Post by maniac4bricks on Feb 28, 2017 15:46:50 GMT
Hey everyone! All of the following notes have been compied as best as I can do from Google+ in terms of research. A TOOLBOX topic is simply a research dump based on a specific subject. This one is all about LEGO sets, themes and media that show remnants of a timeline, locations in space, instances of time travel, and the like. Enjoy and contribute what is relevant to these topics here! PLEASE NOTE: We will not include crossovers, cross-references and multiverse theories in this thread, look for the appropriate thread for such information.
The first thing to mention is that when fans create theories involving a timeline, there are multiple ways to go about defining the order of events. Much like the multiverse TOOLBOX, some events can happen at the same time or in different realities. Recently I stumbled upon TheRealJims on YouTube who is trying to determine the timeline for all the Simpsons episodes, and he concluded that there's no set methods the Simpsons' time operates. It shares characteristics of a fixed timeline and a floating timeline (more info here for his theory, starting with the past: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BkQptKkj4E). For quick reference, skip to 4:48 in the video. What does that mean? Does that apply to LEGO?
A fixed timeline establishes certain events in numerical places in time. For example, in LEGO City set 60026 Town Square there is a statue with a stickered plaque reading "1432", indicating a time in which the statue's figure was around or perhaps founded the City. Other examples include the "1932" etched into 10197 Fire Brigade and 1592 Town Square Castle scene a statue with another plaque reads "1807 1872", presumably the minifigure's birth and death dates. More obscure examples include journals from Artimus Rhodes (Atlantis, "1919", "1925", "1991") and Archibald Hale (Pharaoh's Quest, "1924") and most recently Scooby-Doo (75900, "1922" featuring Johnny Thunder). This means no matte what else happens in the world of LEGO, these events will take place in a certain chronological order. I'm sure there are more examples of years out there and I'm looking forward to seeing them and ordering them.
A floating timeline has no established dates for events and exists in a loose order. Some events may take place at the same time since there's no record that they're apart from each other. In some franchises, like comic books, this helps keep characters at a fixed age and not have to show them getting progressively older. It also helps create a "status quo" so that the characters' actions always reset to before an event occurs, with very little impact in the future. However, not every numerical time stamp has an order either, or at least a strict one like dates and years. The LEGO Movie has a story beginning in one time and the majority taking place 8 1/2 years later. Finn, The Man Upstairs' son, is 8 1/2 years old, but we don't know what year exactly he's born. The LEGO Batman Movie is a spinoff but can be closely established as a sequel since he's no longer with Wyldstyle and creates the Bat-Submarine that was "patent pending" in the first film. But how long after? We don't know.But we do know it takes place in the same place due to the unstable table foundation upon which Gotham was built. And We also know The LEGO Movie takes place somewhere in America because (and I just found this out shortly before typing this up), the battery strapped to Emmet in the Think Tank tells us so ( www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=124713#T=S&C=86&O={"color":86} ). Apparantly it's also distributed to France hence the "fabrique aux E.U.", so maybe there too? Well considering the movie was written for English, I'm going to say it was in America.
But I'm jumping ahead a little bit. In short, most of the LEGO timeline now is floating with scattered fixed events. In fact, Bionicle has a rather extensive timeline with fixed events and a few floating ones, as seen in a pullout poster in the March-April 2007 magazine of Brickmaster (I have to find my copy again and frame it, it's pretty cool). There have also been other events that have some order that we can establish and eventually fit into a larger timeline. For example, BB from Life on Mars was featured in a Spaceport junior reading book and explains how he became an astronaut and helped on a mission in Rocket Rescue.
We know the same Spaceport rocket ship was used in both LEGO Island 2 and Soccer Mania, and in the latter the spaceship is used to travel to Mars. Therefore, we can conclude that Soccer Mania takes place after Life on Mars, after Spaceport. This also makes sense for LEGO Racers 2, as by that point, the Martians are friendly with minifigures. So in order from start to finish: Spaceport, Life on Mars, Soccer Mania, LEGO Racers 2. And specifically this order because Soccer Mania appears in the intro video of LEGO Racers 2, which means it either takes place at the same time or shortly after Soccer Mania.
Now a little more complicated but well-thought research: space. We know from Clutch Powers that LEGO City, Power Miners, Mars Mission, Space Police, Agents and Mindstorms NXT take place on the planet Earth. As Clutch and his crew head to the prison Planet X, we see a glimpse of Earth outlining the Western Hemisphere (North and South America). As I said, there are other minifigure-inhabited planets like the prison planet and later the castle planet Ashlar, in a Medieval Throwback "time continuum" (we'll get back to that later, Doc Brown). The prison Planet X is red, gaseous and has frequent storms of thunder and lightning. It takes 3 minutes and 8 seconds of frame time to get to the planet, with the crew travelling at 1.64 km/hr "if you factor in the gravity slingshot effect", according to Bernie von Beam. with some math, we can determine that Planet X is 0.085608 km away from Earth?? Hmm that feels atrngely close, also considering surrounding Planet X are a few other astronomical bodies including one with rings like Saturn. Both planets exist in the same galaxy as Earth, according to the Watch Commander.
We also have other references tob place on Earth where LEGO takes place. Like Atlantis, the aforementioned journal of Rhodes takes place near Mexico. Pharaoh's Quest and Adventurers takes place in Egypt, with Adventurers also in the Himalayas, Amazon and China and India. A few LEGO town sets have American color schemes (and were USA releases only), so maybe?
