Stardate calculators

[Nike]

Let’s do some math.

We know for a fact that TNG takes place in the 24th century, but we don’t know the exact year. Logically it would have to take place no earlier than January 1, 2301. So if Data graduated Starfleet Academy in 2278, his posting to the Enterprise-D would have been at least 23 years after that. There’s no way that could be accurate. Data’s unfamiliarity with humans would be nonexistent after 23 years serving with them.

It makes more sense than 2378. It makes much more sense that he graduated in 2278 than that he wasn’t familiar with humans. So no definite date was established by the 78 remark.

And in later canon, he was discovered by a landing party from the USS Tripoli on Omicron Theta in 2338. He graduated in 2345. One of Data's first assignments after he graduated Starfleet Academy was aboard the USS Trieste. He spent three years as an ensign and twelve as a lieutenant before being promoted to lieutenant commander in 2360, so had 26 years familiarity by 2364. Even without the dates, it takes years to go to college and become a Lieutenant commander.

 

[Dukhat]

We only know that Data was discovered 26 years before “Datalore.” If he graduated Starfleet Academy in 2278, that would mean that he was discovered at least by 2274, if he went through four years at the Academy, and he started his first year immediately after being discovered (which is unlikely. It’s more likely that many years passed between Data’ discovery and his attendance at the Academy, and then even more years between his graduation and his posting to the Enterprise.) So that would place “Datalore” in the year 2300 or earlier, which doesn’t work if TNG takes place in the 24th century.

Well, Broken Bow took place in 2151, so absolutely TOS is in the 23rd century.

And in later canon, he was discovered by a landing party from the USS Tripoli on Omicron Theta in 2338. He graduated in 2345. One of Data's first assignments after he graduated Starfleet Academy was aboard the USS Trieste. He spent three years as an ensign and twelve as a lieutenant before being promoted to lieutenant commander in 2360, so had 26 years familiarity by 2364. Even without the dates, it takes years to go to college and become a Lieutenant commander.

We’re only discussing what was known by the end of the first season of TNG regarding what time period the show took place in. Data’s service was only established in later seasons once the 2364 date from TNZ was set in stone.

 

[Lord Garth]

Data's line was "Early Installment Weirdness", so I either ignore it or take it to mean he awkwardly meant something else and didn't phrase it right, like "Class of 78 in his division." It sounds stupid, but you have to improvise.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Data's line was "Early Installment Weirdness", so I either ignore it or take it to mean he awkwardly meant something else and didn't phrase it right...

Which is why it drives me NUTS that Data's "Class of '78" line is ignored, but McCoy's given age in EaF that puts him in his thirties during TOS is still somehow taken as gospel.

 

[Lord Garth]

Which is why it drives me NUTS that Data's "Class of '78" line is ignored, but McCoy's given age in EaF that puts him in his thirties during TOS is still somehow taken as gospel.

Obviously he meant McCoy was 137... in Omicron Theta years.

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I'm too lazy at the moment to pull out my 'The Making of Star Trek' book, but I know from a previous post of mine in the TOS forum about when was it established that TOS took place in the 23rd Century, I cited four examples from the book where Gene Roddenberry said that Star Trek was set in the 23rd Century, possibly the mid- to late-23rd. Seeing as the book was written and published in 1968 between the second and third seasons of TOS, Gene seems to have, by that point, set Star Trek approximately 300 years in the future.

 

[Nike]

I was thinking about making a stardate calculator for Lower Decks like I did for Discovery and Picard. Not to find 24th century stardates, but to resemble them in the 21st century. The difficulties are that:

• three years are in the 58000s;
• we don’t know what the next season will do;
• each season covered only a small range, rather than 1000 per year like other series.

I’m thinking that maybe each season is about 300 stardate units. I’m guessing that season 4 will be late summer, 2024, and may start around 59000.0. Is there a way to reconcile all these facts?

Season 1

• 57436.2 2020-08-06
• 57752.6 2020-09-17

Season 2

• 58001.2 2021-08-19
• 58130.6 2021-10-14

Season 3

• 58256.2 2022-08-25
• 58499.2 2022-10-27

Season 4

• 58724.3 2023-09-07
• 58934.9 2023-10-12

Update: I divised this formula: 1000(2023 - 1846 + d/365)/3;
Where d is elapsed days in year e.g. 328.765

 

[Nike]

We’re only discussing what was known by the end of the first season of TNG regarding what time period the show took place in.

Since when?

Data’s service was only established in later seasons once the 2364 date from TNZ was set in stone.

His service was established early during the first season, in Datalore.

 

[Finn]

I just think of a random number when I try to write a story.

 

[Nike]

I just think of a random number when I try to write a story.

• Stardate generator

 

[Finn]

785574.3

Here you go, I just thought of it randomly.


Okay, i'll stop here.

