Timeline

The timeline of recorded galactic history stretches back almost 10,000 years, although events precede that by many more tens of thousands and perhaps millions of years.

Dating systems

The Galactic Standard Year is used by most members of the interstellar community. Its origins are obscure, but are likely linked to the First Time and the Bentusi's emergence on the galactic scene.

The Kharakian Dating System was used during the exile of the Hiigaran people on Kharak. It ceased to be used after the Kharakian Genocide.

Before Hiigaran Landfall and After Hiigaran Landfall refer to the date when the Hiigaran people returned to their homeworld, during the Homeworld War (and incidentally use the date of Homeworld as Year 0).

Timeline

Galactic Standard Year	Kharakian Dating System	Before Hiigaran Landfall	After Hiigaran Landfall	Events
?	?	?	?	The Progenitors arrive in the Galaxy from an unknown origin. They establish a vast empire spanning much of the galaxy. They create the Great Network of Hyperspace Gates, the Eye of Aarran and numerous artefacts and spacecraft. One Progenitor, Sajuuk, forges the Three Hyperspace Cores.
?	?	?	?	The Progenitor Empire is destroyed by unknown means. The vast debris field at Karos, the Great Derelict at Tanis and other vast ruined structures are attributed to this time. Before the end, Sajuuk hides the Three Hyperspace Cores in remote parts of the galaxy and hides his personal starship, also called Sajuuk, beyond Balcora Gate.
?	?	?	?	The Bentusi become one of the first spacefaring civilisations to arise in the aftermath of the Progenitor collapse. The Bentusi eventually abandon their physical bodies and become Unbound, merging with their starships to become creatures of space.
0	-8294	-9510		The First Time. The Bentusi begin establishing the Outer Rim Trade Routes. Other civilisations begin moving towards spacefaring status. The Galactic Standard Calendar is established.
c. 5500	c. -2794	c. -4010		By this time the Bentusi have discovered the First Hyperspace Core and gained the ability to Far Jump, making them supreme amongst galactic races. They grant Short jump hyperspace technology to the lesser races, including the nascent worlds of Hiigara and Taiidan.
c. 6000	c. -2294	c. -3510		A five-century golden age of peace and prosperity ends. Many races, including the Taiidan and Hiigarans, take advantage of the Bentusi inability to be everywhere at once to launch wars of conquest. Several major empires emerge. The Galactic Council is founded. The Taiidan and Hiigarans fight several border wars to no satisfactory outcome.
c. 6300	c. -1994	c. -3210		The Hiigarans discover the Second Hyperspace Core and construct the Sajuuk's Wrath. They launch a sneak attack on the Taiidan homeworld, destroying it utterly. The Galactic Council condemns the Hiigaran aggression and moves to seize the Core. The Hiigarans agree to surrender it to the Bentusi, only to launch an ambush on the Great Harbor Ship of Bentus. The attempt fails and the Hiigarans are defeated. Sajuuk's Wrath is destroyed in a hyperspace jump to the Angel Moon, the Second Core apparently along with it. The Hiigaran Empire is dismantled and the Bentusi, sickened by the violence, renounce war.
c. 6500	c. -1794	c. -3010		The resurgent Taiidan Empire invades Hiigaran space in a war of retribution. Hiigara is conquered. The Galactic Council pleads for mercy and the Taiidan allow the Hiigarans to go into exile on the far side of the galaxy. The Hiigarans agree, but secretly recover the Second Core from the Angel Moon and take it with them.
c. 6510	c. -1784	c. -3000		The Hiigaran Exodus. In a cluster of primitive ships short-jumping across the galaxy, the Hiigarans make their way into exile. Along the way several ships are lost in the Great Nebula, where the found the Kadeshi civilisation. The remaining ships, led by the Khar-Toba, eventually reach the desert planet of Kharak and make landfall.
c. 6510 - 8294	c. -1784 - 0	c. -3000 - -1216		The Dark Ages of Kharak. The initial colony on Kharak, the First City of Khar-Toba, endures for some years but encroaching harsh desert conditions force its abandonment. The Exiles are forced to wander the planet in search of more hospitable regions to settle. High technology is lost, forcing the Exiles to revert to using swords and spears in battle. The kiithid social structure forms. Knowledge of the Progenitors is maintained through a religion which comes to worship Sajuuk as a god.
