Author: Chris Snelgrove Published
What if this year was the end of the world as you know it? Sure, it sounds like crazy talk, but one of the greatest sci-fi series has long predicted that this year would be the start of World War III. This prophecy comes from us final The IP you expected to predict the end of the world: Star Trek!
Obviously, Star Trek is known for its optimistic depiction of a future in which most people don’t have to worry about modern problems like poverty, disease, and war. However, a major part of franchise lore is that things have to get extremely bad before they start to get better. It was only after surviving World War III, a catastrophic global conflict expected to break out in 2026, that humanity began working toward a bright future.
World War III started with one man
Fittingly, much of our knowledge of the World War III franchise comes from Star Trek: The Original Series. Classic shows like Bread and Circus and The Wild Curtain tell us that a man named Colonel Philip Green led a group of eco-terrorists in an attack that ultimately claimed the lives of 37 million people. He may actually have been the one to start the war, as it is mentioned in Curtain of Savagery that he “led” a genocidal war that was later identified as World War III.
Frustratingly, original series We are not told much more about Colonel Green, other than that he was notorious for striking enemies during ostensibly peaceful negotiations. after, Star Trek: Enterprise Clarified that he used his troops to kill those suffering from radiation sickness and other diseases that he considered “impurities.” He feared these traits would be passed on to his children, making Greene a distinctly Hitler-like figure, predicated on his obsession with eugenics.
And the Rockets’ red light
This is a fan favorite movie Star Trek: First Contact It specifies that World War III will begin in 2026, and the film also names one of the factions: the Eastern Alliance. of the first episode Star Trek: The Next Generation It was revealed that some different factions use drugs to control their soldiers. Discover and strange new world To be clear, it was not until 2053 that nuclear bombs were dropped on cities such as Richmond, Washington, New York, and Paris.
speaking of strange new worldthe show used interesting retcon to connect World War III to the first major conflict mentioned original series: The Eugenics Wars. Throughout Earth’s turbulent history, unscrupulous scientists began experimenting with selective breeding and gene editing, with the ultimate goal of creating a race of super soldiers. These soldiers were called “Enhanced” and their most famous member was Khan Noonien Singh, who would later fight many iconic battles against the equally legendary Captain James T. Kirk.
real khan job
Predictably, these augmented entities attempted to take over the world, seizing power in over 40 countries before being overthrown by humans. Most of the augments were tried and executed as war criminals, but Khan and dozens of his followers escaped on a sleeping sheep, and were later awakened from cryostasis by Captain Kirk. In the classic episode “Space Seed,” Spock alluded to the very specific fact that Star Trek spent decades Trying to escape: The eugenics wars lasted from 1992 to 1996.
Why does Trek keep avoiding these trivial matters? How does it relate to World War III? back Star Trek: The Next Generation After its publication in 1987, it became increasingly difficult for screenwriters (especially after the end of the Cold War) to imagine the 1990s as a period of major global upheaval. The best evidence is in Voyager They go back to 1996 (“The End of the Future”), and even though this was the last year of the Eugenics War, there’s no sign that America went through any A global conflict that has killed more than 30 million people.
burned by scouts
strange new world Solved this problem in a very unexpected way. “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow” reveals how the space-time war and various disruptive time travelers ultimately affected Khan’s personal timeline. Now, the Tyrant is born later in the timeline, but his rise to power is still inevitable: in Picard In the episode “The Farewell,” mad scientist Dr. Adam Song was last seen in 2024, examining a document called “Project Khan” (from 1996, no less).
This would put Khan on track to become a major player when World War III breaks out in 2026, but how do we know for sure if he’s involved? In the premiere episode of Strange New Worlds (“Strange New Worlds”), Captain Pike gives a speech to a group of aliens, mentioning how a major global conflict on Earth has gone by different names over the years. “We called it the Second Civil War, then the Eugenics War, and then finally just the Third World War.”
No place on earth is safe
Previously, in original series In the episode “Space Seed”, Spock claims (while admitting that records of the period are “fragmented”) that the Eugenics Wars just happened period World War III. Now, Pike retroactively claims that the Eugenics War and World War III were considered the same conflict. However, we do know that these different names may refer to different periods throughout the conflict.
This is because the first name given to the so-called global conflict was “Civil War II”; at this point, a presentation Pike showed to a group of aliens showed footage of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Put aside this weird politics as a creative decision (it’s Star Trek real Linking Khan and Donald Trump in the official canon? ! ? ), which gives us a rough timeline of events. The Second Civil War begins in early 2021, the Eugenic War begins sometime after 2024, and World War III breaks out in 2026.
2026: The end of the world as we know it
Hehe, this is this year! Now that Star Trek has predicted it’s the end of the world, you should probably take a moment to get your affairs in order. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you, make time for your own needs, and remove anything from your life that no longer sparks joy.
after the last episode starfleet academythis may include your Paramount+ subscription. Trust me: Even if the world doesn’t end in an apocalyptic disaster, you don’t need a streamer whose exclusive content feels like every biblical plague, all caught up in it!
