Adaptation
When the BBC made the television series of The Tripods in the '80s they departed from Christopher's description. The Masters somewhat resembled the Tripods they drove. This makes the Tripods themselves seem much more like mecha than purely eccentric vehicles. This is similar to the way that the aliens in 2005's War of the Worlds seem to have based their machines around themselves. In the BBC serial, the Masters did not need to eat, sleep or drink. Additionally, they were not the rulers of the city, but were themselves under the rule of beings made of pure energy, known as Cognoscs. The Masters themselves came from a planet named Trion that was in the centre of a triple star system.
The method by which the Masters name themselves is also different. Rather than having names they are simply called by their address. Will's Master is called West Avenue 4, Sector 6, Level 8, or West 468.
The Masters in the BBC production did not breathe green air and did not prefer the high gravity and high temperature of those in the book, since these would have been extremely difficult or expensive to recreate onscreen at the time. Their treatment of the slaves, rather than being harsh and thoughtless, was reasonable to the point of being friendly; with luxuries provided for them.
Masters were one of the species detailed in Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials.
Read more about this topic: Masters (The Tripods)
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