Questions tagged [aliens-1986]

For questions about "Aliens", a 1986 film directed by James Cameron, immediate sequel to the science fiction classic, "Alien" by Ridley Scott. Use in conjunction with the [alien-franchise] tag.

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Do we know where Ridley Scott got the idea for the xenomorph inner-mouth?

The xenomorph inner-mouth is pretty unique, I don't think I've ever seen it or anything similar in any real creature. Do we know if Ridley Scott found inspiration for it anywhere in nature or did he ...
Daft's user avatar
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44 votes
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In "Aliens" when Bishop enters the access tunnel, why does he refuse a pistol?

Towards the end in Aliens (1986), Bishop volunteers to crawl down a narrow access tunnel to reach the uplink tower. In the scene, they cut a hole in the access tunnel and when Bishop hops into the ...
vikingsteve's user avatar
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41 votes
8 answers
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Did the xenomorphs intentionally cut the power?

In Aliens, the marines have fortified a position and are preparing for a last stand when the power suddenly goes out. Hudson appropriately asks, "How can they cut the power, man? They're animals!" ...
Tashus's user avatar
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34 votes
5 answers
45k views

What happened to the cat Jones from Alien and Aliens?

In Alien and Aliens, Ripley had a cat named Jones. In Aliens when Ripley is preparing to go to LV426 with the marines she says to Jones, "And you, you little shit-head, you're staying here." So ...
Xantec's user avatar
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27 votes
3 answers
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How long was Newt alone on LV 426?

In the movie Aliens, how long was Newt alone on the Hadley's Hope colony? The only information we are given is during an exchange that Hudson and Ripley have. Someone mentions that a search party won'...
spugsley's user avatar
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25 votes
1 answer
6k views

What is this item in the movie Aliens?

There is a well-known image from James Cameron's science-fiction movie Aliens (1986) showing Ripley and Newt escaping from the queen and her xenomorphic fellows (see below). One of the two heroines (I ...
Damar's user avatar
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22 votes
2 answers
4k views

Was Ripley paid for her time in hyper-sleep?

In Alien, to escape the alien, Ripley sets the Nostromo to self destruct, meaning to leave via the escape in the shuttle. After killing the alien, Ripley and Jones enter cryo-sleep and are eventually ...
jim's user avatar
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21 votes
4 answers
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Where did the Alien Queen come from?

Some of the comments on the question Do all the different breeds of the Alien Franchise Xenomorph Queens lay the same kind of eggs? got me thinking. I've always assumed that after Newt's father got ...
AidanO's user avatar
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19 votes
7 answers
5k views

What caused the change in android behaviors from Alien to Aliens?

In the first Alien, the android is revealed to have an ulterior motive: a Hyperdyne Systems 120-A/2 android, who is acting upon secret orders to "Bring back alien life form. Crew expendable." ref ...
Jack B Nimble's user avatar
19 votes
3 answers
1k views

Did anybody turn the beacon off?

In the first movie, the Nostromo is awakened from a considerable distance by the distress beacon left by the spacecraft. They investigate the craft, things go bad, simple stuff. The thing is, I don't ...
GGMG-he-him's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
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In Aliens, what is the "ornament" that Drake has in these two scenes?

Watching Aliens again, I know every scene pretty well, but I noticed something new. The smartgunner "Drake" seems to have some sort of ornament / decoration. I spotted it in two scenes, once it was ...
vikingsteve's user avatar
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18 votes
2 answers
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Are the aliens from the Alien movie series more hive minded or more like individuals?

The aliens seem somewhat hive minded, based on the idea that they have a queen, eggs, soldiers, and generally are organized using a hive structure, including the building of hives and food storage ...
Jane Panda's user avatar
17 votes
1 answer
4k views

Why weren't the marines in "Aliens" properly briefed on the cooling towers before they went in? [duplicate]

In the movie Aliens, it takes Ripley and Burke to point out that firing armor-piercing rounds inside a cooling tower is a no-go, since if one of the bullets damaged a tower, the result would be a ...
Gridlock's user avatar
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17 votes
4 answers
4k views

In the Aliens franchise how could the hive possibly survive?

In Aliens, how can a hive possibly survive? As far as I know, the xenomorphs' life cycle requires a host, but it apparently seems that in the movies/games/comics aliens have the single goal of wiping ...
user2076429's user avatar
16 votes
2 answers
9k views

How did an Alien egg get aboard the Sulaco in Aliens movie?

How did an alien egg (or facehugger) get aboard the Sulaco at the end of the movie, Aliens? We know there was one aboard because of the movie, Alien 3. The alien queen stowed aboard the dropship, ...
RichS's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why do the aliens in Aliens "mostly come at night, mostly"?

