Stellaris Prologue

Prologue: The last 200 years

Human history from 2017 to 2200 saw so many fantastical innovations and exciting stories that it is impossible to list them all. To be short, space did not remain a foreboding and legendary foe. True, space travel is and will always be dangerous, but humans figured out how to deal with most of the problems encountered. Soon, most of the solar system was conquered-- that is to say, humans went everywhere they were capable of going. Medicine also improved to the point of eradicating virus as notorious as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. Life expectancy around the world soared, and it reached 80 years globally in 2070.

The environment, which many predicted would run out of resources in the 2020s, flourished. By 2080, fossil fuel was an ancient energy source, and 99% of the world's power came from solar; entire cities had solar-paved roads and solar-shingled roofs. It was also in the 2080s that scientists first figured out short-range wireless electricity, and eventually cords became a thing of the past. By 2100, no vehicle ever had to stop to recharge, as most roads were equip with rechargers along the shoulders.

War, however, did persist for some time. In 2029, Persia and Delhi once again went to war. This time, Persia, who had somehow managed to reobtain the nuclear bomb that went missing after the US invasion, was prepared to wipe out Delhi. Unfortunately for them, they only managed to get one nuke off before the merciless tide of the UNO overwhelmed them. In a matter of days, US, British, Picardian, and Teutonic forces had control of the country, and the rest of their nukes were dismantled. The loss of life in India was around 65 thousand, much less than anticipated.

Small skirmishes broke out between rival nations in Africa and Asia, but the last true war was in 2145. After that, the UNO kept peace through the newly formed UNO Defensive Forces: war would be met by indefinite occupation by the UNO. Soon, the UNO territories spanned across 12 different countries in Africa and Asia.

In the Americas, the US grew in size for the first time in a long time. In 2032, Terres du Nord held a referendum and joined as a new state. Canada joined in 2064. By 2100, North America was one under the United States of America, and every single country in the world was part of the UNO. The Silver Union went into disarray in 2172, and both countries fell into turmoil. UNO intervention saw them both placed under its control when it became obvious that a tyrant would seize control and form a South American mega state.

The countries of the world slowly became just states in the larger entity that is the UNO. The capital of this entity is Dover, USA. Trade and immigration agreements in the last 2180s saw this integration become more of a reality. Now, the world is united under one banner.

2199 saw the Earth Space Port opened. Building ships in space, rather than using ridiculous amounts of fuel to get them into space post production, will save the UNO Space Agency heaps of money. Now, very large ships can be constructed without worrying about escaping the gravity well.

This year, 2200, the first warp drive is put into use. It has been sought after for a long time, and the newest one took over a hundred years of development to become practical. Now, other systems can be reached in a matter of days, rather than years. There is certain fear from the populous when, a few decades before, an asteroid large enough to destroy civilization had to be diverted from its collision course with earth. By now, all of the earth's space ventures are under UNO control, and the president (the title of secretary general was dropped years ago) intends on exploring the universe, for that is the only way to secure the future of humankind.