XENOMORPH (ALIEN)

The 'xenomorph', or 'alien' as they are commonly known, is a member of the fictional extraterrestrial species that is the primary antagonist of the ''Alien'' film series and its subsidiary literature and video games. The name is derived from the Greek word for "alien form", and was first spoken by the character Lt. Gorman in the film ''Aliens'' to indicate this non-terrestrial life-form. The term was also used by Ellen Ripley to identify the creature, in a deleted scene in ''Alien 3''. Because the films did not give a specific name, this was adopted by fans as a taxonomic classification for the ''Alien'' series' titular monsters. The Alien Quadrilogy DVD identifies the scientific name of the creatures as '' '' (literally "murderous [and] violently abducted").^[1]
A Xenomorph's life cycle begins as an egg which is laid by a queen. Inside the egg is a parasitic creature known as a "facehugger". When the egg hatches, the facehugger leaps out, attaches itself to a host, forces a proboscis down the host's throat, implants an embryo inside the chest cavity, and dies shortly afterward. The embryo is incubated in the host for a short period of time, until it breaks out of the host's chest (known as a Chestburster) and grows into an adult Xenomorph. The rate of growth is extraordinary, reaching full maturity within 24 hours. An adult is usually depicted as slightly humanoid (although canon has shown the adult form to be somewhat dependent on the host's body type), standing approximately 2.4 meters (8 ft) tall, and has a long, whip-like tail, a semitransparent carapace enclosing its head, and several rows of silvery teeth.
The xenomorph design is credited to Swiss surrealist and artist H. R. Giger, originating in a lithograph called ''Necronom IV'' and refined for the series' first film, ''Alien''. In that film, the xenomorph was played by an actor in costume (the 2.1 m (7 ft) tall Bolaji Badejo) and make-up, a technique used in later films of the series. The queen was depicted in ''Aliens'' and '' using animatronic puppets and in ''Alien vs. Predator'' using computer-generated imagery. The species' design and life cycle have been extensively added to throughout each film.

Contents

Characteristics

Behavioral and defensive attributes

Queen

Hive relationships

Design

Variations

Upper body

Lower body

Human-Alien/Newborn

Facehugger

Pretorian

Predalien

King Alien

Alien classifications

Video game aliens

Theories

DNA assimilation

Origin of the species

Films

See also

Notes

Citations

References

External links

Characteristics

Socially, in ideal situations, xenomorphs are hive-minded lifeforms with a defined caste system which is ruled by a queen. They reproduce as parasitoids and grow to full size very rapidly. The alien queen lays eggs that eventually release a single parasitic facehugger when a host is detected nearby. Facehuggers attack a host and slide a tubular proboscis down the victim's throat, implanting an embryo within their chest, which later develops into what is called a "chestburster". The facehugger also injects a powerful general anesthetic into the victim rendering it comatose, and provides oxygen for respiration. A facehugger possesses several natural defenses to prevent its removal from the host: over time facehuggers' outer epidermis becomes solidified and hardened by a chitinous layer of silicon; acid blood may burn those attempting to cut or scrape the facehugger from the host; strangulation and laceration of the internal organs of the host is a risk if there is an attempt to pry or peel the facehugger off. In ''Aliens'', a number of facehuggers are observed in stasis and accompanying medical notes indicate that the human hosts died during removal. After implantation, facehuggers die and the embryo's host wakes up afterwards showing no considerable outward negative symptoms. Symptoms build acutely after detachment of the facehugger, the most common being sore throat, slight nausea, increased congestion and moderate to extreme hunger. In later stages where the incubation period is extended in preparation of a queen birth, symptoms will include a shortness of breath, exhaustion, and hemorrhaging (detectable through biological scanners and present in nosebleeds or other seemingly random bleeding incidents), as well as chest pains inflicted either in lack of chest space due to the chestburster's presence, or even premature attempts to escape the host.
The embryo may take on some of the host's DNA or traits, such as bipedalism, quadrupedalism (shown in ''Alien³'' with the alien born from a dog [or ox dependent on which edit] instead of a human), or also having mandibles (shown in ''Alien Vs. Predator'' with the "predalien") and other body structure changes, possibly owing to the need to adapt using indigenous wildlife as a reference for what features to retain for use in that particular environment. Over the course of 1-24 hours (Undeterminable in some cases, and sometimes up to a week, in the case of some queens) the embryo develops into a chestburster, at which point it emerges, violently ripping open the chest of the host. Without medical assistance and/or surgical removal, the victim will die as a result of the emergence. Shortly after emergence, the creature grows rapidly to adult size and will feed on either the host or other prey to aid in its resource intake. Xenomorphs are roughly humanoid with a skeletal, biomechanical, or insectoid appearance, like an exoskeleton. As xenomorphs grow into adulthood they generally have less and less of an endoskeletal structure as most or all of their skin is shed within the first day after leaving their host. The DVD collection ''Alien: Quadrilogy'' shows a skeletal structure in x-ray images of a stage in its life cycle in each animated menu selection. Also, as noticed in ''Alien Vs. Predator'' and ''Predator 2'' it shows what appears to be a xenomorph skull.

