Talk:List of stories set in a future now in the past

Listified
See here -Justin (koavf)❤T☮C☺M☯ 06:07, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

Upcoming Additions

 * Southland Tales: Can be added 5th July 2008 Duggy 1138 (talk) 07:24, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Here's a couple decades of upcoming work, at least for films. Redlinks will in time become functioning categories, assuming these aren't renamed:

Category:Films set in 2018

Category:Films set in 2019

Category:Films set in 2020

Category:Films set in 2021

Category:Films set in 2022

Category:Films set in 2023

Category:Films set in 2024

Category:Films set in 2025

Category:Films set in 2026

Category:Films set in 2027

Category:Films set in 2028

Category:Films set in 2029 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.254.87.189 (talk) 21:34, 20 December 2011 (UTC)

as far as "films set in 2019", As soon as its the year 2020 we can Include Blade Runner that film was set In November or December 2019. Its October of 2019 now. 2600:1700:9EF0:56E0:84AA:1F89:7E4F:B53A (talk) 22:29, 10 October 2019 (UTC)

Astro Boy
Since 2013 has not yet come to pass, it should be removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.49.62.254 (talk) 19:21, 7 November 2011 (UTC)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Why is Batman: The Dark Knight Returns included if we don't know what year it takes places? It's not even clear that it's meant to take place in the future from when it was written (given that the president in the story looks almost exactly like Ronald Regan). I would like to suggest that it be removed Webster100 (talk) 23:42, 5 October 2013 (UTC)
 * It's been some time without any response, so I went ahead and removed it. Please let me know if there are any concerns. Webster100 (talk) 17:35, 22 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Yeah, long time. Nice to see you're still active on this article. Lightspeed2012  05:24, 23 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Many of the superhero stories such as Marvel Cinematic Universe are more like alternative histories or a contemporary setting, so they shouldn't really count. AngusWOOF  ( bark  •  sniff ) 18:08, 12 June 2018 (UTC)

Exclude epilogues
There are many contemporary stories where the epilogue is set some time later (usually several months to several years). As that isn't the primary setting of the story, this shouldn't count towards the list. AngusWOOF ( bark  •  sniff ) 17:40, 10 January 2017 (UTC)
 * You've gone way further than that. Every episode of Buck Rogers mentions the 1987 date. Every episode of Quantum Leap is set in 1999- he's just experiencing past lives. How are the Terminator movies alternate history? They're set in the future by the time of their release. And how are you defining the future as contemporary? And why exclude times based on length? How much of a work would need to be set in a time to warrant inclusion?  Serendi pod  ous  05:46, 11 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Well if you want to put back Buck Rogers for the 1987 launch, that's fine. But the question is whether it spends any time in 1987 or it's only mentioned in passing? As for Quantum Leap being set in 1999, whether he's actually time traveling or it's all in his head was left open-ended at the time of most of the episodes. I can put those two back. See my talk page for other examples. AngusWOOF  ( bark  •  sniff ) 07:17, 11 January 2017 (UTC)
 * I put back Terminator 2 as 1991 to 1995 is an appropriate gap. Terminator 3 is set in July 23, 2003. The movie was released in July 2, 2003. That's considered contemporary so that shouldn't count. AngusWOOF ( bark  •  sniff ) 07:30, 11 January 2017 (UTC)
 * I beg to differ. Epilogues are part of the story. – Illegitimate Barrister (talk • contribs), 08:54, 15 April 2019 (UTC)
 * If we take that line, then Harry Potter should be on here. Epilogue set in 2017, last book published 2007. :) Double sharp (talk) 08:41, 30 September 2021 (UTC)

AFD for fiction by year lists
Please see Articles for deletion/List of works of fiction set in 2029 for an ongoing discussion concerning these lists. AngusWOOF ( bark  •  sniff ) 16:40, 11 January 2017 (UTC)

predicting 2017 in 2017
Should entries set for 2017 be listed here? It's only two weeks into January. Or should it wait until the entire year (or the specific day/month) has passed? AngusWOOF ( bark  •  sniff ) 02:41, 17 January 2017 (UTC)
 * Standard practice when future dates become present dates is to move them off of future timelines. Since the chances of those events coming true during said window are relatively minor, it's not that big an issue.  Serendi pod ous  03:05, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

