Path: nntp-server.caltech.edu!news.claremont.edu!bridge2!sgiblab!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!gumby!destroyer!cs.ubc.ca!mprgate!mprgate.mpr.ca!hobson From: hobson@mprgate.mpr.ca (Darryll) Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.movies,rec.arts.movies,alt.cult-movies Subject: ALIEN FAQ v1.3 Message-ID: <1993May17.192828.11750@mprgate.mpr.ca> Date: 17 May 93 19:28:28 GMT References: <1993May12.210345.131650@zeus.calpoly.edu> <1ssvd8$9ta@wampyr.cc.uow.edu.au> Sender: hobson@a (Darryll) Reply-To: hobson@mprgate.mpr.ca Organization: MPR Teltch, Burnaby, B.C., Canada, Earth, Milky Way, Universe Lines: 1414 Nntp-Posting-Host: atom Xref: nntp-server.caltech.edu rec.arts.sf.movies:13438 rec.arts.movies:122053 alt.cult-movies:24930 Hmmm, it has recently come to my attention that some people (maybe everybody) did not see the version 1.3 of the ALIEN FAQ when I posted it awhile back... So here it is again... &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& & & & ALIEN, ALIENS and ALIEN^3 & & & & Information and Frequently Asked Questions & & & & Version 1.3 & & & &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& A word about the information provided in this FAQ: With the exceptions of my own contributions, this FAQ has been assembled by the material supplied to me through Email and public-access messages that I've scavenged off the internet. Information that is contributed is often paraphrased and combined with existing (other users') info. For this reason, I HAD decided to include a list of "contributors" at the end of the FAQ, HOWEVER, due to the exponential growth of this list, and the difficulties in keeping it accurate, I've decided to exclude it altogether. A general "Thank you" goes out to all who've contributed to this FAQ and made it what it is. (you know who you are) - Darryll Hobson (hobson@mprgate.mpr.ca) The _ALIEN_ trilogy has been the target of many long and frequent discussions on the internet. It wasn't until an exhaustively LARGE discussion regarding plot-holes in _ALIEN^3_ (spanning both alt.cult-movies and rec.arts.sf.movies) that the need for this FAQ became aparent. The contents of this FAQ are not "carved in stone" so if you have proof to support or deny anything that is stated, please bring it to my attention. Ideally, this FAQ will be posted monthly to: alt.cult-movies rec.arts.sf.movies rec.arts.movies However (as with the contents of this document) I am open to further suggestions and recommendations. WARNING: This FAQ contains spoilers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS How do I contribute to this FAQ?........................................0 Movie synopsis..........................................................1 What is an Alien?.......................................................2 Who is [character/director]?............................................3 Which scenes were "cut"?................................................4 What different versions of each movie are there?........................5 Was there any merchandise?..............................................6 Memorable quotes........................................................7 Trivia..................................................................8 Technical problems......................................................9 Plot problems and loopholes.............................................10 Frequently asked questions..............................................11 Frequently discussed topics.............................................12 Movie viewing rituals?..................................................13 Revision history........................................................14 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0. HOW DO I CONTRIBUTE TO THIS FAQ? Like any FAQ, this one has a few ground rules. The only canonical sources are interviews with the creators, the theatrical version of _ALIEN_, the director's cut (or theatrical version) of _ALIENS_ and the extended version (or theatrical) of _ALIEN^3_. All other sources (ie: books, comics, toys, games, etc...) are generally considered speculative. This does not mean that any information outside of the listed movies is not welcome here. Alot of the "speculative" information is used in discussions or for giving "possible" answers to questions that cannot be answered by events that occur in the movies. If you would like to contribute to this FAQ, try and follow this guideline (which exists ONLY to ensure the accuracy of the information presented here): - include references where necessary. If you're referring to a book, it's often a good idea to include the title of the book and Author's name as it would appear on the book (ie: " Alan Dean Foster " instead of " Foster ") - be specific/verbose about your information, there's no limit to the size of this FAQ. - if you wish to update/add to something already in the FAQ, please do so. Some of this information could easily be elaborated upon [especially the comments that are enclosed in square brackets]. - it's preferable if you make your contribution through Email as this FAQ can get posted to a newsgroup that I don't read and your efforts will be wasted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. MOVIE SYNOPSIS _ALIEN_ (Color, 1979, Rated R, Shot in Panavision (2.35:1)) In deep outer space the crew of a commercial spaceship make an unscheduled landing on a barren and desolate planet for engine repairs. They encounter a pulsating organism which attaches itself to one of the crew members and reproduces within his body to become the deadly ALIEN. As each of the crew members is slain by the creature - one by one - the final confrontation between the last surviving crew member and the Alien culminates in an explosive conclusion. 116 minutes. [quoted from the 1984 CBS/FOX Video release] _ALIENS_ (Color, 1986, Rated R, Shot flat (1.87:1)) Sigourney Weaver returns as Ripley, the only survivor from mankind's first encounter with the Alien. Her account of the Alien and the fate of her crew is received with skepticism - until transmissions from space colonists who have since settled on the Alien's planet abruptly stop. Determined to end the recurring nightmares of her terrifying ordeal and to completely exterminate the deadly creature, Ripley joins a team of high-tech combat vets sent to investigate the disappearance of the space colonists! Approx. 138 Minutes. [quoted from the 1992 CBS/FOX Video release] _ALIEN^3_ (1992) (Color, 1992, Rated R, Shot in Panavision (2.35:1)) In _ALIEN^3_, Ripley finds herself an unwelcome guest on Fiorina 161, a lice-infested planet in a distant solar system, when the EEV she's travelling on malfunctions and crashes. Fiorina -- or "Fury" -- 161 is inhabited by a small community of violent criminals who discovered religion and stayed behind when their prison facility was evacuated. As a woman, Ripley is the ultimate outcast; her presence causes conflicts that endanger the pracarious balance of power on the planet, threatening to turn the reformed members of the monastic community back into killers. There is, however, an even more dangerous visitor to Fury 161 -- a stowaway alien who threatens not only the inhabitants of this planet but of the entire universe. Faced with extinction, the prisoners band together under Ripley's leadership and, despite a lack of advanced technology and modern weapons, battle the creature for the very future of mankind. [quoted from the 1992 CBS/FOX laserdisc release] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. WHAT IS AN ALIEN? This section discusses what we know about the Alien life-form; it is entirely based on facts that are provided to us in each of the movies. * NOTE: Many users firmly believe that there are "worker" and "soldier" aliens; there is also some theories that the aliens use the DNA of their hosts to help them adapt to their environments, however this is not supported by any of the "canon" sources for this FAQ, hence the issues will be dealt with in section [12], frequently discussed topics. Eggs - eggs are initially created inside a queen alien and enter the world (after being queued in her extended abdomen) via slimey tube to stand on their own (indicating that there is a definite "up" side and "down" side to the egg). The egg