007 Chronological Viewing Order

[Dallas Kinard]

This thread can be used for any and all findings for the 007 franchise.

The following is the chronological order I've put together by watching the films closely and paying attention to any and all details that may give an idea of the timeline.

Original Timeline:

- 1954 -

Barry Nelson Era - "Climax!" Episode 1.03: "Casino Royale"

Cinematic Timeline:

- 1962 -

- February -

Sean Connery Era - 01. "Dr. No" (February XX - 20th, 1962)

- 1963 -

Sean Connery Era - 02. "From Russia With Love"

- 1964 -

- November -

Sean Connery Era - 03. "Goldfinger" (XXXX - November, 1964)

- 1965 -

- May -

Sean Connery Era - 04. "Thunderball" (May XX - 27th, 1965)

- 1966 -

- July -

Sean Connery Era - 05. "You Only Live Twice" (July, 1966)

- 1967 -

Sean Connery Era - "Welcome To Japan Mr. Bond"

- 1969 -

- December -

George Lazenby Era - 06. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (September - December, 1969)

- 1971 -

- July -

Sean Connery Era - 07. "Diamonds Are Forever" (March - July, 1971)

- 1973 -

Roger Moore Era - 08. "Live And Let Die"

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I just watched "Dr. No" this weekend and believe it's firmly set in late February of 1962 for two reasons.

First, we have this calendar (the best pic I could get online). It lines up with Feb of 1962.

And lastly we have Operation Mercury-Atlas 6 occurring during the third act. This rocket launched on 02/20/1962 (30 years before I was born, as I am 02/20/1992).

Now I didn't get a chance to count backwards the days, but I'd say the film takes place over the course of a few days, ending on Feb 20, 1962.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I watched "From Russia With Love" this weekend. It's firmly set in 1963 due to the wall calendar in Moneypenny's office.

This film introduces "Q" (standing for Quartermaster). "Major Boothroyd", a character similar to "Q", appeared in the previous film, "Dr. No" who was addressed as "Armorer".

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I watched the third Bond film this weekend "Goldfinger". Here are my findings. I believe the film is firmly set in 1964.

A wall calendar can be seen at the 19:21 mark, although it's difficult to make out the specific month.

Around the 25:35 mark, a Dunlop Golf poster can be seen with 1964 on it as the date.

At the 33:08 mark, an inspection sticker dated "FEB 65" can be seen on James Bond's car.

At the 34:33 mark, Goldfinger's car inspection sticker can be seen dated "AUG 64".

At the 1:14:51 mark, a license plate date of 1964 can be seen.

The following exchange shows that it's the summer season:

Tilly Masterson:
"It's for my ice skates."

James Bond:
"Lovely sport. Where do you skate?"

Tilly Masterson:
"Saint Moritz."

James Bond:
"I didn't know there was ice there this time of the year."

At one point, James Bond refers to Felix Leiter's time in Jamaica, referring to the events of "Dr. No". Felix Leiter must be a code-name as the character is portrayed differently in this film.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I watched 1965's "Thunderball" last weekend. Here are my findings for the 007 thread that I'm sure someone will create eventually.

At around the 22:04 mark, a chalkboard can be seen with the text "Exercise Date: 2-65". This seemingly places this film in February of 1965.

At precisely 41:33, a file dated "26/2" can be seen. I couldn't find a shot on the net because of how fast it is.

At around the 41:55 mark, a classified document is dated 19.9.65. This would seemingly place the film sometime during or after September, 1965.

At around the 1:08:24 mark, a car inspection sticker can be seen dated "5".

At around the 1:32:10 mark, a screen shows the date of "27 MAY".

So we can conclude that the film is set in May of 1965.

This film introduces a third man who uses the "Felix Leiter" alias.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

I watched 1967's "You Only Live Twice" this weekend. The only timeline evidence I was able to find in the film was the following newspaper date. This places the film firmly in July of 1966.

This film confirms that Ernst Stavro Blofeld is just an alias used by at least two different men by this point. The Blofeld in this film is clearly a different person than the Blofeld seen in all previous appearances.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

On the Blu Ray for "You Only Live Twice" there is a TV Special included that can be considered canon.



This film is dated 1967, which matches the copyright date. The "present day" scenes take place sometime after the events of "You Only Live Twice".

This short film is told nearly entirely in flashback from "Dr No" through "You Only Live Twice" showing both old and new scenes, some of which occur during the events of "You Only Live Twice".

This short film reveals that within the 007 universe, there are films made about the exploits of the real James Bond starring Sean Connery as the titular character.

At the 6:43 Mark Tatiana Romanovas personal file shows a registered date of 9/9/50 and indexed date of 02/10/60. the file also reveals her date of birth being 7/1/36.

At the 22:43 Mark, the shooting date can be seen as "27•9•66". This means only two months have passed since the real events of "You Only Live Twice".

It is revealed during the present day scenes that the next James Bond movie is titled "On Your Majesty's Secret Service" which is also the title of an Ian Fleming novel seen during these scenes.

I was unable to find HD screencaps online for all of these, but on the Blu Ray this special is in 1080p.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

This weekend I watched "On Your Majesty's Secret Service". This one was packed with dates and evidence for placement!

In the opening scene, after James Bond rescues a woman from drowning and fights a group of mooks, the woman drives away. He faces the camera and says "This never happened to the other fella", a reference to the previous 007. This line establishes that there are at least two 007 agents that use the name "James Bond". The name "James Bond" is likely an alias. I understand this isn't a popular stance, but I think the films themselves prove it due to the evidence in them. We will get more into this in future installments of the franchise.

At around the 21:05 mark a wall calendar can be seen, but it's impossible to make out the month and year.



At the 22:06 mark a calendar is clearly and deliberately focused in on and shows "Setembro 1969". it's then stated that it's the 13th of the month.




At the 42:34 mark, a letter dated "12th June, 1969" is focused on.




At the 42:40 mark another letter is seen dated "30th July, 1969".



At the 43:04 mark another letter is seen dated "3rd, August 1969".



At the 45:17 mark another letter dated "9th June, 1969" can be seen focused on.



At around the 48:22 mark, a newspaper dated "Friday December 5 1969" can be seen.



At the 1:40:32 mark, a calendar is visible, but it's difficult to tell which month and year it is.



At James Bond's wedding, "M" discusses with Marc-Ange Draco "that bullion job in November of 1964" which references "Goldfinger" and also places that film in November of 1964.

From IMDB:

At the wedding, Draco and M discuss an occasion where M's department cost Draco three men. M says, "Ah, yes, November 1964 - the bullion job." This seems to be a reference to Goldfinger (1964), implying Draco was once in league with Auric Goldfinger. But if the writers intended this, they made wrong allusions: 1) M alluded to Draco getting away with a large portion of the job while nothing was stolen; and 2) it's cold in Kentucky by November yet Goldfinger's battle was filmed with obvious summer scenery.

At the 2:19:46 mark, James Bond's car inspection sticker shows the date of "NOV69". Since this scene is in late December of 1969, the inspection sticker must be out of date.



James Bond and Ernst Blofeld don't recognize each other. This adds credence to the idea that Blofeld is a name used by multiple men, similar to James Bond. More on this idea as we continue.



With all of that said, this film spans a few months of time. It starts around September of 1969 and then ends in December of 1969.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

Over the weekend I watched the seventh Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever". Here are my findings.

It is stated that James Bond has been on holiday ("You've been on holiday, I understand."). This could explain this 007's absence from the last film. The film also picks up in Japan, where we last saw the Connery Bond. It is my understanding that this Bond has been living in Japan for the last five years (1966 - 1971). If you recall, he got married in that last film. I like to think he took an extended leave to possibly live a simple life in Japan with his new wife. The Lazenby 007 took over for him (at least for a couple of years after "You Only Live Twice"). After the events of "On Your Majesty's Secret Service", MI6 called Connery back into duty to track down Blofeld and avenge what happened to Lazenby (who possibly retired after his wife's death).



Another man going by the Felix Leiter alias debuts in this film. This would be the fourth since "Dr. No".



By the time of this film, Ernst Stavro Blofeld began creating identical decoys of himself using plastic surgery. It is still unknown who the real Ernst Stavro Blofeld is by this point. Since "Dr. No", this is the fourth individual to use the Blofeld alias.



At around the 10:13 mark a March 1971 calendar can be seen on the wall.



At the 19:27 mark a passport can be seen with a birthday of 15.4.1932.



The Aston Martin DBS that was used by the previous 007 can be seen in Q's lab. The vehicle can be seen in the background of the Q-Branch workshop being fitted with missiles of some kind as James Bond talks with Q on the telephone.



At the 1:19:03 mark, a license plate renewal date of DEC 71 can be seen.



Professor Doctor Metz's security pass is dated 7/5/71. according to the book "The Man With The Golden Eye: Designing The James Bond Films".

Also to note, after James Bond disposes of Peter Franks, he switches wallets with the body. When Tiffany Case inspects the corpse and finds the wallet, her first reaction is a disbelieving "You just killed James Bond!". Given how often James Bond drops his name, it makes sense that he has developed something of a reputation with the general public by this time.

So I think we can conclude that the film spans from March to July of 1971. This means it's been five years since we the audience has seen the original 007 (1966's "You Only Live Twice").

 

[Jozaca]

So, you are going with the multiple Bonds idea?