Notes?
'Notes' is an insufficiently unambiguous title for the fifth column. Anyone skimming the article will come across statements in this column which they understand are true (in real history) whereas what is largely being referred to is events that take place within a particular film and which may, or more likely may not, correspond to actual history. So since some notes are reflections of actual history and some are not - we could do with clarity as to which are which. cheers Geopersona (talk) 08:56, 28 February 2019 (UTC)

Time Gate
Time Gate is a book by John Jakes, written in 1978. I have read it.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1887079.Time_Gate
 * That's as may be, but if it has no Wikipedia article it must be linked by a verifiable source.  Serendi pod ous  21:01, 11 August 2019 (UTC)

Does anyone want to pay $7.99 to listen to Deep Trouble on Audible?
I'm pretty sure it makes predictions, but I'm not sure they're worth $7.99.  Serendi pod ous  16:01, 8 October 2019 (UTC)


 * Is there a library that carries the series? It's not clear they make that many big predictions though, otherwise it would be covered by reviews. AngusWOOF  ( bark  •  sniff ) 16:44, 8 October 2019 (UTC)
 * I find it interesting that the only ones we have yet to crack are all BBC radio serials. For a publicly run organization, they are remarkably stingy with their info.  Serendi pod ous  21:49, 6 December 2019 (UTC)
 * Just two left! Deep Trouble and Nineteen Ninety-Four.  Serendi pod ous  17:35, 15 December 2019 (UTC)

And we're done! Ready for the 2020 intake.  Serendi pod ous  21:01, 22 December 2019 (UTC)

Inclusion criteria
We're approaching the new year so I thought it would be a good idea to review our inclusion criteria to see if they need strengthening. Here are the criteria we appear to have established so far:


 * 1. The work must have been published or released before the time in which it is set, which must be either before the current year or in an unspecified time during the current year.
 * 2. The future date must be explicitly mentioned within the work, or easily inferred from another explicit date. So, for instance, “Ten years from now” doesn’t cut it unless the work is explicitly stated to occur within the year of its publication or release.
 * 3. The work must make some form of prediction that would be common knowledge to the reader/viewer had it occurred. Flying cars and nuclear wars are admissible. :A group of terrorists blowing up a major landmark is admissible. “Such and such fictional characters got married or graduated from college” is not.
 * 4. Alternate futures, such as X-Men’s Days of Future Past storyline, or futures of alternate pasts, such as Blade Runner 2049, are excluded.
 * 5. The work must have its own Wikipedia article.

Is that it? Could we add some more?  Serendi pod ous  19:03, 18 September 2020 (UTC)
 * , those look good. I'd watch out for those franchises where they might set one event with a future date and then assume the rest of the cinematic universe is future telling, like with Planet of the Apes, Friday the 13th. AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 05:01, 1 January 2021 (UTC) updated 18:19, 2 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Just looked at the opening paragraph which summarizes this. Looks good. AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 18:19, 2 January 2021 (UTC)

6. No non-fiction works.  Serendi pod ous  15:50, 24 July 2022 (UTC)

Future intake
Talk:List of stories set in a future now past/future intake

2021 intake
Specific dates:


 * Weapons of Choice by John Birmingham (2004): On January 15, 2021, a fleet under the command of Admiral Phillip Kolhammer is sent back in time to June 2, 1942.
 * The video game Dead Rising 3 (2013) game takes place during March 23–31, 2021. (alternate history)
 * Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World, March 24, 2021
 * In the RPG Shadowrun (1989) on April 30, 2021, ten percent of the world's population suddenly transform into new racial types, resulting in the ork and troll races.
 * The film Moon Zero Two (1969) takes place in May 2021.
 * The video game D/Generation (1991) takes place on June 27, 2021.
 * Weathering With You, June 2021
 * The film Resiklo (2007) takes place in December 2021.

