ALIEN and ALIENS Thread...

[screamingmetal]

I don't remember where I read this, but I seem to recall that the aliens were created as a form of biological warfare by the large space traveller's species from the first movie. That ship was a seeder ship that would drop eggs on a planet, which explains why there were so many on that ship in such an organized manner.

I've also heard that before. I think it's from Ridley Scott in the commentary or behind the scenes on the Quadrilogy set.

The Alien in Alien 3 is actually from a bull, they changed the origin scene to a dog in the theatrical version. but that means that the Aliens don't inherit all the traits of the host, otherwise the Alien would be built more like a bull with horns. so it's selective in what it takes from it's host. It makes sense because it would make the Alien more effective by adapting the form of it's host to better move in the host's environment.
One thing I never understood is if the Aliens need a queen to reproduce, what would the Alien in the original film do? There's no eggs or facehuggers so it's a dead end when it eliminates the entire crew. I liked the original idea they had that the alien would turn the crew into eggs by itself. That would get rid of the need for a queen but it wouldn't paint itself into a corner.

 

[sidewinda]

I've also heard that before. I think it's from Ridley Scott in the commentary or behind the scenes on the Quadrilogy set.

The Alien in Alien 3 is actually from a bull, they changed the origin scene to a dog in the theatrical version. but that means that the Aliens don't inherit all the traits of the host, otherwise the Alien would be built more like a bull with horns. so it's selective in what it takes from it's host. It makes sense because it would make the Alien more effective by adapting the form of it's host to better move in the host's environment.
One thing I never understood is if the Aliens need a queen to reproduce, what would the Alien in the original film do? There's no eggs or facehuggers so it's a dead end when it eliminates the entire crew. I liked the original idea they had that the alien would turn the crew into eggs by itself. That would get rid of the need for a queen but it wouldn't paint itself into a corner.

There's a deleted scene of the alien movie that shows a couple of the guys cocooned turning into eggs, looked around and found a link with the video clips and stills

https://www.planetavp.com/al/Alien/DeletedScenes/

 

[abake]

That has also been discussed.
The idea (to make the Director's Cut work with the rest of the franchise) is that the aliens can morph other species into eggs in the absence of a queen.
I don't need it, as I think the Theatrical Release is canon, but I have no problems with it either. Just makes the whole idea of the aliens even more bizarre and, well, alien.

 

[dekadentdave]

I don't remember where I read this, but I seem to recall that the aliens were created as a form of biological warfare by the large space traveller's species from the first movie. That ship was a seeder ship that would drop eggs on a planet, which explains why there were so many on that ship in such an organized manner.

I think you read that in the original Dark Horse comics mini-series by Mark Verheiden. The giant Space Jockey navigator was transporting the alien eggs when one burst out of him causing the derelict ship to crash on LV-426.

 

[dekadentdave]

That has also been discussed.
The idea (to make the Director's Cut work with the rest of the franchise) is that the aliens can morph other species into eggs in the absence of a queen.
I don't need it, as I think the Theatrical Release is canon, but I have no problems with it either. Just makes the whole idea of the aliens even more bizarre and, well, alien.

Yes, since the Alien is asexually reproductive and in the absence of a Queen it coccoons it's victims, like Dallas and Brett, to transform them into facehuggers to implant a new Queen which in turn will lay more eggs.

 

[screamingmetal]

That has also been discussed.
The idea (to make the Director's Cut work with the rest of the franchise) is that the aliens can morph other species into eggs in the absence of a queen.
I don't need it, as I think the Theatrical Release is canon, but I have no problems with it either. Just makes the whole idea of the aliens even more bizarre and, well, alien.

I've read most of this thread and missed that. It works but it would help if that was more elaborated upon in an Alien film itself. I doubt the writers and directors really care about continuity though.

 

[abake]

Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it had been discussed here, but in other alien-fans forums. Mostly (at least were I did most of the reading) in the gamegossip forums. Too bad they're pretty much dead nowadays.

 

[William Shatners Toupee]

Great discussions!

The big thing that is glaring out for me screaming "unresolved" is at the end of ALIENS, the Space Jockey's ship is still out there, conceivably still filled with eggs since Ripley said Kane saw "thousands", and it was pretty far away from the colonists base (so should have survived the blast!). After all, there were thousands of eggs and only hundreds of colonists.