8294	0	-1216		The Dark Ages end. The kiithid begin to settle in the northern polar regions and some semblance of civilisation takes shape again. The oldest written records are made.
8369 - 8544	75 - 250	-1141 - -966		Various ecological disasters strike the kiithid. Kiith Gaalsien helps lead exploration and penetration of the northern polar region. After 250 KDS, Gaalsien's influence wanes compared to the less conservative, more innovative kiithid
8394	100	-1116		Earliest records of Kiith Somtaaw, identifying them as living in the peaks and valleys of the Khontala Mountains. The Somtaaw establish the walled cities of Hameln and Gydeo.
8472	178	-1038		Teigor Somtaaw sponsors Kharakian artists from numerous disciplines in the creation of a series of temples on the slopes of the mountain Lungma Jun, "The Roof of the World." There are 33 temples in total, leading from the sands of the Kasaar (at the Oracle of Tala) to the summit of what was, at that time, the world’s tallest known mountain. The Shimmering Path links them together. The Seventh Temple is known as the Dome of Heaven, located within the city walls of Gydeo. The highest is the Temple of Mysteries located on the highest slopes of the mountain, which is almost uninhabitable. Located on an altar in the temple are the Star-Metal Scrolls, allegedly written by the hand of Jakuul himself in a language which no living man can read.
8634	340	-876		First mention of Kiith Manaan, known as "The Travellers."
8710	416	-800		Kiith Soban, "The Grey Brotherhood," is founded.
8756	462	-754		The Siidim Council proclaims that only Kiith Siidim are of Divine Origin; all other kiithid are native to Kharak and considered "Gritiidim" or "sand people," subhuman.
	488			Kiith Paktu are driven from their ancestral homes and lands by the Siidim pogroms.
	490			The Great Migration begins. Nearly fifty Paktu families set sail from Albegiido, crossing the Great Banded Desert on the winds of the seasonal storm, the Chak m’Hot in hopes of reaching the southern hemisphere. Only seventeen families survived the journey to reach the Hunon Mountains near the south pole.
	493			Members from Kiith Paktu cross the Great Banded Desert once again to tell others of what they have established. Migrations from the north begin.
	513			Siidim slaughter Manaani at Ferin Sha (the Dancing Grounds). The Manaani being a retaliatory series of strikes lasting some 150 years.
	520			The Heresy Wars begin (approx. 520-820 KDS). The two largest kiith in the north, Siidim and Gaalsien, go to war over what caused the gods to place them on such an inhospitable world.
	652			The Siidim launch the first of three assaults on the southern lands, seeking tribute from kiithid they still consider vassal clans (most notably the Paktu). The assault is repulsed.
	656			Jora Manaan declares an end to her kiith’s war against the Siidim. The Manaan now focus exclusively on trade. A new dancing ground is built in the Paktu-held south.
	675			With the war slowing the influx of religious pilgrims to Lungma Jiin, Kiith Somtaaw closes all 33 of the temples on the Shimmering Path, except the Oracle of Tala and Dome of Heaven.
	698			Kim Paktu, grandson of Majiir Paktu and leader of the Paktu kiith'sa, defeats Liam Gaalsien and his men in the Battle of the Majiirian Sea. It is the last crusade ever attempted against the Paktu.
	717			Miirpat Gaalsien-Sa orders his people to blow up the complex series of wind baffles, dykes and sand paths that protect the temple city of Saju-ka. Considered the artistic gem of Kharak at the time, the city is completely buried under the sand, killing thousands. Kiith Gaalsien retreats into the desert wastelands, abandoning the north and claiming its decadence will eventually bring down the wrath of Sajuuk.
	718			Kiith Gaalsien is convicted in absentia and declared an outlaw kiith.
	789			Kiith Somtaaw discovers incredibly rich iron deposits below the Red Creek valley in the Khontala Mountains. Kiith Somtaaw begins its transition from a religious kiithid to a mining one, becoming wealthy along the way.
	c. 800			Kiith Hraal is founded by five families from other kiithid, united in surviving the chaos of the wars.
	810			Kiith Naabal emerges from their valley enclave of Tiir, exposing Kharak to new, advanced science and technology heretofore unknown, including advanced explosives, steam power and refining techniques they had kept secret for more than a hundred years. Their presence brings an end to the Heresy Wars that have raged for almost three hundred years.
	830			The Age of Reason begins. The capital of Kharak is moved to Tiir.
	1012			Kiith LiirHra is founded by members of Kiith Hraal, focusing on aerospace fabrication and orbital deployment. By this time the Coalition of the Northern Kiithid has been founded to work against the encroaching desert.
	1024			Kharak's first orbital flight is launched. It is met with protests from religious members of society and leads to the Silumiin Riots. Masaar Manaan, a cryptographer engaged in deciphering Gaalsien messages from the wastes, uncovers evidence of an unknown force operating in the southern deserts, known as "Khaaneph."
	1026			Masaar Manaan is ordered by the Coalition Intelligence Arm to investigate the Khaaneph mystery. Astonishingly, the Gaalsien share intelligence confirming that the Khaaneph are real, "godless" Kushan who have abandoned religion and kiithid altogether to live as feral raiders in the deep wastes. Although not numerous, they are incredibly dangerous for their rejection of every aspect of the Kharakian way of life.
	1057			Project StormBreaker – a giant ridge of sand baffle walls, a full kilometre wide and thousands of kilometres long, girdling the entire lower face of the Barrier Mountains, commences. It is hoped that it will hold back the advancing desert sands.
	1061			During a manned space flight, crew members discover floating debris in high orbit. It is determined it is metallic, but its atomic composition shares no similarities with anything known to exist on Kharak.
	1061 - 1110			The discovery and study of the space debris leads to great scientific progress in metallurgy and manufacturing, along with the development of fission and fusion power plants.
	1068			The Siila's Eye generation of environmental monitoring satellites is launched.
	1073			After five years of analysis of the Siila’s Eye data, K'zell Naabal confirms that Kharak is dying. The sands are spreading at a rate ten times faster than previously thought and it is confirmed that the Seas of the Three Sisters will be completely dry within 200 years. The natural aquifiers that the Coalition’s irrigation systems depend on are also shrinking, six times faster than initial predictions. It is believed that in less that 350 years, Kharak will no longer be able to support life.
	1074			The Night of Fiery Daggers (Siifar Kor’shesh). On the first night of 1074, ten thousand Gaalsien soldiers attack the twin forts along the StormBreaker Wall. Kiith Naabal springs an ambush, using Sobani mercenaries to destroy the Gaalsien army and ending any military threat from the Gaalsien for a full generation or more.
	1075			The first generation of combat crawlers enters service. Roman S'jet is among the officers who commands them in battle.
	1100			Kiith S'jet institutes a new orbital sensor system, a series of potent deep-scan radar satellites capable of sweeping the space around Kharak for millions of kilometres. It is called Project Viin Cal.
	1106			Leykab Jaraci, working on a malfunctioning Viin Cal satellite, accidentally detects hundreds of anomalies scattered across the Great Banded Desert. The strength of the largest of the signals he detects rivals that of Kharak’s sun. Initially known as the Jaraci Object, it soon becomes known as the Primary Anomaly. Operation Skaal Brii is launched. The deep desert expedition is meant to find and claim the Jaraci Object for the Northern Coalition. Less than a month after leaving port, all contact with Tiir is lost. The largest superstorm in recorded history blankets the southern hemisphere for 13 days, and is cited as a reason for the loss of contact.
	1107			The search for survivors of the Skaal Brii expedition is called off. The flagship carrier Ifriit-Naabal and her crew are officially declared lost. Planning and design for a second expedition to find and retrieve the Jaraci Object is approved by the Daiamid. The construction of a new Sakala-class Deep Desert Carrier is accelerated.
	1109			The first Sakala-class Deep Desert Carrier rolls off the production line. Addressing all of the shortcomings of its predecessor, the newly commissioned carriers can move faster, last longer and hit harder than the Ifriit-class Heavy Carrier. The Sakala-class S’jet carrier Kapisi enters service.