 Serendi pod ous  02:43, 1 January 2021 (UTC)

Spoiler pertaining to Slaughterhouse-Five
The entry for Slaughterhouse-Five has a spoiler about how the novel ends. Could anyone please tell me if I should remove it?--Thylacine24 (talk) 16:38, 26 April 2021 (UTC)
 * We don't remove information because some might consider the information a spoiler. If you're interested in more information, check out WP:SPOILER. Egsan Bacon (talk) 17:13, 26 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Yup, Wikipedia doesn't care about spoilers. I think we used to back in the day (2006-ish) but we came to the conclusion that it's unencyclopedic. – Illegitimate Barrister (talk • contribs), 21:27, 29 September 2021 (UTC)

List getting a bit long
List's getting a bit long. Should we split it into new pages by medium? – Illegitimate Barrister (talk • contribs), 21:31, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * I think that would be a one-way ticket to deletion. I've been pondering the issue and think the best option (besides doing nothing, which I still think is the best option for now) would be to split the list by predicted year, with one list going up to the year 2000 (or 1999) and another dealing with the 21st century.  Serendi pod ous  21:45, 29 September 2021 (UTC)
 * That makes sense. – Illegitimate Barrister (talk • contribs), 02:24, 30 September 2021 (UTC)

2022 intake
The light novel Sword Art Online begins on November 2, 2022. The fictional video game of the same name, is launched at 13:00 on November 6, 2022.

Do non-fiction works count?
If we're going to include Christopher Columbus's prophecies, should we also include Nostradamus?  Serendi pod ous  21:52, 22 April 2022 (UTC) . Sorry to push this but it needs addressing.  Serendi pod ous  11:03, 24 July 2022 (UTC)
 * , those are covered by other lists such as List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events or similar list of prophecies or future predictions / forecasts. But those can be in the see alsos.  AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 13:42, 24 July 2022 (UTC)
 * Cool. Removed.  Serendi pod ous  15:49, 24 July 2022 (UTC)

Inclusion criteria, pt. II
I think some-to-many of the entries are on this list that are set in the near future are kind of "missing the point." There's a horde of fiction that is set in a contemporary time period. There's no substantial difference between "this story takes place RIGHT NOW" (but it's fiction so it obviously isn't really happening), "this story takes place TOMORROW", and "this story takes place a very small number of years into the future." All of them are really just assuming basic contemporary society & tech until Fiction Happens and aliens invade or whatever. But there isn't really any difference between "aliens are invading RIGHT NOW" and "aliens are invading in a society that looks exactly like it does right now, but I'll up the date by a year to obscure the fiction from my initial audience." I would humbly suggest a longer "waiting period" where large parts of the work have to be set substantially in the future (5+ years?) to qualify for the list. (It's fine if it "starts" 1 or 2 years from publication but then continues past the "limit", whatever it is.)

Separate issue, but I also think that some of the songs are not serious alternate futures, but rather just funny lines. I haven't heard it but "Back That Azz Up" does not really appear to be attempting to create a fictional story set in a predicted future, for example. Less certain what criteria to use here other than "common sense" though - there needs to be an explicit *story*, and it needs to be reasonably far off enough to be future-ology. SnowFire (talk) 00:00, 1 November 2022 (UTC)
 * I don't see how you could create an objective criterion based on just how different or "serious" a depiction of the future needs to be.  Serendi pod ous  09:44, 1 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Also, a little off-topic, but is there a list for "stories set in a future now impossible?" Swastika Night takes place in the 2600s, but it is also a future where the Nazis won (and was published in 1937, before WWII had even started, so this was a future not an alternate history at the time), which is basically impossible now if not technically past. SnowFire (talk) 00:18, 1 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Who's to say the Nazis won't be ruling the world by 2600? I certainly wouldn't rule it out.  Serendi pod ous  09:39, 1 November 2022 (UTC)
 * , can you explain which entries you think should be questioned? Stuff like Battle: Los Angeles, Skyline (2010 film) or Terminator 3 have been removed in the past. Same with some of the Friday the 13th installments and Stephen King novels like Carrie (written in 1974, has entries about events in 1979) as they don't really make any predictions about future society. MCU and DCU is already a different universe. End of Days (film) was released at the end of November 1999 but talks about the events from 1999/2000, so a bit too "contemporary".   AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 10:01, 1 January 2023 (UTC)