itself is a leathery object [...it's full of leathery- objects; like eggs or something... Kane (Alien)], translucent and approximately 2.5 feet tall. According to a scene that was cut from _ALIEN_ these eggs could also be "constructed" by a regular alien "infecting" an organism (which would undergo some sort of metamorphosis) however, this concept was not supported (nor denied) in _ALIENS_ and _ALIEN^3_. It is important to note that this method was the originally intended method of the designer of the Alien, H.R. Giger. Face-huggers - hibernating inside one of these eggs is a parasite, commonly refered to as a face-hugger. When a viable host is brought near a closed egg (either by curiosity, or being cocooned and held in place) it triggers the "contents" of the egg to come to life. The egg opens and the face-hugger launches out at the organism and attaches itself by wrapping a long "tail" around its victim's neck and using long spider-like legs (like a spider, the face-hugger has 8 legs) to firmly grip the organism's head. The face-hugger controls the amount of oxygen its host receives and puts the victim in a comatose state while it reaches down the host's throat and lays an egg. In order to ensure that the job can be completed with little outside interference, the face-hugger has concentrated acid for "blood" (as a self defense mechanism) and can strangle its host with its tail [...it's not coming off without tearing his face off with it. Dallas (Alien)] After the egg is planted in the victim's body, the face-hugger leaves the host (who will soon re-gain conciousness) and dies. [...he's got an outer layer of protein poly-saccarides, has a funny habit of shedding his cells and replacing them with polarized silicon which gives him a longer resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Ash (Alien)] Chest-buster - the alien begins its life by bursting from the chest of its host. At this stage in its development it has a small cranium, tan-colored skin and is susceptable to fire. Alien^3 chestbuster - This chestbuster was different from the ones in _ALIEN_ and _ALIENS_; it was more "mature looking" immediately after its birth. Specifically, unlike the chestbusters of the previous movies, this one had legs. Alien - As the chest-buster matures, it sheds its skin (similar to a snake), its cranium becomes elongated and it has a hard, dark (black/green) outer shell (exo-skeleton). The mature alien has concentrated acid for "blood" and a higher tolerance to fire. One distinguishing feature of the alien is that it has two mouths, one inside the other. According to H.R. Giger, the inner mouth is in fact the alien's "tongue" (it is such a vicious creature that even its tongue is dangerous). Another interesting feature of the alien is that it does not have (what we would perceive to be) "eyes". Alien^3 alien - This alien is different than the previous ones we've seen; it tends to move around on all fours at times and ensures that the unborn queen alien is kept safe. There are a few speculations as to why this alien is different; refer to section [13] frequently discussed topics. The Queen Alien - little is known about her. From _ALIEN^3_ we know that a queen alien can be born in the same way as a regular alien. Some things that we do know about the queen: she has a much larger cranium than the usual alien and is slightly taller (approx 2-3 feet). The queen has the ability to create and lay eggs (through the use of the extended abdomen) and she has the ability to survive without the extended abdomen (for an unknown amount of time). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. WHO IS [CHARACTER/DIRECTOR] ? If you seek further information about the cast or creators listed below, check out the rec.arts.movies movie database package which is available via anonymous FTP to boulder.colorado.edu in the pub/tv+movies/lists directory. _ALIEN_ Director: Ridley Scott Writer: Dan O'Bannon Composer: Jerry Goldsmith Director of Photography: Derek Vanlint Designer: H.R.Giger Cast: Ellen Ripley [Sigourney Weaver]: Warrant Officer J. Lambert [Veronica Cartwright]: Navigator. Ash [Ian Holm]: Science officer, an android. Parker [Yaphet Kotto]: Chief engineer. Kane [John Hurt]: Executive officer; the alien bursts from his chest. The _ALIEN_ novelization states that his first name is "Thomas". S. E. Brett [Harry Dean Stanton]: Engineering technician. A. Dallas [Tom Skerrit]: Captain. Alien [Bolaji Bodejo] Mother [Helen Horton]: voice of the Nostromo computer. _ALIENS_ Director: James Cameron Writers: James Cameron, David Giler (story), Walter Hill (story) Composer: James Horner Director of Photography: Adrian Biddle Cast: Ellen Ripley [Sigourney Weaver]: Cargo loader, gets assigned (by choice) as an advisor for the mission to LV-426. Sergeant A. Apone [Al Matthews]: sergeant, ground commander. Corporal Dwayne Hicks [Michael Biehn]: only soldier that survived. Private W. Hudson [Bill Paxton]: cracks alot of jokes. Private J. Vasquez [Jenette Goldstein]: uses a smart gun. Private M. Drake [Mark Rolston]: uses a smart gun. Corporal C. Ferro [Colette Hiller]: dropship pilot (wears sunglasses). Private D. Spunkmeyer [Daniel Kash]: dropship co-pilot and cargo loader. L. Bishop [Lance Henriksen]: Android; science officer. Carter J. Burke [Paul Reiser]: Company advisor. Private R. Frost [Ricco Ross]: Hated the corn bread. Private T. Crowe [Tip Tipping] Corporal C. Dietrich [Cynthia Scott]: Medic. Lieutenant S. Gorman [William Hope]: Controls the marines from the APC. Private T. Wierzbowski [Trevor Steedman] Rebecca Jorden [Carrie Henn]: Newt. _ALIEN^3_ Director: David Fincher Writers: Larry Ferguson, David Giler, Walter Hill, Vincent Ward (story) Composer: Elliot Goldenthal Director of Photography: Alex Thomson Cast: Ellen Ripley [Sigourney Weaver]: sole survivor of the Sulaco, shaves her head, carries the next alien queen embryo in her body. Bishop [Lance Henriksen]: android and (in a different roll) the designer of the android. Clemens [Charles Dance]: the doctor. Golic [Paul McGann]: in the infirmary, wearing the straight jacket. Dillon [Charles S. Dutton]: the religious leader. Andrews [Brian Glover]: superintendant Newt [Danielle Edmond]: the little girl corpse. Aaron [Ralph Brown] Morse [Danny Webb] Arthur [Dhobi Oparei] Murphy [Chris Fairbank] Jude [Vincenzo Nicoli] Eric [Niall Buggy] Frank [Carl Chase] Kevin [Philip Davis] Rains [Christopher John Fields] Gregor [Peter Guinness] Boggs [Leon Herbert] William [Clive Mantle] Junior [Holt McCallany] David [Pete Postlethwaite] Troy [Paul Brennan] Company Man [Hi Ching] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. FILMED SCENES THAT DIDN'T APPEAR IN THE THEATRICAL RELEASES. _ALIEN_ * From the _ALIEN_ box set: After being awakened from hypersleep, Kane wanders out to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, he says "Rise and shine Lambert". Scene where the crew gathers on the bridge and listens to the signal coming from the derelict craft. Scene where Lambert confronts Ripley about Ripley's reluctance to let them back on the ship with Kane and the facehugger. Lambert tells Ripley, Parker and Brett how the face hugger got on Kane. Ripley radios down to Parker and Brett to see how they're progressing on the repairs, Parker and Ripley exchange tense words over the radio. After the face hugger's acid eats through a few floors, the crew returns to the med lab to check up on Kane's condition. Ripley sees an X-Ray of Kane's chest and asks Ash, "What is that dark stain on Kane's lung?" The rest of the crew starts asking if Kane's going to live, Dallas tells everyone to go back to work. After Kane's death, the crew gathers around at the meal table to discuss what they're going to do with the escaped alien. Brett anounces the cattle-prod idea and suggests "catching" the alien in a net. Longer version of Brett's death. This scene had Brett frozen with fear as the alien grabs his head, he yells "Parker!" and then blood poors from beneath his cap. The alien lifts him up into the landing gear and Ripley and Parker come rushing in. Parker stands where Brett once was and looks up; blood drips on his shirt and then Brett's cattle prod falls to Parker's feet. 2/3 of a scene was filmed, this involved Parker, Ripley and Lambert trying to flush the alien out