Sonic Chronology:
Notes

*Reference Dates:
Usually, the dates mentioned in the comic are in relation to the present or various events - “10 years ago”, “5 years later”, etc. As the exact year of “present” events is never even stated, this makes coming up with proper dates quite a challenge. However, there are a few dates mentioned in the comic, as well as birthdays that correspond to specific ages for specific characters. On their own, these would not be enough, but various “Data Files” and replies in “Sonic Grams” have given more dates and ages. Unfortunately, dates given both in and out of the stories don't always fit together properly, forcing one to choose which dates to believe, and which to ignore.

I have built my timeline from the following data points:

• Sonic's Birth: In issue 112's “Data File 1”, Sonic's year of birth is given as 3220. This places Sonic's 16^th birthday, seen in issue 72, in the year 3236, and his 17^th(to Sonic)/18^th(to Mobius) birthday, seen in issues 161-162, in the year 3238. If we assume we haven't missed any of Sonic's birthdays since the series started, then the birthday seen in issue 11 would have been Sonic's 15^th, and thus in the year 3235.

• Robotnik's Coup: Meanwhile, Tails' birth in 3225 (Sonic 112- "Data File 3"), reveals the date of the coup (Super Special 5- "Eve of Destruction"). Interestingly, this makes Sonic and Sally 5 during the coup, just as in SatAM, but places both their births and the coup a year later than in SatAM.

• Anno Domini: In issue 124 the Xorda claim to have bombed Earth about 3000 years ago – presumably 3236 years ago. In issue 148, Isaac asserts that 12,010 years have passed since AD 2006, which would place the issue in AD 14,016, and claims that the Xorda attack was sometime during the early 21^st century. Unfortunately, neither date leaves much time for Mobians to evolve (while minor changes can occur more swiftly, generally evolution is measured on a time-scale of millions of years).

  While later stories call into question the validity of much of what Isaac said, in this case I have chosen to go with his date over that given by the Xorda, as the Xorda's date doesn't provide enough time for the events known to occur in Mobian history and pre-history (the second age of reptiles, the reign of Mammoth Mogul, and one or more Echidna civilizations). Presumably, the Xorda simply come from a planet with a much longer year than Earth's. (A gas-giant planet, for instance, could remain warm even at a distance from its' star, and their body-shape would work just as well in the thick gases of a gas-giant as in the ocean.)

In issue 157, Anonymous gives the year as being 3237. This is one of the few times an exact date is given in the main body of the comic, and I am tempted to use it. However, in order to accommodate this I will have to change the year numbering for most the timeline. Thus, these changes will have to wait for a later version of the timeline.

*On the "SEGA Data Files"...
While I have attempted to follow the dates provided in the Sega Data Files where-ever possible, in some cases the information presented in the stories contradicted that provided in the Data Files; in those cases I have chosen to go with the stories. In particular:

• Julie-Su's birthday: Julie-Su is said (in Sonic 102, Data File 4) to have been born in 3221. However, according to Super Special 11- "Shadows", Julie-Su spent most of her life in the Twilight Zone. And according to Knuckles 18, time in the twilight zone passes at a rate of one year for every 4 Mobian years. Thus, if Julie-Su really had been born in 3221, then according to "Shadows", she'd be physically less than 4 years old!

• Birthdays of Sonic & Sally, and date of Endgame: Sonic 9 has an undated birthday of Sally, Sonic 11 has an undated birthday of Sonic, and Sonic 72 has Sonic's 16^th birthday. Sonic 101- "Data File 1" gives Sally a birthday of Day 186, 3220. Sonic 108's Data File on Robotnik places Endgame on Day 164 of 3235. Sonic 112- "Data File 1" gives a birthday for Sonic of Day 162 3220.

  Putting these together, we get the Sonic turning 13 shortly before issue 9, Sally turning 13 in issue 9, Sonic turning 14 in issue 11, Sally turning 14 shortly after issue 11, Sonic turning 15 shortly before Endgame, and Sally turning 15 shortly after Endgame.

  However, almost a year passing between issues 9 and 11 is problematical, especially as Sally's fur had been discolored shortly before issue 0 and returned to its' natural shade between issues 15 and 16 – if the chemicals only dyed her fur, it should have grown out in less than a year, and if they altered her hair follicles she should not have returned to her natural color. Furthermore, the characters were not meant to be 12 at the start of the series – in fact, when asked Sonic's age, until issue 72 the editors always said “15”.

  Due to all this, I have chosen to ignore the number given in the Data Files for the Sally's birth. In order to at least get some use of the Data Files, though, I have chosen to assume the years given were correct.

*Other Dating Conventions:
When a character refers to something as taking place "10 years ago", "100 years ago" or "1000 years ago", I have chosen to place the event exactly that many years ago, unless more specific information is provided.

*Zones:
I have included events known to have happened in other Zones. (This includes all alternate/possible futures.) The only exceptions to this are Sonic Underground and Sonic X (which are known to take place within the same multiverse as Archie-Sonic), as chronicling entire separate series is beyond the scope of this timeline.

...

*Thanks:
I would like to thank the creators of the Sonic comic for making such a fascinating comic, without which this timeline wouldn't have even possible. I would especially like to thank Ken Penders, whose stories told the bulk of what is seen in this chronology before and after the main series. I would also like to thank the Okudas, whose Star Trek Chronology was the inspiration for this chronology. (And when I say, “I'd like to thank”, what I mean is, if you're one of the people mentioned, and you're reading this page, this is my “Thank You.”.)