is recalled to Trantor along with the Imperial Fleet amid fears of his growing prestige (described in The General)
c260FE (12327GE) : The Fall Of Trantor. The Empire of Trantor has shrunk to a remnant of the core worlds. Under the Emperor Dagobert VIII civil war breaks out. The rebel leader Gilmer leads his troops through the remains of the world city and sacks the former galactic capital. The Second Foundationers protect the Galactic Library before signing a peace treaty with Gilmer.
c300FE : The Mule, a powerful mentalic uses his abilities to conquer the Foundation and establish a 'Union of Worlds'. He then begins a search for the Second Foundation.
By this point the former Galactic Empire has shrunk to just twenty planets ruled from Neotrantor under the Emperor Dagobert IX.
305FE : The Mule is mentally altered by Second Foundationers so as to force him to abandon his dreams of galactic conquest. He dies five years later. The Foundation has learnt it's lesson and now begins studying the field of psionics.
498FE-499FE : Councilman Golan Trevize and Professor Janov Pelorat of Trantor begin their search for the Second Foundation and for the mythical mother world of Earth. After many events they are guided to Daneel's experiment; Gaia. Trevize (the 'man who is always right') is presented with the choice that will decide the future of the Galaxy: does he want the First Foundation to rule through force, the Second Foundation to rule through manipulation or does he want a mental union of humanity in the style of Daneel's Gaia, a Galaxia? Trevize chooses Galaxia. Trevize and Pelorat then continue their quest to discover Earth, in the process landing on a number of Spacer worlds. They eventually locate Earth and meet R. Daneel Olivaw.
520 FE : First Galactic Coalescence Investigation Commission meets on Pengia. The implications of this are unclear.