From Aliens to Alien 3: The Evolution of the Xenomorph

In the first sequel, and dare I say slightly better film, is when we see the xenomorph change in appearance. James Cameron doesn’t change too much about the life cycle, other than providing an answer for the creation of Alien eggs, which we’ll discuss soon. 

Stan Winston, the creative genius who helped invent many practical effects throughout his brilliant career, kept the appearance of the face huggers mostly the same except for elongating its tail for jumping and running during its famous scene with Ripley and Newt. And Winston also added fingernails to the face hugger. You can hear them clicking along the floor when it pursues Ripley. The nails give the face hugger more relatability to that of an actual animal. Like the claws of a cat or the talons of a velociraptor, its prey knows that when the face hugger approaches and catches them it will have the ability to cut them and inflict pain on them. 

Aliens 1986

Before we get to the Queen, we should discuss the chest-burster in Aliens. Cameron improved on the original design. He gave the overall movement of it more flexibility. Whereas the original chest burster robotically turned from left to right, Cameron’s version has full flexibility. The two arm stumps in the first film have been replaced with full arms, giving the chest burster longer arms and hands it uses to wiggle from the host’s chest. Even the ferocity of the chest-burster is amplified in Cameron’s version. Whereas Ridley’s chest burster was relatively quiet when it birthed from Kane’s chest, only making a slight squeal before it slithered off, Cameron’s chest burster is psychotic on sight. Ridley’s version was that of a creature taking in its surroundings first, learning and observing the Nostromo crew. The chest-burster in Aliens seems to not care about its surroundings. It comes out from the host ready to kill.  

Cameron’s version of the adult xenomorph has been reimagined somewhat, too. Its smooth, shiny head has been replaced with a ribbed look, giving the xenomorph a blatant insectoid appearance this time around. Its dorsal spines are the same, but its hands and feet have been improved with more attention to the nails of their digits. Also, the overall body suit of the xenomorph has been tweaked to include numerous patches of ribbed skin, as if we’re seeing what it looks like underneath its fleshy exterior. This constant use of ribbed lines over its body and head certainly gives Cameron’s xenomorph a more hellish look, like it's still molting into another form.  

But the real gem of Cameron’s film is the Queen. The reveal of the Alien Queen is Cameron’s twist surprise to his audience. Whereas Ridley gifted us with the unexpected chest burster nobody saw coming, the presence of the Alien Queen does the same for the sequel. The Queen is totally original in the vast scope of cinema and earns its right as a monumental achievement in practical effects.  

Its ovipositor lays each large egg covered in thick residue. The massive ovipositor itself hangs from the ceiling by residue the xenomorphs use to create the hive. The Queen sits on her throne made of large, single protrusions, like the dorsal spines used to breathe. Again, the appearance of singular lines like bones or ribs is used with the xenomorph species to convey an insect design, like the Queen is sitting in the middle of a web and she’s the spider awaiting her prey.  

Other than being much larger than her warrior xenomorphs, she has four arms, too. Two massive arms she uses for reach and for battle, and two smaller arms she uses for close-up grabbing. She isn’t just a xenomorph giving birth. She holds status over the others. Her appearance suggests this. Her head has a three-pointed crest to it, like a crown. She’s royalty. Her mouth section is withdrawn inside a carapace, like that of a turtle shell. It protrudes when she greets Ripley and Newt. Also, this section can move fluidly. It can turn left and right without using its entire head.  

Aliens 1986

The Queen also has some type of non-verbal communication with her underlings. Perhaps it’s just body language she gives or some type of telepathic ability, but they understand her and obey her orders.  

Another addition Cameron made was the use of the xenomorph tail. In Ridley’s version, the tail wasn’t a primary concern other than to give it an animal-like appearance. Cameron weaponized the tail in his version. The xenomorph's spiked tail tip can incapacitate its victims and the Queen’s tail can fully pierce through a body. 

Whereas the insect traits were lightly suggested in Ridley's film, the xenomorph’s primary symbolism was that of corporate greed. The Queen bears the weight of individual symbolism in Cameron’s film to represent and mirror Ripley’s motherly protection.  

Alien 3 is where the story of Ripley and her dealings with the xenomorph become muddled. Mainly because of studio interference David Fincher’s vision was complicated, to say the least. However, the life cycle of the Alien is on full display here. The filmmakers knew that after telling two stories of face huggers and xenomorphs attacking humans it was risky to once again repeat. That’s where they went wrong. Not only did they kill Newt and Hicks, but they left unanswered plot holes within their own story.  

The mysterious egg plastered to the wall is just as ridiculous as the face hugger impregnating Ripley and also impregnating the dog. For two films, it’s known that after a face hugger implants its embryo in the host, the face hugger dies.  

The face hugger attacks a dog off-screen and later pounds its way through the dog’s chest. This version of the chest burster is far different from the one we’ve seen before. It comes from a dog, so the xenomorph expectedly takes on attributes from the dog. It moves on all fours like a dog. But the main difference is that it’s not a chest burster that needs to morph into an adult xenomorph. This version is already a xenomorph (in the Special Edition), just smaller. It will later grow and somehow develop a spitting technique it uses on one of the prisoners. Other than returning to the smooth head of Ridley’s xenomorph, the creature in Alien 3 seems discombobulated. It’s as if the filmmakers didn’t have a clear vision of the xenomorph they were creating.  

Queen Facehugger

They should have included the Queen face hugger that had impregnated an ox in a deleted scene. That may have provided more answers. The Queen face hugger, sometimes referred to as the super face hugger or royal face hugger was specifically birthed from the Queen. The royal face hugger was quite larger than the average face hugger and much darker in complexion. The most notable difference is its webbing between each digit. Giger designed this version with webbing and retractable fingers to adapt to its environment. Its skin was tougher than the common face hugger, suggesting an armor that would defend against attacks. Its tail also had a barb, like a scorpion, to attack its prey.  

Perhaps the biggest difference from the previous Alien films is the ability for the Runner Alien in Alien 3 to see, or should I say, for the film to show the audience that a xenomorph can see. Xenomorphs do not have eyes. The two previous films suggested the xenomorphs know their surroundings and the people in those surroundings from unknown methods. The attempt to explain their sight just further subtracts this film’s prestige and inclusion into the Alien franchise. As much as I do enjoy Alien 3, it’s where the series began to take a downturn.