A stark warning - the apes could take over

[malumbu]

I was enthralled by the wonderful Monkey Planet on BBC last night. But one bit sent me into panic. The Battle of the Apes series of films in the early 70s prophesied a future time when apes would take over from humans. (I am not sure if the remakes did similar).

I recall one scene when they were talking about how it all happened. There was a great plague that wiped out the cat and dog population so people adopted apes as pets. But they were much more useful and did work to support their human captors - and there was a clip of an ape cooking and preparing food. Imagine my shock when they showed yesterday a gorilla that could build a fire, light it with a match and toast marsh mellows.

Now all we need is the evolutionary leap with a human like voice box so apes can talk too and the future of the human race will be under threat.

I am sorry to spread panic and alarm but somebody needs to. What should I do to prepare for this?

[Elphinstone's Army]

You cannot, it is inevitable

[JohnL]

Send Farage as an Ambassador to the Apes

[nxjen]

But isn't he one himself?

[Earl Aelfheah]

Trump is in the Whitehouse. Would we notice much difference?

[Jules-and-Boo]

The Apes of Wrath, springs to mind.

Apes are gentle creatures though - maybe mankind can learn a thing or two

[adonirum]

malumbu, never mind being able to light fires, me thinks some have already learnt how to type.........

[Jeremy]

I think in the original films, the development of the apes is supposed to be accelerated as a result of mutation following the nuclear war. So hopefully we're some way off yet.

[TheArtfulDogger]

In the 3rd planet of the apes film (where did you get battle of the apes ? ) the plot centre around three apes coming back in time from when apes rule the planet to 1973 and one of the apes is pregnant

At the end of the film milo (the infant ape who in later films is called Caesar) is swapped with a circus apes infant and is seen as asking for mama through the bars of the circus cage, hence the introduction of the first talking ape into the mix. A bit of a paradox as the first talking ape in the linage came from the last talking ape (at the end of the second film the apes discovered a nuclear device that blows up the planet just as the three apes escape back in time...)

The origional film follows on from the premise that mankind had been reduced to a small population after a nuclear war which allowed the talking apes to take over

Therefore you only need to worry that apes will take over if

A) time travel is proven to exist

B) the paradox of the first talking ape is resolved

C) cats and dogs are wiped out

D) apes are used as domestic help / pets

E) we have a nuclear war.

Okay E is likely with Trump on the nuclear button I guess however the message is "don't panic and Simian on"

Yours

Artful the science fiction nerd