The Martian Chronicles

1980 NR 6h 00m 6.5

In the 21st century, Earth begins the colonization of Mars. However, things do not go as planned, at first due to the hostile Martian natives and later because of the self-destructive Earthmen.

Earth sends its first manned probe to Mars in 1999, and a jealous Martian murders the two astronauts when his wife has erotic dreams of meeting them. Members of a subsequent expedition are hypnotized into believing that they have landed in the childhood community of their leader and have been reunited with deceased family and friends, and they are poisoned by the Martians. Col. John Wilder leads a third expedition and learns that a chicken pox virus brought to Mars by the first two expeditions has almost eradicated the Martian population. A member of Wilder's team becomes obsessed with protecting Mars from Earthman and murders some of the others in Wilder's party, before Wilder kills him. Colonists arrive on Mars to settle, among them priests seeking God, and a lone Martian masquerades as the most desired persons of various settlers. Global war on Earth reduces man's natal planet to radioactive waste, and most of the settlers returned there prior to the holocaust. Wilder struggles to assemble the remaining humans on Mars, who cope with their loneliness in different ways and will not leave their piece of Mars, before Wilder meets a Martian of past or future who tells him the secret of simple Martian life and convinces him to abandon the Earth lifestyle.

The Martian Chronicles background

Episodes:

Episode 1 The Expeditions

1. The Expeditions

Aired: Jan 14, 1980

The exploration of Mars begins with two failed expeditions. Colonel Wilder th...

Episode 2 The Settlers

2. The Settlers

Aired: Jan 21, 1980

With native Martians wiped out by disease, thousands of humans now colonize t...

Episode 3 The Martians

3. The Martians

Aired: Jan 28, 1980

With Earth destroyed in a nuclear war, Colonel Wilder finds himself alone wit...

Info about The Martian Chronicles

Current Status: Ended

Network: NBC

Genres: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi