The Eugenics Wars: Earth's Last World War.
This thread will detail the last so-called 'world war' on planet Earth, the Eugenics Wars. Be advised that any narratives or analysis of the wars presented here will be related strictly from the perspective of the source materials: Star Trek The Original Series, The Animated Series, Star Trek The Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. The timeframe for said materials is derived largely from the chronological dates of 1930 to 2285.
A number of other materials exist within the Star Trek universe which directly reference the Eugenics Wars with varying degrees of success and relevance. In most cases, references cited were made offhand and were often poorly-researched. The details of each and why they are not considered "fair game" for the purposes of this thread are provided below.
As always, this thread is open to speculation of all, and should be of particular interest to those of us who became Star Trek fans during a time when there was no broadcast Trek and books and blueprints ruled the scene; that "coalition of the willing" who still believe other approaches to the Star Trek continuum are possible. I welcome any and all PMs and collaborative interest.
1.0 Canon Source Material
Star Trek: The Next Generation-
There is every reason to suggest that Gene Roddenberry went out of his way to distance himself from established works in Star Trek. At the time of initial production, the world was rapidly approaching the end of the Cold War. For a time at least, it would appear to anyone living and working at that time that the world came close to the brink of another world war, but somehow managed to avoid it. The future history of Star Trek as presented by Gene and the TNG production et al reflected this renewed optimism. Yet from the series opener, we saw the specter of war continuing to haunt to us well beyond the end of the 20th Century (The timeframe for TOS and the events of "Space Seed"). This came in the form of a "Post-Atomic Horror" which had reached it's height around 2079 according to "Encounter at Farpoint". The series in general goes on to suggest either directly or indirectly that Earth continued to struggle with the fallout of this event for decades; well into the opening of the 22nd Century. It would not be until the release of "Star Trek First Contact" that we would realize the true scope and damage of this "Post Atomic Horror". This period of time itself was the direct result of a nuclear conflict which appears to have erupted on Earth sometime before 2053. It was out of this particular vision and backdrop that we see the humanity of the TNG/Post-1987 era of Star Trek arise from it's self-inflicted wounds to do "great things".
Yet, one cannot easily ignore the fact that not a single reference to the Eugenics Wars was made during the entire seven years of TNG and it's dependent films. It would appear to many of us interested that Star Trek's future history established in TOS/TAS and TWOK was, for some strange reason, adjusted or outright ignored to fit the new paradigm. It would appear to the casual viewer that Star Trek's vision of the future was not necessarily a vision but a work in progressive idealism subject to changing conditions of the times.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine-
More or less a continuation of TNG but from the perspective of a deep space installation. The series had a refreshing take on the current state of the Star Trek universe with a slight leaning towards the darker, gritier aspects of the 24th Century. The storyline material was generated after the passing of Gene Roddenberry and such was not open to his critique and scrutiny, thus making it officially a "Post-Roddenberry" era Star Trek. The same future history issues are carried through into DS9 with only a couple of exceptions. It is revealed that Doctor Julian Bashir is the product of the science of eugenics and genetic engineering, as science which frowned upon in Federation circles to say the very least. Khan Noonien Singh and the Eugenics Wars are cited for the first time in decades in broadcast Star Trek even, however the time period cited on air was grievously in error; having only occurred "200 years ago". It was only later revealed that Ron Moore admitted his part in the error and it was certainly understandable and forgivable from a production standpoint.
The damage was done however; the waters of Earth's remote past even more murky and obscure.
Star Trek: Voyager
In essence, Star Trek Lost in Space, with Captain Janeway and crew struggling to return to Federation space after being flung into the Delta Quadrant. Again, the same situation as the previous mutually-supportive series. This time however, the time period in which the Eugenics Wars was directly referenced in a two-part episode "Future's End". Every opportunity was available to directly include the backdrop for the Wars within the storyline; a model of the pre-launch DY-100 class transport was included in a scene even (With absolutely no context to the Wars offered). In the end, we are only offered a world of contemporary 1996 with a near-distrastrous alternate timeline being created by Captain Paxton, further exacerbated by Henry Starling.
Absolutely no reference is made to a world recovering from a global conflict with eugenically-engineered 'supermen'. The world of 1996 wholly resembles the contemporary world in which the episode was written and produced. The post-1987 pattern continues...
Star Trek: Enterprise
The fourth, and currently the last TV installment of the TNG/Post-1987 Era Star Trek to be produced, Enterprise was perhaps the first of the sequel series with potential to either go back to the basics and fill in the critical gaps in Earth's troubled history and "set the story straight" for everything we see in TOS and beyond..or it had the potential to simply hit that magic reset button and tell a different story about familiar subjects. Indeed, when the series premiered it appeared that the latter would be the case. Though ENT takes in the 22nd century between 2151 and 2155 with a crew of Starfleet personnel leading the way for Earth's first deep space explorations, the parent/child relationship between Star Trek and Enterprise was not concretely clear as "Star Trek" was not even included in the branding for the show until it's third season. If ever there was an opportunity to offer a "Universe B" take on Star Trek, ENT was the time. Again, by all appearances, it was for the first two years of its run. ENT drew upon backstory continuity established well after the passing of Gene Roddenberry. In fact, it is safe to say that the "first causation" of the ENT universe lies with the WWIII scenario previously painted in "Star Trek First Contact". The series goes on further to show how Vulcan first contact led to a unified Earth on the road to "post-atomic recovery", the end oft war, greed and want, and the renewed need to explore. The latter urge being tempered by an ever-present Vulcan High Command which goes out of it's way to handhold then outright curb Earth's self-interests all the why pointing out "there's a boogey man out there in space and your right not worthy or ready to face it until we say you are".
By the end of the third season, it was clear this particular installment of Star Trek was in trouble. A fourth season was greenlight, and there are many fans including myself that lauded the efforts to re-orient the show with it's TOS roots, but by this time it was "too little, too late". The show ended in 2005 leaving a fanbase stunned and wanting more and a production studio utterly disconnected from what made Star Trek important (The fact that UPN fell on it's face doesn't help of course).
It was not until the very bitter end, that some effort was made to tie Post-1987 Star Trek in with the TOS/TAS/Movies I-VI era. Most notably, and for our purposes here, whole chronologically-relevant references to the Eugenics Wars and some of the atmosphere that produced its most notable figures and events. An absolutely commendable sequence of events, and being a fan of the show I cannot stress enough how much I admire Manny Coto and his supporting staff for trying to make it work and fit
together.
Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness et al
In 2009, JJ Abrams and staff produced a new iteration of the Star Trek universe based on the concept of an alternate timeline (And by extension, an alternate continuum). Romulus is destroyed late in the 24th Century even after Spock attempts to save it by collapsing a super nova via "red matter". The effects of the attempt create a temporal portal through which he and the villain Nero and his ship the Narada fall. Narada and crew find themselves in 2233 and encounter the Starfleet vessel Kelvin. The rest they say is "history". This single tempporal incursion creates an entirely new timeline where James T. Kirk is born in space, Vulcan is destroyed by red matter, and the Spock from the "prime" timeline becomes a refugee. Latter in the sequel, we learn that Starfleet secretly finds the Botany Bay adrift in space since 1996 just as it was in the "prime" timeline. Khan and his "augment" brethren are taken into custody with only Khan having been revived. Khan is "rehabbed" and becomes John Harrison and ius used as a tool for inciting a war between the Klingons and the Federation.
From a purely-production point of view, the choices made for subject matter are debatable. IMO, another opportunity was lost in that Abrams and staff could have hit the reboot button completely and offered us a new spin on a familiar universe. Of fictional interest however is his decision to revive Khan and place him within the context of time that was appropriate for him and his brethren. For the first time, we have onscreen confirmation that Khan was born around 1959 and was the product of eugenically-minded genetic engineering sometime prior to the 1990s. The latter fact alone establishes that Star Trek exists within an alternate continuum with times and events of the 1990s not-at-all reflecting those occurring in our own. The companion comic series Star Trek: Khan (IDW Comics) even goes out of its way to suggest a world vastly different from our own in the 90s. Wonderfully refreshing to view and read about after over 20 years of in-house Star Trek denial that the events even occurred.
How Khan's character is handled during and after Into Darkness is the subject of debate beyond the scope of this thread, but for the record, it was cool to see the record set straight at least in one setting.
* * * *
2.0 Something To Build On
In the end however, the means of achieving a synthesis between TOS/TAS/Movies and the TNG/Post-1987 Era is virtually impossible and for reasons stated in abstract form above. The world in which Post-1987 material was produced was vastly different from the world that was envisioned between 1964 and 1982. In 1967, at the time of production for "Space Seed", writers and viewers alike had every reason to believe that humans would be interplanetary-capable by the late 1980s/Early 1990s. By the time TOS was canceled, humans had only just landed on the moon. There were advanced probes being launched to explore beyond cislunar boundary. Technologically-speaking, the future looked very bright indeed. Sobering however was the specter of Cold War, a widening conflict in Vietnam, and a civil rights movement which had erupted. One had the very real sense that within thirty years or less, the world would either be at peace roaming interplanetary space and beyond, or we would annihilate each other out of ignorance and socio-political division. Overall, those times were awesome times and humans did great things. Things that we are hard-pressed to do again.
Fast forward to this day and age and it is easy to see why the Post-1987 Era Star Trek was prophetic in it's own right. The spectre of mutually-assured annihilation has raised its ugly head once more even as we are on the cusp of doing great things again. Doubtless, if Star Trek were to be wholly-rebooted, then contemporary accounts and influences would and should be referenced when composing a future history for it's own purposes.
For the purposes of this thread, I would like to explore a scenario in which the times, personages and events of the Eugenics Wars/World War III was actual literal history. I would like to explore a continuum which endured a point of departure/divergence (PoD) around 1968 with the events of the episode "Assignment Earth (TOS)" being the very-latest PoD. It could be argued as well that an even-earlier point of departure could have occurred around 1930 with the events of "City on the Edge of Forever {TOS)".