2023 intake
2023
 * Perfect Dark (2000)
 * Crysis 2 (2011) The events of this game are set in a post-apocalypse New York City in warfare against the Ceph.
 * Five Nights at Freddy's 3 (2015) The main gameplay (and possibly one minigame) takes place in 2023, thirty years after the first game. It revolves around a horror attraction called Fazbear's Fright, based on the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza pizzeria chain that closed down thirty years ago.
 * Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint (2019)  (wait until 2025)
 * Gunbuster (1988)
 * Click (2006): Michael Newman uses his remote control and is unwillingly sent to 2023, among other years. (2023 events concern Newman's father's death, and concern identity of Morty, does not discuss future stuff in 2023 in general)
 * Doomsday (2008 film): briefly mentions the extension of the Thames Barrier due to torrential floods in 2023.
 * Need source that references this note


 * The Purge: Anarchy (2014): The events of the film take place a year after the 2022 Purge.
 * Quarantine (The Twilight Zone) (1986): Matthew Forman is put into cold sleep on June 18, 2023, in the hopes that his inoperable cancer can be cured in the future.
 * Silent Mobius (1991), anime takes place in 2023, fighting an invasion of extra-dimensional beings; the gate was opened in 1999.
 * Burn-Up Scramble (2004)
 * In episode 3 of season 2 of The Last Man on Earth (TV series) it is revealed at Gordon's funeral, that the show is set in 2023.
 * This seems to concern about the characters' storyline and doesn't say anything about the future. AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 11:34, 1 January 2023 (UTC)


 * The novels The Carnival of Immortals (1980), The Woman Trap (1986) and Equator Cold (1992) by Enki Bilal are set starting in 2023. Also a video game Nikopol set in 2023.
 * The novel Killing Time (Carr novel) (2000) by Caleb Carr is set in 2023
 * The novel The Free Lunch (2001) by Spider Robinson, set in 2023
 * The Disney Channel sitcom Good Luck Charlie featured an episode, "Future Drama" 10 years into the future (2023).
 * Concerns mainly the character storylines and doesn't make any predictions about future.  AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 11:06, 1 January 2023 (UTC)


 * The events of The Simpsons' episode "Barthood" (2015) with a 18-year-old Bart takes place in 2023.[6]
 * Doesn't say anything about the 2023 year outside of character's own events. AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 11:06, 1 January 2023 (UTC)


 * The events of The Simpsons' episode "Mr. Lisa's Opus" (2017) with a 14-year-old Lisa takes place in 2023.
 * Doesn't say anything about the 2023 year outside of character's own events. AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 11:06, 1 January 2023 (UTC)


 * American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Timothy and Emily, selected for Outpost 3 in the previous timeline for their genetic material have a baby, Devon who murders his nanny, confirming that he is the new Antichrist.
 * This needs cite episodes that pinpoint 2023 in particular and whether it concerns larger events outside the characters. Are there some major apocalyptic events?

additional entries:
 * Don't Breathe 2 (2021)
 * Per Looper article https://www.looper.com/1150541/what-these-movies-predicted-about-2023/, "Of all the films on our list, "Don't Breathe 2" is one of the most believable, as it's simply set in the future, not about the future. Because the precise 2023 setting is incidental and not intentional, the future that "Don't Breathe 2" predicts is pretty much like our world today. " AngusW🐶🐶F  ( bark  •  sniff ) 10:52, 1 January 2023 (UTC)


 * Gemini Rising film released in 2013-2014, occurs in 2023

Article-less exclusions
They are fascinating, but technically don't belong on the list, since they have a wikipedia article. Perhaps someone should make one, but I'm not sure what to do until then.