of the air lock. As they are about to succeed, an alarm is triggered and the alien rushes out of the airlock (getting its tail caught in the closing door, and spilling acid that causes a hull breech). Parker falls unconciously to the floor, Ripley does the same and Lambert and Ash come to their rescue. Ripley vocalizes her suspicions about Ash by accusing him of setting the alarm off. After Dallas's disappearance, Ripley (being suspicious of Ash) asks Lambert if she's ever slept with him. The build-up to Lambert's death is much longer. (Watch the alien's shadow on the wall, it walks in, crouches down, then immediately gets up) A scene where we see the alien enter, crouch down and wait until Lambert notices its presence was cut. When Lambert sees the alien, it uncoils its tail and walks (like a crab) over to Lambert. After Ripley discovers the remains of Parker and Lambert, she makes another discovery. Ripley enters the landing gear area of the Nostromo (where Brett got killed) and discovers a cocooned Dallas and Brett mutating into an egg. Dallas pleads, "Kill me". Ripley flames Dallas and the Brett-egg and then runs to set the ship on self-destruct. _ALIENS_ * From the "liner notes" that came with the collector's edition of the movie on laserdisc. Ripley is sitting on the park bench waiting for Burke (before the inquisition), immediately following her stay in Gateway Station' hospital. This scene reveals that Ripley had a daughter who died 1.5 years before Ripley was found, and Ripley had promised to be back for her 11th birthday before going off into space on the Nostromo. After Ripley's outburst during in the inquest ("Because if one of those creatures gets down here, you can kiss all of this goodbye"), dialogue has been restored in which Van Leuwen voices the council's final decision. (her flight status is revoked because she is deemed unfit to serve as a flight officer, she has to have monthly psych evaluations, and no criminal charges being filed against her) During the sequence in Ripley's apartment (where they try to convince her to go investigate the lack of contact with the Colony), Burke's dialogue regarding "The Company's" interest in the colony has been restored. Immediately following the establishing shot of the Sulaco is a restored introdution to the interior of the ship, eventually leading to the frost- covered hypersleep chamber (and then they wake-up. this is similar to the start of Alien). During the drop from the Sulaco to LV-426, is a restored scene of Hudson playfully boasting about the Marines and their weaponry. During the Marines' initial search through the colony, a sequence has been inserted in which Hudson investigate some motion they have deteced ahead of them. The scene in which Ripley, Burke, Gorman, and Bishop enter the colony has been restored. (you see lotsa hesitation on Ripley's face before entering the complex). During Hick's discussion of the equipment salvaged from the APC wreckage, additional dialogue has been added in which he discribes the four remote sentry guns and how they can be used. When Ripley and the Marines examine the colony's blueprints, discussing how they will barricade themselves inside the complex, there is some additional dialogue referring to the strategic placement of the sentry guns. The sequence of Hicks arming the sentry, and Hudson and Vasquez testing one of the sentry guns been restored. Before the scene where Ripley carries Newt into the infirmary, a single show of the sentry guns has been inserted. During the scene where Ripley puts Newt to bed in the medical center, the dialogue about Ripley's daughter and the origin of babies as been restored. (Newt asks if Ripley ever had a daughter and the fact that she's dead). In the scene where Ripley, Bishop, Hudson, and Vasquez discuss the aliens' life cycle, there is some additional dialogue in which Hudson, Vasquez and Bishop offer their speculations. (beehive/anthill sort of society) After Ripley's confrontation with Burke, the sequence involving the aliens attempting to make their way past the sentry guns in the service tunnel has been restored. After Vasquez and Ripley seal Bishop in the pipe, the aliens confront the other two sentry guns that have been set up in the colony corridors. At the end of the sequence, when Hicks dispatches Hudson and Vasquez (to walk perimeter), some of the shots have been rearranged from the theatrical edition and Hicks' dialogue slightly altered. Before Ripley leaves the drop-ship to rescue Newt, there is some additional dialogue in thich she turns to Hicks to say goodbye, and they exchange their first names. Scene where a small the colonists receive orders from Burke telling them to explore the derelict space craft. Newt's family drives to the site, during the trip Newt and her brother Timothy are arguing about a game of hide and seek that they play in the colony's airduct system. Timothy complains that Newt has the unfair advantage of being able to hide in the small places that the rest of the players can't get to. Following this, they arrive at the derelict ship and the mother and father go in; later the mother returns dragging the father who now has a face hugger clamped on his face. There's a scene of the colony, before contact with the aliens, in this scene we see a sign outside the colony reading: "Hadleys Hope - pop. 158" Newt asks Ripley if human babies are born the same way the aliens are. When Ripley is searching for Newt, she finds Burke who has been cocooned and impregnated. Burke begs Ripley to shoot him, instead she hands him a grenade. < this scene did not appear in the director's cut, but WAS filmed > _ALIEN^3_ Scene where Ripley's face is covered with bugs [possibly lice?] There was a dream sequence near the start of the movie where Ripley dreams that an alien is searching the wreckage and tries to rape her. The original movie didn't include the scene of the alien bursting from the dog's chest. Card #39 (of the _ALIEN^3_ trading card set) is a picture of an ox hanging in an Abattoir and the text says, "In one of the original scenes for Alien^3, oxen are used to pull Ripley's EEV from the water. When one of the oxen falls to the ground, the prisoners take it to the Abattoir for butchering. But while a prisoner is preparing to butcher the ox, the Alien bursts from the animals chest." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5. DIFFERENT MOVIE VERSIONS. _ALIEN_ 2 videos - standard and wide screen edition. 2 discs - standard and special letterbox version containing a seperate section with the cut scenes, photos and several design drawings, including drawings by Moebius, Ron Cobb and H.R. Giger. _ALIENS_ 2 videos - standard and directors cut, containing cut scenes put back into the movie. 2 discs - same as videos. _ALIEN^3_ 2 videos - standard and a making of. discs - probably only standard movie. [more?] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. MERCHANDISE _ALIEN_ "Giger's Alien", a book with notes, sketches and diary entries describing what went on during filming as well as the Alien life cycle in detail. Published by Morpheus International. Movie Novelization: by Alan Dean Foster (contained scenes cut from the original movie) The Alien Puzzle: came in a plastic egg, the puzzle was approx 1 foot tall and it was a detailed image of the Alien. The Alien Figurine: glowing cranium, the inner mouth could move in and out. Alien: video game - this was software written for the Commodore 64. The game was low-budget, a quotation on the title screen said "We live as we dream - Alone". (which, I am told, is a line from a song off of a Gang of Four album) Models: Nostromo and an escape shuttle. _ALIENS_ Movie Novelization: by Alan Dean Foster Action figures: Ripley, Apone, Hicks, and more. Alien figures: An alien that squirts water out of its mouth. A different figure that explodes when you hit it, and has an extendable neck. Other toys: there's a line of alien toys on the market now, some of the larger products include a Power Lifter and some kind of attack vehicle. Most of the toys do not coincide with the contents of the movies. (including the figures listed above) Aliens: video game - software for the Commodore 64. Very entertaining, followed the movie's story line closely. Arcade game: Aliens. Didn't follow the movie