Killian Jones' Sandbox Wiki
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Killian Jones' Sandbox Wiki

Well, I don't know who wrote that indisputable fact into stone, but it is a big mistake, and it spread all over the wiki. Emma was born on October 23rd, and I'll take the creators' clear words[1] over some fan-made deduction, regardless of how logic it might seem (even though it is not logic at all, and the show proves it). I will do my best to explain the events surrounding Emma's birthday, and point out why the information on Emma's article, the timelines, and possibly elsewhere on the wiki is mistaken.

"The day after the curse, the newspaper Regina reads is dated October 23, 1983 (the show premiered on October 23, 2011). This means Emma's birthday is either October 22, or October 23, depending on whether she was born before or after midnight."

This is incorrect. It is based on the assumption that the Enchanted Forest and Boston's time-zone are aligned, which is complete speculation, and which leads to the assumption that October 23rd is the "next day", when in fact it is the exact same day the Dark Curse was cast. Emma was born and sent to the Land Without Magic only minutes apart, being born during the late evening/night in the Enchanted Forest and only minutes later being sent through the Wardrobe only to arrive to Boston during daylight hours, on October 23, meaning she was born this day.

"However, the show itself indicates that her birthday on October 22. In "Pilot", Emma celebrates her twenty-eight birthday on this date; the day she arrives in Storybrooke (which was the day before she spends the night behind bars and decides to stay; she even says to Regina that "yesterday was my birthday")."

Again, incorrect. On October 24 (the day AFTER she comes to Storybrooke, AFTER having spent the night in the Storybrooke Sheriff's Department), she says "yesterday was my birthday". The trivia on Emma's page incorrectly states that this quote is from the day before Emma spent the night in jail, but this is a glaring mistake: the quote is definitely from after she's been in jail, meaning the day AFTER she came to Storybrooke.

"This is further confirmed when August's wooden state is triggered in Thailand at 8:15 A.M. on October 24—the very same moment that Emma accepts the room key at 8:15 P.M. (the time zone in Phuket is twelve hours ahead of Maine's timezone)."

I don't even understand how this is supposed to be a confirmation. I don't remember any indicator that August Booth's wooden state is triggered in October 24. If we go by logic, it has to be 8:15 A.M. October 25.

Timeline of Events[]

Time Enchanted Forest Boston / Maine Pucket, Thailand
October 23 1983[2] Daylight[3] Nighttime[4] N/A
The Dark Curse starts engulfing the Enchanted Forest
Template:Ep
Storybrooke's creation begins.
Template:Ep
Late Evening[5] Daylight[6][7]
Emma is born and sent through the wardrobe.
Template:Ep
Emma arrives to Boston.
Template:Ep
The Storybrooke citizens wake up. Newspapers say October 23.
Template:Ep
GAP OF 28 YEARS
October 23 2011 N/A Nighttime[8] N/A
Emma celebrates her 28th birthday, Henry finds her an takes her to Storybrooke.
Later that same Night[9]
Emma spends the night in the Storybrooke Sheriff's Department.
October 24 2011 N/A Daylight[10] N/A
Henry escapes, Emma finds him at the playground castle, takes him back to Regina and says "yesterday was my birthday"
8:15pm[11] 8:15am[12]
(October 25)
Time resumes in the Enchanted Forest. Emma decides to stay in Storybrooke. August wakes up with his wooden leg.

Behind the Scenes[]

There is a lot of Behind the Scenes to support that Emma's birthday is October 23 as opposed to October 22.

  • The creators said so: Once "occurs in a semblance of real time,” starting with Emma Swan’s Oct 23, 2011 birthday aka the series premiere."[1]
  • The number 23 is of huge relevance to the creators and the show, whereas I don't think the number 22 has any special meaning to them or the show.
    • The Pilot premiered on October 23, 2011. The creators intentionally made it so Emma's birthday was the same date.
    • 23 is one of the LOST numbers, which are references in endless occasions on the show.
  • In addition, the date October 22 was never seen written or heard on the show, whereas October 23 was purposefully featured.

Saying that the creators themselves are mistaken about this implies that one's understanding of the show is better than theirs, and that the wiki should reflect our understanding of it over theirs. And I'm sorry, but the show has never clearly stated that Emma's birthday is October 22. And the "that" which we seemingly "can't override" is not the show, it is a fan's (or multiple fans') understanding of the show which differs from Adam Horowitz's understanding itself.

So we can either thoroughly analyze the events and logically deduce (and adduce) that Emma's birthday is October 23, or we can listen to the creator of the show itself when he is saying Emma's birthday is October 23.

References[]

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