Plenty more to establish! Including the evolution of minifigures and other LEGO figures which has a timeline relevance.
Masniac4Bricks
The first thing to mention is that when fans create theories involving a timeline, there are multiple ways to go about defining the order of events. Much like the multiverse TOOLBOX, some events can happen at the same time or in different realities. Recently I stumbled upon TheRealJims on YouTube who is trying to determine the timeline for all the Simpsons episodes, and he concluded that there's no set methods the Simpsons' time operates. It shares characteristics of a fixed timeline and a floating timeline (more info here for his theory, starting with the past: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BkQptKkj4E). For quick reference, skip to 4:48 in the video. What does that mean? Does that apply to LEGO?
A fixed timeline establishes certain events in numerical places in time. For example, in LEGO City set 60026 Town Square there is a statue with a stickered plaque reading "1432", indicating a time in which the statue's figure was around or perhaps founded the City. Other examples include the "1932" etched into 10197 Fire Brigade and 1592 Town Square Castle scene a statue with another plaque reads "1807 1872", presumably the minifigure's birth and death dates. More obscure examples include journals from Artimus Rhodes (Atlantis, "1919", "1925", "1991") and Archibald Hale (Pharaoh's Quest, "1924") and most recently Scooby-Doo (75900, "1922" featuring Johnny Thunder). This means no matte what else happens in the world of LEGO, these events will take place in a certain chronological order. I'm sure there are more examples of years out there and I'm looking forward to seeing them and ordering them.
A floating timeline has no established dates for events and exists in a loose order. Some events may take place at the same time since there's no record that they're apart from each other. In some franchises, like comic books, this helps keep characters at a fixed age and not have to show them getting progressively older. It also helps create a "status quo" so that the characters' actions always reset to before an event occurs, with very little impact in the future. However, not every numerical time stamp has an order either, or at least a strict one like dates and years. The LEGO Movie has a story beginning in one time and the majority taking place 8 1/2 years later. Finn, The Man Upstairs' son, is 8 1/2 years old, but we don't know what year exactly he's born. The LEGO Batman Movie is a spinoff but can be closely established as a sequel since he's no longer with Wyldstyle and creates the Bat-Submarine that was "patent pending" in the first film. But how long after? We don't know.But we do know it takes place in the same place due to the unstable table foundation upon which Gotham was built. And We also know The LEGO Movie takes place somewhere in America because (and I just found this out shortly before typing this up), the battery strapped to Emmet in the Think Tank tells us so ( www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?id=124713#T=S&C=86&O={"color":86} ). Apparantly it's also distributed to France hence the "fabrique aux E.U.", so maybe there too? Well considering the movie was written for English, I'm going to say it was in America.
But I'm jumping ahead a little bit. In short, most of the LEGO timeline now is floating with scattered fixed events. In fact, Bionicle has a rather extensive timeline with fixed events and a few floating ones, as seen in a pullout poster in the March-April 2007 magazine of Brickmaster (I have to find my copy again and frame it, it's pretty cool). There have also been other events that have some order that we can establish and eventually fit into a larger timeline. For example, BB from Life on Mars was featured in a Spaceport junior reading book and explains how he became an astronaut and helped on a mission in Rocket Rescue.
We know the same Spaceport rocket ship was used in both LEGO Island 2 and Soccer Mania, and in the latter the spaceship is used to travel to Mars. Therefore, we can conclude that Soccer Mania takes place after Life on Mars, after Spaceport. This also makes sense for LEGO Racers 2, as by that point, the Martians are friendly with minifigures. So in order from start to finish: Spaceport, Life on Mars, Soccer Mania, LEGO Racers 2. And specifically this order because Soccer Mania appears in the intro video of LEGO Racers 2, which means it either takes place at the same time or shortly after Soccer Mania.Now a little more complicated but well-thought research: space. We know from Clutch Powers that LEGO City, Power Miners, Mars Mission, Space Police, Agents and Mindstorms NXT take place on the planet Earth. As Clutch and his crew head to the prison Planet X, we see a glimpse of Earth outlining the Western Hemisphere (North and South America). As I said, there are other minifigure-inhabited planets like the prison planet and later the castle planet Ashlar, in a Medieval Throwback "time continuum" (we'll get back to that later, Doc Brown). The prison Planet X is red, gaseous and has frequent storms of thunder and lightning. It takes 3 minutes and 8 seconds of frame time to get to the planet, with the crew travelling at 1.64 km/hr "if you factor in the gravity slingshot effect", according to Bernie von Beam. with some math, we can determine that Planet X is 0.085608 km away from Earth?? Hmm that feels atrngely close, also considering surrounding Planet X are a few other astronomical bodies including one with rings like Saturn. Both planets exist in the same galaxy as Earth, according to the Watch Commander.
We also have other references tob place on Earth where LEGO takes place. Like Atlantis, the aforementioned journal of Rhodes takes place near Mexico. Pharaoh's Quest and Adventurers takes place in Egypt, with Adventurers also in the Himalayas, Amazon and China and India. A few LEGO town sets have American color schemes (and were USA releases only), so maybe?
Plenty more to establish! Including the evolution of minifigures and other LEGO figures which has a timeline relevance.
Masniac4Bricks