at all, however it used some of the characters (Ripley, more??) Dark Horse comics: Aliens vol 1 1-6, black+white Aliens vol 2 1-6, colour Aliens: Earth War 1-4 Aliens:Hive 1-4 Aliens:Genocide 1-4 Aliens:Tribes 1-4 Aliens:Newt's Tale 1-2 Aliens:Colonial Marines 1-12 (+more) Aliens:Rogue 1-? Aliens vs. Predator 0-6 Dark Horse comics (special): Dark Horse Presents 24 (first appearance of the aliens in a comic) Dark Horse Presents: Aliens (available in a Platinum edition as well) _ALIEN^3_ Movie Novelization: by Alan Dean Foster Computer game for the Sega Megadrive, Amiga and possibly others. Doesn't follow the plot of the film AT ALL, it has Ripley running around with grenades, a flame thrower and a pulse rifle rescuing prisoners. A model of the chest-burster that burst from the dog, a model of the alien, a facehugger (that fits on your face), the Sulaco. (there are several models from the alien series on the market now, too numerous to list) Dark Horse Comics: Alien3 1-3 RPG: Primary Design: Barry Nakazono Writing and Design: David McKenzie Editing and Production: Irene Kinzek The roll playing game contradicts the movie in several ways, therefore its contents are purely speculatory, however it has this to say about the aliens: * Aliens feed on electricity, sort of like car batteries. * Facehuggers are awakened by MOTION outside their egg. * There are 3 types of aliens: queen, warrior and sentries. * All types of aliens can lay eggs, however the queen's are larger and will last longer (centuries as opposed to months). * Warriors are the standard aliens that you see in the movies. * Sentries have special sensors that allow them to "feel" vibrations anywhere in the hive. * Aliens do have a language of gestures and audible sounds. * Aliens can see infrared as well as the visible spectrum. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. MEMORABLE QUOTES In some cases, the circumstances around which these quotes occur will be given so the reader can get the "full effect" of the moment. "The entire world revolves around this wretched Alien." - H.R. Giger _ALIEN_ < Kane starts choking, this starts the scene where the Alien bursts from his chest> "What's the matter man, the food ain't THAT bad?!" - Parker < Ripley asks how long it takes the ship to self destruct > "If we ain't outta here in 10 minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space." - Parker "You still don't know what you're dealing with do you? Perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility [...] I admire its purity, a survivor; unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality." - Ash _ALIENS_ < An alien is trying to get into the APC (Hicks puts a shotgun in its mouth and pulls the trigger) > "You wanna eat something? EAT THIS!!" - Hicks < Ripley tells the story of why Burke tried to impregnate her and Newt with alien eggs > "I say we grease this rat-fuck son-of-a-bitch right now!" - Hudson "You know Burke, I don't know which species is worse; you don't see them fucking each other over for a goddam percentage!" - Ripley < Gorman orders the troops to disarm all their weapons before the first alien encounter > "What the hell are we supposed to use man, harsh language?" - Frost < The dropship crashes > "Well that's great, that's just fuckin' great man, now what the fuck are we supposed to do? We're in some real pretty shit now man [...] That's it man, game over man, game over! What the fuck are we gonna do now? What are we gonna do?" - Hudson < After Ripley rescues the remaining troops with the APC and suggests that they nuke the sight from orbit, Burke tries to stop this plan > "Hey maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our ASSES kicked pal!" - Hudson < Hudson asks Vasquez if she's ever been mistaken for a man, to which she replies... > "No, have you?" - Vasquez < Ripley responds to Burke's reservations about nuking the alien-infested site > "They can BILL me!" - Ripley "Dear Lord Jesus, this can't be happenin' man, this isn't happenin..." - Hudson < Hicks says that there won't be any rescue attempt made for another 17 days > "17 days?! Hey, I don't wanna rain on your parade pal, but we aren't gonna last 17 hours against those things!" - Hudson "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." - Bishop "Another glorious day in the Corps. A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal a banquet, every paycheque a fortune, every formation a parade. I love the Corps!" - Apone < After Gorman says, "Hicks, meet me at the south lock. We're coming in." > [sarcastically] "He's coming in. I feel safer already." - Hudson < Bishop says "I'm afraid I have some bad news." > "Well that's a switch." - Hudson "Get away from her you bitch!" - Ripley _ALIEN^3_ < Ripley's looking for the alien > "It's okay, I'm part of the family now." - Ripley ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS _ALIEN_ - The "blurb" on the back of the movie box is wrong. The astronaughts did not set down on the planet to make repairs to their ship, they set down to investigate a beacon. _ALIENS_ - After the Sulaco arrives at LV-426, a computer screen displays the last names and first initials of each of the crew members. Hudson isn't on the list. - Adding up the estimated time that Bishop makes (for getting the drop ship down to the planet) gives a total of 180 minutes (3 hours), however the fusion reactor is not going to blow up for another 4 hours. Ripley says "It's going to be close..." but they actually have a full hour to clear the base. [not NECESARRILY a technical problem, but it could be] - In the LD version of aliens, during those split-seconds the camera is NOT on the queen during the fight between Ripey and her, pay attention to bishop. In one shot, you can clearly see the hole that Lance Henriksen is standing in (to hide the other half of his body) to give the effect of being ripped in two. - In the battle scene between Ripley and the mother alien where Ripley is in the loader, we see the alien pull the loader into the airlock when Ripley tries to drop it. The loader is turned upside down and the cone on top with the spinning yellow caution light is broken when it slams into the floor. In the next scene, however, we see the loader lying on the floor of the airlock with the yellow cone still in one piece. Also, the sharp end of the alien tails seems to be missing, as if it broke off, but the broken part isn't on the airlock floor. - When Bishop gets it from the mother alien, you can see the string pulling the stinger through the dummy. - The Pulse rifles are using "standard armor piercing explosive tip, caseless" [Gorman, Aliens] and yet when one is fired, you see shells flying out of it if you look carefully. _ALIEN^3_ - Many instances where you can see the "outline" created by the blue screening technique. - The "furnace" that Ripley falls into at the end is WAY off scale, it was just too big! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. TRIVIA _ALIEN_ - _ALIEN_ grossed $ 40,300,000.00 - The movie itself was based on original ideas and a script entitled "Memories" by Dan O'Bannon. [source: _ALIEN_ box set] - It has been suggested that _ALIEN_ is a rip-off from from an A.E. van Vogt short story entitled "Discord in Scarlet". - The ship is called "Nostromo". This is the name of a novel by Joseph Conrad. Ridley Scott's first major film, _The Duellists_ was based on a Joseph Conrad short story. Perhaps Scott's trademark is a subtle reference to Conrad in all of his films? - The alien's habit of laying eggs in the stomach (which then burst out) is similar to the life-cycle of the tsetse fly. - The images that the computers display during the Nostromo's separation from the Mother ship (as well as some images used near the end where Ripley is setting up the escape pod to blast off) are re-used in _Blade Runner_ (also directed by Ridley Scott) - Only John Hurt and the camera crew knew exactly what was going to happen during the chest-bursting scene. The actors' only clue as to what was going to happen was from what they read in the script, so reactions are genuine. - In the scene from ALIEN where Dallas, Kane and Lambert are leaving the ship, the actual actors walking past the Nostromo's landing struts are 3 children (two of which were Ridley Scott's children) dressed in scaled