Typical adults are about 2.4 m (8 ft) in height^[2] and have a hard outer shell which is usually muted shades of gray, dark green, brown and black. They have an elongated, cylindrical head but lack visible eyes. The creature's lack of visible eyes serves to remove a massive weak point from a nigh invulnerable beast. Symbolically, a lack of eyes helps to emphasize the alien quality in the creature, and also suggests that the aliens communicate through a form of extra-sensory perception. In the Aliens literature it has been suggested that the creatures have a hive-mind, or a collective consciousness directed by the queen - In the Aliens comic series (produced before the ''Alien 3'' film) it is suggested that the Queen alien communicates psychically with its potential hosts, through terrifying dreams and religious visions - leading to the formation of cults with the xenomorph as a god-figure. In the original ''Alien'' film the top of the creature's head was semi-transparent, with empty eye sockets of human appearance visible within - this element was dropped in later movies. In "Aliens" the adult creatures are lacking the smooth carapace covering the head. In ''Alien 3'', a fisheye lens (which creates a perspective similar to that of a peephole) was used to depict how the alien "sees." Whether this can be considered sight or just a filmed representation of the creatures' sensory perception is unknown. Due to the absence of clearly visible eyes, it is possible that the creature uses echolocation to "see" its environment, much like bats. It may be for this reason that xenomorphs hiss almost constantly. And as depicted in the ''Aliens vs. Predator'' games, the aliens can detect their prey using pheromones, much like a colorful aura around the body. Xenomorphs have been depicted as having variously five- or six-fingered hands. The first and second fingers and third and fourth fingers being joined together, and if present, a second thumb on the lower edge of the hand.

