- This article is about the character from War for the Planet of the Apes. For other versions of the character, see Nova.
Nova was a kind human girl and the adopted daughter of Maurice. One of the first infected by the mutated Simian Flu, she was unable to speak and communicated through sign language. Nova accompanied Caesar and his strike team to take down Colonel McCullough, and was crucial in rescuing the captured ape colony from his forces.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Born in 2016, the sweet and brave human girl later known as Nova grew up through the Simian Flu pandemic, surviving through the initial wave due to being genetically immune. In 2028, two years into the brutal Human-Ape War, the flu returned and mutated, rendering those who carried it into a mute and primal state. The girl became infected and Colonel McCullough ordered that any carriers of the strain in his military group, Alpha-Omega, be killed. But a portion of his followers didn't want to kill their friends and family; including the girl's parents. Therefore; they deserted and she was hidden away in a cabin by a lone soldier somewhere near San Francisco, where she was cared for a time.[1]
Joining Caesar's Apes[]
Eventually, the girl's cabin was located by Caesar and his strike team of apes; including Maurice, Rocket and Luca on a mission to murder McCullough for his crimes against the apes, and killing Caesar's wife, Cornelia and his son, Blue Eyes. Her caretaker was shot by Caesar for pulling a shotgun on the apes; when the girl herself was found by Caesar, she panicked and tried to hide. But Maurice directed Caesar to stand down and calmed down the frightened girl while the other searched for supplies. Seeing that she was all alone, Maurice decided to take her with them, and she followed Caesar and his team to track down McCullough, forming a close bond with Maurice and Luca.
While on their journey through the snowy wasteland, Caesar's team came across the aloof and empathetic Bad Ape, who allowed them to spend the night in his home, an abandoned house. While in the house, the girl came across the wordmark of a Chevy Nova car, which became the inspiration for her name, Nova. The next day, Luca bonded more with Nova, and Bad Ape led Caesar and his team to a border facility where Alpha-Omega were camping out. On their journey, the group was ambushed by Alpha-Omega soldiers, resulting in the death of Luca. Nova was greatly saddened by the death of her new friend, and Caesar decided it was a mistake bringing the other along and left them to kill McCullough alone.[1]
Rescuing the Apes[]
Nova and the others waited until the next day, hoping Caesar would return, but eventually they made their way to the base to see if he was alright. When they arrived, they saw that Caesar was being kept prisoner, and the rest of the ape clan had been captured by Alpha-Omega, and were being forced to build a wall to help protect them from the opposing Northern Military. Seeing Caesar in peril, Nova snuck in to meet him, and gave him food and water in his cage. She also left him her plush doll, which she had been carrying around with her the whole trip. Rocket came down to distract the colonel so she could escape without being seen, and her doll was taken by the colonel.
From inside their prison, Rocket and Caesar formulated a plan to help the apes escape with the outer team's help. Bad Ape located an underground tunnel running under the apes' cages, and he, Maurice, and Nova made their way under the apes' cage to dig them out. During the excursion, Maurice told Nova she was very brave, and finally gave her her name, cementing the two as being as close as family. They used the tunnel to rescue the apes while the deadly battle between Alpha-Omega and the Northern Army began, and Caesar went to kill the colonel; who instead killed himself after being infected by the flu on Nova's doll. Nova and the apes narrowly escaped the carnage of the battle, and made their way to a cliff overlooking the base, fearing for Caesar's safety. But Caesar was able to destroy a series of gas tanks and destroy the base, narrowly escaping himself. He reunited with Nova and the other apes, and they went in search of a new home.
The apes traveled far before reaching the home that Caesar's late eldest son, Blue Eyes had found for them to migrate; a vast oasis filled with lush trees and running water. Nova joined the apes in their new home as an official clan member, playing with Bad Ape and Cornelius, Caesar's last surviving son. As the apes and Nova celebrated their new home, Caesar quietly passed away from wounds he sustained in the earlier battle, and Nova joined the apes in mourning their king, while a new community was built from his sacrifice.[1]
Ceasar's Funeral[]
While Nova was not shown during Caesar's funeral scene in the intro of Kingdom, she was likely present off-screen.
Legacy[]
Three centuries after, the name of Nova became a term coined for all primal female humans that an ape bonds with by members of the Order of Caesar; a society of apes who preserved Caesar's teachings and legacy over the next 300 years, until they were annihilated by the evil bonobo Proximus Caesar. Her name was became the temporary alias of Mae, a young human; who secretly possessed high intelligence.
Personality[]
Nova at first was frightened by the apes and her horrific circumstances, but as she grew more comfortable with them, her gentle and compassionate nature began to shine through, trying to help Caesar and the colony escape the border prison, and crying over Luca's selfless sacrifice. She also became very brave the more time she spent with the apes, and the more she experienced, knowing the apes were there to protect her. She is also somewhat reckless, going off to help Caesar by herself and risking her life to do so. Despite all the sadness in her life, she is also somewhat playful, sometimes playing gleefully with Maurice, and having fun with Cornelius and Bad Ape; when they reached their new home.[1]
Abilities[]
- Sign Language: Due to being unable to speak; after being infected; with the mutated Simian Flu, Nova was taught sign language; by Maurice to communicate with others; apes and humans alike.
Relationships[]
Notes[]
- Nova reportedly served as a younger counterpart to the original Nova in the first two films, though their eras of existence are separated by almost 2,000 years. Nova in War, is mute, just like the original Nova was.
- Nova was the first human to be raised by apes.
- "Nova" is only the name given to her by Maurice. Her birth name is unknown.
- Due to the large time-gap between War for the Planet of the Apes and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Nova would have died long before the events of Kingdom occur. It is unknown how long she lived with the apes at the oasis before she died.
- Nova was not present at Caesar's funeral during the flashback in Kingdom. According to Westball on the planet of the apes sub Reddit, Nova was cut out of the funeral scene mainly because the team thought that the audience would confuse Nova for Mae.
Trivia[]
- Amiah Miller's Nova is the third version of Nova in film, after Linda Harrison's version in the original film, and Lisa Marie's version in Tim Burton's 2001 remake.
- It has been said that Amiah Miller formed a close bond with Karin Konoval, who played Maurice, while the film was in principal photography.
- It is unknown how Nova had died, but it is presumed that she had passed away sometime between 2028 and 2328.[1][2]
Gallery[]
- See Nova (CE)/Gallery.