down spacesuits. This has the effect of making the ship look even bigger. - Watch the scene where Kane gets attacked by the facehugger frame-by-frame. You'll see (through Kane's eyes) the facehugger jump out of the egg, attach itself to his helmet, break through the glass shielding and stick a tube down his throat. - The alien creature has 6 fingers. - An over-turned ice cube tray is on the side of Ash's motion tracking device was an ice-cube tray. - A sex scene between Dallas and Ripley (!) was in the script, however was not filmed. [source: _ALIEN_ box set] - The front (face) part of the alien costume's head is made from a real human skull. [source: _ALIEN_ box set] - Although it has nothing to do with _ALIEN_, Sigourney Weaver's real name is Sarah. [source: interview on TV's "Entertainment Tonight"] - Apparently, in the final scene with Ripley and the Alien, the sounds of people having sex can be heard. [can anyone confirm this?] - A good deal of the music that Jerry Goldsmith wrote for Alien never made it into the movie. Several tracks on the CD soundtrack don't appear in the film, and most of them that are in the movie apparently weren't used in the scenes they were written for, judging from track titles. The movie uses some classical music, plus music from an earlier Jerry Goldsmith score entitled "Freud." < the next two points are quoted from the Blade Runner FAQ with permission > - Notice that both _Alien_ and BladeRunner have "artificial persons", and there is ambiguity as to who is/was a real human. _Alien_ and BR are perfectly compatible, the only problem being that Ash should have been a replicant, as opposed to a robot. - When Deckard enters his apartment at the end, the background hum is the same distinctive hum as in parts of _ALIEN_. _ALIENS_ - Ripley was in hypersleep for 57 years. - Ferro has "(Fly the Friendly Skies)" written on her helmet. - On the side of the first drop ship is an insignia of an eagle with big sneakers on, sort of completing a jump. Just above this is the text "Bug Stompers" and just below is "We endanger species". - The second drop ship is called "Smart Ass" and just below is "We aim by P.F.M." (ie: Pure Fucking Magic) - "Adios" is painted on Vasquez's smart gun. - The smart guns used by Drake and Vasquez are mounted on them via set of hydraulic arms. These arms take most of the load of the guns and keep them stable. Virtually the same technology is used by camera men on outside broadcasts, where they are used to keep the cameras steady. The hydraulics absorb most of the energy created by a camera man running down the road leaving a very steady picture. - An ammunition clip for the M41-A pulse rifle holds 95 rounds. - The mechanism used to make the facehuggers thrash about in the stasis tubes in the science lab came from one of the "flying piranahs" in one of James Cameron's earlier movies: Piranah II - The Spawning. It took 9 people to make the face hugger work, one person for each leg and someone for the tail. - Hicks was originally played by actor James Remar, but Michael Biehn replaced him a few days after principal photography began, due to "artistic differences" between Remar and Cameron. - Partly as a joke and partly to leave the ending open for subsequent sequels, James Cameron added the sound of an egg opening/face hugger scuttling about at the end of the film credits. (different sounds were appended to different versions of the movie) - "She thought they said 'illegal aliens' and signed up..." - Hudson This quote (directed towards Vasquez) was in "inside joke" to the actors of the movie. (quoted without permission from an interview with Jeanette Goldstein [Vasquez] that appeared in STARLOG magazine) ''...she answered an ad for a film role in the local trades. It read simply, "Genuine American actors, British Equity, for feature film, ALIENS, 20th Century Fox," she relates, over lunch near the old homestead in Beverly Hills. "I had seen ALIEN, but I had NO idea this was a sequel. It had been so long ago, it didn't even occur to me. "I thought it was about actual aliens, you know, immigrants to a country. I was wondering why they wanted Americans. I figured the movie was about lots of different immigrants to England." Since she didn't have an agent at the time, she answered the ad on her own, with rather surprising results. "I actually came in wearing high heels and lots of makeup, and I had waist-length hair," she says. Other auditioners, who had advance notice from THEIR agents, were decked out in military fatigues --- Goldstein's first inkling she would be reading for the role of a marine...'' - One track of music from Goldsmith's CD for _ALIEN_ appears near the end of _ALIENS_, during one of the big scenes of the Queen stomping around the colony. Even though this music was used in _ALIENS_, Goldsmith's name was not mentioned in the closing credits. _ALIEN^3_ - Aparently, this movie went through 14 script changes [can anyone verify this?] Some of the writers involved were: Eric Red (The Hitcher), Renny Harlin, David Twohy (Warlock), Clive Barker, David Cronenberg, Richard Stanley (Hardware), Vincent Ward, Ridley Scott. The first script was written by William Gibson. - One of the scripts for _ALIEN^3_ revealed the origin of the derelict space craft (in _ALIEN_) as well as the origin of the aliens themselves. This script was also going to reveal more about the creatures such as their level of intellect and feeding habits. - Prior to its release, _PREDATOR II_ came out in the theaters (which had an almost identical story to the original idea for _ALIEN^3_) near the end of _PREDATOR II_ we see a trophy case of different skulls, one of which is the skull of an alien. - Yet another concept for _ALIEN^3_ that never made it to film: (quoted, without permission, from an article that appeared in the May '92 issue of PREMIERE magazine) ''...Back in New York, [Walter] Hill saw "The Navigator : An Odyssey Across Time", a stunning but esoteric art film by an obscure New Zealand director named Vincent Ward. But Ward said he didn't like [David] Twohy's script. No problem, said Fox. "So I hopped on an airplane," says Ward," and during the flight, I had an idea that was totally different: Sigourney would land in a community of monks in outer space and not be accepted by them." The monks would live on a wooden planet that looked like something out of Hieronymus Bosch, with furnaces and windmills -- and no weapons... FINCHER : In the draft Larry [Ferguson, Beverly Hills Cop II] was writing, she [Ripley] was going to be this woman who had fallen from the stars. In the end, she dies, and there are seven of the monks left --- seven dwarfs. Q : You're kidding? FINCHER : Seriously. I swear to God. She was like...what's her name in Peter Pan? She was like Wendy. And she would make up these stories. And in the end, there were these seven dwarfs left, and there was this fucking tube they put her in, and they were waiting for Prince Charming to come wake her up. So that was one of the endings we had for this movie. You can imagine what Joe Roth said when he heard this. "What?! What are they doing over there?! What the fuck is going on?!" '' ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10. PLOT PROBLEMS AND LOOPHOLES This section contains plot problems that are SO BIG that there is no plausible explanation for it. If a good theory comes along, the point will be moved to section [11] frequently asked questions (at my discretion of course). _ALIEN_ - The shuttle on the Nostromo only had one hypersleep chamber; there isn't enough capacity for the entire crew. _ALIENS_ - What infantry platoon in its right mind would enter an enclosed space carrying flamethrowers? - What kind of pilot would leave her aircraft wide open and unguarded in an unsecured area? (referring to the first dropship) - From a scene that was cut from _ALIENS_ (possibly the reason why it was cut): Why do the aliens just throw themselves at the sentry guns, instead of using stealth like in _ALIEN_? _ALIEN^3_ - How did the eggs get on the Sulaco? (refer to section [12]) - Why is the escape capsule so poorly designed? It gets ejected and then FALLS to the nearest planet. The capsule crashes on the planet and Hicks is impaled by a SAFETY beam?! - How could Ripley hold on to the chestbuster AFTER it tore through her chest? - Why did it take so long for the chestbuster to come out of Ripley? It only took a few hours for it to come out of Kane in _ALIEN_. Even though Ripley was carrying a queen, the chestbuster itself was STILL the same size as the one that came out of Kane. