- We were searching for a pilot lost in an electromagnetic storm .... when we got close our guidance systems went down ... we've received no communications since we crash landed. This planet is uncharted and uninhabited. ... We're trying to make the best of it ... the apes we brought along have been helpful. They're stronger and smarter than we ever imagined.
- Karl Vasich[src]
Commander Vasich commanded the space station Oberon in 2029, and the secondary antagonist. Flight Chief of the USAF Oberon, Karl Vasich is a by-the-book military man. He is older, and therefore, he assumes, wiser than Leo Davidson, an astronaut colleague known for his impulsiveness. Chief Vasich constantly reminds Leo about the limitations of their role in off-ship exploration: no manned flights are authorized, and that's that. However, in the final revelation of the Oberon's fate, Vasich proves himself to be a noble, self-sacrificing hero.
Biography[]
He held the rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force. He forbade Leo from exploring a mysterious storm with his space pod, but when Leo disobeyed him and disappeared he followed to search for him. As they approached the electrical storm, the crew were baffled by a faint distress signal sent from their own secure channel - a voice similar to that of Vasich requesting help. Leo later found more video recordings when he found the 1000-year-old wreck of the Oberon. The elderly Vasich's message confirmed Leo's worst fears. His crew were all long dead at the hands of mutinous apes and neither he nor they would ever make it home.
In the novels[]
William T. Quick's two novels, detailing the the aftermath of the Oberon's crash on the planet Ashlar, gave an account of the intervening years in which Vasich and the other survivors attempted to build a new community on the planet inhabited by numerous hostile lifeforms.
Notes[]
Vasich is only referred to as 'Commander' in the film, but this is a reference to his position, not his rank. The station is crewed exclusively by the Air Force, which does not have that rank; Vasich wears three stars on his uniform, indicating that his actual rank is Lieutenant General.
Appearances[]
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- HarperCollins' Planet of the Apes: The Fall
- HarperCollins' Planet of the Apes: Colony