Mortal Kombat: Conquest

Mortal Kombat: Conquest
Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	October 3, 1998; 28 years ago
Defunct	May 22, 1999
Headquarters	Orlando, Florida, United States
Products	Television series
Parent	Threshold Entertainment, New Line Television, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution

Mortal Kombat: Conquest is a U.S.-based martial arts TV series created by Juan Carlos Coto, inspired by the Mortal Kombat fighting game franchise. It was broadcast in syndication for a single season, running from October 3, 1998, through May 22, 1999.

Functioning as a prequel to the video games, the narrative centers on the original Kung Lao (portrayed by Paolo Montalban), who defends Earthrealm alongside his protector Siro (played by Daniel Bernhardt) and former thief Taja (Kristanna Loken). The storyline incorporates prominent characters from the games such as Kitana, Raiden, and Sub-Zero. It stands as one of the earliest live action television adaptations of a video game in the United States, following only segments from The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!.

Summary

Long ago, the ambitious conqueror Shao Kahn set his sights on Earthrealm, intending to annex it into his dominion known as Outworld. To safeguard Earthrealm, the Mortal Kombat tournament was created—a contest where champions from both realms compete for control over the planet’s destiny. Approximately five centuries earlier, the warrior monk Kung Lao triumphed over Shao Kahn’s sorcerer, Shang Tsung, sparing his life but condemning him to imprisonment in cobalt mines.

Following this victory, Kung Lao began training new fighters and forged an alliance between Siro, a former bodyguard, and Taja, an ex-thief. Operating in the city of Zhuzin under the guidance of thunder deity Raiden, they face dangers emerging from both Outworld and Earthrealm. Among their adversaries are the vengeful Shang Tsung and Vorpax, a cunning figure also confined within the mines with her own schemes.

Main

Paolo Montalban as Kung Lao
Daniel Bernhardt as Siro
Kristanna Loken as Taja
Tracy Douglas as Vorpax
Bruce Locke as Shang Tsung
Jeffrey Meek as Raiden and Shao Kahn

Notable guest appearances

After airing following TNT's highly rated WCW Monday Nitro, WCW wrestlers Meng and Wrath appeared as guests. Additionally, former QVC model Dorian John portrayed barmaid Magda in episodes "Twisted Truth" and "Quan Chi".

Production and release

Produced by Threshold Entertainment, known for their work on the Mortal Kombat film adaptations, in collaboration with New Line Television, the television branch of New Line Cinema (the films' distributor), Mortal Kombat: Conquest was filmed at Disney-MGM Studios located in Orlando, Florida. Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution handled syndication; after Warner Bros. acquired rights to Mortal Kombat, they syndicated the series before TNT broadcast remaining new episodes and reruns. Scheduled to follow WCW Monday Nitro, Conquest garnered solid viewership but faced higher production expenses than anticipated. Although there were rumors about continuation, TNT quietly canceled the show without official notice, leaving an unresolved cliffhanger that was intended to be addressed in a second season aligned with the MK storyline timeline.

Home media

Mortal Kombat: Conquest saw DVD releases in countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Portugal. These editions experienced varied levels of success and were occasionally criticized for issues such as typographical errors on the packaging. In 2015, Warner Home Video made available the first season of Mortal Kombat: Conquest on DVD for the first time in Region 1.

Reception

Critical response to the series was mixed. In 2010, 4thletter! placed it sixth on their list titled "The Top Ten Most Ridiculous Things to Come Out of Mortal Kombat." The following year, 1UP.com referred to it as a "wire-fu disaster" in their feature "The Top Ten Times Mortal Kombat Went Wrong."

External links