Chief of Security Urko was the main antagonist of the Planet of the Apes television series, a violent gorilla character in the tradition of Generals Ursus and Aldo. He had encountered astronauts before, we are told, and killed them immediately. He insisted on doing the same this time but Zaius wanted to question them first and demanded they be captured alive. Urko was foiled repeatedly by the cunning trio of outlaws, Galen, Virdon and Burke, despite the best efforts of his loyal soldiers. He had a wife named Elta.
Notes[]
In the short story Who is this man? What sort of devil is he?, written by Robert Greenberger for the anthology Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone, Urko tells his wife Elta and son Urso about his encounter with an earlier astronaut crew.[1]
Trivia[]
- In the earliest script treatments, the character was called "Ursus". This was still his name when Mark Lenard auditioned for the part in May 1974.[2] He was then going to be called "Urso", but the actor reportedly had difficulty saying this word through the makeup.[3]
- Urko's horse was a beautiful white mare, 15 hands high, and about seven years old. Her real name was 'Silver'.
Appearances[]
- Unfilmed TV Pilot Episodes
- Episode One (as 'Ursus')
- Episode Two (as 'Ursus')
- Unfilmed TV Episodes
- "Hostage" (as 'Ursus')
- Power Records Planet of the Apes "Little LP's", 1974
- El Planeta de Los Simios Argentinian Comics, 1977
- Stage Productions
- Planet of the Apes UK Stage Show (played by Nigel Jones and Mike Ayris in 1976; voiced by Paul Mannering in 2013)
- Fan-Produced Audio Drama
- Values (voiced by Steve Hill)
- Fan-Produced Comics
- Who is this man? What sort of devil is he?
References[]
- ↑ 'Who is this man? What sort of devil is he?', by Robert Greenberger - Planet of the Apes: Tales from the Forbidden Zone (2017)
- ↑ Urko Unleashed, by Chris Claremont - 'Planet of the Apes' UK #22 (22 March 1975)
- ↑ Planet of the Apes: Monkeying with the Timeline
