83
votes
Accepted
Who has been killed by a Terminator, a Predator, and a Xenomorph?
Lance Henriksen
Henriksen is typically considered the correct answer, though whether or not he qualifies is more ambiguous than Paxton1:
In the original Terminator ...
- 165k
58
votes
Accepted
In "Aliens" when Bishop enters the access tunnel, why does he refuse a pistol?
Bishop is a 'gentle soul'.
We learn from Burke and Bishop that modern androids (sorry, "artificial people") don't have combat training. He's literally incapable of harming humans and this presumably ...
- 718k
55
votes
Accepted
Did the xenomorphs intentionally cut the power?
Much as I hate the horrible pink slimebaby it's worth mentioning Alien:Resurrection. When the
I'm willing to concede that it's no guarantee that they understand the concept of electricity... but I ...
- 630
55
votes
Accepted
What is this item in the movie Aliens?
I think this is "Casey", the head of a doll which was either the remains of hers or one that she found while she was surviving on her own. The "tube" is the bottom of the neck. If ...
- 1,956
53
votes
At what speed should a ship travel from Jupiter to Earth to reach Earth in only 3 hours?
Jupiter averages about 43 light-minutes from the Sun, Earth is about 8.3 light-minutes. That means, at most, it's 51.3 light-minutes from Earth to Jupiter, and at a minimum 34.7 light-minutes.
So, ...
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39
votes
Accepted
Is Ripley (from Alien) a reference to 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not'?
According to a 2004 interview with Walter Hill, one of the producers on Alien, the surname, Ripley, was indeed inspired by Robert Ripley's Ripley's Believe It or Not! franchise, while the first name, ...
- 134k
39
votes
Accepted
Was a scene in "Alien: Covenant" inspired by the death island painting of Böcklin?
Concept Artist Wayne Haag (with the assistance of Steve Messing) intentionally referenced this painting at the request of Ridley Scott.
WH: There's a definite influence from ... I think I mentioned ...
- 718k
39
votes
Why weren't the marines in "Aliens" properly briefed on the cooling towers before they went in?
Up until things fall apart, Lt. Gorman is in charge. It's his call to stop the APC and have the marines go in on foot, and it's his call (after Burke and Ripley point out the danger to him) to have ...
- 143k
35
votes
Accepted
How smart is the original Ridley Scott Xenomorph really?
The xenomorphs in Resurrection are seen "communicating" with one another.
I know, I know, Resurrection is not a great addition to the franchise, to say the least. But for better or for worse, it is ...
- 6,578
35
votes
Accepted
How much (and what) cargo did the Nostromo carry in her decks?
The original script indicates that the Nostromo was acting as a tug, pulling a refinery that contains two billion tons of "mineral ore". During the journey, that ore would be processed by ...
- 718k
34
votes
What is meant when the xenomorph is referred to as a "perfect organism?"
As I recall it's only referred to as "perfect" by one android whose programming model is later described by a newer model with the line "The A2s always were a bit twitchy.". Ash's ...
- 7,266
33
votes
What is meant when the xenomorph is referred to as a "perfect organism?"
We get a little more info about what Ash considers to be the xenomorph's 'perfection' in the official novelisation. It's not just its violence but also its resilience and adaptability.
'You idiots! ...
- 718k
29
votes
In "Aliens" when Bishop enters the access tunnel, why does he refuse a pistol?
First, a pistol wasn't going to do him any good if the xenomorphs attacked.
By that point in the movie, it was already known that there were many of the creatures around.
Second, he had reason to ...
- 23.7k
28
votes
Was Ripley paid for her time in hyper-sleep?
According to the film's official novelisation, Ripley didn't receive any back-pay, presumably because of her act of gross misconduct in destroying the Nostromo.
None of that for her. No smell of salt,...
- 718k
27
votes
Accepted
Is this a reference to the film Alien in the novel 2010 Odyssey Two?
It definitely is a reference to Alien. It is self-explanatory and I know that Arthur C. Clarke knew Sigourney Weaver somehow, or somebody related to her because in one of his books, he referred to her ...