	1110			Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. Operation Khadiim, the second Jaraci expedition, is cleared to launch. The expedition heads deep into the Great Banded Desert, overcoming furious Gaalsien opposition, betrayal from allied kiithid and adverse weather conditions. Eventually it locates the Prime Anomaly, a derelict starship and the centre of Khar-Toba, the long-abandoned First City of Kharak. The ship is also known as the Khar-Toba.
	1112			The Second Hyperspace Core is located in the wreck of the Khar-Toba. Overnight, it completely transforms Kharakian quantum science.
	1135			The Guidestone is located in the Observatory of Khar-Toba. The Guidestone confirms the location of Hiigara. The Guidestone is given to the keeping of the Daiamid to debate its philosophical implications.
	1159			After almost fifty years of study, the Daiamid orders the construction of an immense starship, the Mothership, using the knowledge gleaned from the wreck of the Khar-Toba. Using the Guidestone, the Mothership will chart the way back to Hiigara, determine its status and then begin a long-term evacuation of Kharak.
	1159-1179			The combined efforts of the Daiamid result in the amassing of vast stockpiles of resources needed for the construction of the Mothership and its own assembly station, the Scaffold. This project is anticipated to be completed in sixty years.
	1179			Construction of the Scaffold begins.
9484	1190			The Scaffold is completed. Primary construction of the Mothership begins.
	1206			The support vessel Khar-Selim is dispatched to the outer edge of the Kharak system on conventional engine power, a journey of ten years. It is planned that the Mothership will make its first hyperspace jump to the vicinity of the Khar-Selim, which will monitor the ship’s status as it emerges.
9510	1216	0	0	Homeworld. The Mothership is launched, but the first use of the hyperdrive is detected by a Taiidan patrol fleet. Kharak is destroyed in retribution. The Mothership manages to escape with some 600,000 survivors in cryo-suspension. It charts a course across the galaxy, its flight becoming famed as the Homeworld War. With the help of the Bentusi and Taiidani rebels led by Captain Elson, the Mothership reaches Hiigara and destroys the Emperor's flagship. The Taiidani abandon Hiigara, which is reoccupied by the Hiigarans.
9525			15	Homeworld: Cataclysm. Kiith Somtaaw inadvertently discovers and unleashes a powerful cybernetic threat, The Beast. The Somtaaw, in alliance with other Hiigaran, Taiidani and Bentusi forces, manages to halt and destroy the Beast before it can conquer an inhabited planet.
9550			40	The Hiigarans learn the truth about the Second Core's unusual nature from Hiigaran and Taiidan records. It is extracted from the Mothership and placed on display in the New Daiamid council chamber as a memorial.
9624			114	The Vaygr begin a campaign of military conquest, starting in the Vaygr Reaches and moving corewards. The Hiigarans determine that Makaan has found the Third Hyperspace Core of Sajuuk and plans to reunite the Three, giving him unlimited power. He must recover the other cores from Hiigara and Bentus. To resist him, construction of a second Mothership, the Pride of Hiigara, is authorised and begins at the Great Derelect at Tanis. Karan S'jet agrees to once again command the vessel. The Second Core is moved from Hiigara to Tanis.
9625			115	Homeworld 2. The Vaygr fleet besieges Hiigara and attacks Tanis, but the Pride of Hiigara is able to escape. Embarking on a long journey across the galaxy in search of information about the Three, the Pride defeats the Vaygr in several key engagements. The Bentus is destroyed in battle with Progenitor drones, but the Pride recovers the Second Core. It then destroys Maakan's forces in battle at Balcora Gate, allowing the Three to be reunited and the Sajuuk to be recovered. Maakan's dying act is to unleash powerful Planet Killer weapons against Hiigara, but the crew of the Pride destroy them using the Sajuuk.
9626			116	Some months after Makaan's defeat, the Sajuuk locates and opens the Eye of Aarran, reactivating the Great Network of Hyperspace Gates. The galaxy is united in trade and prosperity as never before. The Age of S'jet begins.
?	?	?	?	Homeworld 3.

References

• Deserts of Kharak Expedition Guide
• Homeworld Historical and Technical Briefing
• ''Homeworld: Cataclysm'' Manual