Behavioral and defensive attributes

The adult Xenomorph is essentially a living weapon, noted for its ferocity and deadliness in any condition. It has strong, sharp claws and a blade-tipped tail. The Xenomorph's mouth contains double mandibles; that is, it has one mouth inside another mouth. The first mandible, which is similar to a human's, lowers and the second mandible is located at the tip of a proboscis that extends outwards from inside the first. It is rigid enough to penetrate bone or body armor with the secondary jaws at its tip. It is employed almost exclusively as a weapon to incapacitate prey, usually through head trauma. It can be seen when the Xenomorph opens its mouth slowly. The Xenomorph can kill its victim by using its claws or its tongue, which could rapidly bite and kill its victim easily; sometimes it can use its tail to stab the prey, as seen in the 2004 movie ''Alien vs. Predator'' and also in the 1986 movie ''Aliens'', when the alien queen used its tail to impale the android, Bishop.
Xenomorphs, once fully matured, possess great physical strength and agility. They appear to possess an intelligence roughly similar to that of a typical predatory mammal. Despite their ferocity and savagery, like any skilled predator, they are masters of stealth. A favored method of acquiring prey is to simply wait in a dormant state until an appropriate victim strays near and then drop down silently from behind. The prey is generally blind to the fact that a Xenomorph is present, due to its propensity to camouflage itself within its nest walls or the surrounding artificial environment given its biomechanical appearance. Xenomorph blood is an extremely potent acid similar to hydrochloric acid (although their acid blood is significantly more effective against metal) and is capable of dissolving on contact almost any substance with alarming speed- in the movies (notably the first one) it is referred to as "Molecular Acid" or similar to it. However, as seen in the movie Alien vs Predator, the exoskeletons of the creatures themselves are impervious to their acidic blood. The creature also has the ability to spit this acid, though this seems to be a rare behavior seen only in ''Alien³'' and '' as well as various comic books and video games — it seems this is used to incapacitate prey rather than kill (although in one viewed case, it led to one victim's gruesome death). Xenomorphs can produce a thick, strong resin, previously used to build their hives and cocoon victims. Much like termites, they mix their viscous saliva with solids, like dead victims or dead/cannibalized xenomorphs. It shows amazing heat and moisture-retaining qualities, as seen in the hot, moist atmosphere of the hive in ''Aliens''.
Adult Xenomorphs are quick and agile, and can run along ceilings and walls, a skill they exhibit freely whether they are evading others, attacking, or hunting prey. They can survive in extreme temperatures, are well-adapted to swimming, and can survive in vacuum for unknown lengths of time. Their movement tends to be silent, and they do not radiate heat as their exoskeletal temperature matches the ambient temperature. They also salivate profusely. They are extremely aggressive and persistent, but not totally devoid of fear, especially for their eggs. And although they do not demonstrate human-level intelligence as a species (either through writing, tool use, or the development of any sort of technology), their queen appears to possess considerable acumen in its social behavior and manipulation of human technology.
Through cloning in the events surrounding '' (noted in the novelization), it appears that the alien's hive mind includes a collective memory that passes along even at a genetic level, and through the tests conducted on Ellen Ripley, it is revealed that the memory passed from Ripley onto the new generation of Xenomorphs allows them to read and understand different languages. Xenomorphs are considered 'fast-learning', quickly understanding cause and effect, demonstrated in '', as a scientist 'punishes' a group of Xenomorphs by exposing them to jets of liquid nitrogen when the creature attempts to break through the barrier dividing them. When the creature moves to do so again the scientist places his hand over the activation device, and the xenomorph quickly halts. Prompting the scientist to remark "So, we're a fast learner". The xenomorphs escaped by killing one of the three in their pen allowing the acidic blood to burn a way out and killed a guard who went in to investigate by using the same activation device the scientist had used on them.
The books also mention an "incubation cave", where thousands of eggs are stored, though most of them dead, and the walls are adorned with murals depicting the evolution of the species: from predators to cunning hunters using spears and nets, then on to something akin to cavemen, and ending with a human-level society, where the aliens have lost their viciousness, and have even adapted a less fearsome appearance, with smoother skin and smaller teeth (although their predatory nature was reawakened to give the species a chance to survive after an impending asteroid impact).
In the rare event that a Xenomorph should find itself under attack or otherwise vulnerable, it once again displays incredible creativity and cleverness. They are quite capable of moving quickly in ventilation systems, despite their size, and will use such conduits for ambush, escape, or simply as an easy way to travel from point A to point B. Should a Xenomorph become separated from its hive, it will often try to re-establish contact as soon as it can. As a result, installations that study or experiment on these creatures have developed strategies that force escaped Xenomorphs upwards rather than downwards, locking down ventilation systems at the same time, simultaneously containing the creature in areas accessible to security teams and preventing it from reaching areas where vital systems, such as electrical generators, are present, which xenomorphs will often recognize as a source of light output. Even these measures have been known to fail, however--the alien organism will go so far as to sacrifice another in an effort to escape, using the dead creature's acidic blood to effectively melt a hole for escape.^[3]
Xenomorphs, in all stages of their life cycles, have shown vulnerabilities to heat, such as fire and flame-throwers, but cold temperatures are an inadequate precautionary measure--except at the extremes, such as liquid nitrogen. Since they can adapt to a vacuum and endure cold climates, it is unlikely they would be driven off by chilly conditions, but blasts of hot steam or cold air can be effective, especially when paired together. It is postulated that applying both hot and cold temperatures in rapid succession would achieve a very lethal, thermal shock effect on a Xenomorph's exoskeleton, as shown when the exoskeleton of the xenomorph from ''Alien³'' exploded after both falling into a vat of liquid lead and being sprayed with water, similar to rapidly heating and cooling glass.^[4]