Newt tells Ripley and the marines that the aliens mostly come at night. Is there any indication of why they are less likely to come during the day? I'm looking for any indications from novelisatons, ...
Wiggo the Wookie's user avatar
15 votes
4 answers
3k views

In Aliens (1986), why didn’t Gorman explain why weapons couldn’t be used under the primary heat exchanger?

This is my favourite film but I've always wondered why Gorman didn't just tell the marines why they couldn't use their weapons under the heat exchanger. Course, he shouldn't have to but it would've ...
Steve's user avatar
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14 votes
3 answers
113k views

When did Ripley get infected with the parasitic Xenomorph?

At the end of Aliens, Ripley stows away in the pod with the young girl, and goes into stasis. In Alien 3, we discover that there was actually a face-hugger on board. Ripley later finds out that she's ...
Polynomial's user avatar
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13 votes
6 answers
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Is there an in-universe canonical explanation as to why some of the crew in “Aliens” were oblivious of who Ripley was after coming out of hypersleep?

I am looking specifically for an in-universe canonical answer with citations such as insight from the novelization or some other form of media that might have made a reference to this stuff such as a ...
Giacomo1968's user avatar
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13 votes
4 answers
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In Aliens, did Burke have a plan at the end?

Near the end of Aliens, after the Aliens have found their way past the barricades and Ripley calls for everyone to head to medical, Burke runs off on his own and locks the doors behind him, trapping ...
Xantec's user avatar
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13 votes
2 answers
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In the Aliens movie (1986), why did the colonial marines leave the pilots behind on the dropship?

After the Colonial Marines landed on the planet and determined the control building was "secure", most of the marines moved into the control building. The pilot, Corporal Colette Ferro, and her ...
RichS's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
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What is the gestation period for an embryo implanted by a face hugger?

The facehuggers from the original Alien films are shown implanting an embryo into a host. Time elapses and we usually see other events taking place before we see the host again. When we see the ...
steelersquirrel's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

What was Carter Burke's job for "the Company" in Aliens?

Burke seems to be a pretty involved guy for Weyland-Yutani Corp. He acts as point of contact/liaison with Ripley at Gateway Station, sends a message to the colony on LV-426 to investigate the 'Space ...
Seamusthedog's user avatar
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11 votes
1 answer
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Do the synthetics/artificial persons in the Alien universe really eat?

In both Ridley Scott's and James Cameron's Alien franchise films we see the synthetic Ash drinking a milk-like substance and artificial person Bishop eating some corn bread. Do they actually process ...
Seamusthedog's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
9k views

How does Alien pawn become a Queen? [duplicate]

The Alien Queen made first appearance in the Aliens movie. Although originally, it was intended for xenomorph individuals to convert victims into eggs, this idea was cut from the Alien movie and was ...
Tomáš Zato's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
3k views

In Aliens, how was LV-426 able to be colonized by humans when Xenomorphs were present there?

The USS Nostromo encountered Xenomorphs on LV-426 in the year 2122. Furthermore, Xenomorphs remained on that moon during the founding of Hadley's Hope colony in 2157. By that time, surely the ...
Frank Rendar's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
11k views

How did the queen get on to the ship in Aliens?

The camera shows the back of the craft as Bishop takes off, but you don't see any sign of the queen holding on or moving up the ramp.
Deckard-B26354's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
3k views

In Aliens, how many people were on LV-426 before the Marines arrived​?

At the beginning of "Aliens" during Ripley's hearing she is told there are 60-70 families on LV-426 but is it know how many people in total? This would then reflect the maximum number of Xenomorphs ...
Seamusthedog's user avatar
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9 votes
1 answer
948 views

What was the last communication from the colony in LV426 in "Aliens"?

In Aliens, Burke tells Ripley that they lost contact with the colony on LV-426 and they were sending Colonial Marines to investigate. Did the 'Company' assume that Ripley's story may be true or did ...
Seamusthedog's user avatar
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9 votes
3 answers
2k views

How did the Alien eggs get inside the shuttle? [duplicate]

The Alien queen was in the exterior landing gear space of the Sulaco shuttle in Aliens. Even if she laid eggs on that exterior space, how did those eggs enter the shuttle? If two did, as many state, ...
A Plicque's user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
5k views

In "Aliens", why does Ripley attack the queen?

OK, I'm watching "Aliens" for the umpteenth time, and it just now hits me - why does Ripley attack the Queen alien? Ripley has the kid, and the Queen just let her pass in return for not torching the ...
Joe L.'s user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
5k views

Are Avatar and Aliens in the same universe?

The obvious out-of-universe relationship between the films Avatar and Aliens is that they share a director, James Cameron. This of course doesn't mean the story-lines cohabit but there are other ...
StayOnTarget's user avatar
  • 4,674
8 votes
2 answers
5k views

What happened to the derelict spaceship between the 'Alien' movies?