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS This section has been extended to allow for theoretical answers, the responses that aren't based on solid facts (yet provide a plausible answer) start with "[possibly]". If you believe you have a better explanation, don't hesitate to say so. Any questions that seem to have more than one plausible answer will appear in section [12] frequently discussed topics. _ALIEN_ Q: Who is the "Space Jockey"? A: This is the name given (by the technical staff) to the remains of the creature found on the derelict space craft. Q: What is written on Brett's cap? A: USCSS NOSTROMO 180286 Q: Why is there a "self-destruct button" on the Nostromo? A: [possibly] the "emergency destruct system" exists to protect company secrets in case the Nostromo is hijacked by a competator. (this would be a similar principle to espionage: when an enemy spy gets caught, he takes poison to kill himself so he cannot be tortured into giving away secrets). Q: The crew is awakened early out of their hypersleep to explore the planet from which the beacon is being transmitted, HOW early are they awakened? A: 10 months as indicated by Lambert (after the shuttle returns to the Nostromo) Q: Did the entire crew go down to the surface of LV-426? A: Yes. The Nostromo is a towing device for the 20,000,000 tons of ore. The entire crew went down to the planet's surface in the Nostromo (which detached itself from the cargo it was towing). Q: After the Nostromo blew up, and Ripley discovers that the alien is on board the escape capsule, why does the alien take SO long to attack her? A: [possibly] the alien was coming to the end of its life cycle, when Ripley happened to disturb it. It was slow to attack because it was dyig. This theory is supported by an older version of the _ALIEN_ script where Ash reveals that the alien had made a nest and ensured the continutation of its species (cocooned Dallas and transformed Brett into an egg) at which time the alien itself would approach the end of its lifecycle; curl up and die. Q: Does the alien have eyes? How does it see? A: No. The alien was designed (by H.R. Giger) to "see" entirely by instinct. The chase scene in _ALIEN^3_ would appear to contradict this as it shows the chase through (what would appear to be) the alien's eyes. However, it is likely that this cinematic technique was used to show the chase, not through the aliens eyes, but through its "perception". (it is also likely that this alien, being so different from the ones we've already seen, has some kind of eyes) Q: I want a longer version of the movie, dammit! A: Easy. You'll need a laserdisc player with frame advance, a 4-head VCR with frame advance (frame advance allows for nice editing), the _ALIEN_ box set (on laser disc of course) and a 160 min tape (130 min might work too). Now, all you need is to know where the "extra" scenes (on the 3rd disk) can be re-added into the movie: - Kane prepares breakfast - don't bother, there's a fade between the hypersleep chamber and the breakfast scene... this is where you'd place the scene, but the fade makes it impossible to do a good job. - Crew listens to alien transmission - right after Parker agrees to going down to the planet's surface, and right before the shot of the ship approaching the planet. - Lambert confronts Ripley - some of the scene already exists, just cut THAT part out, and replace it with the longer scene. - After the acid - add this scene right after Dallas tells Brett to get back to work, and right before the scene where Parker and Brett are repairing the ship. - Ripley radios Parker - Add this right after the "post-acid" scene. Place it right before the scene where Parker and Brett are repairing the ship. - Discussion of what to do (after Kane's death) - originally, this scene was right before Kane's funeral, but it makes alot more sense to put it in immediately AFTER Kane's funeral. - Brett's death - difficult to place, you have to replace some of the film, all you miss out on is a few cuts back to Jones. (if you're really skilled, you can re-integrate them). Put it right before the scene where Parker is drinking coffee. - Alien in the airlock - don't bother with these two scenes, they don't fit in the movie very well. - Ripley talks to Lambert - add it as Ash walks out of the room (after Dallas's death). But before Ripley looks at Lambert (you'll have to cut that bit out.) - Lambert's death - too bad, there's no sound, don't add it in. - Cocoon scene - originally, it was after Ripley started running for the shuttle (no wonder it created a pacing problem). If you add it in after she discovers Parker and Lambert's bodies, but before she starts running, then it doesn't affect the pacing. That's it. The movie is now about 2 hrs and 8 minutes long. I added on the original movie theater trailer at the end, just for kicks. _ALIENS_ Q: Is LV-426 also called "Acheron" ? A: There doesn't seem to be any evidence of this in the movie, the name was given to the planet in the Alan Dean Foster novelization, the movie-comic as well as the RPG. Q: What IS the name of the company? A: The Weyland-Yutani Corporation. It can be seen, mirror-reversed, on a blast shield after the discussion of the atmosphere processor blowing up. It's also on all beer cans in _ALIEN_ but is too small to see. In _ALIEN^3_ it is written on a computer screen in an extreme close-up near the end. Q: Is Ferro's first name "Mira" ? A: No, according to the on-board computer on the Sulaco, Ferro's first name starts with a "C". The confusion with her name is caused by Vasquez when she says (to Ferro): [...hey mira, who's Snow White?] However, in Spanish (Vasquez is Mexican), "mira" means "look", so Vasquez is actually saying, "hey look, who's Snow White?". Q: How many colonists are there? A: There were 158 colonists on LV-426 [...you were responsible for the deaths of 157 colonists... Ripley (Aliens)] plus Newt. This number is also visible on a sign that was on-screen during the scene where Newt's parents are going out to the derelict craft (director's cut only). Q: How many aliens where on LV-426 when the marines arrived? A: [possibly] around 156. (Newt was still alive and at least one of the other colonists hadn't been chest-busted yet) There has been some suggestions that the colonists had livestock that the aliens could've infected as well (raising the number of aliens to an indeterminant amount) however there is no evidence of livestock anywhere in the movie; furthermore, the planet does not seem to be a habitat in which live stock could survive (there was no vegetation on the planet). Q: Why did Ripley risk life and limb to save Newt, but didn't give a second thought to Dietrich and Apone? A: In the theatrical version of the movie, it can be said that Ripley knew exactly where Newt was because of the locater band she was wearing, thus making rescue of Newt plausible. A better reason exists, however it was cut from the theatrical release; the scene where Ripley discovers that her daughter has died of old age (refer to section [4] on cut scenes) reveals to us that her daughter was relatively the same age as Newt the last time Ripley was with her. We can see the parallels between Newt and the daughter that Ripley had lost. Q: How can Ripley hang on during violent vacuum decompression while the much stronger alien queen can't?! A: Ripley had her arm wrapped around a step in the ladder where as the queen only had a finger-hold on Ripley's boot, when Ripley's boot slipped off her foot, the queen had nothing else to hold onto. Q: Why does Ripley attempt to climb out of the pit after the queen has been "vacuumed" out of the Sulaco? Why doesn't she just close the doors? A: [possibly] Ripley thought that the lower door in the pit would be damaged with the acidic blood of the queen alien, so she had to close the top doors in order to seal up the breech. (this explanation is from the novelization) Q: Why doesn't anyone stay on board the Sulaco? A: [possibly] the Sulaco is so automated that it would