Mor-Tax
Encyclopedia
Mor-Tax is the name of the planet on which the aliens from the first season of the War of the Worlds
TV series, the Mor-Taxans, originate. While the show's existence as a continuation from the 1953 film
would make the aliens Martian
s, the first season rewrites this origin due to the supported fact that no intelligent life is evident to exist or have existed on Mars
. Their connection to Mars is never mentioned onscreen, though creator/executive producer
Greg Strangis has stated in an interview that the aliens used Mars only as a staging point to launch their invasion on Earth; the veteran
s of the Grover's Mill
militia
obliviously call them Martians.
It is established that the planet lies within Pleiades
in the Taurus constellation
, "beyond time and beyond space." This system, which is never named, also includes a planet called Qar'To that is the homeworld of an unidentified alien race that sends a synth to Earth
to destroy the aliens. While the Pleiades cluster lies 440 light-year
s away, it is stated by the rogue alien Quinn to be 40 light-years away, thus the Mor-Taxans are somehow able to expedite the travel. The synth from Qar'To is said to travel the distance through a space in dimensions and it is established that it can also return through the same space within a year. It is not know if those from Mor-Tax are either unaware of this passage, or are somehow unable to travel through this same space themselves.
The planet has three moons and is the third planet from its sun, providing a possible origin for their religious, cultural, and scientific fixation with the number three. The star around which the planet revolves is dying, which is the reason for the aliens leaving it to make refuge on Earth. Ironically, though they seek occupancy on Earth, the brightness of the sun is higher in contrast to their own, thus suffering from photophobia
, made evident in their host bodies wearing sunglasses to aid them. The length of Mor-Tax's seasons and days are unknown. While it is stated the mating season is every nine years, it is not clarified if this is in reference to the time on Earth or on Mor-Tax.
The planet is never seen or described in any graphic detail, but based on general description, it is a garden planet ripe with vegetation, an ancient world as the alien Quinn calls it. Because of this, the native species has a vegetarian
diet. It is once hinted that some of the plants have a fairly high level of intelligence - possibly more so than human beings
. It is possible that one of the Quinn's art resembles planet Mor-Tax as seen in the episode "Prodigal Son" (some statue with planet and small three bodies around it). It is also possible that we see Mor-Tax environment in short Malzor's flashback in the episode "The Obelisk".
An individual from this planet and anything related to them such as their technology is referred to as being Mor-Taxan; though, the race as a collective whole would be referred to as the Mor-Tax.
In the second season of the series, a new set of aliens arrive on Earth, said to be the same race as those from the Mor-Tax. However, these aliens call the planet Morthrai, and themselves Morthren, which is seen exploding in the very first shot of the premiere episode. In the final episode, it is stated that the Morthren were unaware of any other intelligent lifeforms until the discovery of Earth in 1945 and it took sometime less than a year to reach the planet from theirs - both facts of which deviate from the information given above.
spelling of the name remained unknown as it appears only in commercial print in the novelization of the episode "The Resurrection" written by J.M. Dillard. Although Dillard's book was adapted from the teleplay, it contains much information either of questionable or no canonical value, which left the spelling unverified. This spelling was confirmed as canonical when the name was found used in an obtained copy of "The Resurrection" script. Due mostly to secondhand sources, the spelling among fans is sometimes given as Mor'Tax or MorTax, with variations on the capitalization of the 'T'.
War of the Worlds (TV series)
War of the Worlds is a television program that ran for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990. The series is an extension of the original 1953 film The War of the Worlds, using the same War Machine, often incorporating aspects from the film, radio adaptation, and original novel into its mythology.Though...
TV series, the Mor-Taxans, originate. While the show's existence as a continuation from the 1953 film
The War of the Worlds (1953 film)
The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
would make the aliens Martian
Martian (War of the Worlds)
The Martians, also known as the Invaders, are the fictional race of extraterrestrials from the H.G. Wells novel The War of the Worlds. They are the antagonists of the novel, and their efforts to exterminate the populace of Earth and claim the planet for themselves drive the plot and present...
s, the first season rewrites this origin due to the supported fact that no intelligent life is evident to exist or have existed on Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
. Their connection to Mars is never mentioned onscreen, though creator/executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Greg Strangis has stated in an interview that the aliens used Mars only as a staging point to launch their invasion on Earth; the veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s of the Grover's Mill
Grover's Mill
Grover's Mill is an unincorporated area within West Windsor Township, New Jersey made famous in Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds, where it was depicted as ground zero for a Martian invasion, on October 30th of that year....
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
obliviously call them Martians.
It is established that the planet lies within Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
in the Taurus constellation
Taurus (constellation)
Taurus is one of the constellations of the zodiac. Its name is a Latin word meaning 'bull', and its astrological symbol is a stylized bull's head:...
, "beyond time and beyond space." This system, which is never named, also includes a planet called Qar'To that is the homeworld of an unidentified alien race that sends a synth to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to destroy the aliens. While the Pleiades cluster lies 440 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s away, it is stated by the rogue alien Quinn to be 40 light-years away, thus the Mor-Taxans are somehow able to expedite the travel. The synth from Qar'To is said to travel the distance through a space in dimensions and it is established that it can also return through the same space within a year. It is not know if those from Mor-Tax are either unaware of this passage, or are somehow unable to travel through this same space themselves.
The planet has three moons and is the third planet from its sun, providing a possible origin for their religious, cultural, and scientific fixation with the number three. The star around which the planet revolves is dying, which is the reason for the aliens leaving it to make refuge on Earth. Ironically, though they seek occupancy on Earth, the brightness of the sun is higher in contrast to their own, thus suffering from photophobia
Photophobia
Photophobia is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of actual physical photosensitivity of the eyes, though the term...
, made evident in their host bodies wearing sunglasses to aid them. The length of Mor-Tax's seasons and days are unknown. While it is stated the mating season is every nine years, it is not clarified if this is in reference to the time on Earth or on Mor-Tax.
The planet is never seen or described in any graphic detail, but based on general description, it is a garden planet ripe with vegetation, an ancient world as the alien Quinn calls it. Because of this, the native species has a vegetarian
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
diet. It is once hinted that some of the plants have a fairly high level of intelligence - possibly more so than human beings
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
. It is possible that one of the Quinn's art resembles planet Mor-Tax as seen in the episode "Prodigal Son" (some statue with planet and small three bodies around it). It is also possible that we see Mor-Tax environment in short Malzor's flashback in the episode "The Obelisk".
An individual from this planet and anything related to them such as their technology is referred to as being Mor-Taxan; though, the race as a collective whole would be referred to as the Mor-Tax.
In the second season of the series, a new set of aliens arrive on Earth, said to be the same race as those from the Mor-Tax. However, these aliens call the planet Morthrai, and themselves Morthren, which is seen exploding in the very first shot of the premiere episode. In the final episode, it is stated that the Morthren were unaware of any other intelligent lifeforms until the discovery of Earth in 1945 and it took sometime less than a year to reach the planet from theirs - both facts of which deviate from the information given above.
Name
The aliens' homeworld was initially called Kor-'Tax before becoming Mor-Tax. The canonicalCanon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
spelling of the name remained unknown as it appears only in commercial print in the novelization of the episode "The Resurrection" written by J.M. Dillard. Although Dillard's book was adapted from the teleplay, it contains much information either of questionable or no canonical value, which left the spelling unverified. This spelling was confirmed as canonical when the name was found used in an obtained copy of "The Resurrection" script. Due mostly to secondhand sources, the spelling among fans is sometimes given as Mor'Tax or MorTax, with variations on the capitalization of the 'T'.