25 Things You Didn't Know About Alien

7. When Hiding In The Shuttle, The Alien Isn't Trying To Hunt Ripley

Alien Shuttle
20th Century Fox

Many viewers see the alien's appearance in the escape shuttle in the final scene as its final move at successfully outsmarting Ripley and continuing to hunt its prey. However, a supplementary making-of book and some statements from Ridley Scott suggest otherwise.

It has been noted that the alien's colour changes from translucent grey to black over the course of the film, signifying a process of ageing and dying. Having successfully created new hosts (albeit ones that were incinerated by Ripley), it's likely that the alien was in fact looking for a quiet spot in which to die.

Backing this up is how it doesn't immediately attack Ripley - it only does so once provoked.

In this post: 
Alien
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor

A self-taught video editor with nearly 25 years of experience, Joe worked in freelance videography for many years before joining WhatCulture in 2018. During that time, he has expanded his work to include both writing and presenting, and has been at the forefront of several new channel launches including WhatCulture Horror and WhatCulture Star Wars, largely defining their visual identity through the design and curation of their bespoke assets. As a dedicated WhatCulture Gaming staff member, he has spearheaded numerous new content strategies and formats, and has taken the lead on various charitable projects that have raised large sums of money for charities close to his heart. Bluesky and Instagram: @jjpinwheel