I should like to point here that author Greg Cox took up this subject matter himself with his incredibly-interesting two-part book series detailing Khan and the Eugenics Wars. The Eugenics Wars according to Cox's vision are largely fought "behind the scenes" blending in near-seamlessly with contemporary events of our continuum. Ultimately, Khan and his brethren are allowed to exit the world stage via the Botany Bay with help from some very-familiar backstory characters. The books were a laudable effort to merge the Trek continuum with our own. Readers get a very-real feeling that, at least within the pages of these books, the world of Star Trek could evolve out of our own. I count myself as a fan of these works, however, I feel that the Eugenics Wars must be approached from "eyes wide open" point of view. I do not feel any compulsion whatsoever to make these fictional events fit and conform with the 1990s that I or anyone else recalls. Without re-iterating the items listed above, we will approach this
subject based on:
A: Star Trek exists in an alternate continuum which diverged from our own around 1968 at the very latest and possibly as early as 1930.
B: No effort will be made to make the original source materials (TOS/TAS/TWOK in order of priority) conform or otherwise support the contentions of materials produced during and after 1987. The arguments for or against this decision have been well-documented in other threads and discussions. "First In, Last Out" rules apply here.
WIth this in mind, the following is a timeline abstract of personages, and events related to the Eugenics Wars/World War III.
3.0 The Timeframe
1903
13 December- The Wright Brothers achieve Earth's first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1908
30 June- An unmanned Preserver probe prevents a cometary fragment from wiping out half of central Europe by diverting the body to explode over an uninhabited region of Siberia, flattening and burning the forest.
1912
The first International Eugenics Conference is held in London, England. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics )
1914
Earth's World War I, also known as The Great War, begins following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Spain.
1918
Earth's World War I ends with over 6 million people losing their lives.
1920
10 January- The League of Nations is founded in Geneva. It marks the first Earth attempt at global government. Its effectiveness is hampered, however, by the refusal of the United States, whose president proposed the league, to join.
1921
The second International Eugenics Conference is held in London, England. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics )
1929
29 October
A huge stock market crash in the United States plunges the entire industrialized world into economic depression. Poverty is widespread even in the great powers of Earth.
1930
Edith Keeler, a well-known social worker, is killed in a tragic accident when she is hit by an automobile while crossing a street in downtown New York. The police search for two witnesses, a man who was known to be keeping company with Keeler and his vaguely Oriental-looking friend (who is noticeable because of the knit cap he always wears), but they seem to have literally vanished from the face of the Earth.
The third International Eugenics Conference is held in New York, United States of America. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics)
1932
Stavos Keniclius is born.
1934
Goran Heisen is born.
1937
John Christopher, Air Force pilot, is born during this period on Earth. After 1969, John Christopher will have a son, Shaun Geoffrey Christopher who will lead the first successful Earth-Saturn probe. (Tomorrow is Yesterday (TOS))
Nikola Tesla, at age 81, claims in a letter to have completed a "dynamic theory of gravity" that "would put an end to idle speculations and false conceptions, as that of curved space". He states that the theory was "worked out in all details" and that he hoped to soon give it to the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla )
1938
Earth's World War II begins with a Nazi-controlled Germany led by Adolph Hitler invading the country of Poland.
1943
1 January- Nikola Tesla informs friend and confidant Kenneth M. Swezey that he has “witnessed his own passing” in a specific vision. He instructs Swezey to remove a collective set of plans, notes and completed blueprints (Experimental works and projects that were lost in a fire; re-created from Tesla's photographic memory) secured in a locked trunk and transfer them to a museum in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. He tells Swezey that the contents of the trunk are to be opened only after Humanity has put an end to it's mistrust across international borders and makes a concerted effort to push into outer space together. Among the contents of the strongbox are a set of functional plans and detailed notes on assembly for a “gravity manipulation apparatus” which will revolutionize air and space travel well beyond the orbit of Earth. The gravity apparatus is the culmination of the last twelve years of Tesla's life developed in secret and well outside of the scientific mainstream; a fact which he had feared would attract the attention of “audiences of interest”. With continuing conflict in Europe and around the world, his fears are justified.
7 January- Nikola Tesla is found dead in his room at the New Yorker Hotel. The official cause of death was coronary thrombosis but lingering doubts on this disclosure remain.
16 January- Kenneth Swezey, fearing for his life, is unable to secure passage to Belgrade. He retreats to Saint Johns, Nova Scotia pending travel arrangements.
13 February- Swezey is unable to relocate to Belgrade, Yugoslavia as instructed by the late Nikola Tesla. Fearing the cause is lost, Swezey returns to New York but is met along the route by John M. Onex, who proceeds to tell Swezey that he is Agent 120 a man of the twentieth-century relocated to an alien world far in the future and sent back to this time period to ensure that Tesla's revolutionary work be distributed as intended and for the betterment of the entire world. After a heated period of rational convincing, Swezey agrees to allowing Agent 120 to take the gravity manipulation technology to it's intended destination in Belgrade. Onex instructs Swezey to publish The Tesla Papers detailing the life, times and contributions of Nikola Tesla and charges him with ensuring that said works were proclaimed as a national heritage of human science.
1944
Stanislaw Ulam and F. de Hoffman publish speculative ideas regarding alternate applications of nuclear energy. These ideas include the possible use of bombs to push missiles. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
T.F. Dixon and H.P. Yockey at North American Aviation publish a paper discussing the use of a nuclear-powered heat exchanger to heat hydrogen or methane, and conclude that nuclear power is sufficiently promising to deserve some investigation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1945
Earth's World War II ends with the United States detonating two atomic weapons over the Imperial Japanese islands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ushering in Earth's Atomic Age.
24 October- The United Nations is chartered on planet earth. The organization represents a significant effort in the quest for planetary peace.
A number of Nazi scientists evade allied capture and trial and disperse themselves within a number of third world countries.
1946
A short paper is published by R. Serber of Project Rand surveying possible methods for obtaining thrust for a nuclear-powered rocket, including emission of fission fragments, beta and alpha particle momentum and mechanical heating. Serber concluded that using a reactor to heat particles of low mass was probably the most practical approach, although the problems of heat transfer and high temperatures would have to be solved. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1947
A group of researchers at Johns Hopkins University publish a much more complete survey of methods for the development of nuclear aircraft and rockets. They conclude that graphite and carbide would be good materials for this purpose because of their high melting points and compatibility with nuclear reactors. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
North American Aviation's Aerophysics Laboratory publish a large paper surveying many of the problems involved in using nuclear reactors to power airplanes and rockets. The study is specifically aimed at a vehicle with a range of 10,000 miles and a payload of 8,000 pounds, and covered turbopumps, structure, tankage, aerodynamics and reactor structural design for that specific mission. They conclude that hydrogen was best as a propellant, and graphite would be the best reactor material, but they assumed an operating temperature of 5700 degrees F, at that time a temperature somewhat beyond the capabilities of available materials. North American's researchers had no knowledge of the Manhattan District project or data and were not a part of the Nuclear Energy for Propulsion of Aircraft (NEPA) program being funded by the Air Force at Oak Ridge. Their work used very conservative numbers and emerged with very unpromising results for the idea of nuclear-powered rockets. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
14 October- Earth test pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the first human to fly an aircraft faster than the speed of sound in his planet’s atmosphere. Yeager accomplishes the feat in a small rocket-powered vehicle called the Glamorous Glennis.
1948
An important series of articles in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society entitled "The Atomic Rocket" are published in 1948 and 1949 by L.R. Shepherd and A.V. Cleaver. Beyond being a fairly complete survey of issues, methods and materials, this series was unclassified, finally making the topic available to the general public. The conclusion of the series was that nuclear power would be coming to the field of rocketry. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1952
Robert Bussard joined the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion program. Bussard commented that it was the first time he had ever witnessed a program that was three years behind the press clippings. General morale was low; the missile and rocket people understood and preferred chemicals, and the reactor people had no regard for the idea of flight. Bussard decided to write another survey, one with rigor as a major goal. He used data and analyses from existing chemical rockets, along with specifications for existing components. All calculations were based on what was known concerning nuclear reactors at that time.*C.B. Mills, a well-known reactor physicist, lent credibility to the paper, as did A.B. Longyear of Aerojet General Corporation. Most importantly, Bussard's paper did not limit itself to a specific payload or range, but rather surveyed several ranges and payload sizes. Bussard, Mills and Longyear concluded on a weight basis, nuclear rockets would be superior to chemical rockets for all but the smallest payloads, and that the margin of superiority increased as payloads and ranges increased. It also pointed out that the problem of corrosion by hot hydrogen on graphite would have to be solved, and discussed the use of protection by metallic carbides. The study was published in the classified Journal of Reactor Science and Technology in December 1953. Eugene Wigner*and*Jon von Neumann*at Princeton University read the paper and expressed interest to the U.S. Air Force and the*Atomic Energy Commission*Reactors Branch. The Air Force asked the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory*(LASL), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory*to review the field and report their conclusions to the Nuclear Missiles Subcommittee of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board at its first meeting in Washington, D.C. in October 1954. The Condor Committee was formed at Los Alamos to consider possibilities for nuclear rocket propulsion. The group included Tom Gittings, Don McMillan, Phil Hammond, Phil Bendt, Lee Aamodt, George Bell, Jim Tuck and*Conrad Longmire*under the direction of Darol Froman, the directory of LASL's K-Division (power reactors). At the October meeting in Washington, a decision was made to study the problem for another six months. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory begins researching nuclear rocket systems and applications.
1953
Dwight David Eisenhower enters office as the 34th president of the United States of America, on Earth. It will be one of the many historical facts stored in the Enterprise's computer in 2248, when the Talosians sift the starship's computer for data.
Watson and Crick theorizes that DNA has a double helix-structure, based upon x-ray diffraction data.
1955
Herbert York of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory postulates a method for reducing the size of nuclear-core reactors considerably, thus allowing for the advancement of the NERVA I and NERVA II nuclear rocket engine systems of the coming decades.