 

[Dallas Kinard]

So, you are going with the multiple Bonds idea?

Yes. And I believe the films prove this theory.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

Over the weekend I was able to catch "Live And Let Die". Here were my findings. The picture quality isn't always the best due to compression so I apologize if tiny details and text aren't easy to read.

This film introduces the third man to take up the 007 "James Bond" name and without explanation. It can be assumed due to the infamous line in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" that there are multiple men who use the alias "007, James Bond". The Sean Connery Bond has most likely resigned after being on holiday and having to return to action in the previous film. The Roger Moore Bond's distinct feature is his light blue eyes. The previous two agents both had dark brown eyes.



Felix Leiter, the American equivalent to 007 is shown to be a new agent in this film, the fifth since the character's debut in "Dr. No".



At the 18:01 mark, an inspection sticker dated 1973 can be seen on a Taxi cab.



At the 20:09 mark a license plate can be seen dated 1973.




At around the 22:36 mark a car inspection sticker dated 1974 can be seen.



At around the 1:28:45 mark, the sheriff's license plate is dated 72 - 73.



With that said, this film is firmly set in 1973.

 

[Megatron]

Yes. And I believe the films prove this theory.

not a fan of the theory, there are a lot of key proofs for it to be wrong:

 

[Dallas Kinard]

Well I'm not a fan of floating timelines and making characters ageless, which is why I believe the codename theory makes the most logical sense.

You either have to accept that Bond is ageless, which means he's a supernatural entity of some type and exists on a non-sensical "floating timeline" OR maybe 007 and James Bond is an alias used by different men. We are talking about a super-spy organization where M's and Q's exist. Why people take such issue with this yet are totally fine with the ageless man theory really boggles my mind.

I can respond point by point to that Reddit post when I get more time. But upon a quick read, the OP must ignore on-screen evidence to come to his conclusion. This thread will not be doing so, instead we will be embracing the on-screen evidence.

Edit:

It's these types of comments that piss me off. Let people have fun guys. This is FICTION after all. My goodness people get so upset about such silly things. Shut the heck up about "the real fans" nonsense. I'm so sick of that line in all of these fandoms.

 

[Megatron]

Well I'm not a fan of floating timelines and making characters ageless, which is why I believe the codename theory makes the most logical sense.

You either have to accept that Bond is ageless, which means he's a supernatural entity of some type and exists on a non-sensical "floating timeline" OR maybe 007 and James Bond is an alias used by different men. We are talking about a super-spy organization where M's and Q's exist. Why people take such issue with this yet are totally fine with the ageless man theory really boggles my mind.

I can respond point by point to that Reddit post when I get more time. But upon a quick read, the OP must ignore on-screen evidence to come to his conclusion. This thread will not be doing so, instead we will be embracing the on-screen evidence.

Edit:

It's these types of comments that piss me off. Let people have fun guys. This is FICTION after all. My goodness people get so upset about such silly things. Shut the heck up about "the real fans" nonsense. I'm so sick of that line in all of these fandoms.

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actually you can place the movies in the years they happen, dates are there, the actors rappresent moments of his life, so one bond and also no problem with dates, the ageless factor comes into play when you try to connect the reboot with the original universe.

But anyway going with logic, Bond's codename is OO7, why would he need a codename for a codename?

 

[Dallas Kinard]

actually you can place the movies in the years they happen, dates are there, the actors rappresent moments of his life, so one bond and also no problem with dates, the ageless factor comes into play when you try to connect the reboot with the original universe.

I'm not sure I'm following. You are saying that a 32 year old Bond as seen in Dr. No (which occurs in 1962) is the same exact man that last appears in 2002's Die Another Day? He should be 70 years old by then!

So again, either you must accept that Bond doesn't age/is a time-lord or some whacko sci-fi theory OR you can assume that the 007 is a moniker taken up by different guys throughout the timeline (which the strongest case for is presented in OHMSS). I think in a world of M's, Q's, Felix Leiter's and Blofelds all likely being code-names/aliases, it's a safe bet.

I too have links that argue this case:

Month of Bond: Why James Bond is a codename and not one man!

I’m going to pre-cursor this theory with a simple statement: This is my opinion of the series and not necessarily the intended view. It isn’t an original view, I’d heard it many t…

distinctchatter.co.uk

Yes, James Bond is a Code Name. Here's Why.

A consideration of one of the most famous fan theories of all time—and how Skyfall reinforced the James Bond codename theory.

whatwouldbaledo.com

 

[Megatron]

I'm not sure I'm following. You are saying that a 32 year old Bond as seen in Dr. No (which occurs in 1962) is the same exact man that last appears in 2002's Die Another Day? He should be 70 years old by then!