Queen

Xenomorphs have an insect-like life cycle, fairly similar to that of the digger wasp. The queen regulates the whole hive and it is possible that the hive cannot survive without her.
Queen xenomorphs are significantly larger than the drones, approximately 4.5 m (15 ft) tall.^[5] Their body structure differs also, having twin sets of arms and being built more similarly to a theropod dinosaur than a humanoid. Queens have a much larger braincase than the average adults, protected by a large crest above their heads. Another well-known feature of the xenomorph queen is an immense ovipositor in its lower torso, which is responsible for creating facehugger eggs (similar to a queen termite). The queen is able to detach from the ovipositor if necessary (as in the case of an emergency). Queens also have a higher ability to relate cause and effect to make observations and deductions, allowing them rudimentary understanding of technology in the same way as some primates, such as the Queen's use of the elevator in ''Aliens''. At the end of ''Aliens'', when the
xenomorph drones cut off Ripley's escape route, she threatens to burn an egg. The Queen perceives this and beckons the drones to clear out of the way. The queen is also considered to be the strongest caste of Xenomorph, able to evenly fight Ripley in a Power Loader in the film ''Aliens'', and due to its superiority in the ''Aliens versus Predator'' game series. Queens seem even more resilient to damage than the rest of the hive (even when adjusted for size) as demonstrated in Alien vs. Predator. She receives several deep throat wounds and is speared through the head, yet even this is not enough to kill her.
Finally, it must be remarked that the alien queen values and protects the survival of her species just like any good mother would. Nothing short of her own destruction will stop her from seeking deadly vengeance upon the one who harms her offspring. In one of the comic book series released by Dark Horse Comics, a caged alien queen becomes incensed at a human soldier who resorts to killing an attacking alien warrior, becoming herself hell-bent on killing the human soldier. This same, all consuming killing rage is vividly observed in the alien queen's pursuit of Ellen Ripley for the slaughter of her children.

Hive relationships

Most of the relationships of the xenomorph hive established and recognized are supposition. It is likely, though, that after a few weeks a new Queen would lead a contingent of drones away from the previous hive. The drones would then begin construction anew. Early on, all efforts would be concentrated on finishing the hive so that the Queen can begin laying eggs again. Rival creatures would be used to reinforce the hive and protect the Queen when she begins breeding. It is known that the host of a Queen Chestbuster is able to be recognized as such by Drone and Warrior xenomorphs. ^[6] In at least one instance (in the graphic novel Genocide) the new queen has mutated and the new breed of xenomorphs do battle with the old order to establish supremacy. This may be a form of evolution of the alien species.
If needed they can even go as far as protecting the host from harm in order to ensure the survival of the future Queen.

Design

The design of the queen was created by ''Aliens'' director James Cameron in collaboration with special effects artist Stan Winston, based upon an initial painting Cameron had done at the start of the project.^[7] The Winston Studio created a test foam core queen before constructing the full hydraulic puppet which was used for most of the scenes involving the large alien. Two people were inside working the twin sets of arms and puppeteers off-screen worked her jaws and head. Although at the end of the film the queen was presented full-body fighting the power-loader, the audience never sees the legs of the queen, save those of the small-scale puppet that appears only briefly. In ''Aliens'', Cameron used very selective camera-angles on the queen, using the "less is more" style of photography. Subsequently the movie won an Oscar for Visual Effects.
It was only during the climax of the 2004 film ''Alien vs. Predator'' that for the first time audiences could see the queen actually running and fighting because of the computer-generated imagery (CGI) techniques employed to create it. The queen's basic design was also altered to make her more "streamlined" in appearance and her over-all size was increased to 6 meters (20 ft) tall. Other changes include the removal of the "high-heel" protrusions on her legs, altering the joints so she could run faster, and making her waist thinner because there was no need for puppeteers inside her chest. The new Queen was built from scratch. The legs were made proportionally larger to the body, giving the new queen a sturdier appearance.

Variations

The xenomorph has been portrayed in noticeably different ways throughout the films. Much of this was due to the continuing advancements made in the field of special effects, technology and techniques used to bring it to life. It has also been suggested, both on screen and in the games based on the ''alien'' series, that the alien's form is dependent upon its host, so that different species of host will create different xenomorphs, and variations within a host can also explain possible variations within the xenomorph spawned from the host. An example of this is seen in ''Alien 3'' in which a dog (an ox in the extended edition) spawns a xenomorph with distinct canine movement and body structure.