be unnecessary. If another dropship was required, the station on LV-426 was equipped to remote-pilot it down. (however, they had no idea that the equipment had been ruined by the aliens) Q: How has Newt survived all this time? The aliens seem to have no problem getting around in the air ducts? A: She can crawl through the air ducts that the aliens can't fit into. This, combined with her knowing the air ducts so well, could keep her out of the aliens' grasp (perhaps the aliens knew about her, but just couldn't catch her). In the director's cut, Newt boasts to her brother that the reason she wins their version of "hide-and-seek" is because she can get into all those tiny crooks and crannies where no one can reach her. Q: How does the queen know how to use an elevator, and how does she know what floor to get off at? A: The elevator returns automatically to the level of the platform Ripley got off at. When she leaves the elevator (to find Newt) you see it returning up. She comes back (with Newt) and calls both elevators. Ripley takes the first one that arrives and it starts going up. The queen gets in the second elevator and it automatically goes up. Q: Are those power-loaders real? A: Based on the Collectors Version of Aliens on Laserdisc, which comes with a disk that shows some of the secrets of the making of the movie, the loader is part real, part fake. The actual loader is real, but has an external power supply. Since the loader is extremely heavy, it is supported by cables which are masked out for the final print. _ALIEN^3_ Q: How did the face-huggers get on the Sulaco? A: The truly factual answer is that the audience wasn't supposed to question it. Use your imagination. (several theories exist, some of which are stated in section [12] frequently discussed topics) Q: Did the little face-hugger critter actually do so much damage to the Sulaco that the ship decided to EJECT the hypersleep capsules? A: Shown at the start of the movie was a face hugger jumping on a cryo-tube, cracking the glass and dripping some acid on the floor. The acid manages to eat its way into the electrical system and cause a fire. The Sulaco then ejected the hypersleep capsules (probably because it couldn't put out the fire). Q: I remember seeing a trailer for _ALIEN^3_ that was really different than the movie? A: This is true. Quite awhile before _ALIEN^3_ was finally released, there was a "coming soon" trailer shown in several theaters. This trailer indicated that some aliens made it to Earth and there was going to be a massive encounter. Later on, the writers ditched the movie idea upon release of Predator II (due to the similarity in plot) and decided to find a new story for _ALIEN^3_. Q: There's a prison planet: is anyone really going to spend money on hideously expensive space travel in order to send these guys to some far-off solar system? A: [possibly] Historically, extremely dangerous and/or subversive-to-the- government criminals have been shipped off (at great expense) to a new location quite often. England regularly shipped off prisoners to one of the American colonies (Georgia? South Carolina?) which was a designated prison colony, as well as Australia -- a prison *continent*. The progression of the Western legal system has been to appeal numerous times (at great expense) to avoid death penalties. The Company in the Alien series is a reasonable outgrowth from the rest of Western business, why not the legal system, too? They avoid the massive cost of incarceration and court and lawyer fees from appeals by not having a death penalty, but shipping the prisoners off to a "prison". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. FREQUENTLY DISCUSSED TOPICS This section is intended for frequently asked questions that have many diverse theories and explanations. I've included some of the more plausible theories given for some of the topics. Wherever possible, I tried to group the "for" and "against" cases. * Are we really to believe that, having lost contact with an entire colony, * the Colonial Marines send a warship out with only ONE SQUADRON of soldiers? - Possibly, Burke had a fair idea of what has happened on LV-426 so by sending a small number of soldiers, he was gambling that some would survive and bring (accidentally or not) an Alien back to Earth. - The company may have assumed that the colony's transmitter broke down or the colony itself had suffered a horrible epidemic or just died out. So the possibility of actually needing more troops was considered to be small. - Several times in the movie it was implied that this group of marines had been on these sort of "bug hunts" before (ie: the sign on the side of the first dropship: "Bug Stomper" and Hudson asking, "Is this gonna be another one of those bug hunts?" [Aliens]) They had been able to handle "bug hunts" with one squad before, so why send more this time? - The squad had enough fire power to deal with the situation, if they had been fully armed and ANYWHERE other than underneath the primary heat exchange for their first confrontation (in that confined space) then they would've had no problem with defeating the aliens. * Theories regarding the derelict space craft and its fossilized pilot (from * the movie _ALIEN_). - Perhaps the species that was transporting the eggs mirror the human errors of judgement (made mostly by the Company) that were to follow. Perhaps this species, like the Company, thought they could lower their guard, treating the aliens like a commodity. Maybe their now dead/mute state indicates where the human race might be heading as a result of the company's "financial" venture. - The species piloting the derelict craft were aware of the dangers of the aliens, this is why they submersed the entire colony of eggs under the blue "film". When the film is broken, it would trigger an alarm (sort of like a laser-operated security system) and they'd know that there was motion in the "cargo". - Suggested by an old draft of the _ALIEN_ script: the derelict craft landed on LV-426 to make repairs, a silo of eggs (on the planet) was discovered by the space jockey species and they got infested. The hull full of eggs is in fact the crew of the derelict after being transformed into the eggs (as shown in the Brett-egg scene edited out of the _ALIEN_ theatrical release) * Alien intelligence. Although they have a large cranium, can they really * "think"? YES: - In _ALIENS_, when Ripley is in the "hive", several aliens filter in to attack her; Ripley threatens to flame the eggs and the queen waves them off. This would indicate that the aliens can communicate and ARE intelligent. - The alien in _ALIEN^3_ acted to protect Ripley (since she was carrying the queen embryo) when the doctor was going to give her an injection and when Dillon grabbed her (near the end). This would indicate that the alien can reason through situations. - The aliens in _ALIENS_ cut the power to the complex. (unless this was just an "accident") NO: - On several occasions, the aliens kill potential hosts when they could just as easily capture them. (from _ALIEN_: Parker, Lambert. from _ALIENS_: Ferro, possibly others. from _ALIEN^3_: the doctor, several prisoners) this would indicate that the alien is not intelligent. (unless the alien kills those people for food) - The scene in the _ALIENS_ director's cut where the aliens "throw" themselves at the sentry guns would indicate that they are not intelligent (ie: sacrificing countless numbers just to get their hands on 7 potential hosts.) * What does the alien use for energy, does it eat? if so what? - The alien could work like a battery, using electricity for it's energy (suggested by the acid blood). This idea is suggested by the RPG. - The alien increases its mass greatly between its chestbuster and full-grown stages of development. In order to do this it MUST eat something solid (perhaps: flesh, minerals, metals) - H.R. Giger introduces the concept of a bio-mechanical species (notice how the Space Jockey of _ALIEN_ was attached to/part of the machinery it was sitting at?) If the aliens are part of Giger's bio-mechanical world then it's entirely possible that they could eat metal alloys to increase their mass. - In an old draft of the _ALIEN_ script, when Ripley finds Dallas cocooned and the Brett-egg, she says to