MovieChat Forums > War of the Worlds (1988) Discussion > My Thoughts On War of the Worlds

My Thoughts On War of the Worlds

posted 17 years ago by SoonerFan80
3 replies | jump to latest

First off let me say that "War of the Worlds" was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. I was very disappointed when it was cancelled after only 2 seasons. It's very irritating to know that after it's first season, "War of the Worlds" had some of the highest ratings for any Paramount show in syndication, but Paramount went ahead anyway and brought in a new creative force in Frank Mancuso Jr. to change the show's premise and basically lead it to its demise. Killing fan favorite characters Ironhorse and Drake was just the first step in sealing the show's fate. I actually liked both the first season and second season premise (post-apocalyptic future) but they should have waited after more than just the first season to impliment that idea. Also, there are questions that are never answered from the show...

1. Whatever happened to General Wilson at the beginning of the 2nd season?
All that's implied in Kincaid's comments is that he has disappeared.

2. Was Q'Tara, the synth sent from planet Qar’To, good or bad? At the end of
the last episode of the first season, she sends a report back to her home
planet that the idea of humans being a food source is still in danger.

3. In the first season, there is the idea that humanity has all but forgotten
about the original alien invasion. There is much debate as to how this
occurred.

4. How are the aliens from the first season related to the aliens from the
second season. The aliens from the first season state they are from the
planet Mor-Tax whereas the aliens from the second season say they are from
Morthrai, is that the same or different.

5. With the second season being set in a not too distant, post-apocalyptic
future, it's never explained how society comes to that
point.

Again, "War of the Worlds" will always be a favorite show of mine, a show that could and should have lasted much longer if it were not for stupid decisions made by the creators of the show. Also, I hope they put season 2 out on DVD at some point.

"Money won is twice as sweet as money earned." Eddie Felson, The Color of Money, 1986

[–] Jayson-spears 17 years ago

Yes--Paramount NEEDS to finish what they started. WTF is wrong with them?

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"This is where the fish live!"-The touch of Satan

[–] jeepxj-1 17 years ago

Yeah i agree that mancuso butchered the look and feel of the show. All of the sudden the world is a decaying post-apocalyptic place overnight. It had a very depressing feel after that. That whole biotechnology stuff did not fit the 50s movie or the 1st season.

[–] Jasons_Argonaut 17 years ago

"Whatever happened to General Wilson at the beginning of the 2nd season?
All that's implied in Kincaid's comments is that he has disappeared" ... They didn't want the character back, so instead of paying him for a death scene, it was easier to write him off in a line of dialogue.

"Was Q'Tara, the synth sent from planet Qar’To, good or bad? At the end of
the last episode of the first season, she sends a report back to her home
planet that the idea of humans being a food source is still in danger" ... The synth was ultimately bad, working on behalf of the planet Qar'To for the sole purpose of protecting a future food source...us! She was nothing but a programmed tool doing the bidding of her masters. She was designed to fit in with the populace of Earth and she used the Blackwood team to help her defeat the Mortaxians. This was a great plot. Too bad it was never again referred to.

"In the first season, there is the idea that humanity has all but forgotten
about the original alien invasion. There is much debate as to how this
occurred" ... There was no good explanation given, nor do I think they ever really intended on delivering on that point. They were simply trying to get the past invasion behind them so they could set the return of the aliens in the present day, unsuspecting society. I think more should have been made about the loss of memories...be it the results of the aliens or the government. That could have been another interesting aspect to the show.

"How are the aliens from the first season related to the aliens from the
second season. The aliens from the first season state they are from the
planet Mor-Tax whereas the aliens from the second season say they are from
Morthrai, is that the same or different" ... There was no serious effort made to connect the second season to the first, so there is no point in even trying to explain this. I mean, the second season tried to make out like the first ship to arrive was merely on a science mission and not an invasion! Talk about rewriting history!

"With the second season being set in a not too distant, post-apocalyptic
future, it's never explained how society comes to that
point" ... Another change for the sake of change. They had no intention of explaining this.