Upper body

In the original ''Alien'' film, and sequel ''Aliens'', they are depicted as tall, slender creatures with a roughly human biomechanical design. Notably, the being in the first film is far taller than those in the second. However, in later films, like ''Alien: Resurrection'' and ''Alien vs. Predator'', they are depicted as being shorter and bulkier organisms, as well as being more quadrupedal, portrayed by either the traditional men-in-suit technique for close-ups or full form using computer-generated imagery.
Originally, the xenomorph's tail was roughly the length of the rest of its body with a small, almost surgical stinger-like barb on the end.
From ''Alien³'' onwards, however, the tail has extended in length and featured a large, knife-like blade at the tip. In ''Alien: Resurrection'' and ''Alien vs. Predator'', the tails had also supported a ridge of spikes right before the blade. This was introduced in ''Alien: Resurrection'' to help them swim convincingly, and was left intact in ''Alien vs. Predator''. The tail itself is shown to be of incredible length during ''Alien vs Predator'', easily measuring at least twice its body length, as depicted when the "Hero" Alien (as mentioned in "the making of" section of the DVD) impales a Predator from a ledge.
The original shooting script for ''Aliens'' featured a scene in which Lieutenant Gorman was "stung" by a xenomorph's stinger. He was not killed, merely stunned, and the barb remained lodged in his shoulder, having torn loose from the xenomorph's tail, much like a bee stinger. The novelization also included this scene, though the movie itself does not.^[8] This attribute is used later on in various games.
In ''Aliens'', xenomorphs are depicted as having ridges along their cranium, while in all other films they have smooth cowls covering their skulls. It was speculated in the ''Aliens'' bonus DVD that this was due to these xenomorphs having had more time to mature, compared to the aliens in the other films.
In ''Alien'' and ''Alien³'', the xenomorph has six fingers, with the index and middle fingers conjoined into one digit, ring and little fingers also conjoined, and thumbs on both sides. In ''Aliens'', the xenomorphs are shown with three fingers. In ''Alien: Resurrection'' and ''Alien vs. Predator'', the aliens have four fingers. No explanation is given in the films for the fluctuating number of digits.

Lower body

In ''Alien'' and ''Aliens'', the xenomorphs have legs like that of a human, with a single joint at the knee and feet roughly in the same configuration as a human. Also in ''Alien vs. Predator'', the xenomorphs have this same humanoid leg, though it is sleeker and more skeletal in appearance, due to the use of computer visuals and hydraulic puppetry, rather than costumes. This is notable because the xenomorph resembles the species from which it bred. In ''Alien³'', the xenomorph is born from a different animal, and therefore has a different body design, including legs more like the dog in which it was incubated (in the extended edition the host is an ox and the resulting xenomorph bears only slight similarities to its host) . However, there was a dramatic change in ''Alien: Resurrection'' wherein the xenomorphs which escaped from containment have avian legs with long bones in the foot and the toes used for walking. This is apparently a change taking advantage of the digital representation of the xenomorphs rather than costumes, done to make them seem more menacing and predatory.^[9] The different leg and foot can be clearly seen in a forward shot in which a xenomorph closes in on the surviving characters, who are trapped by a blocked door.^[10]
It is almost impossible to tell the sex of the xenomorph; however the xenomorph never appears to need reproductive organs, relying on eggs alone. In ''Alien: Director's Cut'', the xenomorph has a second method of reproduction, whereby it could transform humans into eggs, as shown when Ripley discovers Brett and Dallas, cocooned in a viscous liquid.^[11] The alien was described in the bonus DVD as being ambisextrous.
In another omitted scene from the script for ''Alien³'', these "eggs" were actually cocoons, inside of which a human was painfully transformed into a full-grown alien, which then emerges from the cocoon like a perversion of a butterfly. This non-canon tertiary version of reproduction bypasses queens and facehuggers entirely. However, this scene was never filmed so the true nature of the egg/cocoons in ''Alien: Director's Cut'' remains unknown.
These offer an origin for the eggs that did not require a queen, which seems to have been superseded by the queen in ''Aliens''. None of the other films—including deleted scenes—has continued with this method and it is mostly considered atypical for the xenomorph life-cycle. However it is still plausible that a warrior Alien can use this secondary method of reproduction in the absence of a Queen.
(In ''Alien³'' another addition was made: that of a "super facehugger" that could impregnate two hosts with, presumably, a Queen ''and'' regular embryo and was larger and darker compared to normal. This would explain why both Ripley and a dog were impregnated from one facehugger. The super facehugger was found by some of the inmates, who thought it a type of jellyfish. Still, the previous paragraph remains true of the super facehugger as well.)

