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Description
Up until the rise of the Martian Technocracy, time in the human-controlled galaxy was measured based on Terran time. Every planet under human control had its own calendar, but measured its time in seconds, hours and minutes. Even Terran days and years were measured, as they were used on all non-planetary installations. The standard year in the Sol System was the Terran year, consisting of 365.25 Terran days. This changed with the rise of the Martian Technocracy, which imposed the use of a Martian-based year of 687 days. The Martians redefined the length of a day to exactly twenty-four hours, because both Earth and Mars had similar day lengths, and twenty-four was cleanly divisible by eight. The Martian Technocracy also redefined seconds and minutes by using an octal system: while hours remained the same length, each minute would be eighty seconds, and an hour would be eighty minutes.

During the rise of the Terran Empire, there were major power struggles between the Terran and Martian authorities, and timekeeping was one. Terrans wanted a return to the Terran calendar, while Martians wanted to keep the Martian calendar. A compromise was struck, and the human-controlled galaxy was introduced to the Universal Standard Calendar. Rather than basing a year on the orbit of either Earth or Mars, a midpoint compromise was reached of a 512-day year, subdivided into sixteen months. Each month would be divided into four weeks, and each week into eight days. As part of the compromise, each planet in the Terran Empire was allowed to use its own calendar, and the Universal Standard Calendar was used only for the time keeping on interplanetary scales, or aboard spacecraft and space stations. This practice has continued on to this day. Although the Federation momentarily attempted to impose the Universal Standard Calendar on all of its systems, the impracticality of this was immediately apparent. However, seconds, minutes and hours are standardized across the entire galaxy.

The eight days on the Universal Standard Calendar are named after the eight planets of the Sol System in Old Imperial. They are, in order from the beginning of the week to the end: Merakurden, Kytraden, Zemraden, Marashden, Zarzyemden, Zaturden, Yuranden, and Neptunden. Zaturden, Yuranden and Neptunden are typically considered weekends on spacecraft and space stations, and are days of rest in societies which allow such luxuries. The months of the Universal Standard Calendar, divorced from any lunar cycle, were designed to be uniform, and were named after sixteen professions the Terran Empire considered important. They are, in order from beginning to end: Shuzyen, Yushyen, Shoyen, Yanyen, Guyen, Geshuyen, Mujiyen, Jishiyen, Kiduyen, Wudoyen, Yudonyen, Fayen, Jinlyen, Nongyen, Laoyen, and Shibyen.

The current Universal Standard Calendar counts years from the founding of the Confederation of Allied Republics, the last human state to successfully set year zero as their founding year. Attempts by the Second Empire, Third Empire and the Federation to reset the calendar to their foundings failed, either for reasons of practicality or because some leaders found it useful to be in power during large numbered years to demonstrate the great heights humanity has reached. The absurd year numbers have been subject to scrutiny; the rise of Damar Tolpan to power was in the year 306,928 AFC. Some have suggested calendar reform in order to make the years easier to remember offhand, but critics of this move point out that most laypeople think exclusively in terms of their local calendar.

Not every human culture uses the Universal Standard Calendar. The United Orbitals, for example, still use the old Terran calendars. The Principality of Nomoki reset its year zero to its surrender to the Empire, as a reminder of its dishonorable defeat, and so each passing year serves as motivation for Nomoki to regain greatness. Of course, the vast majority of humans use local calendars, tailor made for their planet. Usually, year zero for these calendars is the time of the first manned landing on the planet, if such a date is known. Some cultures count years from a mythical founding, or the reign of the current leader, and others still count back from the founding on one empire or another.

Description
Up until the rise of the Martian Technocracy, time in the human-controlled galaxy was measured based on Terran time. Every planet under human control had its own calendar, but measured its time in seconds, hours and minutes. Even Terran days and years were measured, as they were used on all non-planetary installations. The standard year in the Sol System was the Terran year, consisting of 365.25 Terran days. This changed with the rise of the Martian Technocracy, which imposed the use of a Martian-based year of 687 days. The Martians redefined the length of a day to exactly twenty-four hours, because both Earth and Mars had similar day lengths, and twenty-four was cleanly divisible by eight. The Martian Technocracy also redefined seconds and minutes by using an octal system: while hours remained the same length, each minute would be eighty seconds, and an hour would be eighty minutes.

During the rise of the Terran Empire, there were major power struggles between the Terran and Martian authorities, and timekeeping was one. Terrans wanted a return to the Terran calendar, while Martians wanted to keep the Martian calendar. A compromise was struck, and the human-controlled galaxy was introduced to the Universal Standard Calendar. Rather than basing a year on the orbit of either Earth or Mars, a midpoint compromise was reached of a 512-day year, subdivided into sixteen months. Each month would be divided into four weeks, and each week into eight days. As part of the compromise, each planet in the Terran Empire was allowed to use its own calendar, and the Universal Standard Calendar was used only for the time keeping on interplanetary scales, or aboard spacecraft and space stations. This practice has continued on to this day. Although the Federation momentarily attempted to impose the Universal Standard Calendar on all of its systems, the impracticality of this was immediately apparent. However, seconds, minutes and hours are standardized across the entire galaxy.

The eight days on the Universal Standard Calendar are named after the eight planets of the Sol System in Old Imperial. They are, in order from the beginning of the week to the end: Merakurden, Kytraden, Zemraden, Marashden, Zarzyemden, Zaturden, Yuranden, and Neptunden. Zaturden, Yuranden and Neptunden are typically considered weekends on spacecraft and space stations, and are days of rest in societies which allow such luxuries. The months of the Universal Standard Calendar, divorced from any lunar cycle, were designed to be uniform, and were named after sixteen professions the Terran Empire considered important. They are, in order from beginning to end: Shuzyen, Yushyen, Shoyen, Yanyen, Guyen, Geshuyen, Mujiyen, Jishiyen, Kiduyen, Wudoyen, Yudonyen, Fayen, Jinlyen, Nongyen, Laoyen, and Shibyen.

The current Universal Standard Calendar counts years from the founding of the Confederation of Allied Republics, the last human state to successfully set year zero as their founding year. Attempts by the Second Empire, Third Empire and the Federation to reset the calendar to their foundings failed, either for reasons of practicality or because some leaders found it useful to be in power during large numbered years to demonstrate the great heights humanity has reached. The absurd year numbers have been subject to scrutiny; the rise of Damar Tolpan to power was in the year 306,928 AFC. Some have suggested calendar reform in order to make the years easier to remember offhand, but critics of this move point out that most laypeople think exclusively in terms of their local calendar.

Not every human culture uses the Universal Standard Calendar. The United Orbitals, for example, still use the old Terran calendars. The Principality of Nomoki reset its year zero to its surrender to the Empire, as a reminder of its dishonorable defeat, and so each passing year serves as motivation for Nomoki to regain greatness. Of course, the vast majority of humans use local calendars, tailor made for their planet. Usually, year zero for these calendars is the time of the first manned landing on the planet, if such a date is known. Some cultures count years from a mythical founding, or the reign of the current leader, and others still count back from the founding on one empire or another.