20 Things You Didn't Know About The Xenomorph

If the Nostromo’s onboard synthetic, Ash is to be believed, then the Xenomorph is a "perfect organism" whose "structural perfection is matched only by its hostility". And although we would have to agree with his summation, we also can’t help but feel that even 40 plus years after we first encountered this mythical beast, we still know very little about it.

Where did it come from? What is its motivation? What makes it tick? There must be so much more to this dark and dangerous monster that we’ve still to discover, but at what price? Well, thanks to over 4 decades of comics, video games and sequels we’re finally starting to fill in the blanks, all without the certain doom of getting up close and personal with one of them. God bless the internet.

So why not delve into the murky depths of the Xenomorph psyche and discover some seldom-heard facts about the iconic movie villain. Who knows, maybe the details contained here could save your life if you ever find yourself drifting out in space, with no one left to hear you scream. But beware, if you do, to paraphrase Ash once more, we can't lie to you about your chances, but you do have our sympathies.

We all know that Ridley Scott was responsible for the original creature designs, but did you know that Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian conceptual artist Ron Cobb was also responsible for one of the Xenomorph's most enduring and frightening features?

When the question arose as to why no one just shot the alien, Cobb suggested giving the creature acidic blood. Vital fluid that if spilled could eat through the very walls of the Nostromo seemed like a good way to tie-up that particular loose end, and give the character an extra layer of danger.