Pre-22nd Century

The Preservers are likely the first sentient species of the Milky Way Galaxy

Pre 22nd Century describes the time before the Earth year 2101. This time period includes important events from the beginning of the universe to the rise and decline of ancient civilizations in the Milky Way, to the first steps into space by most contemporary powers of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.

Timeline

Distant Past

4,600,000,000+ years ago

The Guardian of Forever, who claims to be older than Sol

• The Guardian of Forever is constructed by an unknown civilization.

4,500,000,000 years ago

• Thousands of worlds in the Milky Way are seeded with humanoid life by the Preservers, the oldest known sentient species in the galaxy

20,000,000 years ago

• The oldest historic records of the Voth date back to this time period, then already in the Delta Quadrant. However, their origin likely lies on Earth dating back several million years earlier.

600,000 years ago

• The Tkon Empire rises and falls, spanning hundreds of worlds in the Milky Way at its apex, among them the Tephrei System

200,000 years ago

An Iconian city floating over the surface of Iconia

An ancient recording on New Romulus, depicting an Iconian and two Dewans in front of an Iconian gateway

• Although they are few in number, by this time, the Iconians maintain an advanced galactic civilization with the help of their Heralds and gateway-technology. While regarding other species, e.g., the Dinasians and Iccobar, as "lesser", they peacefully explore the galaxy and record their knowledge into a central archive called World Heart.
• An alliance of envious species forms, who attack the Iconian homeworld and colonies in order to gain access to the superior technology. Although twelve Iconian survivors can flee to Dewa III, the World Heart will remain lost until 2410.
• As Dewa III had been the first world obliterated, the Iconians soon leave, thereby abandoning the remaining indigenous population, who was loyally serving their masters until then.
• The Solanae build a Dyson Sphere for the Iconians. It is, however, rendered inhospitable by a large-scale industrial accident upon its activation, which changes the molecular structure of the Solanae, forcing them to retreat into subspace. The Iconians soon disappear from records and become a myth.

150,000 years ago

The ruins on New Romulus are built by the ancient Dewans.

• Having recuperated from the orbital bombardment and having established a civilization of their own, the Dewans of Dewa III are about to explore their own solar system, but abandon their space program, focusing on re-activating their Iconian gateway instead
• As the gateway is activated, Dewa III is rendered inhospitable by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
• The last Dewans die in caves, deep under the surface of their homeworld

10,000 years ago

• The first Orb appears on Bajor
• The Ferengi Alliance forms

3,000 years ago

• The original monastery on P'Jem is founded
• The Caretaker starts providing for the Ocampa after their homeworld is turned into a desert wasteland by Nacene explorers

2,000 years ago

• The Founders of the Dominion seek new servant races by genetically altering the Vorta and certain Klingons. The later are intended as a soldier caste and become known as the Fek'Ihri. However, the Dominion loses control over them, and eventually the Jem'Hadar become their front line soldiers instead.

1st to 20th Century

4th Century

The Sword of the Raptor Star (here being studied in 2409) was forged in the 4th century

• On Vulcan, the Time of Awakening occurs, referenced to as "the Sundering" by later Romulans: Being eventually driven off the planet, "Those who march beneath the Raptor's wings" fight a terrible civil war against those Vulcans who follow Surak's teachings by embracing logic.
• Surak's followers eventually defeat the other Vulcans and cast them out. Using huge generational ships and having taken along revered artifacts e.g., the Sword of the Raptor Star, the outcasts temporarily settle on Dewa III before moving on and finally reaching Romulus.

9th Century

Molor, as he would later appear in Gre'thor

• Kahless the Unforgettable defeats Molor and the Fek'Ihri, uniting the Klingon people for the first time. At the end of his life, Kahless points to Boreth and tells his followers to look for him there.

14th Century

• The Hur'q, an insectoid species from the Gamma Quadrant, sack Qo'noS, stealing the Sword of Kahless in the process.

15th century

• The Turei lead an alliance of Delta Quadrant species against the vast Vaadwaur Supremacy and bomb their homeworld into a dead rock. They subsequently take control of the Underspace.

17th century

• On Ferasa, a eugenics program aimed at creating Augments and involving Ferasan Nepeta Leaves as psychotropic triggers leads to a split of the indigenous civilization. While the augmented Ferasans prevail, the non-augmented Caitians retreat to a new homeworld outside Ferasan space. (Assignment chain: Caitian Diaspora)

20th Century

• Humanity begins the exploration of the Sol System, including Luna and Mars

21st Century

2032

• Manned missions to Mars are conducted by humans by this time

2063

The Phoenix in Earth orbit

• The first (unofficial) contact between the Borg and humans occurs, due to a timeline incursion by the Collective
• On Earth, Zefram Cochrane builds and tests the first Human warp drive with the Phoenix
• After the flight of the Phoenix caught the attention of a Vulcan survey ship, official First Contact occurs between Vulcans and Humans

External Link

• Distant past on Memory Alpha