23rd century

The 23rd century (Gregorian Calendar) comprises the years 2201-2300.

Astronomical predictions for the 23rd century

• In the early 23rd century Pluto will switch ranking with Neptune and temporarily, for about 20 years, will become the 8th planet from the Sun. The last time this has occurred is from 1979-1999.
• Based upon current orbital measurements which gives it a period of 286 Earth years, in 2288, the planetoid 50000 Quaoar will have completed one orbit of the Sun since its discovery in 2002. Similarly, the year 2252 will mark a full orbital cycle since the 2004 discovery of the planetoid 90482 Orcus, which as of 2004 had a calculated period of just under 248 Earth years.
• 2221: Triple conjunction between Mars and Saturn
• Friday, February 22, 2222: At 02:22:22, the date will read something like: 2222-2-22 2:22:22. In places and watches using the 24h format, 2222-2-22 22:22:22 will also be a possibility.
• December 2, 2223: At 12:32 UTC Mars will occult Jupiter
• 2238/2239: Triple conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn (last triple conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn was in 1981)
• August 12, 2243: At 04:52 UTC, Venus will occult Saturn
• June 11, 2247: Transit of Venus
• March 4, 2251: At 10:52 UTC, Venus will occult Uranus
• August 1, 2253: Mercury occults Regulus (last occultation of Regulus by Mercury was on August 13, 364 BC)
• June 9, 2255: Transit of Venus
• 2279: Triple conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn
• October 6, 2271: Close conjunction between Venus and Regulus, perhaps occultation of Regulus by Venus
• 2281, 2282: Grand Trine of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The last time this occurred was 1769, 1770.
• Sunday, August 28, 2287: The distance between Mars and Earth closes toward its minimum, the closest approach of the two planets since Wednesday, August 27, 2003.

Millennial Anniversaries

• 2209: The foundation of Cambridge University in 1209.
• 2215: The signing of Magna Carta in 1215, the milestone document establishing the principle that Justice should neither be sold nor denied to anyone.
• 2291: The formation of the Swiss Confederation in 1291.
• 2291: Independence of San Marino, 1291.
• 2291: The Fall of Akko or Acre, marking the effective end of the Crusades, in 1291.

Quincentennials

The 23rd century will see some very important quincentennials, or 500th anniversaries. These will include:

• 2250: Passing away of Johann Sebastian Bach.
• 2256: Birth of Wolfgang Mozart.
• 2276: American Independence.
• 2288: European landings in Australia.
• 2289: The French Revolution.
• 2291: Enactment of the Bill of Rights and passing away of Wolfgang Mozart.

Religious Predictions

According to the Talmud, the world will end in the year 2240.

If the Jewish account of Creation is true and the world was created in 3761 BC, it will have been 6,000 years since then in 2239. Some people believe this is when the world will end.

Science fiction set in the 23rd century

Literature

• The Fortunate Fall, a novel by Raphael Carter
• The Glass Bead Game, a novel by Hermann Hesse
• Satellite Night trilogy, by Nick Pollotta

Television and film

Star Trek

• James Tiberius Kirk, born on March 22, 2233.
• Star Trek: The Original Series (pilots circa 2254 and 2265, series circa 2266-2269)
• Star Trek: The Animated Series
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (circa 2271-2272, two-and-a-half years after the end of the series)
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (circa 2285)
• Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (circa 2285)
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (circa 2286)
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (circa 2287)
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (circa 2293)
• Star Trek: Generations (opening circa 2293, seventy eight years before 2371)

Other television and film

• Forbidden Planet set in 2257
• Futurama in the 2200s, Zoidberg's race, the Decapodians, first arrived on Earth, later causing the extinction of the anchovy.
• The Fifth Element (2263, the beginning is set in 1914, then shifts to "300 years later;" background props give the exact year).
• Logan's Run (the movie)
• Red Dwarf (before the accident) in which Lister states that he is "an enlightened 23rd century man" (yet earlier episodes said 21st century). Though for the most part, it is set 3 million years later.
• Zardoz, a movie set in a post-apocalyptic 2293 A.C.
• Babylon 5, a TV-series set in the mid 23rd century.
• F-Zero: GP Legend, a videogame and TV-series is set in the year 2201.

Games

Computer Games

• In Starcraft, the United Powers League is said to take control of Earth on November 22, 2229.
• Aliens vs. Predator 2, a computer game, is set between November, 2230 and January 7, 2231.
• Fallout 2, a computer game, set in 2241.
• In Einhänder the Earth and Moon are at war, the events of the game transpiring sometime in 2245.
• Independence War (aka I-War), a large-scale spacecraft game is set in 2268.
• Starship Troopers is placed in the 23rd Century, as said by Paul Verhoeven in the Director's commentary.
• Freelancer 's introduction takes place in the 23rd century.
• Unreal II is set around 2251.

Arcade and console games

• Raystorm, a.k.a. Layer Section 2, takes place in the 23rd century, including a stage in August 5 2219 among others.
• Chrono Trigger, one of the time periods of this game is set in the year 2300, where the Earth is a post-apocalyptic, barren wasteland.
• Mega Man X: Command Mission takes place sometime after 2202, officially in 22XX.

Other Games

• Risk 2210 A.D. is a variant of the board game Risk that takes place in the year 2210.

External links

• 23rd century at Memory Alpha