February- Tom Gittings proposed to Bussard that they investigate the possibility of boosting the nuclear ICBM to high altitude using atmospheric air. The idea was modified later to use a first stage booster such as the*Navajo missile. It reduced the rocket mass by a factor of five.The results were sufficiently promising that Lab Director*Norris Bradbury*formed a new Nuclear Propulsion Division to carry out research and development on materials and new reactor design work, with*Raemer Schreiber*at its head.*Herbert Yorkestablished a similar division at Livermore. In June 1955, Bussard moved to Los Alamos and joined the Nuclear Propulsion Division. Project Rover had begun. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory initiates Project Rover, involving the Atomic Energy Commission and eventually NASA after 1958, with the entire project directly overseen and answerable to the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office after 1961.
An intensive period of study begins on the study and application of “gravity control and propulsion research” as a means of propulsion and other uses. These studies are known to have been conducted at least until 1974, when all apparent references to it cease within aeronautical and aerospace engineering circles.
1956
Stavos Keniclius joins the Hellenic Eugenics Society.
Stavos Keniclius is recruited by surviving members of Nazi Eugenics. Via his dealings with these expatriated scientists, Keniclius develops a number of concepts and ideas for eugenically-engineered enhancements, and late, the cloning of human tests subjects after the 1980s.
1957
04 October- Sputnik 1 becomes Earth's first artificial satellite. It has a profound affect on the world and enables Russia to take the lead in early space development. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
1958
29 July- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) federal agency is established in North America on Earth. Over the next century it will be responsible for many Earth spaceflights, including the Voyager series unmanned probes.
13 December- The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is established, initially created as a small expert unit within the Secretariat to assist the ad hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space established by the General Assembly in its resolution 1348 (XIII) of 13 December 1958. In time, this office will be replaced by the Office of the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UNSPA) in 1972. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_for_Outer_Space_Affairs
1959
Noonien Singh, later to be known as Khan Noonien Singh, is born.
The first phase of Project Rover, Kiwi, is initiated. Named after the large flightless bird, it consisted of a series of non-flyable test nuclear engines, with primary focus on improving the technology of hydrogen-cooled reactors. Between 1959 and 1964, a total of eight reactors were built and tested. After conclusion of these experiments in 1964, further efforts were concentrated towards larger and more powerful Phoebus reactors. Kiwi was considered successful proof that nuclear rockets could be considered not only feasible but highly reliable and advantageous for space travel. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1960
Earth-based radio telescopes are used to listen for evidence of radio signals from Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani as part of Project Ozma, one of Earth’s first attempts to search for extraterrestrial life.
1961
American President John F. Kennedy commits his nation to an ambitious program to land a human on Earth’s moon by the end of the decade.
The Space Nuclear Propulsion Office is established.
NASA's Marshal Spaceflight Center begin to use thermal nuclear rockets in their projected mission plans.
Vostok 1 carries the first man into space. The craft orbits for 108 minutes (one revolution) at an apogee of 176.3 km. This historic first keeps Russia in the lead in the 'space race'. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
The United States launches Mercury 3, a suborbital 15 minute flight in preparation for its first orbital mission next year. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
Cryogenics is developed to facilitate certain medical procedures including open-heart surgery. Cryogenic technology would be further developed and lead to the advent of Cryonics, a method of rapidly bringing the body of a subject to near absolute-zero conditions via negative ions and the introduction of Cordrazine into the body in minute quantities.
1962
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs becomes a unit within the Department of Political and Security Council Affairs when the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space meets for the first time. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_for_Outer_Space_Affairs )
1963
A Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is adopted on planet Earth. The agreement represents a significant early step toward the control of weapons of mass destruction. This treaty was discovered to be in violation after the “McKinley Rocket Base Incident” of 1968.
Vostok VI carries the first woman into space, staying aloft for 45 revolutions. Maneuvering the capsule she approaches to within 5 kilometers of the companion vessel Vostok V.
Phase Two of Project Rover, Phoebus, is initiated. The focus was placed on achieving more power than was possible with Kiwi units and maintaining the maximum power for ever longer duration. The work on Phoebus was started in 1963, with a total of 3 engines being built and tested between 1965 and 1968. Phoebus A-1 was tested on July 25, 1965, at Jackass Flats. A second test occurred three years later. Both tests were considered highly successful. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
Vostok VI carries the first woman into space, staying aloft for 45 revolutions. Maneuvering the capsule she approaches to within 5 kilometers of the companion vessel Vostok V. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology)
1965
The first 'space walk' is accomplished by Aleksei Leonov aboard the Voskhod II spacecraft. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
The accelerated United States space program has five successful Gemini missions this year. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
1968
(Point of Departure between times and events in our timeline and Star Trek. From this point on, all data and events presented here are the subject of an alternate timeline and are not open to interpretation against events which may transpire in our own continuum).
Heisen and Keniclius meet and strike up a tenuous partnership to advance the goals of eugenics and genetic engineering. The devise a set of goals which will permit the testing of live human subjects while skirting international laws forbidding such procedures. An agreement is struck with Heisen fronting the procurement of manpower, resources and equipment for the seven experimental compounds and Keniclius advancing the aims and goals of eugenics via the United Nations and other public-awareness mediums. It is never any mystery however that the two scientists have very different agendas and a point of divergence would be inevitable, but between 1968 and 1992, the detente works amicably for both.
NASA's request for $100 million to begin Phase B contractor studies of Earth-orbital space stations is granted. (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/mcdonnell-douglas-phase-b-12-man-space-station-1970/ )
Phase Three of Project Rover, Peewee, is initiated. It was small, easy to test, and well-sized for unmanned scientific interplanetary missions or small nuclear "tugs". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
The McKinley Rocket Base Incident- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), conducting historical research by order of the United Federation of Planets Star Fleet, intercepts an interstellar transport conducting Agent 147 “Gary Seven” to Earth. His original task was to sabotage the launch of a suborbital nuclear weapons platform by the United States of America in of itself a response to other nations having already launched similar platforms. At this time, the substantiating logic behind such launches was to maintain the balance of power and mutually-assured destruction in the event of a nuclear weapons exchange by any number of nations. Inadvertently, the Enterprise officers involved delayed Seven's operations as they were hesitant to commit to his assurances on the vital success of this operation. The device is launched and falls to Earth a short time later, but Enterprise officers had prevented Seven from completing the disarming process and the vehicle proceeded to landfall “hot” and armed. At a altitude of 104 miles, the vehicles was successfully detonated, and in the process gained the immediate attention of the entire globe.
This incident galvanizes global concerns about the direction of the 'space race' of the time; whether humanity was racing to space for the benefit of all, or for the sake of ensuring hastened destruction in a nuclear exchange.
The specified role and intent of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is called into question following the dissemination of the McKinley Rocket Base Incident of 1968. Many seated nations with the United Nations begin to question what role -if any- the United Nations can play in ensuring the end of the proliferation of nuclear arms in Earth orbit.
November- Robert Kennedy goes on to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency and win the election in November against Richard Nixon. (http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Robert_Kennedy_Survives)
In an historic first, the 3-man crew of Apollo 8 journeys around the moon, observing and photographing the natural satellite and viewing 'Earth rise'. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology)
1969
Robert Kennedy enters office as President of the United States of America. Among his many achievements while in office is to secure funding for NASA and contracted affiliates originally requested in FY 1966, ensuring the continuation of the orbital space lab/station, and Apollo-series manned lunar missions which paved the way for the continued development of space exploration beyond the lunar horizon.
The progressive withdrawal of American forces from the Brush Wars' zone of conflict is ordered on the authority of President Robert Kennedy, and ultimately completed in mid-1970.
The United Outer Space Initiative is signed by participatory signatories of the United Nations, opening an era of international cooperation unprecedented in Human history. The document is partially framed around the lessons learned from the “McKinley Rocket Base Incident”, which in of itself was an operation carried out by the United States in direct response to similar launches (or attempted launches) of nuclear missile platforms in orbit of Earth. The Initiative calls for the immediate deactivation of these platforms and the safe destruction of existing platforms. It also calls for the peaceful development of space and bodies contained within the Sol system, while appropriating provisions for the effective commercialization of said via entrepreneurship and the private business sector. The Initiative also calls for complete disclosure any and all discoveries made within the Sol system that might directly impact or harm the collective nations of Earth and it's citizens.
16 July- The first manned moon shot Apollo 11, consisting of three astronauts, is launched on Wednesday, 6 A.M. E.S.T. Humans first set foot on Earth's moon, Neil Armstrong being the first. It is the first of twelve successful landings on the Moon prior to the building of Base One. This is the start of Human manned interplanetary exploration. (Tomorrow is Yesterday (TOS))
November- Apollo 12 conducts landing and surface mission in the Oceanus Procellarum lunar lowlands.
1970
6 January- NASA announces the development of the orbital space shuttle Space Transportation System (STS). Program studies and development contract are awarded to North American Rockwell.
March- Apollo 13 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Fra Mauro highlands.
Based on existing research, development begins of the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA), a reusable nuclear thermal rocket booster for use in space (launched from Earth by a Saturn V). (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
Goran Heisen secures monetary and resource contributions from seven national governments. The authorities involved agree by contract to add mature trained genetically augmented students to their various armed forces units after completion of the fifteen-year study program.
DNA synthesis and genetic engineering are secretly conducted on human test materials. By 1974, the world at large is led to believe that the first successful test of genetic engineering was conducted on mice by 1974.
July- Apollo 14 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Crater Censorinus highlands.
November- Apollo 15 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Littrow volcanic area.
1971
April- Apollo 16 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Crater Tycho (Surveyor VII impact area).
September- Apollo 17 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Marius Hills volcanic domes.
1972
February- Apollo 18 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Schroter's Valley, riverlike channel-ways.
Goran Heisen garners direct financial support from governing bodies and commercial interests around the globe. These resources are distributed among the seven key compounds raising and training eugenically and genetically-engineered subjects.
Stavos Keniclius is appointed as Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Eugenics Research.
July- Apollo 19 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Hyginus Rille region-Linear Rille, crater area.
December- Astronauts of Apollo 20 discover what is now known to be a Slaver stasis box at the exact center of Crater Copernicus, which the mission had been sent to study. Gaining access to the stasis box with much difficulty, retro-engineering of it's only contents, a 'flying belt' would lead to a method of generating artificial gravity in space vessels (thus representing the final “key” to the revealed works of Nikola Tesla between 1937 and 1943) and facilities by 1984 after an intense period of study conducted by the nations of Earth. The artificial gravity breakthrough would also lead to a feasible Inertial Dampening system that would in time allow for greater vehicle velocities approaching .25c by 2018.
1973
Shaun Geoffrey Christopher is born around this time. In the 1990's he will be a Lieutenant in the U.S. Airforce. In the 21st Century, as a Colonel, he will lead the Earth-Saturn probe.
14 May- The first American space station, Skylab 1, is placed into orbit and inhabited by a series of three man crews. More Skylabs follow throughout the decade. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
NASA sends the first two probes in the Voyager program to Mars, more follow every other year throughout the 1970’s preparing the way for the manned Mars missions to follow. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
22 June- Skylab 2 orbital mission conducted.
28 July- Skylab 3 orbital mission conducted.
16 November- Skylab 4 orbital mission conducted.
Four years after the founding of the United Earth Space Probe Agency, copies of Nikola Tesla's Gravity Manipulation Apparatus along with detailed instructions for assembly are dispatched virtually simultaneously to scientific authorities in the United States, Soviet Union, China, India, United Kingdom, and Japan. The revealed works of Nikola Tesla overturn nearly a century of theoretical inquiry into the nature of gravity and it's supposed limitations.
1974
All documented studies on artificial gravity, gravity generation and related concepts suddenly cease across the board.
17 September- The first space shuttle orbiter Constitution (OV-101) is rolled out. This orbital test vehicle will conduct a number of successful glide-approach and landing tests that ultimately prove the space-worthiness of the design.
1975
The first humans venture into interplanetary space, as three astronauts fly past Venus and Mars. The crew photograph the planets and release probes as they fly by our neighboring worlds. A similar mission takes place in 1977. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1977
Building upon the Skylab experiences, the 12-man Space Station is launched into orbit by a Saturn V rocket. The nuclear-powered outpost is constantly expanded and upgraded over the next decade. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
The first modules of the Space Station are successfully inserted into Earth orbit. 24 hours after insertion, it's first 12-man crew arrives via the interim logistics vehicle Crew/Cargo Module (CCM).
Nuclear shuttles enter into service.
Deep space probe series' Voyager III-VI are launched during this period. Designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth, this series is charged with the mandate to “learn all that is learnable” and transmit that data back to it's creator.
1978
12 April- Space shuttle Enterprise (OV-102) is launched with a crew of 2, beginning the first of long successful string of STS missions in Low Earth Orbit. Enterprise is accompanied by sister-ships Challenger (OV-103), Discovery (OV-104), Atlantis (OV-105), and Endeavor (OV-106) between 1979 and 1988.
1979
The Space Station is declared fully operational.
1980
NASA in cooperation with NPO Energia complete its "low-cost definition studies". Ostensibly studying costs of combining and reducing space mission costs to an absolute minimum. In reality, this functioned as a "grey operations project" producing the first synthetic gravity field and other technology, the Unified Technology Project. This cooperative venture further demonstrates the wisdom and forsight of the United Outer Space Initiative.
Work commences on the Space Base, a giant space station to accommodate a crew of 100. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
The US-led international coalition in developing anti-gravity technology found on the moon in the 1970s, goes public finally with the announcement of the Douglas-Yakovlev Aerospace cooperative venture. This unprecedented event marks the beginning of true international cooperation in reaching for the common goal of moving humanity out into the stars.
The Heavy Transport Development Project is announced. By this time, a detailed understanding of synthetic gravity generation would allow for a limited artificial gravity field effect to be generated aboard a space vehicle of sufficient size and energy generation. The project called for the design of a suitable nuclear fission rocket design that only a decade earlier was deemed too risky and cost ineffective to be practical. This development project would lead to the design of the first DY transports.
1981
The Naturalist Movement is founded by Randolph Warren Green, and rapidly gains strength and influence in the political arena based on the false assumption that cloning had become commonplace and that, in time, the cloning procedure would eventually replace the natural-birth way of life. Randolph Green is the father of Phillip Green, who will lead a genocidal war against the perceived “clone threat” in 2034-35. Espousing "Genetic and Eugenic Cleansing" of Mankind. The Naturalist Movement (or Party) was formed initially in the United States. These zealous groups propagandized that both cloned and eugenics (specially-bred) humans be permanently disenfranchised. Naturally born humans would replace them in political power.
The Naturalist Movement included in their propaganda famous 20th Century "human wars" novels, including: "Slan", a telepathic world war postulated by A. E. van Vogt; "Time Enough for Love", part of Robert Heinlein's "Future History" series of novels (the novel told the biography of artificially-bred immortal Lazarus Long); and the "Shining Path" of bred-human superiority, written into Frank Herbert's "Dune Chronicles". These books, said the zealots, prophesied the downfall of "natural" humanity. In actuality, there were only about 30 cloned human beings known as of 2030, along with various in vitro and eugenics survivors. This did not sway the NM's propagandists. Also, there was rumored in new-age circles, of isolated "perfect" humans, supposed immortals that had been naturally produced by Earth's biosphere, in the tradition of "Saint Germaine," also known as the "Wandering Jew". However, this notion was discounted even by the Natural Party members as "wishful thinking".
12 November- NASA’s first manned Mars mission departs Earth orbit. The mission employs two identical 270 ft long spacecraft boosted by three Nuclear Shuttles. All the components were launched by Saturn Vs and assembled in orbit. Each ship has a crew of six (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1982
9 August- The Mars mission goes into orbit around the Red Planet. The first humans to walk on another planet descend in their Mars Excursion Module (illustrated below) to spend 30 to 60 days exploring. Their objectives include studying Martian geology, searching for life, and prospecting for resources for future Mars expeditions.(http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1983
28 February- The returning Mars expedition flies past Venus. Meanwhile the second Mars mission is preparing to leave Earth (it returns in 1985). (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
14 August- The first Mars mission arrives back in orbit around Earth. Fearing contamination by Martian organisms, the crews are quarantined in a space station until it is ruled safe for them to return home. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1986
Phillip Green is born to Randolph Warren and Michaela Green.
1986-1987
Third Mars mission takes place. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1988-1989
NASA’s fourth Mars mission establishes a 50-person Mars Base. Humanity is now an interplanetary species.(http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1990
Cryonics is developed as an outgrowth to cryogenics. Cordrazine is a key element in this technology that allows a body to be rapidly reduced to near- absolute zero temperatures without the dangers of cellular disruption.
Conjecture based on current scientific theory and differentiating cryonics from cryogenics
Cryogenic advances are made allowing for more practical applications of the technology in space travel. Improved power supplies and maintenance software greatly enhance their commercial value.
1992
The Eugenics Wars begin.
1993
March- The Eugenics "Supermen" seize power across Earth. The cadre of highly intelligent and physically powerful men and women led loyalist forces to take power in over forty nations throughout the "Third World", including Latin America, the Mediterranean Basin, Sub-Saharan Africa and in Central Asia. Certain nations of the former Eastern Bloc supplied arms and "humanitarian" materiel to Khan, Lee Kuan, Joaquin, Xian Ling, Macpherson, and many other Supermen.
1994
The United Nations is mandated to authorize the mobilization of it's peacekeeping forces to combat the eugenics supermen. With NATO and other allied forces systemically caught off-guard by the sudden seizure of forty nations, the world at large is forced to accept the possibility of the formation of a 'world army', a prospect the United Nations was never intended for. The United Nations Peace Forces begin a series of campaigns the world will later label as the "wars to end tyranny" with many academics and historians lauding it as a noble act.
During the Eugenics Wars, the UNAF faces off with terroristic and overt attacks by the Supermen, and by a coalition of "Copycats", including Middle Eastern and European terror groups.
Conflict flares in several regions, including Kashmir, the Arabian Peninsula, central Africa, and in Latin America. UNAF forces are joined by unilateral actions by national forces in several instances. Notably these forces include: the Swiss, the kwaZulu, the Free South Africans (including native-born Boer, British and Asian forces), the Tamil Tigers, the Australians and the Zapotecas (Mayan rebel forces). This period of the war continues for 18 months.
The published research of Miguel Alcubierre shifts the conception of faster-than-light travel from totally impossible to possible. At the University of Wales, his letter 'The warpdrive: hyper-fast travel within general relativity' is published.
1996
The Eugenics Wars comes to an end. After the sudden and mysterious disappearance of Khan and his fellow Supermen, their conventional and terrorist forces fall apart in the face of overwhelming force from the UN-led Allies.
The remnant of Khan's troops seeks sanctuary in Singapore. There they try to hold the population hostage, with thousands of innocents being held as human shields. Among these hostages are the parents of the future Colonel Edward Green. They, along with several thousand die in the final invasion and re-taking of the island nation.
June- Phillip Green, age 10, witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of eugenically-bred guerillas pillaging through the island of Singapore while fleeing the invasion of superior UN armed forces. Soon afterward he is adopted and raised by Edward Featherstone Green brother of the late Randolph Warren Green not long after the conclusion of the Third World War.
Captured in rural Canada, Dr. Stavos Keniclius, Earth's first cloned human, is found and arrested, charged with collusion in creating the Eugenic supermen, and in participating in human experimentation and crimes against humanity. Though claiming to be held as a scapegoat and being tried like Doctor Mudd in the Boothe trials. He is later found innocent of the experimentation charges (other than cloning himself), he is held responsible for Khan and his brethren. In a sentence reminiscent of that of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Keniclius is exiled, banned from the world community. He is held at a special prison constructed on Pitcairn Island.
Sources: Fandom Star Trek Chronology v17 (James Dixon), Star Trek: Khan (IDW Comics), Starfleet-Museum.org,
This thread will detail the last so-called 'world war' on planet Earth, the Eugenics Wars. Be advised that any narratives or analysis of the wars presented here will be related strictly from the perspective of the source materials: Star Trek The Original Series, The Animated Series, Star Trek The Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. The timeframe for said materials is derived largely from the chronological dates of 1930 to 2285.