 

[BillJ]

Which is why it drives me NUTS that Data's "Class of '78" line is ignored, but McCoy's given age in EaF that puts him in his thirties during TOS is still somehow taken as gospel.

Math is the Federation’s greatest enemy.

 

[1001001]

 

[Dukhat]

Since when?

Since the conversation segued from stardate calculators to determining the calendar dates for Star Trek based on your erroneous statement that 2364 from "The Neutral Zone" was the first calendar date mentioned for dating TOS & TNG.

His service was established early during the first season, in Datalore.

So let's do some more math with that retconned 'class of '78' date:

LORE: Will I soon have a uniform like that, brother?

DATA: If you get one the way I did, Lore, it will mean four years at the Academy, another three as ensign, ten or twelve on varied space duty in the lieutenant grades.

So if Data had four years at the Academy (2374 to 2378), three as ensign (2381), and ten or twelve as lieutenant (2391 or 2393), that's 17 to 19 years of service before joining the Enterprise. If he was found 26 years before "Datalore," that would mean that 7 to 9 years passed between Data being found and him joining the Academy in 2374. That would put his found date at 2365 to 2367. That puts "Datalore" at 2391 to 2393, which would work since it takes place in the 24th century, but would put the date for TOS at 2313 to 2315, which is also the 24th century. Conversely, if he actually graduated in 2278 as was stated by someone earlier, then that puts "Datalore" at 2291 to 2293, which doesn't work because it's still the 23rd century.

 

[Nike]

Since the conversation segued from stardate calculators to determining the calendar dates for Star Trek based on your erroneous statement that 2364 from "The Neutral Zone" was the first calendar date mentioned for dating TOS & TNG.



So let's do some more math with that retconned 'class of '78' date:



So if Data had four years at the Academy (2374 to 2378), three as ensign (2381), and ten or twelve as lieutenant (2391 or 2393), that's 17 to 19 years of service before joining the Enterprise. If he was found 26 years before "Datalore," that would mean that 7 to 9 years passed between Data being found and him joining the Academy in 2374. That would put his found date at 2365 to 2367. That puts "Datalore" at 2391 to 2393, which would work since it takes place in the 24th century, but would put the date for TOS at 2313 to 2315, which is also the 24th century. Conversely, if he actually graduated in 2278 as was stated by someone earlier, then that puts "Datalore" at 2291 to 2293, which doesn't work because it's still the 23rd century.

“78” is not a definitive date.

It was definitely not a date for any actual episode, but an historical event.

2378 is impossible to reconcile with any actual dates.

It is useless for calculating calendar dates, stardates, or anything else. Which is what we’re actually still talking about. Like,

    var stardate = (Now.getTime() - new Date(1987,6,15).getTime())/31557600 + 41000;

So, why are you obsessed with it?

 

[BillJ]

“78” is not a definitive date.

2378 is impossible to reconcile with any actual dates.

It is useless for calculating calendar dates, stardates, or anything else. Which is what we’re talking about.

So, why are you obsessed with it?

Because we know in the real world what "class of '78" means. So without some in episode modifier, we're left with either its real world meaning or we have to make something up.

 

[Nike]

Because we know in the real world what "class of '78" means. So without some in episode modifier, we're left with either its real world meaning or we have to make something up.

It’s all made up.

 

[BillJ]

It’s all made up.

Yes.Yes, it is. But, without some in-universe explanation, people are going to fall back to real world meaning.

 

[Dukhat]

“78” is not a definitive date.

It was definitely not a date for any actual episode, but an historical event.

2378 is impossible to reconcile with any actual dates.

It is useless for calculating calendar dates, stardates, or anything else. Which is what we’re actually still talking about. Like,

    var stardate = (Now.getTime() - new Date(1987,6,15).getTime())/31557600 + 41000;

So, why are you obsessed with it?

Why are you obsessed with saying that the 2364 date from TNZ is the first instance of calendar dating in Star Trek to determine what time period these shows take place in, when it wasn’t? I explained how one could determine when TNG took place by extrapolating that ‘78 date with Data’s service record. Yes it was retconned later, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was the first instance of a calendar date that could be used to figure out dating in the Trek universe.

 

[Tuskin38]

I was thinking about making a stardate calculator for Lower Decks like I did for Discovery and Picard. Not to find 24th century stardates, but to resemble them in the 21st century. The difficulties are that:

• two years are both in the 58000s;
• there was no 2023 season;
• we don’t know what the next season will do;
• each season covered only a small range, rather than 1000 per year like other series.

I’m thinking that maybe each season is about 250 stardate units. I’m guessing that season 4 will be around summer, 2024, and may start around 58500.0. Is there a way to reconcile all these facts?

Every 26 episodes of Lower Decks is roughly one year in-universe.

It's a meta reference to most TNG seasons having 26 episodes.

Episode 1 was January 1st 2380, Stardate 57436.2, Episode 26 (S3E6) was Stardate 58456.2