- 551
26
votes
Accepted
What form of government exists at the time of Alien/Aliens?
The Company, Weyland-Yutani, does not have their own marine force. The marine force in Aliens is the United States Colonial Marine Corps, a force the United Americas deploy to its colonies when there'...
- 16.5k
26
votes
Did the xenomorphs intentionally cut the power?
Ordinary xenomorph drones are shown to have a basic understanding of cause-and-effect that allows them to learn quickly via observation, as demonstrated in Alien: Resurrection when first they turn the ...
- 1,005
26
votes
Are Avatar and Aliens in the same universe?
There is significant evidence that the two universes are not the same.
Timelines.
It's important to establish that the bulk of Avatar takes place approximately 30 years after Alien and that the Alien ...
- 718k
26
votes
Why does Weyland Yutani want a xeno for weapon when they have, for example, androids?
For the original movies, the company doesn't know precisely what the Aliens are all about. But they know enough to casually risk the lives of innocents, in the hopes that they will obtain some useful ...
- 1,374
26
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Mother accept the deactivation of the Nostromo autodestruction procedure?
TL&DR version: Ripley missed the window to disarm it by seconds.
If you look at the system when she's arming it, it makes it clear that there's a 5 minute window to deactivate
When she ...
- 59.6k
25
votes
How much (and what) cargo did the Nostromo carry in her decks?
The Nostromo has the following capacity according to the script of Alien:
CAPACITY. 200 000 000 TONNES
As the other answer says, in the movie this is changed to "cargo" and 20 000 000 tonnes, ...
- 16.5k
25
votes
Why the need for a Science Officer on a cargo vessel?
Based on Ash's actions in the early part of the film we can ascertain that the Science Officer is responsible for a range of sciencey things, notably the safety and wellbeing of their very large and ...
- 718k
24
votes
Accepted
How is it that the alien grows to full size in like 5 minutes in Alien Covenant?
I can't offer you much of a "canonical" answer for your perceived inconsistency, but I would posit that "canon" in the Alien films is a bit of an odd...uh...beast anyway. As to ...
- 3,193
24
votes
In Aliens, how was LV-426 able to be colonized by humans when Xenomorphs were present there?
The Xenomorphs simply weren't rediscovered yet.
The colony was established in the 2150s, long after the crew of the Nostromo first visited the planet in 2122. At the time, the exact location of the ...
- 8,468
23
votes
Accepted
What should I watch before playing Alien: Isolation?
Isolation has no continuity with the prequels as far as I can remember. My advice to you is this:
Watch Alien, the theatrical cut.
Play Alien: Isolation.
Read Alien: Out of the Shadows, set after ...
- 8,468
22
votes
How smart is the original Ridley Scott Xenomorph really?
The basic xenomorph drones are about as intelligent as a big cat. Most of the xeno's reactions and behavior follow patterns of large alpha predators. They fight and kill for a basic handful of reasons,...
- 473
21
votes
Accepted
What was Carter Burke's job for "the Company" in Aliens?
We see Carter J. Burke's business card in Aliens.
Special Projects Director in the Special Services Division of Weyland Yutani (Space) Corporation.
A high-quality replica of the original prop is ...
- 718k
19
votes
Accepted
In Aliens, what is the "ornament" that Drake has in these two scenes?
Drake wears a couple of items of eclectic jewellery. Around his neck is a leather thong with a couple of feathers at the end. The original prop is depicted below, part of the Harry Harris collection.
...
- 718k
19
votes
Accepted
Why was the Covenant heading to Origae-6 instead of the Engineer's Planet?
The crew of the Covenant discuss this very point in the film's Official Novelisation. In short, they don't know either.
“Everything points to a high likelihood of a living biosphere. Leastwise, the ...
- 718k
18
votes
Accepted
Is there a connection between "Raised by Wolves" and the Alien universe?
According the makers, the easter-eggs found in the production don't mean that the two universes are directly connected.
Aaron Guzikowski - Writer
Aaron Guzikowski said of the Ridley Scott link: “...
- 718k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible