Alien (franchise)/Characters: Difference between revisions

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== Nostromo Crew ==

=== A.J. Dallas ===

Dallas was the leader of the three to investigate the Space Jockey. Nominally laid-back and nonchalant, but easily capable of making the hard decisions once the shit hits the fan. Has access to the ship's computer Mother. Often cared for Ripley, and he took it to the extreme when he volunteered to be the one to flush out the Alien in the Nostromo's ventilation system.

=== Ellen L. Ripley ===

Primary protagonist no matter how much Dallas was supposed to be the hero, Ripley is probably the most famous character in the franchise. Probably the most level-headed member of the crew, demonstrating an impressive amount of bravery and [[Took a Level in Badass|taking a few levels in badass]] when dealing with the Xenomorph. De-facto leader of the crew on the basis of being the most proactive member.

=== J.M. Lambert ===

The second of the three to check out the Space Jockey, Lambert is pretty much the whiner in the whole movie. Scared shitless of the entire situation, she pretty much withdraws into the [[Damsel in Distress]]. She starts breaking into hysterics with the now-famous dinner scene and doesn't really do anything else until the end... well, okay, sometimes she shuts up for a few seconds.

=== Thomas Kane ===

The third of the three to check out the Space Jockey (and the only one who volunteered), Kane was the one to check out the derelict's egg chamber. Sadly, he was the victim of the Facehugger, and later on during dinner after getting off the planet, he was the man who ended up with the [[Chest Burster]].

=== Ash ===

The doctor, chief [[Buffy-Speak|science guy on the ship]] and also the man responsible for all the incidents over the course of the film, from reminding the crew that they're ordered by the Weyland-Yutani company to stop and investigate the Space Jockey to breaking quarantine protocol and letting a facehugger-infested Kane on board the ship.

=== Parker ===

The only black guy in the film, Parker holds his own, and is also best friends with Brett. Much more assertive than Brett, but still focused on getting paid. Frequently complains about not earning enough money and criticizes Ripley's plans.

=== S.E. Brett ===

The regular guy who just does his job to get paid, and wants a larger share with the money, along with Parker, as it's revealed that they don't get as much of the share as the officers. Arguably more apathetic and laid-back than Dallas, and best friends with Parker.

'''Gorman''': ''"Thirty eight." (''[[Beat]]'') "Simulated."''

'''Vasquez''': ''"How many '''combat''' drops?"''

Commander of the [[Space Marine|Space Marines]] sent to investigate LV-426, recruited by Burke. Disliked by the marines, very inexperienced (two combat drops...) and very slow to understand situations (Burke has to explain to him why it's a ''really'' bad idea to use guns in the colony's heat exchanger). Gorman relies heavily on the experienced Sergeant Apone from the start: when he dies, you can guess what happens. He loses it in the general confusion from the first Alien ambush and gets knocked out. Later regaining consciousness, Gorman learns his lesson and lets Ripley and Hicks deal with the whole "organizing the colony's defence" part. Vasquez hates him because she thinks he's responsible for Drake's death. He redeems himself when he goes back for Vasquez during the air duct escape, and winds up blowing the two of them to smithereens when they realize the only alternative is to be captured by the Aliens.

=== Sergeant Apone ===

Senior NCO of the team sent to investigate LV-426, and the real leader of the unit. '''Much''' better liked by the marines than Gorman, and more competent to boot. Doesn't really get much screen time before dying in the first Alien ambush, but that didn't stop him from getting not one, but two epic speeches and generally being the codifier for Sergeant Rock. When he goes down in the colony, chaos ensues, Gorman freezes up, and Ripley has to take action. Despite his quick death, Apone seems to have had a big influence on pop culture depictions of the military... ''Halo'' anyone?

=== Corporal Dwayne Hicks ===

The guy who ends up in charge after Apone gets captured and Gorman gets knocked out. Much more level-headed, impartial and less macho than his colleagues, even if he's not very comfortable becoming leader. Hicks and Ripley end up calling the shots. Later wounded by a stray burst of xenomorph acid, {{spoiler|but manages to survive. Until ''Alien 3''}}.

=== Private Hudson ===

The marine team's computer technician, played by a pre-fame [[Hey, It's That Guy!|Bill Paxton]]. At first, he acts all arrogant and overconfident, but once the marines get totally pwned by the Xenomorphs, loses his shit completely and becomes the movie's Lambert-equivalent, being all scared and whiney. He later regains his composure and redeems himself via [[Heroic Sacrifice]] during the aliens' attack on the med-lab. '''Really''' pissed off once he finds out the truth about Burke.

[[File:Vasquez aliens 2052.jpg|frame]]

{{quote|'''Hudson''': ''"Hey, Vasquez, you ever been mistaken for a man?"''

The team's smartgunner and the other [[Action Girl]]. Much tougher and more aggressive than Ripley, and arguably gets the funniest insults in the movie. Doesn't take the death of her smart-gun partner Drake too well, and mainly blames Lieutenant Gorman for it.

=== Private Drake ===

The other smartgunner in the Marine squad, and Vasquez's best-friend-maybe-something-more-it's-really-more-implied-than-anything. Got plenty of establishing screentime as a hardass, but that didn't stop him from being the last one to go down in the hive when he got by blood spray from an Alien. One that Vasquez shot trying to save him.

=== Bishop ===

The team's resident [[Artificial Human]], and the only one qualified to pilot dropships. Completely [["Three Laws"-Compliant]], pointing out that unlike Ash (whose model was always "a bit twitchy"), he has behavioural inhibitors.

=== Corporal Ferro ===

The squad's pilot. Doesn't get much establishing character moments other than a lot of technobabble during the drop and being a bit of a bitch to her co-pilot. The latter results in her death: when Spunkmeyer finds some goo inside the dropship (from an Alien), she tells him to seal the ramp rather than look for the source. She's sliced-n-diced a couple seconds later.

=== Corporal Dietrich ===

The medic of the Marine team, and that's pretty much all we know about her. Also rather unusual for having fairly long nails in a combat situation. The first member of the team to go down in the hive, grabbed by an Alien hiding in the wall. She takes down Frost when she fires her flamethrower in a panic.

=== Private Frost ===

A rifleman, Frost is one of the more hard-living---and hard-loving, if the Arcturian tale is true---of the Marine squad. Got a fair deal of screentime due to his closeness with Hicks. His duties apparently included weapons management: he's seen handing out rifles early on, and when Apone collects the ammo in the hive, he's the one who carries it (which doesn't work out so well when Dietrich incinerates him).

=== Private Spunkmeyer ===

Ferro's co-pilot on the dropship. Got fairly little screentime. Not a big fan of the cornbread.

=== Private Crowe ===

Rifleman in the Marine squad. Fairly quiet guy. Had one line of dialogue, but was offscreen when it happened so few know that it's him. Went down in the hive when Frost's ammo bag exploded, killing him. He had just enough time to mouth "oh shit" before it blew.

=== Private Wierzbowski ===

Flamethrower operator in the Marine squad. Has no lines other than screaming when the Aliens grab him. Logically, this led to an Internet phenomenon known as the "Wierzbowski Hunters" who would search for his appearances in the movie in background footage or what-have-you.

=== Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden ===

Rebecca "Newt" Jorden is the only survivor of the former LV-426 colony after it loses contact with Earth. Her survival is largely due to her propensity for hiding and moving through ducts and air vents. [[Cute Mute|Doesn't say much at first]], what with the whole [[Heroic BSOD|hiding from Aliens for over seventeen days]]. Once she actually regains her voice, she quickly becomes attached to Ripley. Driving force behind Ripley's [[Big Damn Heroes|Big Damn]] [[Mama Bear]] moment at the end. Nobody calls her Rebecca except her [[Dead Little Sister|dead brother]]. The [[Directors Cut]] of ''Aliens'' shows that her dad was the first to investigate the Space Jockey and get implanted with a facehugger.

=== Carter J. Burke ===

[[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Corporate executive guy and the Special Projects Director]] for Weyland-Yutani, Burke was the first person to see Ripley after she was retrieved from hypersleep, and convinces her to accompany the marines by promising to help her regain her flight license in exchange. He accompanies the marines as well, to represent the company's commercial interests.

=== Dillon ===

The man who is unofficially in charge of the Fiorina-161 prison, Dillon holds his own against others and manages to take charge when the situation with the Xenomorph goes south.

=== Dr Jonathan Clemens ===

{{quote|''"I really appreciate your affections. But I am aware that they deflected my question. In the nicest possible way, of course."''}}

A doctor that befriended Ripley in the first arc of the film, Clemens is the resident doctor of the prison.

=== Superintendent Harold Andrews ===

* [[And There Was Much Rejoicing]]: Subverted. While no one particularly likes him, due to his position as Superintendent his death causes some problems.

* [[Asshole Victim]]

=== Robert Morse ===

* [[The Cynic]]

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]

=== Golic ===

* [[Apologetic Attacker]]: Apologizes (a little frantically) after slitting another prisoner's throat to get to the alien.

* [[Ax Crazy]]: Was originally sent to prison for multiple violent murders. He mentions that he "knew lots of pretty girls, back home" and that they liked him [[Fridge Horror|"for a while"]].

=== Francis "85" Aaron ===

Superintendent Andrews’ assistant, Aaron is mocked by the prisoners for his low I.Q. (Nicknamed 85 for his I.Q. level) and his total faith in the company.

=== David ===

* [[Affably Evil]]: While he definitely committed some sort of violent crime to be sent to Fury 161, he’s rather amicable and easy to get along with.

* [[The Smart Guy]]: Much smarter than some of the other prisoners.

=== Ted "Junior" Gillas ===

* [[Redemption Equals Death]]: In the Assembly Cut, he sacrifices himself by luring the Alien into the nuclear waste tank and having the door closed behind him. Predictably he is torn to shreds, but the Alien is still trapped.

=== Gregor ===

* [[The Chew Toy]]: Gregor is subject to being beaten up by Dillon, punches in the face by Ripley, severely burnt during the quinitricetyline explosion, and finally gets one of the most brutal deaths in the entire film. Of course, since he was one of the prisoners who tried to rape Ripley the audience doesn’t feel too badly for him.

=== Annalee Call ===

* [[Its Pronounced Tropay]]: It's spelled "Call," but it sounds more like "Cole."

* [[Last-Name Basis]]: Probably the only way you'd know her first name is from the credits or her toy.

=== Johner ===

* [[Anything That Moves]]: Invoked. While he claims to draw the line at automatons, Vriess thinks differently:

{{quote|''"Yeah, like you never fucked a robot."''}}

=== Vriess ===

* [[All Love Is Unrequited]]: Implied for Call.

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Whenever Johner is around.

=== Captian Frank Elgyn ===

* [[The Captain]]: Of the ''Betty''.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Giving his authorization code as EAT ME, among other moments.

=== Christie ===

* [[Guns Akimbo]]: Wields dual "disposable" derringer type pistols, spring-loaded and attached to his arms.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: To save Vriess.

=== Sabra Hillard ===

* [[Ms. Fanservice]]

=== Ripley 8 ===

* [[Badass Abnormal]]: If you consider her the same character than original Ripley. Considering she seems to share her memory, that would count.

* [[Came Back Wrong]]: Well, for one thing, now she ''also'' has acid for blood...

=== General Martin Perez ===

* [[Boom! Headshot!]]: From an Xenomorph's second head no less, and the man doesn't notice it until he checked the back of his head.

* [[General Ripper]]: He thinks breeding the aliens is a good idea so he must be this.

=== Dr. Mason Wren ===

* [[Big Bad]]: Of the fourth film.

* [[Karmic Death]]: Killed by the chestbuster of one of his victims.

=== Dr. Jonathon Gediman ===

* [[Nightmare Fetishist]]: The above quote is said to {{spoiler|the Human/Alien hybrid}}.

* [[Sanity Slippage]]: Becomes extremely unhinged after becoming part of the Queen's hive.

=== Vincent DiStephano ===

* [[Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right]]: He defects from the USM and helps the heroes to destroy the aliens and escape.

=== Dr. Carlyn Williamson ===

* [[Big No]]: When Gediman gets pulled under by an alien.

=== Larry Purvis ===

* [[Face Full of Alien Wingwong]]: Done offscreen.

* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: The way he utilizes his [[Chest Burster]] for the greater good is a sight to behold.