Human-Alien/Newborn

The Newborn was a result of human/Alien hybridization and was only seen in ''. Its appearance is more mammalian than alien, in that it has an upright bipedal stance, a humanoid face and long tongue, an internal skeleton, and moist, greenish skin instead of a carapace. The Newborn is roughly 2.4 m (8 ft) tall. However, its size and characteristics may not have been representative of its mature state. Xenomorphs undergo drastic incomplete metamorphosis as they mature, and the only Newborn specimen was killed within hours of its birth. When it was born, it exhibited typical Xenomorph aggression but was equally hostile to both humans and Xenomorphs. It killed the Alien Queen who gave birth to it, and a cocooned human within moments of birth, but seemed to tolerate Ripley's presence, possibly considering her its true mother. Ripley destroyed the creature by flinging her acidic blood against an exterior window, opening a small hole which nevertheless tore the creature to pieces as it was sucked out into the vacuum of space. The creature seems to have possessed human emotions: displaying anger, distress and affection in various situations. As the newborn was the novel result of a specific genetic experiment, it is unlikely to be seen in any other media.

Facehugger

A facehugger is the second stage in the life-cycle of a xenomorph (the first being an egg). The facehugger is hatched from an egg laid in groups by a queen, or singly by a mature individual (as seen in the last "extra" scene in the Special Edition of the first film where Brett is being transformed into an egg and Dallas is immobilized nearby to become another host.) Once laid, the egg remains immobile until it senses a suitable host organism to support an alien embryo, at which point, the egg opens and the facehugger erupts from it, launching itself towards the intended host. Its bony finger-like legs allow it to crawl rapidly, its long tail can launch it in great leaps. These particular appendages give them an appearance somewhat comparable to Chelicerata arthropods such as arachnids and horseshoe crabs.
The facehugger is a parasitoid; its only purpose is to make contact with the host's mouth for the implantation process, by gripping its long, bony finger-like legs around the victim's head and wrapping its tail around the host's neck, then slowly tightening the tail in order to make the host gasp for oxygen and be rendered unconscious. By this point, the facehugger will have inserted a tube-like proboscis into the mouth and down the throat of the host, supplying the host with oxygen and implanting an embryo. Attempts to remove facehuggers generally prove fatal — the parasite will squeeze the host's neck with its tail. The facehugger's acid blood deters cutting it off. Once the alien embryo is safely implanted, the facehugger detaches and dies. Later, a larval Xenomorph (Chestburster) will erupt from the host's chest.

Pretorian

A 'Pretorian' is a special type of Alien encountered in the AvP games. In the second AvP game, in a journal found during one of the campaigns, it is named "the warrior of the hive" and it is briefly explained the special process in which a xenomorph changes his feromones and toughens its skin, to become a protector of the Queen. Phisically, the image differs in the two games. In the first one, the Pretorian is just slightly larger than an average xenomorph, and it has a larger, triangle-shaped head, and "inverted" legs (as an ostrich, for example). It is also faster and more powerful than the average xenomorph, but it lacks the ability to wall climb.In the second one
the Pretorian, is much larger, resembling the Queen very much. It is very powerful and resistant, but not very agile.

Predalien

A 'Predalien' is a Xenomorph born from a Predator host (or in some cases, a deliberate genetic recombination by human scientists). A Predalien is born when a facehugger attaches itself to a Predator and the embryo incubates inside a Predator. Owing to the Xenomorph's ability to incorporate traits from its host, Predaliens are frequently depicted with Predator characteristics such as mandibles and "dreadlocks". Predaliens are typically much stronger than Xenomorphs born from human hosts for the same reason. The Predalien appears as a chestburster in AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004) and has been confirmed to be in the upcoming (2007) where it is seen fighting a Predator in the official trailer. Predaliens have also featured prominently in the ''Aliens vs. Predator'' video game series.
Depictions of Predaliens have been even less consistent than depictions of human-born drones. 1999's ''Aliens vs. Predator'' depicted Predaliens as bulkier, brownish drones with shortened heads and mandibles. Its sequel gave them a pale, whitish-gray coloration and distanced them further from the general biomechanical appearance of the Xenomorph species. The film Alien vs. Predator showed only a Predalien chestburster, which was distinguished from other chestbursters in that film only by its characteristic mandibles.