So again, either you must accept that Bond doesn't age/is a time-lord or some whacko sci-fi theory OR you can assume that the 007 is a moniker taken up by different guys throughout the timeline (which the strongest case for is presented in OHMSS). I think in a world of M's, Q's, Felix Leiter's and Blofelds all likely being code-names/aliases, it's a safe bet.

I too have links that argue this case:

Month of Bond: Why James Bond is a codename and not one man!

I’m going to pre-cursor this theory with a simple statement: This is my opinion of the series and not necessarily the intended view. It isn’t an original view, I’d heard it many t…

distinctchatter.co.uk

Yes, James Bond is a Code Name. Here's Why.

A consideration of one of the most famous fan theories of all time—and how Skyfall reinforced the James Bond codename theory.

whatwouldbaledo.com

1. bond, lives in a world with lasers and other sci-fi stuff in the 70s, the heath system can be very advance, so that's why he's fine even in his 70s, like do u see the 70s of today? They look like in their 50s.
2. IDK why they say the personalities change, tho he does the same one lines jokes and all, so it's pretty stupid to me to say he's a codename, does "make one-line puns" part of the training?
3. answered themself, "separate universe", tho if u want to count it, Both Judith Dench's Ms have different real names lol.

the line that is said in OHMSS is the only thing that points to the theory, as in the same movie the scene with bond cleaning the desk is cleary reminiscing about his past missions, oh and Blofeld doesn't recognize Bond, cos EON wanted to make an 1:1 adaptations of the OHMSS novel, in that novel is the 1st meeting within Bond and Blofeld. So that line could be a 4th wall joke.

Tho if you wanna take it as litteral, then why Bond's codename is OO7, if its codename is James Bond? He has 2 codenames now?

Also why the other bonds cuts him short when talking about marriage? Or why should another Bond go to a tomb of the deceased wife of another Bond if he isn't the same guy? I don't see it being a mission or a task.

I think i said everything, if i forgot smt just tell me.

 

[Dallas Kinard]

1. bond, lives in a world with lasers and other sci-fi stuff in the 70s, the heath system can be very advance, so that's why he's fine even in his 70s, like do u see the 70s of today? They look like in their 50s.
2. IDK why they say the personalities change, tho he does the same one lines jokes and all, so it's pretty stupid to me to say he's a codename, does "make one-line puns" part of the training?
3. answered themself, "separate universe", tho if u want to count it, Both Judith Dench's Ms have different real names lol.

the line that is said in OHMSS is the only thing that points to the theory, as in the same movie the scene with bond cleaning the desk is cleary reminiscing about his past missions, oh and Blofeld doesn't recognize Bond, cos EON wanted to make an 1:1 adaptations of the OHMSS novel, in that novel is the 1st meeting within Bond and Blofeld. So that line could be a 4th wall joke.

Tho if you wanna take it as litteral, then why Bond's codename is OO7, if its codename is James Bond? He has 2 codenames now?

Also why the other bonds cuts him short when talking about marriage? Or why should another Bond go to a tomb of the deceased wife of another Bond if he isn't the same guy? I don't see it being a mission or a task.

I think i said everything, if i forgot smt just tell me.

1. If you choose to have that sort of suspension of dis-belief, more power to you. I do not. Because I think Bond is still more based in reality than something like comic book logic or Star Wars.

2. Personalities DO change though. But moreso, their physical appearance changes. Roger Moore has blue eyes, when the previous two Bonds had brown eyes.

3. How do we know M's "names" are real though? Secret spy stuff. If you can by lasers, can't you buy fake names?

4. While 4th wall breaking IS a thing, you have two options here. Either Lazenby's Bond is like Deadpool and is aware he's in a movie OR the line is meant to be taken literally within the universe and therefore MUST be considered.

5. Bond could be simply cleaning out the desk each 007 agent uses. He was checking out the items Connery's Bond either told him about or he was familiar with the cases.

6. Blofeld is a double/different person which is why he doesn't recognize Lazenby. Ernst using doubles is explored more in Diamonds Are Forever.

7. 007 is the code-name. James Bond is the public persona alias as Diamonds shows people know about him "You just killed James Bond!". Again you can buy lasers in this world, but not two names used by the same guy?

8. I think the brainwashing theory could hold some weight. Basically each man is given a backstory and they truly believe they are "James Bond". The grave thing could be one Bond visiting the grave of his friend's wife. When Moore kills Blofeld, his reaction isn't that of an angry widow who finally killed the man who murdered his wife. His reaction is more of "that was for Lazenby". Watch it again.

9. It all boils down to suspension of disbelief. I think it takes far more stretching and logic leaps to make Bond a single man through the decades than it does to go with the OHMSS dialogue that indicates otherwise.