Here the list so far:
 * Revelations of the Dead Alive (also published as London and Its Eccentricities in the Year 2023) by John Banim; a series of essays written in 1824 about life in 2023
 * Pirates of 1920 (an a short film from 1911 about air pirates)
 * Choosers of the Slain (novel) (1997 novel)
 * The Millenium: A Comedy of the Year 2000 (1907 novel by Upton Sinclair)
 * 2002: Childlife One Hundred Years from Now (A French novel from 1902)
 * A History of the Future (1829 novel) (1829 novel set in the year 2000)
 * White or Yellow? A Story of the Race War of AD 1908 (1888 novel set in 1908)
 * Ice (miniseries) (2011 miniseries set in 2020 about the effects of global warming)
 * Heart of Ice (gamebook) (by Dave Morris
 * Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy by Matt Ruff

 Serendi pod ous  22:08, 19 February 2023 (UTC)

Potential addition
The movie Her (2013) could be an interesting addition to this list because it predicts several developments related to artificial intelligence that were still not reality back when the film was made, such as AI generating images and music, AI use in video games and AI personalities based on historical characters.

However, the problem is that the film does not specify the date it takes place. I've seen people claiming that it is set in 2025 or in the 2070s, but without a reliable source to back it up. - Munmula (talk · contribs) 07:32, 28 April 2023 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure I'd want to include this. The whole premise of the article is to list instances where a specific date was used and subsequently passed. What you're suggesting is technology catching up, not time, so maybe List of existing technologies predicted in science fiction is more appropriate? EditorInTheRye (talk) 08:47, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
 * You're right. I may add an entry about Her to that other list. - Munmula (talk · contribs) 08:54, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

Orphaned references in List of stories set in a future now in the past
I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of List of stories set in a future now in the past's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "auto": From Virtual reality:  From Detroit: Nolan, Jenny (June 15, 1999).How Prohibition made Detroit a bootlegger's dream town. Michigan History, The Detroit News. Retrieved on November 23, 2007. From YouTube: Todd Spangler, YouTube Terminates Toy Freaks Channel Amid Broader Crackdown on Disturbing Kids' Content, Variety, November 17, 2017 From Past:  </ul>

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. Feel free to remove this comment after fixing the refs. AnomieBOT ⚡ 23:34, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

Songs
I removed a lot of songs where the singer speculates on where they'll be X years from now, or referring to things like Y2K or 2012 as still future events. To be included, the song needs to mention a specific year, not just 'where will I end up?' or 'five years later'. Bkatcher (talk) 17:26, 9 January 2024 (UTC)

Demon Lord 2099
I'm not sure about adding this light novel series to the list. While the story is set in the year 2099, one of things mentioned in the first volume is that in the year 2023 Earth merged with a fantasy world. Does this it worthy of inclusion? ISD (talk) 18:30, 2 February 2024 (UTC)

OK. It's time to split this page.
There's a very strong chance that doing so will get one or both the pages deleted, but I physically cannot edit it anymore.

Suggestions for new pages:

 Serendi pod ous  14:01, 12 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Fictional predictions of the 19th and 20th centuries
 * Fictional predictions of the 21st century


 * I'd be up for that, though I'd make the first one '20th century and before'. Bkatcher (talk) 14:46, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

What counts as an 'alternate universe'?
I saw that things like Avengers: Endgame are not included despite being set in 2023 due to them being in an 'alternate universe'. I'm wondering what constitutes an alternate universe. Surely all fiction is in an alternate universe as none of it really happened, especially those set the future (as this list is concerned with) since they can't have known what the future would hold and therefore their version of it is an alternate one.

In the intro paragraph is specifically says alternate futures are not included but aren't all futures in fiction alternate to our own? 47.72.152.11 (talk) 07:11, 3 May 2024 (UTC)
 * An alternate universe is a timeline in which events shifted from our own timeline before the current time. The MCU is an alternate universe because it takes place in a universe in which events changed long before the present.  Serendi pod ous  11:10, 3 May 2024 (UTC)