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The following page contains plot spoilers! Read at your own risk! |
The TimeSplitter War is the central theme of the whole of the TimeSplitters series, spanning (but not lasting) 548 years from 1853 to 2401.
Forces and Leaders[]
The war began when the TimeSplitters began to fight Humanity throughout their history. An organization known as the Space Marines based in the year 2401 has made it their mission to go back in time and fight the TimeSplitters, wherever they may appear.
The leader of the TimeSplitters is highly debatable. In TimeSplitters Future Perfect, we find out that Jacob Crow is the breeder and thus creator of the TimeSplitters race. However on the back of the original TimeSplitters cover case, the TimeSplitters are said to live in another dimension where they have slept until now in order to destroy mankind. And in TimeSplitters 2, the TimeSplitters seem to be able to take care of themselves on their own Ship which is later demolished. Despite this, it is generally accepted that Crow is a vital head character for the TimeSplitters, although he doesn't seem to directly communicate with them. On the other side of the fight, a man known simply as The General is the leader of the opposing forces.
Duration[]
There were more than two forces in the TimeSplitters War. The Machine Wars were the second most prevalent war within the TimeSplitter war itself.
When the war started and how long it lasted is confusing to explain since the war happened interlapping throughout time. Technically speaking, the actual war began in 1935 and finished 466 years later in 2401. This is because the war starts out when Captain Ash retrieved the Ankh from the Egyptian Tomb, the important thing to know is that he doesn't TimeSplit to 1935, he is actually living in that timezone. If Captain Ash were to TimeSplit, then the war would start in the time he came from. This explains why the war did not start in 1853 Wild West: because Sergeant Cortez morphed into Elijah Jones coming from 2401.
We know that Captain Ash wasn't morphed into/TimeSplit because in the first phase of the war (the original TimeSplitters), there is little/no knowledge that the TimeSplitters exist. Each individual mission is done by individuals who have their own mission to do but in doing so stop the TimeSplitters. They might deliberately stopping them, but unknowingly becoming a vital part in the war.
- The first phase of the war lasts 100 years, beginning from the very start in 1935, to 2035.
- The second phase is when The General's forces become aware of the TimeSplitters, and from here, Cortez morphs into various characters to foil the TimeSplitters wherever they are. This technically happens all in 2401, where Cortez and Corporal Hart breach the Space Station which has been overrun by TimeSplitters, and from there jump around time. The effects are similar to the first phase, as Sergant Cortez morphs into individuals through-out time.
- The third and final stage happens right after Cortez leaves the Space Station with the crystals. It technically finishes on the same day as well, since Anya lived the normal day through-out Cortez's time traveling.
Whatever happened in the gap between the end of phase one and the beginning of phase two (2035 - 2401) is unknown. However the Mox Civil War and the Machine Wars happened during this time (in which the latter were part of Crow's plan), so the TimeSplitters may have been preparing to invade during this time.
Attack on Spacetime Marine Headquarters[]
During the trip back from the Space Station in 2401, where Cortez had retrieved the Time Crystals, a large amount of Berserker Splitters and the Mothership launched an attack on the Spacetime Marine HQ. It is also found out that a group of Time Assassins was sent at this time also, but did not have the same mission as the TimeSplitters. They were only there to kill Cortez and obtain the Time Crystals.
The reason for this attack is mainly unknown, however it would seem that the reason for it was that Cortez stole the Crystals from the Space Station, so the Splitters retaliated and launched an attack.
The attack was in vain however. Cortez made it to the Spacetime Marine Headquarters, and after finishing off the TimeSplitters outside, made his way inside to meet the General. A noticeable loss for the TimeSplitters was their mothership, which was shot down over the canyon. However, (after or before the mothership is not known, as there is a contradiction in the storyline, although it is most definitely after), the bridge was destroyed.
When Cortez made his way to Kronia in 1924, he discovered Time Assassins going to 2401, to kill him before he could cause Crow any further damage. So Cortez took up a Time Assassin disguise and went forward in time to save himself. It is revealed that Cortez was the person who shot down the TimeSplitter mothership and gave covering fire to himself.
Crow[]
Jacob Crow (left) and Jacob Crow (right) observing the Time Device.
Jacob Crow played an important role in the TimeSplitter War. His role is one of the most confusing elements of the war chronologically, as it is hard to determine what, when and where he was at certain times.
We don't know exactly when Crow was born; considering we look at the young Crow in 1994, he hasn't been introduced to a time device yet and he looks in his 30's. We will say he was born in the 1960's.
- 1994: Immediately after Crow's current research is destroyed, young Crow obtains a Time Device from an old Crow that has time travelled from the year 2052. With the single Time Device, together they depart to times/places unknown.
- 2052: Crow is old when he obtains a Time Device from his younger self, who appears to have time traveled directly from 1994 (though this might not necessarily be the case). Unlike the old visitor to 1994, who had only one Time Device in his possession, this young visitor to 2052 has two Time Devices, giving one to the native 2052 Crow, who incidentally, just moments before had no idea what Time Crystals and Time Devices were. From 2052, the two Crows go their separate ways; the younger Crow to the future to found Ultranet, the older presumably back to 1994 to continue the paradoxical cycle.
Paradoxes aside, the younger Crow skips years of research and goes to 2052 and then beyond, where all the technology old Crow has researched and developed over the years awaits. At some point, somehow, he discovers the source of the Time Crystals, and then time travels there to mine them and refine them. Crow's Time Device turns out to be an uplink to a time machine that exists in 1924, where the mining operations have taken place. No reasonable explanation has been presented to explain these paradoxes, and any such explanation may ultimately need to involve travel between alternate timelines. As the old Crow we saw in 2052 was clearly not an older version of the same Crow who had been travelling through time since his 30's, alternate timelines and travel between them are fair game.
So from a base of operations in 2243, Crow uses the research to start making genetically superior beings. By about 2400, these beings are at war with humanity. However, these beings have not yet used time travel, and hence would/should not yet be known by humanity as "TimeSplitters". Once Crow's creations begin travelling through time using the time machine on the Space Station, they then became known as "TimeSplitters". The time crystals are stolen from the TimeSplitters by the Spacetime Marines for use in their own time machine, and the Space Station is destroyed, the time machine along with it. Crow's forces then assault Spacetime Marine HQ (thus the first mission in TimeSplitters Future Perfect), in an attempt to stop the Time Crystals from being used by the opposing side.