Opening Image

Amid the cold and lifeless depths of space, the title gradually takes form. The title is meant to underscore the plight of the Nostromo crew, who face an entity so mysterious that they know nothing about it—its origin, its nature, or even its species. To the point that they can only call it what it is: an alien. Additionally, as the alien preys upon them, its true form is slowly unveiled, much like the title.

Theme

Within its still interiors, Mother, the ship’s computer, is suddenly awakened. Having picked up a distress signal, the data on her screen are reflected onto an empty space helmet, symbolizing how Mother controls her crew as if they were her own children. Miniature versions of herself, meant to do her bidding and nothing else, as she determines their objectives and priorities.

Set Up

Despite the sudden wake-up call, the crew takes its time rising, allowing their bodies to adjust after a long period of stasis. This sequence is meant to resemble a birth, as they emerge from the enclosed safety of their pods and expose themselves to the outside world.

As the plot progresses, we learn that there exists a hierarchy among the crew. At the very top is Captain Dallas, followed by Executive Officer Kane, Warrant Officer Ripley, Navigator Lambert, Science Officer Ash, and engineers Parker and Brett. Each crew member has their duty and place granted by Mother. No one deviates or breaks rank; they can all be seen as organisms working inside Mother’s body, and any deviation would result in all order collapsing.

Being a hierarchy, it naturally has an uneven division of power among the crew. Obviously, Dallas has the highest authority, as he is the only one who communicates with Mother. At the lowest rank are Parker and Brett, who frequently argue about bonuses and how no one ever enters the lower decks of the ship, despite that being where the most work is.

Despite it all, the crew is then seen eating together, in one of the two scenes set around the dining table. We see that while at the table, there are no arguments or divisions of any sort. All differences are put aside in favor of the most human of all needs i.e. to consume nutrition.

They soon learn that they are not near Earth at all and before Dallas can brief them on the situation, Parker is seen taking his chair back from Ash, but not before wiping it first, showing a clear lack of respect for those ranked above him.

Catalyst

They find out about the transmission and argue about how to respond.

Debate

Parker tries to reason with them, stating that they’re a commercial ship and aren’t equipped to handle a rescue mission. He emphasizes that their orders are clear and anything outside of that is out of the question. Dallas reminds Parker of his place and Ash tells him that if they don’t do this they don’t get paid.

Break into Two

As per Mother’s orders, they risk all they know to investigate the planet. As a smaller ship detaches from the main ship, we hear mother state that the ship has been released from the umbilical, further emphasizing how the crew is leaving the safety of their mother to venture into the unknown.

B Story

Parker and Brett report that the ship has sustained some damage, prompting Ripley to investigate personally. Unbeknownst to her, this action disrupts the natural order of things as she goes where her rank shouldn’t. Additionally, the issue of hierarchy extends into gender roles, with the men on board considering themselves the alphas, while the women are perceived as the weaker sex. This dynamic is further explored when Parker and Brett attempt to strongarm Ripley, threatening to stop working unless they receive additional pay, but she manages to hold her own against them

Fun and Games

Based on Ash’s initial analysis, the world they’ve found appears primordial in nature and, in many ways, the stark opposite of the Nostromo and its crew. The ship represents the pinnacle of human advancement, while the planet they find themselves on resembles Earth in its early years, with a harsh and inhospitable environment. Furthermore, the crew maintains order through the delegation of authority and specialization in their respective roles, whereas the alien they’ll soon face is more primitive and has only one goal in mind: survival. Additionally, the interior of the Nostromo is spotless and highly advanced, whereas the inside of the ship they discover on the planet resembles the innards of a wild animal.

Dallas, Kane, and Lambert head into the ship despite the high likelihood of losing contact with the Nostromo, which can be seen as them going against protocol, indicating they are out of their depth. Additionally, on their way in, Dallas tells Lambert to stop complaining, which ties back to the gender roles mentioned earlier, reinforcing the stereotypical view of women as the ones who complain a lot.

Inside, they find the skeleton of an alien, with its chest cavity ruptured in a way that indicates something burst out of it. Ripley figures out that the signal was a warning, not an SOS. Meanwhile, Kane finds a room filled with eggs and as he stoops down for a closer look, he sees a layer of mist separating him and the eggs, and the act of him crossing it can be seen as him crossing a line, so there will be consequences. Additionally, he stumbles down towards the eggs, again showing they’re venturing into unknown territory.

A spider-like alien burts out of the eggs and attaches itself to Kane’s face. Dallas and Lambert drag him back to the ship and order the doors to be opened, but Ripley refuses as doing so would be risking everyone’s safety and more importantly, breaking protocol. However, Ash breaks rank by letting them in anyway.

At the medical bay, Dallas yells at Ripley for not obeying him, insisting that his orders are paramount, even if it means breaking the law. In reality, his male ego is speaking, as his outrage stems more from a woman refusing to comply than anything else. It’s also important to note that Lambert reacts hysterically and strikes Ripley, demonstrating her inability to compose herself.

The facehugger’s role is seen as a form of sexual assault, as it forcefully impregnates its prey. Additionally, while Ash wants to leave the creature undisturbed to observe its behavior, Dallas decides to remove it altogether, even if it means losing Kane. When they attempt to remove it, they realize the creature has acid for blood, creating yet another distinction from humans. Blood is crucial to human survival, often referred to as lifeblood, whereas the creature’s malicious nature even renders its blood to be extremely harmful.

