Few science-fiction stories have had a stranger afterlife than The War of the Worlds. H.G. Wells first launched his Martian invasion in the 19th century as a devastating reversal of empire: what if humanity was not the conqueror, but the conquered? What if something colder, smarter, and more technologically advanced looked at us the way powerful nations had looked at the people they considered beneath them?

In this episode of Sound, Light & Frequency, Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman trace how Wells’ nightmare managed to invade three different centuries. In 1938, Orson Welles turned the story into a radio broadcast so convincing it became a modern media legend, moving the Martians from Victorian England to New Jersey and making the invasion feel like breaking news. In 1953, Hollywood reimagined the attack as a Cold War apocalypse in Technicolor, where science, faith, flying machines, and atomic anxiety collided on screen. Then, in 2005, Steven Spielberg brought the invasion into the 21st century, turning it into a story of terrorism, sirens, refugees, broken families, and the terrifying sense that the attack had already begun before anyone understood what was happening.

Bryce and Brent also bring the Mars obsession closer to home, with personal stories about the Red Planet’s hold on their own imaginations — from Bryce covering the first Viking lander as a young radio newsman to later writing and selling a screenplay about a Mars mission, known along the way as The Face. Because in science fiction, Mars is never just a place. It’s a screen we keep projecting ourselves onto.

From imperial guilt to radio panic to nuclear dread to post-9/11 trauma, War of the Worlds has never really been about Martians. It’s been about us — our fears, our arrogance, our vulnerability, and the awful possibility that we may not be at the top of the cosmic food chain after all.

To learn more: www.SoundLightFrequency.com

Few science-fiction stories have had a stranger afterlife than&nbsp;The War of the Worlds. H.G. Wells first launched his Martian invasion in the 19th century as a devastating reversal of empire: what if humanity was not the conqueror, but the conquered? What if something colder, smarter, and more technologically advanced looked at us the way powerful nations had looked at the people they considered beneath them?
In this episode of&nbsp;Sound, Light &amp; Frequency, Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman trace how Wells&rsquo; nightmare managed to invade three different centuries. In 1938, Orson Welles turned the story into a radio broadcast so convincing it became a modern media legend, moving the Martians from Victorian England to New Jersey and making the invasion feel like breaking news. In 1953, Hollywood reimagined the attack as a Cold War apocalypse in Technicolor, where science, faith, flying machines, and atomic anxiety collided on screen. Then, in 2005, Steven Spielberg brought the invasion into the 21st century, turning it into a story of terrorism, sirens, refugees, broken families, and the terrifying sense that the attack had already begun before anyone understood what was happening.
Bryce and Brent also bring the Mars obsession closer to home, with personal stories about the Red Planet&rsquo;s hold on their own imaginations &mdash; from Bryce covering the first Viking lander as a young radio newsman to later writing and selling a screenplay about a Mars mission, known along the way as&nbsp;The Face. Because in science fiction, Mars is never just a place. It&rsquo;s a screen we keep projecting ourselves onto.
From imperial guilt to radio panic to nuclear dread to post-9/11 trauma,&nbsp;War of the Worlds&nbsp;has never really been about Martians. It&rsquo;s been about us &mdash; our fears, our arrogance, our vulnerability, and the awful possibility that we may not be at the top of the cosmic food chain after all.
To learn more: <a href="http://www.soundlightfrequency.com/" data-ogsc="">www.SoundLightFrequency.com</a>

Has the U.S. government been conducting a slow-drip UFO disclosure campaign through Hollywood movies and television for more than 70 years? The new podcast Sound, Light & Frequency tackles that mind-blowing question through an ongoing investigation hosted by two Hollywood insiders: Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, both successful writer/producers with hundreds of credits. Bryce and Brent publicly share, for the first time, the full account of their surreal encounter with a “Man in Black” who offered them a deal to use their primetime alien-invasion drama series, Dark Skies, to spread UFO truths. Each episode takes listeners behind the scenes of iconic films and TV series, connecting what’s been portrayed on screen to what might be happening in real life—and asking whether other creators were offered “the deal,” too.

Has the U.S. government been conducting a slow-drip UFO disclosure campaign through Hollywood movies and television for more than 70 years? The new podcast Sound, Light &amp; Frequency&nbsp;tackles that mind-blowing question through an ongoing investigation hosted by two Hollywood insiders: Bryce Zabel and Brent Friedman, both successful writer/producers with hundreds of credits. Bryce and Brent publicly share, for the first time, the full account of their surreal encounter with a&nbsp;&ldquo;Man in Black&rdquo; who offered them a deal to use their primetime alien-invasion drama series, Dark Skies, to spread UFO truths. Each episode takes listeners behind the scenes of iconic films and TV series, connecting what&rsquo;s been portrayed on screen to what might be happening in real life&mdash;and asking whether other creators were offered &ldquo;the deal,&rdquo; too.

Sound, Light & Frequency 

War of the Worlds

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0c94ab69-985c-4133-8a57-b465014ff3df/transcript