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Take your stinkin' hands off me, you damn dirty human!
Attar

Colonel Attar is a central supporting, militaristic Gorilla in the 2001 Planet of the Apes movie.

Biography[]

Attar was the officer of the Ape Armies. He was the loyal lieutenant of General Thade and enjoyed the thrill of hunting humans. One key difference though was that he was a devoted follower of the ape religion based on the worship of the first ape, Semos. Attar demanded that everyone bow their heads before dinner so a prayer to Semos could be delivered. He even went into a rage after Leo deliberately set the tent where Attar kept his personal shrine of Semos on fire. Attar learned the art of fighting under his teacher Krull, whom he had to fight and kill in the ultimate battle. When the space pod piloted by Pericles landed on the battle field, he and the other ape soldiers dropped their weapons believing it was the return of their god. He realized that Thade, Thade's father, and the elders of ape society had been misleading the population for centuries and he took the side of Leo, Ari and the humans. Attar turned against Thade for betraying their fellow apes, and believing in a lie telling the disgraced general: "I won't help you anymore". The colonel decreed that the graves outside the Calima ruins would be left unmarked so that both apes and humans would be equally mourned.

In the comics[]

Many years later, in the events of Dark Horse Comics' The Human War and Planet of the Apes comics #1-6 (a.k.a. Old Gods and Blood Lines), Attar was contacted by Seneca who questioned him concerning the events that happened about twelve years earlier at Calima (the site from where Leo Davidson departed and where Thade was imprisoned), after Fyn leaked out information about Shiva planning to conduct an expedition there. Attar was initially uninterested, thinking that Seneca came only to recruit him for the insurrection and told him to leave when asked about Calima, until the former senator further elaborated the reasons of his visit. This prompted Attar to pour some drink for the two of them, and he presumably told Seneca the details around everything that transpired there years ago. Attar later escaped from his exile of twenty years on Shame Island and went on a quest with Seneca and Esau to find and help his old friend Ari - he had been banished there by the ape authorities after he stopped short of wiping out the human rebels at the end of the movie. They were pursued by the ape army of his grandson Kharim, keen to restore the family honour after Attar's disgrace. They would have eventually found Ari on a remote island and used her help to bring real equality to the planet had the comic series continued.[1]

Trivia[]

  • Attar utters the quote above in homage to George Taylor's memorable quote during the original 1968 movie.
  • In the first treatment of William Broyles' story, Thade's Centurion friend is named 'Baldar'. When Thade is crowned Emperor of Derkein, he arrests Baldar and plots to marry Ari - the fiancée of Baldar and daughter of the previous Emperor. Baldar ultimately kills Thade in revenge.[2] In the first draft script of the film, the role of Baldar remains largely unchanged.[3]
  • 'Attar' is an Arabic name.[4]

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Timeline of the Planet of the Apes: The Definitive Chronology, by Rich Handley
  2. Annals of the Planet Ashlar Treatment, by William Broyles Jr. (4 August 1999)
  3. The Visitor First Draft Script, by William Broyles Jr. (24 September 1999)
  4. The Planet of the Apes Chronicles, by Paul A. Woods

Attar in Dark Horse Comics' 'Planet Of The Apes: Movie Adaptation'; illustration by Davide Fabbri, Christian Dalla Vecchia and Christopher Ivy Attar in Dark Horse Comics' 'Planet Of The Apes: The Human War'; illustration by Paco Medina, Adrian Sibar, Juan Vlasco, Norman Lee and Christopher Ivy

Planet of the Apes - The Chronicle of Ashlar
Planet of the Apes TB
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Main Characters
Leo Davidson | Ari | Thade | Attar | Krull | Limbo | Daena
Supporting Characters
Grace Alexander | Aspasia | Bon | Leeta | | Thade's Niece | Tuug | Karl Vasich | Woman in Cart | Zaius | Sandar | Nado | Nova | Pericles | Semos | Birn | Gunnar | Karubi | Tival
Animals
Horse
Locations
Ashlar | Calima | Oberon | Derkein
Comics, Novels & Magazines
The Human War | Planet Of The Apes (2001) Graphic Novel | Planet of the Apes (2001) (Junior Novelisation) | Planet of the Apes (2001) Concept Art & Costume Tests
Soundtrack Music
Planet of the Apes (2001 Soundtrack Album)
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