Aldo

From The Sacred Scrolls

General Aldo

Actor	David Chow, Claude Akins
Gender	Male
Race	Chimpanzee, Gorilla
Born	Unknown
Died	Unknown
Continuity	Movies
Appearances
First Appearance: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes Last Appearance: Battle for the Planet of the Apes

"On an historic day, which is commemorated by my species and fully documented in the Sacred Scrolls, there came Aldo. He did not grunt. He articulated. He spoke a word which had been spoken to him time without number by humans. He said, 'No'."

--Cornelius

Aldo and Caesar in 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'

When interviewed on their arrival in 1970's USA, Cornelius and Zira maintained that the ape takeover would be led by 'Aldo', the first ape to say the word "No". This was to occur about 500 years later. Either they were mistaken, they lied to protect their child, or they changed history by time-traveling. Early in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar briefly saw a rebellious (mute) chimp called 'Aldo'. He was a chimp messenger for Governor Breck who struggled to break free but was beaten up by guards - prompting Caesar's outburst. A later scene showed Caesar being taken to work in the Command Post by Mr MacDonald, where he passed Aldo and they seemed to communicate silently with each other.

Aldo and Caesar in Marvel's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes; illustration by Alfredo Alcala

Given that earlier draft scripts for Conquest gave Aldo (explicitly meant to be a gorilla) a greater role in the movie, it seems that Aldo was intended to be the same character mentioned in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and also that the chimp identity of Aldo was a continuity error. The adaptation of Conquest that appeared in Marvel Comics was based on these earlier scripts - the writers hadn't actually seen the finished movie. Here, Aldo was a gorilla messenger for the governor who met Caesar and as they sized each other up silently they seemed to recognize something in each other. Caesar then saw Aldo being beaten, as in the movie, and shouted at the guards. Later, as Caesar ploted his revolution, he went to the apes servants' quarters and told Aldo through the window that he has come to begin the revolution. Aldo wasn't mentioned by name again but he may have been the gorilla seen at Caesar's side as they collected weapons, organizing the other apes.

Aldo's story was expanded in MR Comics' Revolution on the Planet of the Apes. When the ape revolution broke out, Aldo was a cleaner at 'Hasslein Air Force Base'. He was to be taken for reconditioning, when he struggled free and shouted "No". He led the other apes in rebellion and had acquired the power of speech ahead of other apes. His forces took over Washington and the White House before flying jets to join Caesar's revolt in the west. A character that more closely resembled the Aldo we would later see in Battle for the Planet of the Apes, and perhaps the inspiration for the Aldo shown in Revolution, was a gorilla cleaner who was inspired by Caesar to upturn his bin as an act of rebellion in Conquest.

More of Aldo's story was told in the Marvel's own-created Quest for the Planet of the Apes, in which Aldo (a gorilla, as in Marvel's previous adaptation) challenged Caesar to a quest to determine leadership of the apes: he and Caesar had to journey to the human city and each bring something back; whoever found the "best thing" would rule. Caesar brought back the knowledge and vision of what strife can cause, and what peace can avoid. Aldo found a stocked armory and filled a cart with rifles. Aldo then challenged Caesar to a fight. Aldo was stronger, but Caesar was far smarter and lured Aldo into a tree, snaring him in a rope-trap.

In Battle for the Planet of the Apes a gorilla called 'Aldo' with a violent lust for power had become a powerful ape leader (this seems to be another continuity error - he may have been based on the gorilla described in the 'Conquest' script, as opposed to the chimp seen on screen). He styled himself 'General' and was jealous of Caesar's leadership. He killed Cornelius to protect his secret plot, but fought powerfully to defend the ape settlement from the mutant invasion, before Caesar killed him in revenge for the death of his son. Again, Marvel adapted this movie in comic form, while Power Records' adaptation of the fifth movie was a fairly faithful re-telling, except no mention was made of Caesar having a son, let alone of Aldo murdering him. Instead, Aldo was killed for challenging Caesar's authority. Malibu Graphics' Planet of the Apes comics suggested that Aldo survived the fall from the tree shown in the movie, and that he and his followers were then exiled from the ape settlement. General Ollo was a descendent of these exiled followers of Aldo.

[edit] Notes

In earlier drafts of the script for Battle..., Caesar hears the full version of Cornelius' statement before the Presidential Commission, about 'Aldo' being the first ape to say 'No', to which Caesar responds "I think I know what to change". In the filmed version, Cornelius' statement omits the words "called Aldo", simply saying that "there came an ape...", which Caesar, MacDonald and Virgil assume to refer to Caesar. Caesar's dialogue changes to "I know what it is that I want to change." The changes in script indicate that Caesar should not know of Aldo's original destiny (or that of another ape by the same name) as this would change the dynamic of the story. Caesar must try to avoid the eventual gorilla/mutant war that would destroy the planet, rather than merely alter history by eliminating Aldo.^[1]
In the first story outline for Battle..., Caesar is shot dead by Aldo at the movie's climax.^[2]