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I was having an interesting discussion yesterday with friends when we noticed that not only Blade Runner, but also the Running Man and Akira were "predicted" to be happening in the far distant future of 2019. I was curious as to which other films/major TV shows were set around this time (obviously the big mainstream one was Back the Future 2 in 2015). A quick Google didn't present me with a handy list so I thought I'd throw open the challenge to the Geek Media forum to build a 'timeline' of events that could indeed be happening right now (and maybe in the last and next 10 years) if things had turned out differently.

When there's enough to go on I'll collate the events and we'll see how it compares to reality!

We're in a losing war with the machines, maybe (add Terminator timeline to taste).
We have big space stations, moonbases and have advanced AI, that might go on a psychotic murder spree (2001: A Space Odyssey). We're also aware of ancient, intelligent alien life.
Oh - those moonbases - forget it. The moon was blasted out of Earth orbit after a nuclear explosion (Space 1999) [note to self - don't use the moon for dumping nuclear waste].
Jupiter is now a second sun (woo-hoo, more solar energy) and the above alien life are pretty much space gods, and when they say 'don't touch', you don't (2010).
Of course, none of this may be true, because we're living in a giant computer simulation (The Matrix). But I can't tell you about that - you have to see it for yourself.

Videogames probably have the best ones. In Crystalis, the world ended in 1997 for example.

I'm pretty sure Geostorm is scheduled for this year.

The SDF-1 crashed into Earth in 1999 and launches in 2009, kikcing off the Human- Zentraedi war.

So, all the events in Robotech are now history for us.

 Easy E wrote:
The SDF-1 crashed into Earth in 1999 and launches in 2009, kikcing off the Human- Zentraedi war.

So, all the events in Robotech are now history for us.

The First Robotech War, anyway. I think we're still a few years away from the Armies of the Southern Cross, the Robotech Expeditionary Force, and the Second Robotech War. Dayna Sterling's got a few more years growing up to do...

There was no Robotech after the Zentraedi War and Reconstruction Blues......

 Easy E wrote:
There was no Robotech after the Zentraedi War and Reconstruction Blues......

So a big fan of Macross, but not so much Southern Cross or MOSPEDA, eh?

I'll grant you the first chapter was the best, but the other two have their appeals as well - at least, in my opinion.

Well, according to Star Trek the Eugenics Wars ended in 1996 with the exile (into space) of Khan Noonien Singh and his superhuman followers.

The original GW Dark Future game and novels were published in 1988-1990 and set in 1999. The Black Flame reprints moved that on to 2025, which is creeping up quickly too.

Future Chief Judge Eustace Fargo is probably entering Harvard Law school about now (born 1,999. Becomes a US special prosecutor in 2027, so probably enters Harvard Law earlier than average).

Other films set in 2019 are Daybreakers (vampires have taken over the world), The Road (everything is dying), The Running Man and the TV series Dark Angel. I may be skirting the politics thread here, but no matter your opinion, I think we can agree that things aren't as bad as either of those latter two yet.

We've got until November to uncover an Eldon Tyrell and get his replicants into production before they can stage an off-world coup and get back to this dirtball.

is CP2020 too obvious a call here?... think Talsorian moved it to 2030 to give it more legs?

in Shadowrun -

2018 was a pretty good year Most of western North America is ceded to the NAN.

2021 Goblinization
Without warning, ten percent of the world's population suddenly mutates. The process then occurs in in utero children. The media calls this transformation "Goblinization."

lots to look forward too

 Vulcan wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
There was no Robotech after the Zentraedi War and Reconstruction Blues......

So a big fan of Macross, but not so much Southern Cross or MOSPEDA, eh?

I'll grant you the first chapter was the best, but the other two have their appeals as well - at least, in my opinion.

I was just being silly. I actually like them all!