....... Where the Hell did you pull that 'theory' from? Sorceresses have the same life span as normal humans, and it's stated that Ultimecia resides FAR FAR IN THE FUTURE.[/i]
We've heared that Ultimecia is far into the future but one curriosity i've had for a while is exactly how far? Does anyone know; are there any official sources that actually say?

I don't think there's a specific time every actually mentioned. Not in the game anyway, I'm not sure if there's anything else on it but in the game they never actually say how far in the future she's from. I always just assumed they didn't know.

Xx..xX

In the game, it's said she's pretty much very far into the future to the point where Squall and company would have died from old age ages ago...if Squall didn't die a premature death already of course :).

We've heared that Ultimecia is far into the future but one curriosity i've had for a while is exactly how far? Does anyone know; are there any official sources that actually say?

Seeing as you quoted myself, it'd be amiss for me not to respond. The only information about Ultimecia's timeline is the following (Taken from the Final Fantasy Wikia (http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Ultimecia)):

"Ultimecia's exact age and timeframe in the future is kept ambiguous; the only hint given is that Ultimecia is stated to exist "many generations in the future".

Here are the most relevant quotes from the game on the subject.

Edea tells the group, "I was at the mercy of Sorceress Ultimecia. Ultimecia is a sorceress from the future. A sorceress many generations ahead of our time."

A bit later, Rinoa says, "...I should tell you this before I go. I was possessed out in space. There was a sorceress inside me. Ultimecia, a sorceress from the future."

She also says, "Ultimecia lives in the future and possesses me. She uses my body as her extension in this world."

Before you enter time compression, Laguna says, "Ultimecia lives far in the future where none of us can technically exist. There's only one way to make yourself exist in a world like that! As friends, don't forget one another!"

Pretty much. However, there is one contridiction to it being 'far in the future' - the fact that in the future the Ragnarok still exists, with Doctor Kadowaki and the entire Balamb Garden Card Club inside, scarcely looking a day older!

This leads me to think that the 'future' realm of Ultimecia that Squall and co visit isn't really the literal future at all, but a pseudo-future period with elements from the past thrown into it, possibly a side-effect of Time Compression. This also explains why no cities or towns still exist either (although that could be easily explained that Ultimecia has simply invaded and destroyed all other nations, leaving her regime the only one remaining).

Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Pretty much. However, there is one contridiction to it being 'far in the future' - the fact that in the future the Ragnarok still exists, with Doctor Kadowaki and the entire Balamb Garden Card Club inside, scarcely looking a day older!

This leads me to think that the 'future' realm of Ultimecia that Squall and co visit isn't really the literal future at all, but a pseudo-future period with elements from the past thrown into it, possibly a side-effect of Time Compression. This also explains why no cities or towns still exist either (although that could be easily explained that Ultimecia has simply invaded and destroyed all other nations, leaving her regime the only one remaining).

Um, don't they just go into the time compressed world? I didn't think they were actually going to the future, but to a state where past, present, and future are combined. What you say makes a lot of sense, though. Squall & co. can not only access the airship and the people inside, but the Deep Research Facility, chocobo forests, and the Centra Ruins, along with Odin, Bahamut, Ultima Weapon, etc. as if they were all in the 'present.' Also, there aren't any towns other than those in the 'present.' Theoretically, a time-compressed world should have features from the past, present, and future, but here it's only the present and recent past. The world they enter might also be shaped around the experiences of Squall and the others.

Um, don't they just go into the time compressed world? I didn't think they were actually going to the future, but to a state where past, present, and future are combined. What you say makes a lot of sense, though. Squall & co. can not only access the airship and the people inside, but the Deep Research Facility, chocobo forests, and the Centra Ruins, along with Odin, Bahamut, Ultima Weapon, etc. as if they were all in the 'present.' Also, there aren't any towns other than those in the 'present.' Theoretically, a time-compressed world should have features from the past, present, and future, but here it's only the present and recent past. The world they enter might also be shaped around the experiences of Squall and the others.
Thinking about it, you might be right. It just didn't occur to me as they are always talking about Ultimecia being in the future. I just instictly thought they were going to the future.

But yeah maybe they still do go to the future, just that in that future time is compressed.

I may be mistaken, but I could've sworn somewhere I heard/read that time didn't start to compress until you start fighting Ultimecia in her final form (where it looks like you're fighting in space).

But as for reasons why some things are open at this time (like Deep Sea Research Facility and the Centra Ruins) depends for me. Like, those places could be open because they still exist. Don't really know where exactly Odin came from, but because he IS a god, he just might be immortal or have a life span much longer than normal humans (might even be older than Ultimecia). Same with Ultima and Bahamut. They're not really human so my whole thing is just they must have a much longer life-span. As for the Ragnarok still being there, that doesn't surprise me. If that thing was able to be vacant for 17 years (or more, can't remember) and still have all that power to do the same things as it did when it was first used, it was only obvious to me that it can last a very long time as long as it's not running. Or maybe someone put it there for some reason and Squall and company actually stole it from him when he arrived, thinking it's really his.

But as for the reason why those CC members are in there is up to speculation. Didn't someone say something the first time they arrive about how they got there? I may be wrong, but I wouldn't doubt it.

My point might be wrong. When the party approaches Ultimecia's Castle, Quistis says, "So this is the future... This is where Ultimecia reigns..."

Then again, before the trippy FMV, after Squall and company defeat Adel and save Rinoa, Laguna says, "Okay, this is the showdown folks! Time compression is about to begin."

So I don't know. Future? Time compression? Is there any consistency in this? Obviously Ultimecia is from the future, that much is clear at least.

They are in time compression at the end, Quistis says that it's the future because in time compression past, present and future are merging, so where you see Ultimecia's castle, that is part of the future, but the world as a whole is slowly being compressed and time doesn't really exist. That's what I always figured it was anyway.