Nova was a primitive human woman from Earth. She later became a companion and love interest of John Thomas, an astronaut who had left Earth two thousands years ago and returned to find the planet under the rule of the apes.
Biography[]
Nova was part of a band of humans that lived outside the vicinity of the Ape City. Her tribe encountered a trio of men wearing strange clothes. After the men gave them some of their clothes, they accepted them into the group. However their interaction was cut short when a helicopter and a jeep came roaring towards the tribe, causing them to flee into the forest. The astronauts however stood where they were to attract the attention of the vehicles. Nova attempted to urge Thomas to run, but he ignored her, forcing her to save herself. Nova escaped the slaughter, avoiding the hunters' bullets but was captured and sold to a research institute with Thomas and the other survivors.
During feeding time in the courtyard Nova noticed Thomas slip away from the rest of the group and slipping into the back of a truck that drove out of the institute. As she was led away back to her cage, she gave a small smile at the man's escape.
After Thomas is recognized as a intelligent being, Nova was taken from the institute to live with Thomas at his apartment. Arriving back from a social gathering, Thomas drunk greets a cowering Nova chained to a wall. Thomas tells her they are no longer animals but human beings. He gives her a dress to wear and tells her to be human.
Five weeks later, the two become a couple, with Thomas taking her out for a walk in public. Zaius and Zira are later waiting in Thomas's apartment for tea. The orangutan impatient in waiting is dismissive of the Earthman in taking an animals as a mate. He even goes far to state that the delay is perhaps a result of Nova being distracted by a coconut or being groomed by Thomas for ticks.
When the couple return to the apartment, the two apes are shocked at seeing Nova's transformation. From a savage animal, she is now well groomed and dressed like a lady. She correctly pours the apes tea even asking them, in a timid but clear voice, if they would like some sugar as well. Her actions cause Zaius to knock the cup from her hands. This frightens her causing her to stumble back. Thomas stands between Nova and Zaius, encouraging her to pour another cup, apologizing for the ape's old age making her smile.
After Thomas becomes a target by the ape government, in fear of rising evidence that an intelligent race of man predominated the planet, Cornelius and Zira managed to save her, releasing her back in the wild, where she waited for Thomas to return to her. The reunion never happened as Thomas was ambushed by Zaius's followers and stop dead at the foot of the remains of the Statue of Liberty.
Trivia[]
- Nova's depiction in Rod Serling's script has her being selected as Thomas' mate by Zaius, seeing her rebellious attitude he initially put her in a cage with a brutal male, but seeing Thomas’s jealous reaction in a bestial manner decides to let the 'trained man' have her.