# What are some of the passed Sci-Fi dates? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354 "2004-07-03T06:21:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/1 "2004-07-03T06:21:21Z")
Being a fare bit past the _ **YEAR 2000!** _ I just know that there must have been a ton of dates in science fiction that have now become out-of-date. Most notable, _2001: A Space Odyssey_, still no mission to Jupiter, and no self-aware machines. I know that there have been a bunch in the _Star Trek_ universe, stuff like that Kahn (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHNNNNNN!!!) was supposed to have conquered a fourth of humanity by something like 1994. Can you guys remember any other dates from famous sci-fi that was written when the year 2000 was still many decades off? NOTE: I am not talking about predictions here. Nothing about how some scientist said we would all have robot butlers by now, I mean stuff like a story that says that WW3 ended in 1987. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/2 "2004-07-03T06:48:12Z")
The events that set off **12 Monkeys** were supposed to occur about three months after the film was released- or was it _all in his mind?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/3 "2004-07-03T06:58:10Z")
The movie _Just Imagine_, released in 1930, was set in the flying car, video phone, advanced civilization on Mars world of the year 1980. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/4 "2004-07-03T07:06:34Z")
Heinlein’s _The Door Into Summer_ started off in 1970, at which time the Nuclear War had already been fought, and he slept through to 2000, by which time cheap transmutation of gold had been developed (1987 I think was the date for that). And “Robbie”, the first of Asimov’s robot stories, was set in 1999. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/5 "2004-07-03T07:24:47Z")
In the George Pal version of Time Machine, the apocalypse happened in 1966. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/6 "2004-07-03T07:25:11Z")
The UK version of _Mad Max_ said “in 1995” instead of “in the not-too-distant future”. No motorcycle gangs killing random strangers, no squelchingly fast cop cars… ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/7 "2004-07-03T07:25:14Z")
Escape from New York took place in 1997. 1984 occured in the year…never mind. Marc ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/8 "2004-07-03T08:05:32Z")
> [@Really Not All That Bright](#): > > The UK version of _Mad Max_ said “in 1995” instead of “in the not-too-distant future”. > > No motorcycle gangs killing random strangers, no squelchingly fast cop cars… What 1995 were you living in? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/9 "2004-07-03T08:11:05Z")
Not exactly “passed,” but for near-future predictions, the Decepticons are supposed to attack Autobot City and kill Optimus Prime in 2005. 😃 (Don’t worry, he gets better. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Ross](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@Ross](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ross)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/10 "2004-07-03T12:49:33Z")
_Strange Days_ was set at… the turn of the millennium, I think. It was very odd watching it recently to hear the guy on the phone in radio show talking about “2K”, and the DJ, mere days or hours from New Year’s Eve, getting him to explain what he meant. I think the film was released before the Y2K problem though. _Viz_ magazine once ran a very funny piece about how the government was issuing an official apology for everything futuristic not being properly in place by the year 2000. Cities on the moon, etc. The new official date for all that stuff was declared to be 2020. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/11 "2004-07-03T13:01:39Z")
“The Apple” (1980) was set in 1994. Moonbase Alpha (“Space 1999” (1975) went out of orbit (along with the moon) on September 13, 1999. “UFO” (1970) was set in 1980. The Jupiter II spaceship in “Lost in Space” (1965) took off in September 1997. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/12 "2004-07-03T13:12:03Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > The Jupiter II spaceship in “Lost in Space” (1965) took off in September 1997. October 16, 1997 ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/13 "2004-07-03T14:06:08Z")
> [@Muad'Dib](#): > > Most notable, _2001: A Space Odyssey_, still no mission to Jupiter, and no self-aware machines. We’d better get cracking before 2010 rolls around. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/14 "2004-07-03T14:17:00Z")
Not a movie or a television show, but in 1969, the 101 Strings Orchestra recorded its _Astro Sounds from the Year 2000_. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/15 "2004-07-03T14:30:39Z")
August 1997 was when the world changed in the Terminator movies, right? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/16 "2004-07-03T16:35:36Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > August 1997 was when the world changed in the Terminator movies, right? Yep. August 29, I believe. I don’t remember exactly off the top of my head. Actually, that date is how you access one of the easter eggs on the T2 DVD. Punching in the date Skynet takes over gets you the movie branching into the original ending. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/17 "2004-07-03T16:59:35Z")
> [@](#): > > “UFO” (1970) was set in 1980. Aw, I was going to post that one! ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/18 "2004-07-03T17:14:11Z")
In the cartoon **Thundarr the Barbarian** , the runaway meteor/comet that causes the destruction of civilization as we know it took place in 1994. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/19 "2004-07-03T18:27:48Z")
According to _Contact_, a proto-civilization created a galactic (and maybe even intergalactic) network of wormholes billions of years ago…they also embedded some information into the value of pi, if I remember correctly, which would take us back to the Big Bang… ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354/20 "2004-07-03T18:49:42Z")
At some point during the 1980s, a rogue virus wiped out all dogs and cats of the planet; monkeys and apes replaced them as the pets of choice. 1994 was the year the sapient chimpanzee Caesar led a revolt against humanity by their ape pets and slaves – the pivotal event that led to Earth becoming known as the Planet Of The Apes. Within a few years, a nuclear war had occurred, and all the apes had miraculously learned to talk… (source: _Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes_, 1972) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-of-the-passed-sci-fi-dates/253354.md?page=2)