Later on, Ripley confronts Ash about disobeying the order of a commanding office, which he pays no heed to. As Ripley leaves, Ash is seen drinking milk, just like a child who cannot consume solid food would. Eventually, the facehugger lets go of Kane and appears to die, having fulfilled its sole purpose for existing. Ripley wants to dispose of the creature to restore normalcy, but Ash wants to study it further. Dallas allows Ash to decide, as he is the science officer, but this can also be seen as him disregarding a woman’s opinion on how to proceed. Dallas then orders the crew to take off, despite Ripley’s warning about incomplete repairs. Additionally, it’s interesting to note that as they enter the infirmary, they forget to close the door out of fear, which they normally wouldn’t do. However, Ash goes back to close it, not wanting the creature to escape.

After everything’s happened and all the friction’s been settled, the crew does seem to be happy after having successfully taken off, believing that things will now go back to the way they were. As they finally have a moment to rest, we see how Brett has a habit of agreeing to everything others say, as he’s at the bottom of the hierarchy. We also see Dallas refusing to listen to Lambert’s elaborate report.

Midpoint

Kane wakes up, appearing to be normal and we move to the second scene set around the dining table, where all’s well again. Parker is seen rudely making a pass at Lambert. All of a sudden, Kane starts to choke and convulses. A phallus shaped alien bursts out of his chest before running off. Parker was the first to swing into action but Ash stopped him from harming the creature.

Bad Guys Close In

The birth of the alien symbolizes the complete collapse of order within the ship, as we see Brett teaching the crew how to operate a stun stick. This collapse of order is further exemplified by the fact that the stun stick can be viewed as a club, which could very well have been the early man’s first weapon. Later in the movie, the next weapon they try to use is a flamethrower, with fire being man’s first discovery that enabled them to stand above wild animals. The crew has now regressed to a more primitive state as they become hunters.

Brett is sent to go after Jonesy, the cat, and while doing so he comes across shed skin, a behavior common to snakes, who are extremely harmful to humans. The alien is seen watching Brett, but its appearance allows it to effectively blend itself into the ship’s environment, just like any predator would in a jungle.

Before he dies, Brett located Jonesy and is seen calling out to him, while the alien approaches him from behind. Their placement forms a chain of who the alpha beings: first is the cat, an animal that can be domesticated; then the human, who at this point believes himself to be the superior species; and finally the alien, representing the next stage of evolution

Dallas goes after the alien, having equipped the flamethrower. He believes himself to be cornering the alien by closing each vent behind him, but it’s actually the other way around. Parker wants to prove his might and go after the alien himself (fight), whereas Lambert becomes hysterical again and says they should abandon ship (flight). Both their plans would’ve gotten them killed and it’s Ripley who’s able to keep her cool and think of what to do next, thus taking charge of the situation. She also starts to become highly suspicious of Ash.

All is Lost

Ripley goes to Mother and discovers that the company has ordered her to bring the alien back to Earth for further study, deeming the crew’s lives expendable. Upon learning this, she finally reaches her breaking point and cries. Ash then attacks her, subduing her near a wall with pictures of nude women on it. He rolls up a magazine and tries to shove it down her throat, an act meant to resemble how the facehugger impregnates its prey, except that as an android, he has no sexual organs.

There are several parallels drawn between Ash and the alien: both have a single purpose and do not allow anyone or anything to deviate them from it and and neither has blood coursing through them. Additionally, Ash, who is a creation of man, is a testament to how far they’ve excelled in terms of scientific advancement, while the alien is seen as an unholy creation, but also birthed by man.

Dark Night of the Soul

Parker and Lambert arrive to get Ash off of Riley, it’s them working together that’s key here. They reactivate him and he confesses his admiration for the alien, calling it the perfect organism. He then mocks them by offering them his hollow sympathies.

Break into Three

The three agree that they have no other option but to work together; like the alien, survival is their only objective. It’s only after discovering that the alien cannot be killed that Ripley decides to blow up the ship and take their chances in a shuttle. Parker is seen burning Ash’s body as an act of rebuking the company and possibly its greatest creation, instead focusing on survival. Additionally, as they prepare to abandon ship, Ripley is allied with what can be seen as the two extremes of gender: Parker, the man driven by his ego and testosterone, and Lambert, the frail and helpless woman.

Finale

Eventually, the alien kills Parker and Lambert while Ripley is trying to find Jonesy. Her act of rescuing the cat demonstrates her superiority over lesser beasts, but she has yet to overcome the alien.

Deep within the ship, Ripley discovers that the alien has been creating a hive of sorts, which can be likened to cancer spreading in a healthy body. She finds Dallas and Brett fused to the walls, having been impregnated by the alien, and decides to mercy kill them. This contrasts with the opening, where we saw the birth of the crew, and now we witness their deaths.

Ripley tries to make it to the shuttle, but her path is blocked by the alien, which ignores Jonesy, seeing it as an inferior being. She attempts to turn off the self-destruct sequence, but Mother doesn’t comply. Ripley manages to reach the shuttle just in time as the ship explodes behind her, symbolizing a new beginning, much like the Big Bang that created the Earth. She takes off her clothes, an act that symbolizes stripping away the identity the company imposed on her, only to realize that the alien is in the shuttle with her.

She puts on a spacesuit and uses her knowledge of the ship’s workings to flush the alien out. She then opens the airlock, ejecting the alien into space, but it manages to hold on. Ripley shoots it with a grapple gun, paralleling the alien’s phallus-shaped inner jaw, proving that she is the alpha. The alien tries to crawl back in, but she uses the engine to blast it away. Her donning the spacesuit for survival also parallels the opening scene where Mother’s orders were projected onto a spacesuit, except now she’s fighting on her own terms.

Having been reborn and earned her right to live, she places herself and Jonesy back into stasis.