In many speculative settings, nonhuman characters will often use "ape" or "monkey" as a Fantastic Slur against humans (compare Call a Human a "Meatbag"). This is especially common in settings where humans are depicted as less intelligent or civilised than other sentient races. The Big Bad tends to do this if he's not human himself (or at least not anymore). When used by Starfish Aliens, it can sometimes raise questions if there's no basis for them to know what apes or monkeys are.