MovieChat Forums > Galaxy of Terror (1982) Discussion > The Commander's fate didn't make sense. ...

The Commander's fate didn't make sense. (Spoilers)

posted 15 years ago by blakeman422
6 replies | jump to latest

I asked this question awhile back on an earlier (probably deleted) topic but never got an answer so I though I would ask it again.

Anyway when Kebron asked the master why did they all have to die, the master said that they did not have to die and could have chosen life. Anyway it was obvious that anyone who stood up to their fears would survive. It worked for Ranger as he beat his fears (or at least figured out what was going on) and survived although compared to Kebron he was definitely not good enough to be the next master . Fair enough! But why then was Ilvar killed? In case you don't remember him, he was the lead commander who died early in the movie by a bunch of flying blood sucking worm things while investigating a pyramid for clues on the fate of the ship Remus (note: one of the movie posters on this site shows a picture of this scene). Although I do not remember if he had any fears, he definitely wasn't showing any fears when he went down a hole by rope nor when he was fighting off the creatures and loss.

Anyone have any ideals?

[–] Tuco-Benedicto-Maria-Ramirez 15 years ago

The Commander - remember when he was about to go down the hole, he started mumbling to himself? It was quote from a poem I think, I can't actually remember (haven't seen this in a couple of years), but it was basically about him feeling old and tired. "Doubt is brother demon to despair." He doubted he was able to lead the group, that he was able to go cavorting down an ominous-looking hole. His doubts brought him to the fear of his being too old to do what was required of him (in my opinion).

The worm things sucked the life from him.

[–] blakeman422 15 years ago

I will have to replay that movie again and hear what he said and if what you say is true then that pretty much explains it.

Thanks for the reply Mark-finch! :)

[–] KevBaby 14 years ago

Yeah and a bit earlier on the ridgetop he also was hesitant.

I presume we are supposed to glean from both those moments that he was scared, and that was what brought him undone.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] eddieinportland 14 years ago

Well you hit the nail on the head some of the death scenes not making sense until you see them again. On the DVD one of the editors talked about Dameia death. He said she was consciously scared of worms and unconsciously scared of sex. So both of her fears (the one she knew of and the one she didn't know of) killed her.

Everyone has a fear the know of and one that that don't want to admit having.

"Only in America could I get a job" Homer Simpson

[–] Martialhorror 14 years ago

I dont buy her having an unconscious fear of sex. When she wraps her legs around Robert Englund when he cant get his seat to work, she never shows any sign of awkwardness or discomfort(he seemed a bit embarrassed by it; in fact). Obviously what she did was practical and not sex driven, but people who generally fear sex would make a correlation.

The worm rape was only there for exploitation purposes. But if you want to analyze it, remember that just previously she saw a maggot(er, wait, was she raped by a worm or maggot?) infested arm. She probably feared those worms/maggots, thinking them as violators of the flesh. her fear manifested literally.

As for everyone else: SPOILER:

1) The young, annoying guy: He instantly was afraid of a monster, for some reason thinking it was that centipede thing. He uncharacteristically stayed behind, thinking he heard something and letting his imagination work against him.

2) The Commander: I do think that the 'draining his life away' argument is fairly logical, as the film makes a point he was afraid of his age. Furthermore, while he was going down(note: He was actually trying to conquer his fears), he could've simply envisioned that this would be a good place to be attacked.

3) Sid Haig's character: When his crystals shattered, he lost all hope of survival. When they manifested them, it was probably (for once) his imagination working for him. However, he probably felt himself a failure(in whatever his religion was) as the crystals probably held a mystical power in his mind and them breaking was his fault. So he feared the crystals saw him as unworthy and would attack him. When his arm literally throws the crystal back at him, it was his anger at himself.

4) The Captain: This one made the least sense for me, as there is no indication that her fear manifested anything. I was more under the impression that she simply snapped. Im not even really sure what killed her.

5) The love interest: Cramped places, obviously.

6) The 2nd in Command Guy: He started panicking, but realized it and tried to face his fears. However, he only fed them and as he manifested a demon, it promptly killed him.

7) Ranger: He probably feared his own weakness and insecurities, hence his fighting himself.
my reviews of martial arts and horror films
http://freewebs.com/martialhorror