Icarus (fictional spacecraft)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Icarus is the name given to the spacecraft seen in the Planet of the Apes movies and TV series. Although the name is never actually given onscreen, Apes fan Larry Evans gave the previously unnamed spacecraft the name "Icarus".
Contents |
[edit] Planet of the Apes
The first appearance of Icarus was in the 1968 film Planet of the Apes. It was crewed by astronauts Taylor, Landon, Dodge, and Stewart. It is presumedly on the first manned interstellar mission destined to a star in the Orion constellation, as Taylor states in the film. The exact mission of the spacecraft is never stated, but it could be an exploratory mission or a colonization attempt. While the trip will only seem to take eighteen months to the astronauts, the actual trip will take hundreds of years due to time dilation. It crashes on Earth in the middle of an inland sea in the year 3978. Taylor, Landon, and Dodge wake up from hibernation to find that Stewart has died while in her hibernation chamber, due to an air leak. The spacecraft then starts filling with water, upon which it is abandoned.
[edit] Beneath the Planet of the Apes
The second appearance of the craft was in the 1970 film Beneath the Planet of the Apes. It appears to be a tail-lander variant of the above spacecraft. It was sent on a rescue mission and was crewed by astronauts Brent and Captain "Skipper" Maddox. It crashed upon landing and fatally injured Maddox, who dies shortly after. Brent tells Maddox that it is the year 3955 shortly before he dies. (This is one of the more famous continuity errors in the Apes series, since his ship arrived after Taylor's ship.)
[edit] Escape from the Planet of the Apes
The third appearance of Icarus was in the 1971 film Escape from the Planet of the Apes. It is the selfsame ship piloted by Taylor, raised and refurbished by Dr. Milo (a renegade ape scientist), and is referred to as such throughout the film. It was flown by Zira, Cornelius, and Dr. Milo from the year 3955 back in time to the 1970s. It splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, and was recovered by the U.S. Navy.
[edit] Planet of the Apes TV series
The final appearance of the spacecraft was in the TV series Planet of the Apes. On a mission to Alpha Centauri from the year 1980, the spacecraft flies through a time warp and crashes in the year 3085. It was crewed by astronauts Jones, Burke, and Virdon. Jones died on impact. Burke and Virdon eventually escape. The craft is later destroyed by apes.
[edit] External links
- Fansite hosting many pictures and other information.
- Site with pictures, information, and behind-the-scenes pictures.