King Alien

There are speculations of a possible King caste of Xenomorph in the ''Alien'' series, considered to be the supreme caste in the Xenomorph hierarchy. The King is occasionally mentioned or shown in outside ''Alien'' source or fictional material, such as the King Alien in Kenner's toy series[1] and in the ''Aliens: Rogue'' comic where a mad scientist creates a King. In the comic, the king was an artificially created queen injected with male hormones. Superficially, it resembled a heavily built queen with tendrils around its mouth. Though created as a weapon to use against the queen, the king was unable to defeat her in combat and was killed. However, the King Alien is largely considered non-canon, and the Queen is generally regarded as the ultimate Xenomorph.

Alien classifications

★ Queen

★ Eggs

★ Facehugger

★ Queen facehugger

★ Chestburster

★ Drone

★ Runner

★ Predalien

★ Human-Alien/Newborn

Video game aliens

★ Praetorian

★ Ravager

★ Carrier

★ Praetorian egg

★ Praetorian facehugger

★ Hive Node

★ Warrior

★ Pred-alien

★ Cystic Drone

★ Cystic Pred-alien

★ Cystic Runner

★ Cystic Warrior

★ Xenoborg

★ Infectoid facehugger

★ Arachnid

★ Smasher

★ Defender

Theories

DNA assimilation

While the Chestburster is still in an embryonic stage, it uses the host's DNA to augment its own and acquire any useful traits that the host has garnered through natural selection. The Aliens of the first two films were all implanted in humans and could walk in a bipedal fashion; the "dog/ox-alien" of ''Alien³'' was visually very different from those in the first two films. It preferred to move in an animal-like manner, often running at high speed on all four legs. This new type was far more streamlined and aerodynamic in appearance (the Runner also appears in the video games ''Aliens versus Predator 2'' and '').
The Aliens of the fourth Alien film, '', are an exception because they are far more human-like, to the point that the Alien queen gives live birth to a "human-alien hybrid": this is because these Aliens are the result of cloning experiments by the military, not a result of the normal implantation-DNA-assimilation process, and are not the "true" form of the species, having been spliced with substantial amounts of human DNA.
In various comics and the ''Aliens vs. Predator'' video game series, this is taken a step further when an Alien embryo is implanted into one of the Predators (''Predator''); the result is an Alien with Predator characteristics: a "pred-alien".^[12] This hybrid is bipedal, and has the basic body-outline of a Predator, having lost the elongated head shape. It sports inner jaws characteristic of other Aliens, and a set of mandibles reminiscent of those of the Predator. Its head also has the "dreadlocks" reminiscent of most Predators. This motif is also repeated at the end of the ''Alien vs. Predator'' film and in the upcoming '' film. Other comic books have shown further Alien crossovers with other species.

Origin of the species

The origins of the Aliens are never fully explained in the films. In the ''Alien'' DVD commentary Ridley Scott merely states the Aliens ''may'' have been bio-weapons used by an ancient race the "Space Jockey" belonged to.^[13] The expanded universe indicates that more than just one of the Space Jockey race remains alive, though their civilization is in ruins.^[14]. An unknown amount of time later, the Aliens are discovered by the Predators, a race of trophy hunters. The Predators then exploit the Aliens, considering them the prey used in the "Blooding" ritual or rite of passage for young hunters.
A similar theory is briefly expounded in the spin-off novel Aliens: The Female War, suggesting that the Xenomorph were originally engineered as weapons for a long-forgotten war, and speculating that their creators lost control of them.
The comic books speculate that the Space Jockey or other alien race might have taken the aliens away from their home planet. Without their natural predator, the aliens were capable of infesting other planets.
Another alternative theory presented through the Aliens vs Predator comics is that the Xenomorph is a genetically engineered being, created by the Predators for use as training and as a way to let young pre-Hunter Predators go through a trial by fire to gain their status as hunters, and thus being allowed to go on hunts such as in the first Predator movie. This is especially implied in the first Aliens vs Predator comic book since the planet of Ryushi was seeded by Predators in order to go on an arranged hunt with their young hunter-students.
Dan O'Bannon, who created the Alien, wrote that the planet on which the Aliens were found in the films was in fact its home world, but that a cataclysmic event millennia prior had wiped out all the adults of the species, leaving only the eggs. The creatures, prior to extinction, had reached a level of intelligence where they were able to construct temples and had their own culture and written language. The Space Jockeys, miners exploring the area much like the ''Nostromo'' and its crew, then found the planet, only to come to grief when they came across the dormant eggs. This was written into the original script, and was published in the ''Alien Portfolio'', which detailed design aspects of the film.