Dallas, "I'm going to get you out of here" and Dallas replies, "No, it's too late for me, the alien has eaten to much of me already... see what it did to Brett?" * What are those long, dark "spines" sticking out of the back of the alien? - These spines could be functionally similar to the plates on the back of a Stegasaurus; they make it difficult to land a damaging blow on the alien from a sneak-attack from behind. - The spines could also be some form of reservoir for acid (similar to the humps on a camel). - Perhaps they are heat sinks. - They could be gills for breathing, like a fish, the alien probably doesn't breath the same air we do, so these "gills" would filter out the components that it needs from the environment around it. * Do the aliens use their host's DNA to help them adapt to their host's * environment? YES: - An old draft of the _ALIEN_ script had Ash giving an extensive description of the alien creature. Ash said that the alien that came from Kane was, in a sense, Kane's child. (this scene suggests that the aliens use the host's DNA) - The alien in _ALIEN^3_ was different than other aliens, perhaps this is because it came from a different host (the dog). NO: - A creature that is so different from conventional organic life could not possibly make sense out of a strand of DNA. - In the original filmed version of _ALIEN^3_ the alien came from a cow, not a dog (the entire movie was filmed before they decided to change the "host" to a dog) Since the alien didn't act like a cow (ie: this alien was more aggressive, however, a cow would be considered less aggressive than a human) nor did the film makers originally base the alien's actions on those of a dog, this works against the DNA theory. The "cow" scene is also supported by the novel by Alan Dean Foster [page 58]. * Is there a notion of "soldier" and "worker" aliens? YES: - The alien in _ALIEN^3_ seemed to act/look different than the aliens in the previous movies. This alien could be a "worker" with the task of protecting the queen until she has a chance to mature. NO: - The aliens that were in the "hive" at the end of _ALIENS_ would likely be classified as "workers" however they stood upright and looked no different than the rest of the aliens (which would be considered "soldiers"). * Where do the aliens come from, were they genetically engineered? - They could have been genetically engineered due to their (seemingly unnatural) ability to adapt to new environments. - They could be bio-weapons on the basis of the fact that their parasitic nature is too violent and unsupportive of the host. An organism which destroys its habitat (in this case it's host, whatever kind of organism it is) would very quickly makes itself extinct. - The aliens could be a parasite of the galaxy. They serve as much purpose as a mosquito does on earth. - If we maintain H.R. Giger's original idea of the alien eggs coming from an infection (a possibility that is explored in the Brett-egg scene cut from _ALIEN_), then the thousands of eggs on the derelict space craft in _ALIEN_ could have come from some form of plague. - It has been suggested (by Dark Horse comics) that the Predators created the aliens for hunting purposes. * Why is the alien in _ALIEN^3_ different than the other aliens we've seen? - The alien species is similar to the hymenoptera (the class that ants, bees and termites belong to). There is a queen who is tended by an army of female helpers. There are occasoinal males in these insect societies, only they are short lived and are only necessary to fertilize a new queen. The alien in _ALIEN^3_ would be a male alien. It is definately different looking -- perhaps a bit smaller (males in hymenoptera species are smaller.) This makes sense in the context of _ALIEN^3_ in that Ripley is carrying a queen -- something HAS to fertilize it before it can reproduce. - It's possible that the aliens copy some of their host's DNA in order to help them adapt to the new environement that they'll be born to (this concept was in an old draft of the script for _ALIEN_). The alien would be different because it came from a dog. - In the original filmed version of _ALIEN^3_ the alien came from a cow, not a dog (the entire movie was filmed before they decided to change the "host" to a dog) Since the alien didn't act like a cow, nor did the film makers originally base the alien's actions on those of a dog, this works against the DNA theory. The "cow" scene is also supported by the novel by Alan Dean Foster [page 58]. * How did the eggs get on the Sulaco? - When Bishop was preparing to crawl down the service tunnel to pilot the dropship down, he told Ripley that it would take (in total) approx 3 hours. Earlier in the movie, it was established that the place was going to blow up in approx 4 hours. This left Bishop an extra hour during which he could have: fetched 2 eggs and hidden them. While Ripley was rescuing Newt, Bishop could've then returned to pick up the eggs and put them in the drop ship. He'd then fly back to pick up Ripley and give some bogus story to cover up why he was late. Of course, Bishop had no idea that Ripley was going to rescue Newt, so it is unlikely that he'd hide the eggs and plan on picking them up later. (and why would the eggs NOT open when Bishop tampered with them?) - The queen laid eggs in the landing gear prior to getting out and tearing Bishop in half. - Yet another theory is that the queen laid eggs on the Sulaco while Ripley was going to get the cargo lifter. However, it doesn't seem that the queen's physiology would accomodate this AND it would be unlikely that she'd be able to lay the eggs in a well concealed place (such that Ripley wouldn't find them) during the split seconds that the camera is not on the queen. * In ALIEN^3: Was the human Bishop (that appeared at the end of the movie) * really human or was he also an android? YES: - Some people have witnessed skin hanging down (some say it's his ear). This would indicate that he's an android. To further the issue, Bishop II takes a nasty hit in the side of the head, yet remains concious, it is unlikely that a human being would be able to shake off such an injury. NO: - "85" hit him in the side of the head and he started bleeding red blood (around his left ear). Since the androids depicted in the trilogy have white blood, this Bishop is probably human. (it is too speculative to theorize that the company has made a red-blooded android since _ALIENS_) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13. MOVIE WATCHING RITUALS This section is on probation; let's see if it can pick up some interest. Basically, if you know of any rituals that you or your friends perform when any one of the ALIEN movies is shown (ie: screaming things at the movie, acting out different parts, etc...) then they belong in this section. - When repeatedly watching this film with friends, we've only really evolved one tradition when watching the film. When Burke has abandoned them, and opens the door, just to see the alien there, hissing at him, it has become somewhat traditional to shout "Let's eat Burke" repeatedly. Oh yeah, and when Newt falls into the water, it's fairly obvious that you have to shout "Behind you" fairly loudly. - ALIEN: deep, impressed silence. ALIEN^3: loud, carthatic weeping. [more?] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14. REVISION HISTORY v1.0 - March 22, 1993 - Initial draft. Most information supplied by me alone. v1.1 - March 31, 1993 - Added countless bits of information supplied by interested users of the net. v1.2 - April 14, 1993 - Revision control. Chestbuster scene added, more info on the dog/cow scene of _ALIEN^3_, more _ALIENS_ cut scenes, added to the alien physiology discussion. Small changes to the merchandise list. Added more "memorable quotes" and more "trivia". Added "rituals" section and switched around the order of the sections to make the FAQ more readable. v1.3 - May 5, 1993 - Small changes to the "Who is?" section. Removed the Chestbuster scene. Organized the discussion section. Added some more frequently asked questions. More complete descriptions of the cut scenes from _ALIEN_ and _ALIENS_ were added as well. More trivia. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& & & & THE END & & & &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&