Planet of the Apes - Timeline Overview

A brief look at the timelines and continuity of the various movies, shows and publications that are part of the Planet of the Apes franchise.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Planet
• of
• the
• Apes
• movie
• Beneath
• Escape
• From
• Conquest
• Battle
• for
• TV
• series
• Return
• Pierre
• Boulle
• Burton
• Taylor
• Charlton
• Heston
• Cornelius
• Roddy
• McDowell
• Serling
• Zira
• Galen
• Fox

[CreepysFan]

In 'Escape' Cornelius and Zira arrive in Col. Taylor's spaceship, the Army reconnizes it. Zira admitted to knowing Taylor. Wouldn't this link 'Escape' with the two earlier movies ?

[mokwella]

@CreepysFan It does, but that wasn't my point. The original timeline may have looked something like "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" where Caesar came into being by another means, and the Escape storyline created a new timeline. The main reason I reject the idea that it was all a loop and time paradox is that a loop was not the intent when the first two movies were filmed - Escape was instead a retcon.

[tripphop1]

seriously?!? this is not that hard. it is one timeline

**going forward in time: the (original) nuclear war (while the astronauts were in 'hyper-sleep') destroyed everything, and essentially re-started evolution. apes evolved to be more intelligent. it's at this point that the astronauts (re-)land on earth

**going backward in time: the apes escape the planet (into the past). ceaser grows up and causes a nuclear war (which happens while the astronauts are in hyper-sleep)

**it's a circle.

[mokwella]

It's not that hard if you buy that scenario. I don't --- there was a prime mover, an original timeline where the Apes took over that pre-existed the time travelling. And, that original timeline may have looked something like "Rise." The reason I think this, is that the time loop was a later addition to the Apes storyline after the fact to keep the franchise moving, not a nifty story arc planned from the start. It's a retcon.

[JamesA1102]

While you can make the argument that the two TV series and the reboot movies are all different timelines; the original movie series is not two timelines. According to the writer, Paul Dehn, the 5 films of the original series represent one circular timeline or time circle.

[mokwella]

Yes, I agree that's what Paul Dehn was trying to do. Still the movies do not follow a consistent time line for me. I guess another way to split them up would be to have the "Serling" timeline with just the first movie and the "Dehn" timeline with the other four. It seems clear to me that the original concept was for the Ape society to have evolved slowly after the atomic war, and Dehn moved that up in his conception.

[JamesA1102]

@mokwella Maybe so, but as far as the "Serling", if the apes evolved slowly after the atomic war; how does Dr. Zaius know about it? Plus, the "Serling" timeline indicates that the atomic war took place in the 20th century, that is perfectly consistent with what is depicted in the later films.

Any discrepancy is typical of what happens when a series grows out of a single film. Who would have thought Leia was Luke's sister after seeing the first Star Wars movie?

[TheKMFDMmachine]

Looks like the cartoon was the only "Time Line" to hold true to the Original book. Written by the creator of this hella cool story. I have been a apes fan since I was a little boy and read the book 30 years after watching the movies and tv show. It was kinda cool and strange how different. Any huge fans out there that loved the movies I recommend the book.

[JamesA1102]

@ScreenHackTV Well the writer of the films, Paul Dehn, says different. I'll go with him rather than the packaging of the Blu-Ray discs done 40 years after the fact.

[ScreenHackTV]

@JamesA1102 well i have the 40th aniversary blu ray edition and with it comes a picture which shows that there are multiple time lines telling you everything that happened at what time so sorry man

[JamesA1102]

@pepjrp But Cornelius was just quoting from a history text. He didn't witness those events himself nor does the audience. In Planet it is shown that the Apes history is not 100% accurate, so what Cornelius said can't be taken as rock solid. It conflicts with what was established in the first two films and with Cornelius' earlier statement in Escape that Apes had been speaking English for 2,000 years.

[pepjrp]

@pepjrp And we do know that the enslavement of apes did not even occur until the late 20th century.

[pepjrp]

@JamesA1102 I agree James that the first 2 films do show that it must have happened in the 20th century as we see part of a payphone that Astronaut Brent finds in the underground tunnels as well as a large public bus... but what made me think it was a few centuries later when the original revolt happened was because Cornelius, while being interrogated by our government officials, stated that it took a few centuries later for Aldo to first say no.

[JamesA1102]

@pepjrp Yes you are. The first two flims clearly establish that the nuclear war that destroyed man's civilization happened in the 20th century, not the 25th.

Second, Cornelius didn't say Aldo lead the revolt just that he was the first ape to say no. But the audience nor Cornelius actually witness the event so it can't be considered as rock solid accurate.