Escape from Tomorrow

Pilot episode of the television series based on the franchise of motion pictures involving two astronauts: older blond-haired Ron Harper and cool young dark-haired James Naughton aka Virdon and Burke, who land on a planet ruled by... you got it... talking apes. The beleaguered astronauts meet Roddy McDowall as Galen, a friendly chimp (Cornelius with a new name...

Galen was actually an assistant chimp in the original movie) helping them dodge gun-totting militaristic Gorillas while a local, Royal Dano, provides shelter and exposition about their situation. The suspenseful plot involves straight-line survival, setting up the series' template: Virdon, Burke and Galen are known fugitives who must be caught and it's General Urko, played by a fitfully hammy Mark Lenard, who heads up the chase - although it's the scientific orangutan, Zaius, who wants them alive: but for scientific reasons, which would lead to the same lethal conclusion.

This series, if it had been an anthology or a series of TV movies, could have been great. Instead it was below average. No continuity with the movies at all; talking humans, dogs, mostly poor stories that had already, by 1974, been done to death in other series. The leads are decent, and it was nice to see the old ANSA spaceship again, but so many diverse ideas from the movies. This was doomed to failure.

Well they had to entitle it somehow?Yes Agreeably with other reviews It starts off as typically like the other ape installments like Planet of The Apes; "Beneath" and "Escape" with a typical space craft's landing in the 1st 2 one Astronaut dies upon landing like in this series episodes'opening while in the 3rd one of the 3 ape-o-nauts survives upon landing but still met an eventual sad ending like of Taylor's 2 other partners while the other became a vegetable short and to the point. Also in The first Pota Movie upon landing The 3 Man Astronaught's Lady Partner Stewart had died via aging to become an old lady & 2000 years older meaning the 3 others hadn't aged at all through The time warp but grew beards. But Back to This opening episode 1st they get rescued after being found by a human who left they're partner Jones behind because he'd died and upon being asked this.Then when one of them asked if there were humans on the High Council That man thought that was a real joke question.Later when this human tried to mislead the gorillas to help them escape and only to be shot when Virdon then asked them "Why'd you do this to that man when he was only helping us?"Then he was hit with the back of the gun.They were also surprised at humans revolting like never before.

Later on when Burke and Virdon had escaped Galen accidentally as he told shot the Gorilla only meaning to keep him from using the gun but didn't mean to kill him.Later Virdon told him while he was in his cell to step back so that the bomb wouldn't kill him but just break the lock.So that's how Galen got to be their friend and Fellow Fugitive.Some sources Like in the Book of "Harry and Wally's Favorite TV-Shows." indicate he may be a Descendant of Cornelius but maybe more realistically an Ancestor of Cornelius considering this is in the 31st century and Cornelius and Zira came out of The 40th Century through a Time warp and in The 21st century their Son "Caesar"or Milo as they named him,before he got his new name of Caesar for leading his crusade of apes as their Victor,and his son Cornelius had gotten murdered by Aldo.After which came the little or not known Peace time between "Battle",Yes in this they do have humans on the high council, and Episode One:Escape from Tomorrow.Of which I brought to Malibu Graphics'attention and they were just as annoyed by me as they were glad to have me there for them.Then in Boom Comics when they adapted Planet of the apes it opens up in 2680 and 10 years after in "Battle", when The Ape Law giver tells the story to an equal society of humans and apes,with in this a human in a ninja suit jumps down & kills the Ape Lawgiver which starts to diminish this little or not known peacetime with the apes and humans fighting among each other.

By the way the best example as to how they didn't do their homework upon writing this in this episode is that they show an ape boy with his dog of whom he calls Dog.Which brings to mind how in a Malibu graphic comic they showed some wolves in a story of which were taken in a bubble before the plague came and then were brought back after the plague ended that killed all cats and dogs but was harmless to humans and at first the apes were new pets but then made into slaves and with the help of machines to raise their intelligence's could follow orders but not talk until Caeser taught them how to.

Truly,Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a."Ste" of Framingham,Ma.