A number of other materials exist within the Star Trek universe which directly reference the Eugenics Wars with varying degrees of success and relevance. In most cases, references cited were made offhand and were often poorly-researched. The details of each and why they are not considered "fair game" for the purposes of this thread are provided below.
As always, this thread is open to speculation of all, and should be of particular interest to those of us who became Star Trek fans during a time when there was no broadcast Trek and books and blueprints ruled the scene; that "coalition of the willing" who still believe other approaches to the Star Trek continuum are possible. I welcome any and all PMs and collaborative interest.
1.0 Canon Source Material
Star Trek: The Next Generation-
There is every reason to suggest that Gene Roddenberry went out of his way to distance himself from established works in Star Trek. At the time of initial production, the world was rapidly approaching the end of the Cold War. For a time at least, it would appear to anyone living and working at that time that the world came close to the brink of another world war, but somehow managed to avoid it. The future history of Star Trek as presented by Gene and the TNG production et al reflected this renewed optimism. Yet from the series opener, we saw the specter of war continuing to haunt to us well beyond the end of the 20th Century (The timeframe for TOS and the events of "Space Seed"). This came in the form of a "Post-Atomic Horror" which had reached it's height around 2079 according to "Encounter at Farpoint". The series in general goes on to suggest either directly or indirectly that Earth continued to struggle with the fallout of this event for decades; well into the opening of the 22nd Century. It would not be until the release of "Star Trek First Contact" that we would realize the true scope and damage of this "Post Atomic Horror". This period of time itself was the direct result of a nuclear conflict which appears to have erupted on Earth sometime before 2053. It was out of this particular vision and backdrop that we see the humanity of the TNG/Post-1987 era of Star Trek arise from it's self-inflicted wounds to do "great things".
Yet, one cannot easily ignore the fact that not a single reference to the Eugenics Wars was made during the entire seven years of TNG and it's dependent films. It would appear to many of us interested that Star Trek's future history established in TOS/TAS and TWOK was, for some strange reason, adjusted or outright ignored to fit the new paradigm. It would appear to the casual viewer that Star Trek's vision of the future was not necessarily a vision but a work in progressive idealism subject to changing conditions of the times.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine-
More or less a continuation of TNG but from the perspective of a deep space installation. The series had a refreshing take on the current state of the Star Trek universe with a slight leaning towards the darker, gritier aspects of the 24th Century. The storyline material was generated after the passing of Gene Roddenberry and such was not open to his critique and scrutiny, thus making it officially a "Post-Roddenberry" era Star Trek. The same future history issues are carried through into DS9 with only a couple of exceptions. It is revealed that Doctor Julian Bashir is the product of the science of eugenics and genetic engineering, as science which frowned upon in Federation circles to say the very least. Khan Noonien Singh and the Eugenics Wars are cited for the first time in decades in broadcast Star Trek even, however the time period cited on air was grievously in error; having only occurred "200 years ago". It was only later revealed that Ron Moore admitted his part in the error and it was certainly understandable and forgivable from a production standpoint.
The damage was done however; the waters of Earth's remote past even more murky and obscure.
Star Trek: Voyager
In essence, Star Trek Lost in Space, with Captain Janeway and crew struggling to return to Federation space after being flung into the Delta Quadrant. Again, the same situation as the previous mutually-supportive series. This time however, the time period in which the Eugenics Wars was directly referenced in a two-part episode "Future's End". Every opportunity was available to directly include the backdrop for the Wars within the storyline; a model of the pre-launch DY-100 class transport was included in a scene even (With absolutely no context to the Wars offered). In the end, we are only offered a world of contemporary 1996 with a near-distrastrous alternate timeline being created by Captain Paxton, further exacerbated by Henry Starling.
Absolutely no reference is made to a world recovering from a global conflict with eugenically-engineered 'supermen'. The world of 1996 wholly resembles the contemporary world in which the episode was written and produced. The post-1987 pattern continues...
Star Trek: Enterprise
The fourth, and currently the last TV installment of the TNG/Post-1987 Era Star Trek to be produced, Enterprise was perhaps the first of the sequel series with potential to either go back to the basics and fill in the critical gaps in Earth's troubled history and "set the story straight" for everything we see in TOS and beyond..or it had the potential to simply hit that magic reset button and tell a different story about familiar subjects. Indeed, when the series premiered it appeared that the latter would be the case. Though ENT takes in the 22nd century between 2151 and 2155 with a crew of Starfleet personnel leading the way for Earth's first deep space explorations, the parent/child relationship between Star Trek and Enterprise was not concretely clear as "Star Trek" was not even included in the branding for the show until it's third season. If ever there was an opportunity to offer a "Universe B" take on Star Trek, ENT was the time. Again, by all appearances, it was for the first two years of its run. ENT drew upon backstory continuity established well after the passing of Gene Roddenberry. In fact, it is safe to say that the "first causation" of the ENT universe lies with the WWIII scenario previously painted in "Star Trek First Contact". The series goes on further to show how Vulcan first contact led to a unified Earth on the road to "post-atomic recovery", the end oft war, greed and want, and the renewed need to explore. The latter urge being tempered by an ever-present Vulcan High Command which goes out of it's way to handhold then outright curb Earth's self-interests all the why pointing out "there's a boogey man out there in space and your right not worthy or ready to face it until we say you are".
By the end of the third season, it was clear this particular installment of Star Trek was in trouble. A fourth season was greenlight, and there are many fans including myself that lauded the efforts to re-orient the show with it's TOS roots, but by this time it was "too little, too late". The show ended in 2005 leaving a fanbase stunned and wanting more and a production studio utterly disconnected from what made Star Trek important (The fact that UPN fell on it's face doesn't help of course).
It was not until the very bitter end, that some effort was made to tie Post-1987 Star Trek in with the TOS/TAS/Movies I-VI era. Most notably, and for our purposes here, whole chronologically-relevant references to the Eugenics Wars and some of the atmosphere that produced its most notable figures and events. An absolutely commendable sequence of events, and being a fan of the show I cannot stress enough how much I admire Manny Coto and his supporting staff for trying to make it work and fit
together.
Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness et al
In 2009, JJ Abrams and staff produced a new iteration of the Star Trek universe based on the concept of an alternate timeline (And by extension, an alternate continuum). Romulus is destroyed late in the 24th Century even after Spock attempts to save it by collapsing a super nova via "red matter". The effects of the attempt create a temporal portal through which he and the villain Nero and his ship the Narada fall. Narada and crew find themselves in 2233 and encounter the Starfleet vessel Kelvin. The rest they say is "history". This single tempporal incursion creates an entirely new timeline where James T. Kirk is born in space, Vulcan is destroyed by red matter, and the Spock from the "prime" timeline becomes a refugee. Latter in the sequel, we learn that Starfleet secretly finds the Botany Bay adrift in space since 1996 just as it was in the "prime" timeline. Khan and his "augment" brethren are taken into custody with only Khan having been revived. Khan is "rehabbed" and becomes John Harrison and ius used as a tool for inciting a war between the Klingons and the Federation.
From a purely-production point of view, the choices made for subject matter are debatable. IMO, another opportunity was lost in that Abrams and staff could have hit the reboot button completely and offered us a new spin on a familiar universe. Of fictional interest however is his decision to revive Khan and place him within the context of time that was appropriate for him and his brethren. For the first time, we have onscreen confirmation that Khan was born around 1959 and was the product of eugenically-minded genetic engineering sometime prior to the 1990s. The latter fact alone establishes that Star Trek exists within an alternate continuum with times and events of the 1990s not-at-all reflecting those occurring in our own. The companion comic series Star Trek: Khan (IDW Comics) even goes out of its way to suggest a world vastly different from our own in the 90s. Wonderfully refreshing to view and read about after over 20 years of in-house Star Trek denial that the events even occurred.
How Khan's character is handled during and after Into Darkness is the subject of debate beyond the scope of this thread, but for the record, it was cool to see the record set straight at least in one setting.
* * * *
2.0 Something To Build On
In the end however, the means of achieving a synthesis between TOS/TAS/Movies and the TNG/Post-1987 Era is virtually impossible and for reasons stated in abstract form above. The world in which Post-1987 material was produced was vastly different from the world that was envisioned between 1964 and 1982. In 1967, at the time of production for "Space Seed", writers and viewers alike had every reason to believe that humans would be interplanetary-capable by the late 1980s/Early 1990s. By the time TOS was canceled, humans had only just landed on the moon. There were advanced probes being launched to explore beyond cislunar boundary. Technologically-speaking, the future looked very bright indeed. Sobering however was the specter of Cold War, a widening conflict in Vietnam, and a civil rights movement which had erupted. One had the very real sense that within thirty years or less, the world would either be at peace roaming interplanetary space and beyond, or we would annihilate each other out of ignorance and socio-political division. Overall, those times were awesome times and humans did great things. Things that we are hard-pressed to do again.
Fast forward to this day and age and it is easy to see why the Post-1987 Era Star Trek was prophetic in it's own right. The spectre of mutually-assured annihilation has raised its ugly head once more even as we are on the cusp of doing great things again. Doubtless, if Star Trek were to be wholly-rebooted, then contemporary accounts and influences would and should be referenced when composing a future history for it's own purposes.
For the purposes of this thread, I would like to explore a scenario in which the times, personages and events of the Eugenics Wars/World War III was actual literal history. I would like to explore a continuum which endured a point of departure/divergence (PoD) around 1968 with the events of the episode "Assignment Earth (TOS)" being the very-latest PoD. It could be argued as well that an even-earlier point of departure could have occurred around 1930 with the events of "City on the Edge of Forever {TOS)".
