Stardate

Stardates are the standard date-keeping convention for Starfleet. Prior to the late 2100s, no standard naming convention had been established. Starfleet personnel either used the Gregorian calendar to identify dates or one of many pre-stardate conventions.

Stardate Convention of 2197
In March of 2197, Starfleet mandated that all official dates be subject to a new stardate format, beginning with the date 2197.000. However, the radicality of the new system resulted in low adoption rates by Starfleet personnel.

Stardate Convention of 2228
In October of 2228, Starfleet Command decided to form a compromise between the Gregorian calendar and the proposed stardate system. The first stardate to be used with the format was 2257.10.8-1.

In effect, this new convention was still a Gregorian date. The first four digits compromise the year (2257); the next one or two, the month (10 - October); the next one or two, the day (8); and the last digit, the number of the entry on that day (1 - first).

This new system was readily adopted by Starfleet personnel.