In an moment of Colonel Needham madness, Colonel Taylor pressed the doomsday button. My question is this - was Taylor seeking attention? Did he press the doomsday button so that everybody would be focusing on him? Was he trying to steal the limelight amidst all the commotion?
He was seeking medical attention, but Zaius denied him.
shareNah, it was a weird game show called Drop the Bomb. Taylor was just quicker to the draw with an answer. I think the question was something about the ingredients of some food product called Soya Green (it was a bit garbled, so correct me if I'm wrong). Clearly Taylor won, because the game show ended.
shareIt was actually called Drop the F Bomb, but the MPAA kept forcing him to say "bloody".
shareAh, so that explains why Brent looked so shocked in his final scene. One might have thought that it was due to Taylor saying the dreaded F-word, which would have upset poor sensitive Brent. Instead, it seems it was due to the use of "bloody" and Brent's realisation that he had a red mark on his forehead. We live and learn.
shareI say no.
I think by that point Taylor realised he had no chance to make it. Nova got killed earlier as did Brent and he was on his way after getting shot. There was no way for him to get out of there alive and once Zaius refused to help Taylor he went for it. It was the ultimate act of defiance and measure of revenge for Taylor in regards to how he was treated and how the humans were.
He had nothing to live for. Once Nova died he had nothing. He knew he'd win by pressing the button he'd take everyone and everything out but save everyone from the apes being over-reaching. He lost so he could win.
That's the way I saw it but then that leads to the question: If he did this wouldn't he realize he would also be killing Cornelius and Kim and any other person/ape who showed him any kindness?
shareTaylor's exactly the kind of jerk who would take the whole world with him if he could, because he thinks (justifiably) that the world sucks'
sharewouldn't he realize he would also be killing Cornelius and Kim and any other person/ape who showed him any kindness?
This has a complete plot outline. https://www.filmsite.org/series-planetofapes2.html
But a single cobalt bomb can't destroy the earth. Nor can it ignite the atmosphere, like voyage to the bottom of the sea.
Quote:
They weren't satisfied with a bomb that could knock out a city. They finally built one with a cobalt casing all in the sweet name of peace." Brent worried that if it was launched, it could set off a chain reaction in the whole atmosphere - Taylor added: "Burn the planet to a cinder. How's that for your ultimate weapon?"
As he staggered to his feet during the final showdown, fatally-wounded Taylor began to plead with Dr. Zaius to prevent a massive apocalypse: "It's doomsday. The end of the world. Help me." Zaius contemptuously refused and scoffed: "You ask me to help you! Man is evil, capable of nothing but destruction." Taylor responded with his final words: "You bloody bastard..." and died with his hand outstretched - appearing to deliberately grasp for the red triggering control switch of the Alpha-Omega bomb and set it off.
Thanks for the exposition.
Brent worried that if it was launched, it could set off a chain reaction in the whole atmosphere - Taylor added: "Burn the planet to a cinder. How's that for your ultimate weapon?"
Script was modified during production! https://planetoftheapes.fandom.com/wiki/Alpha-Omega_Bomb
The earlier versions of the script for Beneath the Planet of the Apes had the bomb destroy only the mutant city, taking with it the mutant population and the invading gorilla army, but not Taylor, Brent and Nova who escape to the Ape City and start a new era of peace with the now-dominant chimpanzees. A coda would show a new race of gorilla mutants emerge from the underground caverns a generation later. The idea of the missile destroying the entire Earth was only introduced in the later stages of production, when star Charlton Heston demanded a permanent end to the film franchise.
Like when Daffy Duck blew himself up to upstage Bugs Bunny?
share