Films

#''Alien'' (1979) - Directed by Ridley Scott
#''Aliens'' (1986) - Directed by James Cameron
#''Alien³'' (1992) - Directed by David Fincher
#'' (1997) - Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
#''Alien vs. Predator'' (2004) - Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
#'' (2007) - Directed by Brothers Strause

See also

★ List of variations of the Xenomorph not given in the films

★ Aliens (comic)

★ Space Jockey

★ Predators—The alien race from the film ''Predator''

Notes

'a.' In the ''Alien'' novelization by Alan Dean Foster and Dan O'Bannon, the acid is not blood but a fluid maintained under pressure between a double layer of skin.^[15]

Citations

1. The correct Latin term should be ''Internecivus raptor'' ("murderous robber"). The comic books identify the creature as '' acheronsis'' ("obscene language ''acheronsis'' [of Acheron?]"), whereas in this case the correct Latin should have been (if at all) ''Maxilla foeda acheronensis'', since ''lingua'' refers to the "tongue" and primarily to "language", especially in a geographical context, not to the "jaw" (which is meant here), and ''acheronsis'' is inaccurate Latin. (Cp. e.g. this animal's name.)
2. Anchor Point Essay — Stage three. URL last accessed 14 February 2006.
3. From: ''Alien:Resurrection''.
4. From: ''Alien'', and ''Alien: Resurrection'' — Theatrical Release. Chapter Nine, 0:26:18-0:26:27 (hours:minutes:seconds), respectively.
5. Sideshowtoy. URL last accessed 15 February 2006.
6. "Alien³
7. Sideshow Collectibles URL last accessed 23 February 2006.
8. PlanetAVP URL last accessed 23 February 2006.
9. From ''Alien: Resurrection''. 0:50:32-0:55:36 - (hours:minutes:seconds).
10. From ''Alien: Resurrection''. 0:43:40-0:43:54 - (hours:minutes:seconds).
11. From ''Alien'' DIrector's Cut. 1:30:20-1:32:30 - (hours:minutes:seconds)
12. Predalien - AvP Encyclopedia.
13. from ''Alien'', Chapters 7-9. Theatrical release.
14. from '' (computer game)
15.

References

★ ''Alien'' - Released on May 25 1979 - On-line script. Retrieved 02 March 2007.

★ ''Aliens'' - Released on June 18 1986 - On-line script. Retrieved 02 March 2007.

★ ''Alien³'' - Released on May 22 1992 - On-line script. Retrieved 02 March 2007.

★ ''Alien: Resurrection'' - Released on November 26, 1997 - On-line script. Retrieved 02 March 2007.

★ Sideshow Collectibles, Inc. Goldman, Willie

★ PlanetAVP.com Nathan

★ IMDb.com Internet Movie Database

★ Alien Collectors Homeworld ''Unknown author''

★ Predalien ''Unknown author''

★ ''Aliens versus Predator'' (computer game).

★ ''Aliens versus Predator 2'' (computer game).

★ ''Aliens Colonial Marines Technical Manual'', HarperCollins 1996, ISBN 0-06-105343-0.

★ '' (computer game) [2]

External links

★ H.R. Giger online - A website about the creation of the xenomorphs' body.

★ Serena Dawn Spaceport - An ''Alien'' RPG

★ The Alien Universe Timeline and Encyclopedia - © Scott Middlebrook

★ Visions Of Terror - Aliens Special Feature - © Bj's Web Design Services

★ Knightmare6.com, Aliens FAQ