I should like to point here that author Greg Cox took up this subject matter himself with his incredibly-interesting two-part book series detailing Khan and the Eugenics Wars. The Eugenics Wars according to Cox's vision are largely fought "behind the scenes" blending in near-seamlessly with contemporary events of our continuum. Ultimately, Khan and his brethren are allowed to exit the world stage via the Botany Bay with help from some very-familiar backstory characters. The books were a laudable effort to merge the Trek continuum with our own. Readers get a very-real feeling that, at least within the pages of these books, the world of Star Trek could evolve out of our own. I count myself as a fan of these works, however, I feel that the Eugenics Wars must be approached from "eyes wide open" point of view. I do not feel any compulsion whatsoever to make these fictional events fit and conform with the 1990s that I or anyone else recalls. Without re-iterating the items listed above, we will approach this
subject based on:
A: Star Trek exists in an alternate continuum which diverged from our own around 1968 at the very latest and possibly as early as 1930.
B: No effort will be made to make the original source materials (TOS/TAS/TWOK in order of priority) conform or otherwise support the contentions of materials produced during and after 1987. The arguments for or against this decision have been well-documented in other threads and discussions. "First In, Last Out" rules apply here.
WIth this in mind, the following is a timeline abstract of personages, and events related to the Eugenics Wars/World War III.
3.0 The Timeframe
1903
13 December- The Wright Brothers achieve Earth's first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1908
30 June- An unmanned Preserver probe prevents a cometary fragment from wiping out half of central Europe by diverting the body to explode over an uninhabited region of Siberia, flattening and burning the forest.
1912
The first International Eugenics Conference is held in London, England. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics )
1914
Earth's World War I, also known as The Great War, begins following the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Spain.
1918
Earth's World War I ends with over 6 million people losing their lives.
1920
10 January- The League of Nations is founded in Geneva. It marks the first Earth attempt at global government. Its effectiveness is hampered, however, by the refusal of the United States, whose president proposed the league, to join.
1921
The second International Eugenics Conference is held in London, England. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics )
1929
29 October
A huge stock market crash in the United States plunges the entire industrialized world into economic depression. Poverty is widespread even in the great powers of Earth.
1930
Edith Keeler, a well-known social worker, is killed in a tragic accident when she is hit by an automobile while crossing a street in downtown New York. The police search for two witnesses, a man who was known to be keeping company with Keeler and his vaguely Oriental-looking friend (who is noticeable because of the knit cap he always wears), but they seem to have literally vanished from the face of the Earth.
The third International Eugenics Conference is held in New York, United States of America. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics)
1932
Stavos Keniclius is born.
1934
Goran Heisen is born.
1937
John Christopher, Air Force pilot, is born during this period on Earth. After 1969, John Christopher will have a son, Shaun Geoffrey Christopher who will lead the first successful Earth-Saturn probe. (Tomorrow is Yesterday (TOS))
Nikola Tesla, at age 81, claims in a letter to have completed a "dynamic theory of gravity" that "would put an end to idle speculations and false conceptions, as that of curved space". He states that the theory was "worked out in all details" and that he hoped to soon give it to the world. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla )
1938
Earth's World War II begins with a Nazi-controlled Germany led by Adolph Hitler invading the country of Poland.
1943
1 January- Nikola Tesla informs friend and confidant Kenneth M. Swezey that he has “witnessed his own passing” in a specific vision. He instructs Swezey to remove a collective set of plans, notes and completed blueprints (Experimental works and projects that were lost in a fire; re-created from Tesla's photographic memory) secured in a locked trunk and transfer them to a museum in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. He tells Swezey that the contents of the trunk are to be opened only after Humanity has put an end to it's mistrust across international borders and makes a concerted effort to push into outer space together. Among the contents of the strongbox are a set of functional plans and detailed notes on assembly for a “gravity manipulation apparatus” which will revolutionize air and space travel well beyond the orbit of Earth. The gravity apparatus is the culmination of the last twelve years of Tesla's life developed in secret and well outside of the scientific mainstream; a fact which he had feared would attract the attention of “audiences of interest”. With continuing conflict in Europe and around the world, his fears are justified.
7 January- Nikola Tesla is found dead in his room at the New Yorker Hotel. The official cause of death was coronary thrombosis but lingering doubts on this disclosure remain.
16 January- Kenneth Swezey, fearing for his life, is unable to secure passage to Belgrade. He retreats to Saint Johns, Nova Scotia pending travel arrangements.
13 February- Swezey is unable to relocate to Belgrade, Yugoslavia as instructed by the late Nikola Tesla. Fearing the cause is lost, Swezey returns to New York but is met along the route by John M. Onex, who proceeds to tell Swezey that he is Agent 120 a man of the twentieth-century relocated to an alien world far in the future and sent back to this time period to ensure that Tesla's revolutionary work be distributed as intended and for the betterment of the entire world. After a heated period of rational convincing, Swezey agrees to allowing Agent 120 to take the gravity manipulation technology to it's intended destination in Belgrade. Onex instructs Swezey to publish The Tesla Papers detailing the life, times and contributions of Nikola Tesla and charges him with ensuring that said works were proclaimed as a national heritage of human science.
1944
Stanislaw Ulam and F. de Hoffman publish speculative ideas regarding alternate applications of nuclear energy. These ideas include the possible use of bombs to push missiles. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
T.F. Dixon and H.P. Yockey at North American Aviation publish a paper discussing the use of a nuclear-powered heat exchanger to heat hydrogen or methane, and conclude that nuclear power is sufficiently promising to deserve some investigation. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1945
Earth's World War II ends with the United States detonating two atomic weapons over the Imperial Japanese islands of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ushering in Earth's Atomic Age.
24 October- The United Nations is chartered on planet earth. The organization represents a significant effort in the quest for planetary peace.
A number of Nazi scientists evade allied capture and trial and disperse themselves within a number of third world countries.
1946
A short paper is published by R. Serber of Project Rand surveying possible methods for obtaining thrust for a nuclear-powered rocket, including emission of fission fragments, beta and alpha particle momentum and mechanical heating. Serber concluded that using a reactor to heat particles of low mass was probably the most practical approach, although the problems of heat transfer and high temperatures would have to be solved. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1947
A group of researchers at Johns Hopkins University publish a much more complete survey of methods for the development of nuclear aircraft and rockets. They conclude that graphite and carbide would be good materials for this purpose because of their high melting points and compatibility with nuclear reactors. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
North American Aviation's Aerophysics Laboratory publish a large paper surveying many of the problems involved in using nuclear reactors to power airplanes and rockets. The study is specifically aimed at a vehicle with a range of 10,000 miles and a payload of 8,000 pounds, and covered turbopumps, structure, tankage, aerodynamics and reactor structural design for that specific mission. They conclude that hydrogen was best as a propellant, and graphite would be the best reactor material, but they assumed an operating temperature of 5700 degrees F, at that time a temperature somewhat beyond the capabilities of available materials. North American's researchers had no knowledge of the Manhattan District project or data and were not a part of the Nuclear Energy for Propulsion of Aircraft (NEPA) program being funded by the Air Force at Oak Ridge. Their work used very conservative numbers and emerged with very unpromising results for the idea of nuclear-powered rockets. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
14 October- Earth test pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the first human to fly an aircraft faster than the speed of sound in his planet’s atmosphere. Yeager accomplishes the feat in a small rocket-powered vehicle called the Glamorous Glennis.
1948
An important series of articles in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society entitled "The Atomic Rocket" are published in 1948 and 1949 by L.R. Shepherd and A.V. Cleaver. Beyond being a fairly complete survey of issues, methods and materials, this series was unclassified, finally making the topic available to the general public. The conclusion of the series was that nuclear power would be coming to the field of rocketry. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1952
Robert Bussard joined the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion program. Bussard commented that it was the first time he had ever witnessed a program that was three years behind the press clippings. General morale was low; the missile and rocket people understood and preferred chemicals, and the reactor people had no regard for the idea of flight. Bussard decided to write another survey, one with rigor as a major goal. He used data and analyses from existing chemical rockets, along with specifications for existing components. All calculations were based on what was known concerning nuclear reactors at that time.*C.B. Mills, a well-known reactor physicist, lent credibility to the paper, as did A.B. Longyear of Aerojet General Corporation. Most importantly, Bussard's paper did not limit itself to a specific payload or range, but rather surveyed several ranges and payload sizes. Bussard, Mills and Longyear concluded on a weight basis, nuclear rockets would be superior to chemical rockets for all but the smallest payloads, and that the margin of superiority increased as payloads and ranges increased. It also pointed out that the problem of corrosion by hot hydrogen on graphite would have to be solved, and discussed the use of protection by metallic carbides. The study was published in the classified Journal of Reactor Science and Technology in December 1953. Eugene Wigner*and*Jon von Neumann*at Princeton University read the paper and expressed interest to the U.S. Air Force and the*Atomic Energy Commission*Reactors Branch. The Air Force asked the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory*(LASL), the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory*to review the field and report their conclusions to the Nuclear Missiles Subcommittee of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board at its first meeting in Washington, D.C. in October 1954. The Condor Committee was formed at Los Alamos to consider possibilities for nuclear rocket propulsion. The group included Tom Gittings, Don McMillan, Phil Hammond, Phil Bendt, Lee Aamodt, George Bell, Jim Tuck and*Conrad Longmire*under the direction of Darol Froman, the directory of LASL's K-Division (power reactors). At the October meeting in Washington, a decision was made to study the problem for another six months. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory begins researching nuclear rocket systems and applications.
1953
Dwight David Eisenhower enters office as the 34th president of the United States of America, on Earth. It will be one of the many historical facts stored in the Enterprise's computer in 2248, when the Talosians sift the starship's computer for data.
Watson and Crick theorizes that DNA has a double helix-structure, based upon x-ray diffraction data.
1955
Herbert York of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory postulates a method for reducing the size of nuclear-core reactors considerably, thus allowing for the advancement of the NERVA I and NERVA II nuclear rocket engine systems of the coming decades.
February- Tom Gittings proposed to Bussard that they investigate the possibility of boosting the nuclear ICBM to high altitude using atmospheric air. The idea was modified later to use a first stage booster such as the*Navajo missile. It reduced the rocket mass by a factor of five.The results were sufficiently promising that Lab Director*Norris Bradbury*formed a new Nuclear Propulsion Division to carry out research and development on materials and new reactor design work, with*Raemer Schreiber*at its head.*Herbert Yorkestablished a similar division at Livermore. In June 1955, Bussard moved to Los Alamos and joined the Nuclear Propulsion Division. Project Rover had begun. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory initiates Project Rover, involving the Atomic Energy Commission and eventually NASA after 1958, with the entire project directly overseen and answerable to the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office after 1961.
An intensive period of study begins on the study and application of “gravity control and propulsion research” as a means of propulsion and other uses. These studies are known to have been conducted at least until 1974, when all apparent references to it cease within aeronautical and aerospace engineering circles.
1956
Stavos Keniclius joins the Hellenic Eugenics Society.
Stavos Keniclius is recruited by surviving members of Nazi Eugenics. Via his dealings with these expatriated scientists, Keniclius develops a number of concepts and ideas for eugenically-engineered enhancements, and late, the cloning of human tests subjects after the 1980s.
1957
04 October- Sputnik 1 becomes Earth's first artificial satellite. It has a profound affect on the world and enables Russia to take the lead in early space development. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
1958
29 July- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) federal agency is established in North America on Earth. Over the next century it will be responsible for many Earth spaceflights, including the Voyager series unmanned probes.
13 December- The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is established, initially created as a small expert unit within the Secretariat to assist the ad hoc Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space established by the General Assembly in its resolution 1348 (XIII) of 13 December 1958. In time, this office will be replaced by the Office of the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UNSPA) in 1972. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_for_Outer_Space_Affairs
1959
Noonien Singh, later to be known as Khan Noonien Singh, is born.
The first phase of Project Rover, Kiwi, is initiated. Named after the large flightless bird, it consisted of a series of non-flyable test nuclear engines, with primary focus on improving the technology of hydrogen-cooled reactors. Between 1959 and 1964, a total of eight reactors were built and tested. After conclusion of these experiments in 1964, further efforts were concentrated towards larger and more powerful Phoebus reactors. Kiwi was considered successful proof that nuclear rockets could be considered not only feasible but highly reliable and advantageous for space travel. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
1960
Earth-based radio telescopes are used to listen for evidence of radio signals from Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani as part of Project Ozma, one of Earth’s first attempts to search for extraterrestrial life.
1961
American President John F. Kennedy commits his nation to an ambitious program to land a human on Earth’s moon by the end of the decade.
The Space Nuclear Propulsion Office is established.
NASA's Marshal Spaceflight Center begin to use thermal nuclear rockets in their projected mission plans.
Vostok 1 carries the first man into space. The craft orbits for 108 minutes (one revolution) at an apogee of 176.3 km. This historic first keeps Russia in the lead in the 'space race'. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
The United States launches Mercury 3, a suborbital 15 minute flight in preparation for its first orbital mission next year. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
Cryogenics is developed to facilitate certain medical procedures including open-heart surgery. Cryogenic technology would be further developed and lead to the advent of Cryonics, a method of rapidly bringing the body of a subject to near absolute-zero conditions via negative ions and the introduction of Cordrazine into the body in minute quantities.
1962
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs becomes a unit within the Department of Political and Security Council Affairs when the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space meets for the first time. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Office_for_Outer_Space_Affairs )
1963
A Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is adopted on planet Earth. The agreement represents a significant early step toward the control of weapons of mass destruction. This treaty was discovered to be in violation after the “McKinley Rocket Base Incident” of 1968.
Vostok VI carries the first woman into space, staying aloft for 45 revolutions. Maneuvering the capsule she approaches to within 5 kilometers of the companion vessel Vostok V.
Phase Two of Project Rover, Phoebus, is initiated. The focus was placed on achieving more power than was possible with Kiwi units and maintaining the maximum power for ever longer duration. The work on Phoebus was started in 1963, with a total of 3 engines being built and tested between 1965 and 1968. Phoebus A-1 was tested on July 25, 1965, at Jackass Flats. A second test occurred three years later. Both tests were considered highly successful. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
Vostok VI carries the first woman into space, staying aloft for 45 revolutions. Maneuvering the capsule she approaches to within 5 kilometers of the companion vessel Vostok V. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology)
1965
The first 'space walk' is accomplished by Aleksei Leonov aboard the Voskhod II spacecraft. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
The accelerated United States space program has five successful Gemini missions this year. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology and historical accounts)
1968
(Point of Departure between times and events in our timeline and Star Trek. From this point on, all data and events presented here are the subject of an alternate timeline and are not open to interpretation against events which may transpire in our own continuum).
Heisen and Keniclius meet and strike up a tenuous partnership to advance the goals of eugenics and genetic engineering. The devise a set of goals which will permit the testing of live human subjects while skirting international laws forbidding such procedures. An agreement is struck with Heisen fronting the procurement of manpower, resources and equipment for the seven experimental compounds and Keniclius advancing the aims and goals of eugenics via the United Nations and other public-awareness mediums. It is never any mystery however that the two scientists have very different agendas and a point of divergence would be inevitable, but between 1968 and 1992, the detente works amicably for both.
NASA's request for $100 million to begin Phase B contractor studies of Earth-orbital space stations is granted. (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/mcdonnell-douglas-phase-b-12-man-space-station-1970/ )
Phase Three of Project Rover, Peewee, is initiated. It was small, easy to test, and well-sized for unmanned scientific interplanetary missions or small nuclear "tugs". (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Rover)
The McKinley Rocket Base Incident- USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), conducting historical research by order of the United Federation of Planets Star Fleet, intercepts an interstellar transport conducting Agent 147 “Gary Seven” to Earth. His original task was to sabotage the launch of a suborbital nuclear weapons platform by the United States of America in of itself a response to other nations having already launched similar platforms. At this time, the substantiating logic behind such launches was to maintain the balance of power and mutually-assured destruction in the event of a nuclear weapons exchange by any number of nations. Inadvertently, the Enterprise officers involved delayed Seven's operations as they were hesitant to commit to his assurances on the vital success of this operation. The device is launched and falls to Earth a short time later, but Enterprise officers had prevented Seven from completing the disarming process and the vehicle proceeded to landfall “hot” and armed. At a altitude of 104 miles, the vehicles was successfully detonated, and in the process gained the immediate attention of the entire globe.
This incident galvanizes global concerns about the direction of the 'space race' of the time; whether humanity was racing to space for the benefit of all, or for the sake of ensuring hastened destruction in a nuclear exchange.
The specified role and intent of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is called into question following the dissemination of the McKinley Rocket Base Incident of 1968. Many seated nations with the United Nations begin to question what role -if any- the United Nations can play in ensuring the end of the proliferation of nuclear arms in Earth orbit.
November- Robert Kennedy goes on to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency and win the election in November against Richard Nixon. (http://althistory.wikia.com/wiki/Robert_Kennedy_Survives)
In an historic first, the 3-man crew of Apollo 8 journeys around the moon, observing and photographing the natural satellite and viewing 'Earth rise'. (Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology)
1969
Robert Kennedy enters office as President of the United States of America. Among his many achievements while in office is to secure funding for NASA and contracted affiliates originally requested in FY 1966, ensuring the continuation of the orbital space lab/station, and Apollo-series manned lunar missions which paved the way for the continued development of space exploration beyond the lunar horizon.
The progressive withdrawal of American forces from the Brush Wars' zone of conflict is ordered on the authority of President Robert Kennedy, and ultimately completed in mid-1970.
The United Outer Space Initiative is signed by participatory signatories of the United Nations, opening an era of international cooperation unprecedented in Human history. The document is partially framed around the lessons learned from the “McKinley Rocket Base Incident”, which in of itself was an operation carried out by the United States in direct response to similar launches (or attempted launches) of nuclear missile platforms in orbit of Earth. The Initiative calls for the immediate deactivation of these platforms and the safe destruction of existing platforms. It also calls for the peaceful development of space and bodies contained within the Sol system, while appropriating provisions for the effective commercialization of said via entrepreneurship and the private business sector. The Initiative also calls for complete disclosure any and all discoveries made within the Sol system that might directly impact or harm the collective nations of Earth and it's citizens.
16 July- The first manned moon shot Apollo 11, consisting of three astronauts, is launched on Wednesday, 6 A.M. E.S.T. Humans first set foot on Earth's moon, Neil Armstrong being the first. It is the first of twelve successful landings on the Moon prior to the building of Base One. This is the start of Human manned interplanetary exploration. (Tomorrow is Yesterday (TOS))
November- Apollo 12 conducts landing and surface mission in the Oceanus Procellarum lunar lowlands.
1970
6 January- NASA announces the development of the orbital space shuttle Space Transportation System (STS). Program studies and development contract are awarded to North American Rockwell.
March- Apollo 13 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Fra Mauro highlands.
Based on existing research, development begins of the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA), a reusable nuclear thermal rocket booster for use in space (launched from Earth by a Saturn V). (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
Goran Heisen secures monetary and resource contributions from seven national governments. The authorities involved agree by contract to add mature trained genetically augmented students to their various armed forces units after completion of the fifteen-year study program.
DNA synthesis and genetic engineering are secretly conducted on human test materials. By 1974, the world at large is led to believe that the first successful test of genetic engineering was conducted on mice by 1974.
July- Apollo 14 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Crater Censorinus highlands.
November- Apollo 15 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Littrow volcanic area.
1971
April- Apollo 16 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Crater Tycho (Surveyor VII impact area).
September- Apollo 17 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Marius Hills volcanic domes.
1972
February- Apollo 18 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Schroter's Valley, riverlike channel-ways.
Goran Heisen garners direct financial support from governing bodies and commercial interests around the globe. These resources are distributed among the seven key compounds raising and training eugenically and genetically-engineered subjects.
Stavos Keniclius is appointed as Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Eugenics Research.
July- Apollo 19 conducts manned lunar landing and surface missions in the Hyginus Rille region-Linear Rille, crater area.
