On August 14, 2023, Bethesda updated the official Starfield website with a timeline detailing events from Starfield's past, which lead up to the start of the game's main plot. This timeline provides an enormous wealth of valuable information about the Starfield setting and characters that players will want to know if they want to be fully involved in the plot.
The history of the Starfield universe features significant events such as humanity finally landing on Mars in 2050 and being able to live sustainably in space by 2100 As humanity ventured across the stars to colonize more worlds, factions began to form, such as the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective, who battled each other for dominance of the Narian System in a bloody war called the Narian War, which lasted from 2196 to 2216.
Other notable events include the formation of the Constellation faction in 2275, a group of explorers dedicated to exploring the cosmos, discovering alien artifacts and lifeforms, and unlocking their mysteries. Then, in 2307, the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective once again declared war on each other, after the Freestar Collective broke a peace treaty, resulting in the Colonies War, which lasted until 2311.
The timeline ends in 2330 with a single "Starfield Begins" message, confirming that this is where the player's story will begin in Starfield. The complete timeline, as stated by Bethesda on the official Starfield website, is as follows:
| Year< /th> | Event |
|---|---|
| 2050 | Humans arrive on Mars for the first time. In 2100, humans are living in space. |
| 2156 | Humans reach Alpha Centauri (4.37 light years away from Earth) . |
| 2159 | The United Colonies are established. |
| 2160 | New Atlantis is founded and becomes the official capital of the United Colonies in 2161. |
| 2167 | Cheyenne is colonized by Solomon Coe, who founds his first settlement, Akila City./td] |
| 2188 | Coe invites Volii to join Cheyenne in a new alliance – The Freestar Collective. The Freestar Collective is officially formed in 2189. |
| 2194 | The United Colonies place the star station called Clinic in orbit around Deepla in the Narian system. The unaffiliated peoples of the Narion system see this as an attempt by the United Colonies to expand their borders and demand that the United Colonies remove the Clinic. When the United Colonies refuse, the people of Narion vote to join the Freestar Collective, which mobilizes to protect the system in 2195. |
| 2196 | In response to Freestar's mobilization, the United Colonies move a fleet into the Narion system and Freestar responds in kind. The Narion War begins. |
| 2216 | The Narion War drags on as public sentiment worsens. Finally, the Treaty of Narion is signed by the United Colonies and Freestar Collective in 2216, ending the conflict. The term “Settled Systems” is formalized in the treaty. |
| 2221 | The Freestar Rangers are founded as an elite protective and investigative force dedicated to serving the all citizens of the Freestar Collective. |
| 2275 | Constellation is formed by Sebastian Banks. Original members include Chloe Bao, talented physicist; Aja Mamasa, the youngest member and Sebastian's protégé; Darius Andris, botanist and xenoflora expert; Bernadette Laurent, wealthy and adventurous heiress; Everado Gil, former smuggler; and Kadri Toma, biologist and physician. The Lodge was built in New Atlantis to serve the needs and people of Constellation for generations to come. |
| 2305 | Barrett Joins Constellation. |
| 2305 | Barrett Joins Constellation. |
| 2305 | Barrett Joins Constellation. |
| td> | |
| 2307 | The Freestar Collective begins farming on the planet Vesta in the Lunara system. In 2308, the United Colonies claim that, by establishing a colony in a fourth system, the Freestar Collective violated the Treaty of Narion. Diplomatic negotiations are broken off, and the United Colonies besiege Vesta, killing anyone who stayed behind (or was brought in) to defend it. The Colony War officially begins. |
| 2310 | The Constellation takes possession of its first Artifact and stores it in the Constellation Archives. | < /tr>
| 2311 | After several years of conflict, the Colony War effectively comes to an end with the Battle of Cheyenne when a flotilla of civilian and military ships from the Freestar Collective shoot down the main United Colonies Navy ships using hit and run tactics. |
| 2315 | The United Colonies Vanguard is founded as part of a United Colonies response to the use of civilian ships by the Freestar Collective during the Colony War. The Vanguard is the United Colonies' own civilian navy, staffed by civilians using their own ships, who have pledged to protect the United Colonies and their interests. The ultimate reward for this service: citizenship in the United Colonies. |
| 2319 | Sarah Morgan Becomes the Youngest Chief of the United Colonies Marine Corps , albeit a short-lived position as the division closes in 2320. Cast adrift but still eager to put her training to good use, Morgan joins Constellation. |
| Walter Stroud – co-owner of Stroud-Ecklund, a leading starship manufacturer for Settle Systems – joins Constellation and becomes its main financier. | |
| 2322 | Former Crimson Fleet pirate Vladimir Sall joins Constellation. |
| 2325 | Sarah Morgan Becomes Interim President of Constellation. |
| 2325 | Theologian Matteo Khatri Joins Constellation. |
| 2326 | Barrett finds the original Artifact in the Constellation Archives and knows it must be special. |
| 2327 | < td>Freestar Ranger Sam Coe and his daughter Cora join Constellation.|
| 2328 | Andreja joins Constellation. |
| 2328 | Barrett convinces Constellation to purchase Starstation L-868 and modify it to become a deep space scanner, nicknamed "The Eye". |
| 2330 | Starfield begins. |