The Tribe (1999 TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Tribe
Genre	Teen drama Science fiction Post-apocalyptic fiction
Created by	Raymond Thompson Harry Duffin
Theme music composer	Simon May Simon Lockyer
Opening theme	"The Dream Must Stay Alive" Rosalind J (series 1) Meryl Cassie (series 2–5)
Ending theme	"The Dream Must Stay Alive" Rosalind J (series 1) "Abe Messiah" Tribe cast (series 2–3) "Tribe Spirit" Tribe Sister (series 4–5)
Country of origin	New Zealand United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	5
No. of episodes	260 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Raymond Thompson Geoff Husson
Producer(s)	Declan Eames Debra Kelleher-Smith
Production location(s)	Wellington Region, New Zealand
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group
Distributor	Cumulus Distribution
Release
Original network	Channel 5
Original release	24 April 1999 (1999-04-24) – 6 September 2003 (2003-09-06)
Chronology
Followed by	The New Tomorrow

The Tribe is a science fiction drama TV series. It first aired in the United Kingdom on Channel 5 on April 24, 1999. The show was created by Raymond Thompson and Harry Duffin. It was made by Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group in New Zealand.

The series is mostly for teenagers. It takes place in a city after a big disaster. An unknown virus has killed all the adults. The story follows the children and teenagers left behind. They have to deal with growing up and living in a city with no rules.

The young people form groups called tribes. The main group is the Mall Rats. They try to survive among other dangerous tribes, like the Locos. The show explores ideas like change, power, and what happens when there are no rules. The Tribe was filmed in Wellington, New Zealand.

The series had 260 episodes. The last episode aired on September 6, 2003. A new series called The New Tomorrow was made later. It showed the children of the characters from The Tribe. This new show was for younger kids. The Tribe became popular again in Australia in 2009. This led to new books being written to continue the story. The first book came out in 2011.

Story of The Tribe

Series 1: A World Without Adults

In a city after a disaster, a virus has wiped out all adults. Children and teenagers are left to survive on their own. There are no rules, and different groups, or tribes, have formed. The "Locos" are a wild tribe led by Zoot. He controls the city but is later killed.

On the streets, Amber and Dal lead a group of children to safety. They find shelter in an empty shopping mall. They form a new tribe called the "Mall Rats." Bray and Trudy join them. Trudy is pregnant, and Zoot is the father. The tribe learns to find food and water. A second wave of the virus hits the city. The tribe then tries to find a cure.

Series 2: Finding a Cure and Peace

At Eagle Mountain, Amber and Zandra, who is also pregnant, die in an explosion. The tribe keeps looking for a cure for the virus. They finally find it! Tai-San is the only one who knows how to make it.

Under Bray's leadership, the Mall Rats try to unite all the tribes. They want to bring peace to the city. Danni helps create a list of rights for everyone. A trading market starts in the mall. Ellie writes a newsletter about the city's progress. The virus starts to disappear. A new tribe called the "Chosen" appears. They believe Zoot is their god.

Series 3: The Chosen Take Over

The Chosen tribe takes control of the city. Their leaders are the Guardian and the "Supreme Mother," who is Trudy. Trudy has been made to believe strange things. The Mall Rats are captured. They and other prisoners must choose: join the Chosen or become slaves. Many people who fight back are sent away.

Ebony and Lex escape and meet the Eco tribe. They discover that Amber is alive! Ebony had faked her death. The Eco tribe joins the fight. The Mall Rats get other tribes to help them. The Chosen are defeated. Ebony becomes the new city leader. She banishes Bray and Amber when they refuse to let her punish the Guardian.

Series 4: The Technos Arrive

A group of soldiers called the "Technos" invades the city. They have advanced technology. Ebony stays in charge by making a deal with the Technos general, Jay. Bray is captured. Trudy helps Amber give birth outside the city. They escape to the Ecos, then rejoin the Mall Rats.

The Technos leader, Ram, wants to create a perfect world. He releases a virtual game that makes people addicted. Ebony and Jay betray Ram and leave the city. The Mall Rats defeat Ram by trapping him in a virtual reality game. Ram's helper, Mega, assists them.

Series 5: New Threats and Escape

Mega becomes the new leader of the Technos. He plans to take over the city. He orders everyone to be marked with a barcode and forced to work. Ebony is tricked by virtual reality into thinking Zoot is still alive. The Mall Rats try to find their friends who were taken by the Technos.

Ram is rescued by a wanderer named Slade. Slade takes him to a town called Liberty. Amber and Jay lead an attack on the city and capture Mega. Ram uses Mega's technology to create a smart computer program. But the program goes wild and releases a new virus. The Mall Rats and their friends escape the city by boat.

Characters in The Tribe

How The Tribe Was Made

Filming Locations and Sets

About 400 to 500 people worked on each series of The Tribe. Filming for each series took about four to six months. Most of the filming happened in two studios at Cloud 9's production center in Wellington, New Zealand.

Studio A held the permanent set of the "Phoenix Shopping Mall." This huge set took five weeks to build before filming started. It was said to be the biggest set built for a show in New Zealand at that time. All the shops in the mall looked like real shops. They were built to last a long time.

The set of the "Phoenix Shopping Mall" in series one.

Studio B had the sewer sets that the Mall Rats used to sneak out. It also had temporary sets for scenes outside the mall. Between the second and third series, the mall set was repainted. It was then used for another Cloud 9 show called Atlantis High.

Some scenes for The Tribe were also filmed around Wellington. For example, the Cloud 9 Studios car park was used as the outside of the mall. Alice's and Ellie's farmhouse was built in a rural area called Whitemans Valley. Sometimes, the crew would close off streets in Wellington. This was to film scenes that took place in the empty city streets.

Who Was Cast?

Most of the actors already had agents before casting in 1998. This is because they had worked on other shows filmed in New Zealand. These included Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, or Mirror, Mirror II.

Many actors had worked with Raymond Thompson on other Cloud 9 shows. This was before they tried out for The Tribe. Jennyfer Jewell (Ellie) and Ryan Runciman (Ryan) worked on The Enid Blyton Adventure Series in 1996. Jennyfer Jewell also starred in The Enid Blyton Secret Series in 1997. Daniel James (Zoot) was in that show too. Beth Allen (Amber) and Michael Wesley-Smith (Jack) were in The Legend of William Tell in 1998. Many actors from the first series also acted in William Shatner's A Twist in the Tale in 1999.

Most of the actors in the first series were students. They had tutors between scenes at Cloud 9's production center. The younger actors stayed in a "Cast House" during filming. Adults called chaperones were always with them on set.

Why The Show Ended

Pre-production for series six began in September 2003. A script for a Tribe movie was also written. The scripts for the first two episodes of series six were included on the Series 5 DVD box set. These scripts told the story of the Mall Rats arriving on an unknown island.

However, the creators decided to end the show. They felt that the actors were getting too old for their roles. They also thought it was starting to stretch the main idea of the show. Even though the show was still popular, they chose to stop. Some of the cast and crew then went on to work on other TV shows.

Images for kids

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  The Tribe logo

See also

In Spanish: La tribu (serie de televisión) para niños