The question of what the Space Jockey was doing is a great question I have always wondered. Just a helpless victim or something more sinister? If a queen broke out of his chest, then all the eggs make sense.

I always thought this though, if the Aliens do take on attributes of their victims race and the space jockey was that friggin' HUGE, how huge should the Alien have become that came out of his chest?

 

[William Shatners Toupee]

Their eating always confused me. It seems the Aliens save most victims for reproduction--- to cocoon to the wall for the eggs. Then what/when do they eat? They are always shown wickedly using their inner jaws to kill and blood flying everywhere, yet in actuality they take and capture their victims alive.

The novelization said their barbed tails were stingers. I wish they left that in, because that makes the most sense how they take their victims alive. Otherwise one would have to assume their bite tranquilizes the victims since they really weren't eating them. Thought or clarifications?

 

[MaulFan]

I always thought this though, if the Aliens do take on attributes of their victims race and the space jockey was that friggin' HUGE, how huge should the Alien have become that came out of his chest?

An even more interesting question that stems from that one, where did the Alien that burst out it's chest go? No sign on the craft, no indication of it on the planet, leaves room for a storyline to be written there I think.

 

[William Shatners Toupee]

An even more interesting question that stems from that one, where did the Alien that burst out it's chest go? No sign on the craft, no indication of it on the planet, leaves room for a storyline to be written there I think.

True--- unless what came out WAS the Queen.

 

[MaulFan]

I'm torn now, I was going to watch Halloween because the recent buzz about Rob Zombie's take on it had me in the mood, but now part of me is thinking it's a good night for an Aliens film...hmmmm

 

[dekadentdave]

True--- unless what came out WAS the Queen.

Exactly.

 

[abake]

I always had the feeling the queen could've been hybernating somewhere in the derelict ship, along with a few warriors.
It's one possibilty.

 

[screamingmetal]

Their eating always confused me. It seems the Aliens save most victims for reproduction--- to cocoon to the wall for the eggs. Then what/when do they eat? They are always shown wickedly using their inner jaws to kill and blood flying everywhere, yet in actuality they take and capture their victims alive.

The novelization said their barbed tails were stingers. I wish they left that in, because that makes the most sense how they take their victims alive. Otherwise one would have to assume their bite tranquilizes the victims since they really weren't eating them. Thought or clarifications?

I think the Alien in the first movie ate the Nostromo crew's stored food. The same can be said for every film, There's got to be human food if humans are around. But why the alien decides to kill a few potential hosts is beyond me.

 

[dekadentdave]

The Alien was a drone whose only purpose was to ensure the continuation of the species and the re-colonization of the hive. It killed Parker because he moved towards him hostily and it killed him in self defense. It looked as though it was trying to paralyze Lambert with its tail in order to coccoon her like Dallas and Brett. Once it had escaped into the Narcissus with Ripley, it appeared to be entering a hibernation phase.

 

[MaulFan]

The thing with their eating habbits is interesting. There is the biological nature to continue the race by finding ways to replicate be it cacoon's into eggs or face hugger victims, but then who's to say they wouldn't eat the flesh afterward, once the new Alien has been born, there is still viable meat.

 

[dekadentdave]

Why do we assume that the Aliens require the same kind of sustenance that we do? According to Ash it had the ability to polarize cells and replace them with new ones therefore it was implied that it was a completely self-sufficient organism that may not require nutrients or sustenance the way most lifeforms do.

 

[Prime Clone]

Anyone else on here order Ripley from Sideshow internationally? I was shocked to get slugged $82 for shipping (I'm in Oz). Most Sideshow figs are around $50 (Aragorn was $60).

 

[MaulFan]

Why do we assume that the Aliens require the same kind of sustenance that we do? According to Ash it had the ability to polarize cells and replace them with new ones therefore it was implied that it was a completely self-sufficient organism that may not require nutrients or sustenance the way most lifeforms do.

Interesting point dave, and actually, that kinda ties to a comment I've made before in how these films are kinda like sci-fi slasher flicks, so you could equate the Alien with Michael Myers in the original Halloween, there was no rationale behind Michael's killings, and there's nothing to say that the Aliens don't just do what they do with no rationale, not for food, they just are insatiable killing creatures who kill and carry on the species, nothing more.