AW Calendar System
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- Also Known As
- Space Century
- Appearances
- Phantasy Star
- Phantasy Star: Deluxe Edition
- Phantasy Star Adventure
- Phantasy Star Gaiden
- Phantasy Star II
- Phantasy Star IV
- Phantasy Star generation:1
- Phantasy Star generation:2
Biography
The people of the Algo Solar System, especially Palmans, have developed their own calendar system to record the passage of time. Specific details of this calendar, such as the length of weeks, months, or years, have never been revealed. Years are noted in the manner of "AW number." An example would be AW 183, the 183rd year of the calendar.
It is believed that the AW calendar consists of months comparable to January, February, August, October, etc. The only date of this type mentioned in a game is "August 11," the date of an evacuation of Palman settlers on Dezoris sometime between AW 1268 and 1284. These month names were also used for the birth dates of the Phantasy Star III characters, when those dates were stated by character designer Toyo Ozaki.
The origin of the calendar and the meaning of "AW" are revealed only in the Phantasy Star Compendium. It states that the calendar began when Palma was first united under one king, Waizz Landale, and that "AW" stands for "After Wars" and "After Waizz." The book also introduced a "BW" notation, standing for "Before Wars" and "Before Waizz."
The following years in the AW calendar have some importance:
- AW 183 - Palmans first land on Motavia
- AW 342 - Events of Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star generation:1, and Phantasy Star: Deluxe Edition
- AW 813 - Events of Phantasy Star Gaiden
- AW 1268 - Events of Phantasy Star Adventure
- AW 1274 - A spaceship crash over Dezoris
- AW 1284 - Events of Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star generation:2
- AW 2284 - Events of Phantasy Star IV
Exact dates for the events of Phantasy Star III have never been stated. It is unknown if usage of the AW calendar survived the cultural destruction aboard the Alisa III. "AW" was never mentioned during that game.
In the English localization of Phantasy Star, "AW 342" was changed to "Space Century 342." The later games returned to the original AW notation.
Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Universe have their own unique calendar systems unrelated to the AW calendar.