Tripod (The War of the Worlds)

In H. G. Wells' classic science fiction novel The War of the Worlds (as well as subsequent films, radio shows and television series based on the original), a Tripod or "Fighting Machine" is a type of fictional three-legged walker used by inhabitants of Mars to colonize Earth. The tripods were described as 'a shieldlike affair' mounted on three legs. These vehicles were apparently capable of traveling as fast as an express train, which at Wells' time would have suggested they could move at least eighty miles per hour or faster. The tripods were armed with one or more Heat-Rays and black smoke. They also had several tentacles dangling from the main body. It could use these as probes, or a device to grab objects, mostly humans. The tripod also held a cage which would be used to hold captives so the Martians could drain their blood.

Related Topics:
H. G. Wells - Science fiction - The War of the Worlds - Walker - Mars - Heat-Ray - Black smoke - Blood

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It is interesting to note that the original conceptual drawings for the tripod machine, drawn by Warwick Goble, accompanied the initial appearance of The War of the Worlds in Pearson's Magazine in 1897. When Wells saw these pictures, he was so displeased that he added the following text to the final version of his book:

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:I recall particularly the illustration of one of the first pamphlets to give a consecutive account of the war. The artist had evidently made a hasty study of one of the fighting-machines, and it was there that his knowledge ended. He presented them as tilted, stiff tripods without either flexibility or subtlety, and with an altogether misleading monotony of effect. The pamphlet containing these renderings had a considerable vogue, and I mention them here to warn the reader against the impression they may have created. They were no more like the Martians I saw in action than a Dutch doll is like a human being. To my mind, the pamphlet would have been much better without them.

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The Martian machines in 1953 movie The War of the Worlds were drastically different from the ones in Wells' novel. Instead of towering tripods, the Martian machines resembled sinister-looking manta rays with invisible, electromagnetic legs. The sequelized TV series, while almost never using war machines in general, did reveal in one episode that these aliens (from Mor-Tax; not Mars) did at one point use tripods before evolving into the floating machines as seen in the film.

Related Topics:
The War of the Worlds - Manta ray - Sequelized TV series - Mor-Tax

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There are several differences between the tripods as described in Wells' book and those in Steven Spielberg's 2005 movie, which are from another planet than Mars, the movie tripods did not possess the black smoke and had some type of energy shield.

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Arguably, the most recognizable depiction of the tripods are those illustrated on the album cover of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds as painted by Michael Trim. However, this design does have a couple of inconsistancies from Wells' description in his novel (such as the Heat-Ray being in the cupola rather than being held seperately in a mechanical arm, the cage to hold captured humans being used by the handling-machines instead of the fighting-machines, and the 'cowl' ('cockpit') of the fighting-machine static instead of seperately rotating).

Related Topics:
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds - Michael Trim - Handling-machines

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Master-modeller Martin Bower built miniatures for an aborted photo-novel of War of the Worlds. His concept for the fighting-machine is regarded by his some as being the closest version to Wells' description.

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The 2004 computer game Half-Life 2 features "striders", enormous three-legged semi-organic war machines reminiscent of Wells' tripods. Some of the more striking similarities between both machines are a height of at least 15 meters, swift tripedal motion, the ability to traverse rough terrain, and a heat/energy ray weapon of some sort. The Strider has two different weapons, instead of two of one type. The first is a rapid-firing energy railgun on a rotating turret, while the second is a large energy "warp" cannon mounted under the Strider's body, capable of disentigrating whatever it hits. Unlike the tripods from War of the Worlds, Striders are completely automated. They are manufactured and operated by the Combine, mainly as war machines, but some Striders are used to protect the inner circle of City 17. The striders also display a difference to the tripods in that they are semi-organic biotechnology, unlike the mechanised war machines of War of the Worlds. Another difference is the fact that the legs of the Strider are segmented, unlike the Martian tripods, which are fully flexible. A Strider's legs end in a barbed spike that is used to impale victims who get to close.

Related Topics:
2004 - Computer game - Half-Life 2 - Striders - Biotechnology

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