The events of the Rimward Frontier campaign along with its away missions take place in a very specific part of the galaxy during the years 2266 CE and following. The term ‘stardate’ is used to refer to the date of each episode.

The History of Stardates

The following excerpt from Star Trek Guide (April 17, 1967, p. 25) instructs writers for the original Star Trek TV series on how to select stardates for their scripts:

We invented “Stardate” to avoid continually mentioning Star Trek’s century (actually, about two hundred years from now), and getting into arguments about whether this or that would have developed by then. Pick any combination of four numbers plus a percentage point, use it as your story’s stardate. For example, 1313.5 is twelve o’clock noon of one day and 1314.5 would be noon of the next day. Each percentage point is roughly equivalent to one-tenth of one day. The progression of stardates in your script should remain constant but don’t worry about whether or not there is a progression from other scripts. Stardates are a mathematical formula which varies depending on location in the galaxy, velocity of travel, and other factors, can vary widely from episode to episode. (source)

A chronometer in 2266.

A chronometer in 2266.

Star Trek: Discovery — 10 Years Prior

The pilot of Star Trek: Discovery takes place on stardate 1207.3, which is stated precisely to be Sunday, May 11, 2256. Our campaign takes place ten years after Discovery in 2266 (I made up a Stardate on the fly so our first Stardate –1253.01 — is a bit out of sync with this timeline).

Pronunciation

Here’s how you pronounce stardates:

In the various TV series, four-digit stardates have been read out in groups of two digits as well as digit-by-digit, whereas only the latter pronunciation has been used with five-digit stardates. For example, stardate 1312.4 can be pronounced “thirteen-twelve point four” as well as “one-three-one-two point four”, but stardate 43989.1 is pronounced “four-three-nine-eight-nine point one”

The official timeline[5] places the original series between the years 2265 and 2269, with the second pilot beginning on stardate 1312.4 and the last-produced episode on stardate 5928.5. (Source)

Timeline (Earth Dating)

23rd Century

  • 2256
    • The events of Star Trek: Discovery
  • 2265
    • The events of “Where No Man Has Gone Before”.
  • 2266–2269
    • The events of Star Trek: The Original Series.
    • The events of the Star Trek: Vanguard actual play campaign using Star Trek Adventures.
  • 2269–2270
    • The events of Star Trek: The Animated Series take place.
  • 2270
    • The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) returns from its five-year mission under the command of Captain James T. Kirk and enters major refit while Kirk is promoted to Admiral at Starfleet Command.

24th Century

  • 2364–2370
    • The events of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
  • 2369–2375
    • The events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
  • 2371–2378
    • The events of Star Trek: Voyager.

See the full Star Trek canon timeline.

Stardates in Star Trek: Vanguard

The seasons will cover the timespan of A.D. 2266-2269.

Season # + (Sequential Random #) + “.” + Two Digit Episode #.

So the first digit is the season number, and the two digits after the decimal is the episode number, and the rest are sequential random numbers.

Stardates for Season 1

Here’s a pregenerated list of Stardates we’ll be using.

1253.01
1270.02
1274.03
1278.04
1282.05
1286.06
1290.07
1294.08
1298.09
1302.10
1306.11
1310.12
1314.13
1318.14
1322.15
1326.16
1330.17
1334.18
1338.19
1342.20
1346.21
1350.22
1354.23
1358.24
1362.25
1366.26
1370.27
1374.28
1378.29
1382.30
1386.31
1390.32
1394.33
1398.34
1402.35
1406.36
1410.37
1414.38
1418.39
1422.40
1426.41
1430.42
1434.43
1438.44
1442.45
1446.46
1450.47
1454.48
1458.49
1462.50
1466.51
1470.52
1474.53
1478.54
1482.55
1486.56
1490.57
1494.58
1498.59
1502.60
1506.61
1510.62
1514.63
1518.64
1522.65
1526.66
1530.67
1534.68
1538.69
1542.70
1546.71
1550.72
1554.73
1558.74
1562.75
1566.76
1570.77
1574.78
1578.79
1582.80
1586.81
1590.82
1594.83
1598.84
1602.85
1606.86
1610.87
1614.88
1618.89
1622.90
1626.91
1630.92
1634.93
1638.94
1642.95
1646.96
1650.97
1654.98
1658.99
1662.10

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