In Alien, we saw that the derelict ship was filled with eggs, however in 'Aliens' we are told that LV-426 is now inhabited by colonists. Since the derelict was full of eggs Weyland-Yutani shouldn't be ...
Qbik's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
1k views

Why didn't Ripley explain that Ash was acting on Company orders?

In Aliens, when Ripley first meets Bishop and is unhappy with his presence, Burke explains her hostility by informing Bishop that the android on her ship malfunctioned, with Bishop suggesting that he ...
user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
410 views

Did Weyland-Yutani learn the location of the derelict on LV-426 from Ripley?

I've always assumed that Weyland-Yutani executives learned the approximate location of the derelict from the flight recorder on the Nostromo's escape pod after Ripley was rescued. I've also assumed ...
Sagierian's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
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Was Lambert being transgender known before the release of Aliens?

The inquiry scene of Aliens, which has more details available in the DVD/Blu-Ray extras, shows that the character Lambert was transgender, and transitioned from male to female at birth. Was this known ...
A.Steer's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
5k views

Xenomorph Life expectancy

Is there any indication given in the Alien movies or literature of how long an Xenomorph lives for? It occurred to me that given a limited number of potential hosts ( as per the colony on LV-426, the ...
GeoSword's user avatar
  • 189
7 votes
2 answers
827 views

Were Weyland-Yutani negligent or deliberately unprepared for the events of Aliens?

Ripley is convinced to go back to Acheron because she's going to be "protected" by Space Marines. This obviously didn't work out as planned and virtually the whole team is wiped out. How much did ...
Doctor Two's user avatar
  • 4,892
7 votes
1 answer
293 views

Would "nuking it from orbit" have taken out the alien spaceship as well?

In Aliens, it's decided that the only safe way to be sure that the aliens in the colony township were destroyed was by nuking the area. Was the nuclear explosion powerful enough to include the ...
user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

Why is Bishop in cryosleep despite being an android?

In Aliens, it appears that Bishop awakes from being frozen. But why should he have been frozen in the first place? I can understand Ash being frozen, this was necessary to allay fears that he was ...
user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
3k views

Why did everyone on the Sulaco go down to LV-426?

In Alien, it made sense for the whole crew to land on the planetoid. The crew was relatively small (and got smaller as the story progressed) and you might expect the Science Officer (Ash) to go as ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
581 views

Timeline on LV 426 in Aliens (1986)

How long is Ripley and the Colonial Marines on LV 426 in Aliens? Ripley states that it took 1 Xeno less than 24 hours to destroy the Nostromo ship and crew and considering the fully formed nest, ...
Seamusthedog's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Did Vasquez and Gorman know each other?

In Aliens this line always puzzled me... Vasquez: You always were an asshole, Gorman! Vasquez's line is something you'd say to someone you've known for a long time, but Gorman is referred to as &...
Schwern's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
960 views

Which cut is the "Director's Cut" of Aliens?

Upon the release of Aliens: Special Edition in 1991, James Cameron filmed an introduction, where he stated: This is Jim Cameron. What you’re about to watch is the special edition of Aliens. I ...
Django Reinhardt's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

How long did it take from Earth (or Gateway station) to LV-426?

In Aliens (1986), the occupants of the Sulaco are in "hypersleep" for the journey, but how long did it take? When Asked how long before they would be overdue Hicks replies 17 days, presumably plus ...
Seamusthedog's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Do the xenomorphs attack the synthetics?

In the Aliens universe do the xenomorphs attack the synthetics? At the end of Aliens (1986), we can see a xenomorph killing Bishop the synthetic. But in this case I think that the xenomorph killed ...
creekorful's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
3k views

What did James Cameron mean by "Aliens" being "40 miles of bad road"?

James Cameron referred to Aliens as forty miles of bad road in the intro to the DVD Special Edition: "What you're about to watch is the Special Edition of ALIENS. I actually preferred this ...
Cearon O'Flynn's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
640 views

Why didn’t Ripley and the survivors nuke the derelict ship from orbit?

After taking care of the Alien Queen when she sneaks aboard the Sulaco why didn’t Ripley and the others stay in orbit and destroy the derelict ship before leaving?
Christopher's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why do the Xenomorphs kill their hosts instead of using them?

I’m curious as to why the Xenomorphs from the Alien series tend to kill some of their hosts instead of infecting them with the face huggers? If they are to reproduce by using the hosts to carry out ...
Thefilmguy24's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Were Vasquez and Drake lovers?

On my numerous watches of James Cameron's Aliens I had always had the strong impression that Vasquez and Drake were lovers. However comments in another question made me question if this was actually ...
Cearon O'Flynn's user avatar