December- Astronauts of Apollo 20 discover what is now known to be a Slaver stasis box at the exact center of Crater Copernicus, which the mission had been sent to study. Gaining access to the stasis box with much difficulty, retro-engineering of it's only contents, a 'flying belt' would lead to a method of generating artificial gravity in space vessels (thus representing the final “key” to the revealed works of Nikola Tesla between 1937 and 1943) and facilities by 1984 after an intense period of study conducted by the nations of Earth. The artificial gravity breakthrough would also lead to a feasible Inertial Dampening system that would in time allow for greater vehicle velocities approaching .25c by 2018.
1973
Shaun Geoffrey Christopher is born around this time. In the 1990's he will be a Lieutenant in the U.S. Airforce. In the 21st Century, as a Colonel, he will lead the Earth-Saturn probe.
14 May- The first American space station, Skylab 1, is placed into orbit and inhabited by a series of three man crews. More Skylabs follow throughout the decade. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
NASA sends the first two probes in the Voyager program to Mars, more follow every other year throughout the 1970’s preparing the way for the manned Mars missions to follow. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
22 June- Skylab 2 orbital mission conducted.
28 July- Skylab 3 orbital mission conducted.
16 November- Skylab 4 orbital mission conducted.
Four years after the founding of the United Earth Space Probe Agency, copies of Nikola Tesla's Gravity Manipulation Apparatus along with detailed instructions for assembly are dispatched virtually simultaneously to scientific authorities in the United States, Soviet Union, China, India, United Kingdom, and Japan. The revealed works of Nikola Tesla overturn nearly a century of theoretical inquiry into the nature of gravity and it's supposed limitations.
1974
All documented studies on artificial gravity, gravity generation and related concepts suddenly cease across the board.
17 September- The first space shuttle orbiter Constitution (OV-101) is rolled out. This orbital test vehicle will conduct a number of successful glide-approach and landing tests that ultimately prove the space-worthiness of the design.
1975
The first humans venture into interplanetary space, as three astronauts fly past Venus and Mars. The crew photograph the planets and release probes as they fly by our neighboring worlds. A similar mission takes place in 1977. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1977
Building upon the Skylab experiences, the 12-man Space Station is launched into orbit by a Saturn V rocket. The nuclear-powered outpost is constantly expanded and upgraded over the next decade. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
The first modules of the Space Station are successfully inserted into Earth orbit. 24 hours after insertion, it's first 12-man crew arrives via the interim logistics vehicle Crew/Cargo Module (CCM).
Nuclear shuttles enter into service.
Deep space probe series' Voyager III-VI are launched during this period. Designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth, this series is charged with the mandate to “learn all that is learnable” and transmit that data back to it's creator.
1978
12 April- Space shuttle Enterprise (OV-102) is launched with a crew of 2, beginning the first of long successful string of STS missions in Low Earth Orbit. Enterprise is accompanied by sister-ships Challenger (OV-103), Discovery (OV-104), Atlantis (OV-105), and Endeavor (OV-106) between 1979 and 1988.
1979
The Space Station is declared fully operational.
1980
NASA in cooperation with NPO Energia complete its "low-cost definition studies". Ostensibly studying costs of combining and reducing space mission costs to an absolute minimum. In reality, this functioned as a "grey operations project" producing the first synthetic gravity field and other technology, the Unified Technology Project. This cooperative venture further demonstrates the wisdom and forsight of the United Outer Space Initiative.
Work commences on the Space Base, a giant space station to accommodate a crew of 100. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
The US-led international coalition in developing anti-gravity technology found on the moon in the 1970s, goes public finally with the announcement of the Douglas-Yakovlev Aerospace cooperative venture. This unprecedented event marks the beginning of true international cooperation in reaching for the common goal of moving humanity out into the stars.
The Heavy Transport Development Project is announced. By this time, a detailed understanding of synthetic gravity generation would allow for a limited artificial gravity field effect to be generated aboard a space vehicle of sufficient size and energy generation. The project called for the design of a suitable nuclear fission rocket design that only a decade earlier was deemed too risky and cost ineffective to be practical. This development project would lead to the design of the first DY transports.
1981
The Naturalist Movement is founded by Randolph Warren Green, and rapidly gains strength and influence in the political arena based on the false assumption that cloning had become commonplace and that, in time, the cloning procedure would eventually replace the natural-birth way of life. Randolph Green is the father of Phillip Green, who will lead a genocidal war against the perceived “clone threat” in 2034-35. Espousing "Genetic and Eugenic Cleansing" of Mankind. The Naturalist Movement (or Party) was formed initially in the United States. These zealous groups propagandized that both cloned and eugenics (specially-bred) humans be permanently disenfranchised. Naturally born humans would replace them in political power.
The Naturalist Movement included in their propaganda famous 20th Century "human wars" novels, including: "Slan", a telepathic world war postulated by A. E. van Vogt; "Time Enough for Love", part of Robert Heinlein's "Future History" series of novels (the novel told the biography of artificially-bred immortal Lazarus Long); and the "Shining Path" of bred-human superiority, written into Frank Herbert's "Dune Chronicles". These books, said the zealots, prophesied the downfall of "natural" humanity. In actuality, there were only about 30 cloned human beings known as of 2030, along with various in vitro and eugenics survivors. This did not sway the NM's propagandists. Also, there was rumored in new-age circles, of isolated "perfect" humans, supposed immortals that had been naturally produced by Earth's biosphere, in the tradition of "Saint Germaine," also known as the "Wandering Jew". However, this notion was discounted even by the Natural Party members as "wishful thinking".
12 November- NASA’s first manned Mars mission departs Earth orbit. The mission employs two identical 270 ft long spacecraft boosted by three Nuclear Shuttles. All the components were launched by Saturn Vs and assembled in orbit. Each ship has a crew of six (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1982
9 August- The Mars mission goes into orbit around the Red Planet. The first humans to walk on another planet descend in their Mars Excursion Module (illustrated below) to spend 30 to 60 days exploring. Their objectives include studying Martian geology, searching for life, and prospecting for resources for future Mars expeditions.(http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1983
28 February- The returning Mars expedition flies past Venus. Meanwhile the second Mars mission is preparing to leave Earth (it returns in 1985). (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
14 August- The first Mars mission arrives back in orbit around Earth. Fearing contamination by Martian organisms, the crews are quarantined in a space station until it is ruled safe for them to return home. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1986
Phillip Green is born to Randolph Warren and Michaela Green.
1986-1987
Third Mars mission takes place. (http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1988-1989
NASA’s fourth Mars mission establishes a 50-person Mars Base. Humanity is now an interplanetary species.(http://www.armaghplanet.com/blog/mars-by-85-nasas-alternative-history.html)
1990
Cryonics is developed as an outgrowth to cryogenics. Cordrazine is a key element in this technology that allows a body to be rapidly reduced to near- absolute zero temperatures without the dangers of cellular disruption.
Conjecture based on current scientific theory and differentiating cryonics from cryogenics
Cryogenic advances are made allowing for more practical applications of the technology in space travel. Improved power supplies and maintenance software greatly enhance their commercial value.
1992
The Eugenics Wars begin.
1993
March- The Eugenics "Supermen" seize power across Earth. The cadre of highly intelligent and physically powerful men and women led loyalist forces to take power in over forty nations throughout the "Third World", including Latin America, the Mediterranean Basin, Sub-Saharan Africa and in Central Asia. Certain nations of the former Eastern Bloc supplied arms and "humanitarian" materiel to Khan, Lee Kuan, Joaquin, Xian Ling, Macpherson, and many other Supermen.
1994
The United Nations is mandated to authorize the mobilization of it's peacekeeping forces to combat the eugenics supermen. With NATO and other allied forces systemically caught off-guard by the sudden seizure of forty nations, the world at large is forced to accept the possibility of the formation of a 'world army', a prospect the United Nations was never intended for. The United Nations Peace Forces begin a series of campaigns the world will later label as the "wars to end tyranny" with many academics and historians lauding it as a noble act.
During the Eugenics Wars, the UNAF faces off with terroristic and overt attacks by the Supermen, and by a coalition of "Copycats", including Middle Eastern and European terror groups.
Conflict flares in several regions, including Kashmir, the Arabian Peninsula, central Africa, and in Latin America. UNAF forces are joined by unilateral actions by national forces in several instances. Notably these forces include: the Swiss, the kwaZulu, the Free South Africans (including native-born Boer, British and Asian forces), the Tamil Tigers, the Australians and the Zapotecas (Mayan rebel forces). This period of the war continues for 18 months.
The published research of Miguel Alcubierre shifts the conception of faster-than-light travel from totally impossible to possible. At the University of Wales, his letter 'The warpdrive: hyper-fast travel within general relativity' is published.
1996
The Eugenics Wars comes to an end. After the sudden and mysterious disappearance of Khan and his fellow Supermen, their conventional and terrorist forces fall apart in the face of overwhelming force from the UN-led Allies.
The remnant of Khan's troops seeks sanctuary in Singapore. There they try to hold the population hostage, with thousands of innocents being held as human shields. Among these hostages are the parents of the future Colonel Edward Green. They, along with several thousand die in the final invasion and re-taking of the island nation.
June- Phillip Green, age 10, witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of eugenically-bred guerillas pillaging through the island of Singapore while fleeing the invasion of superior UN armed forces. Soon afterward he is adopted and raised by Edward Featherstone Green brother of the late Randolph Warren Green not long after the conclusion of the Third World War.
Captured in rural Canada, Dr. Stavos Keniclius, Earth's first cloned human, is found and arrested, charged with collusion in creating the Eugenic supermen, and in participating in human experimentation and crimes against humanity. Though claiming to be held as a scapegoat and being tried like Doctor Mudd in the Boothe trials. He is later found innocent of the experimentation charges (other than cloning himself), he is held responsible for Khan and his brethren. In a sentence reminiscent of that of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Keniclius is exiled, banned from the world community. He is held at a special prison constructed on Pitcairn Island.
Sources: Fandom Star Trek Chronology v17 (James Dixon), Star Trek: Khan (IDW Comics), Starfleet-Museum.org,
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Forgive my oversight. The gears were turning faster than common courtesy could govern.
