# A Few questions About The "Aliens" Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 8, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553 "2012-06-08T21:13:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/61 "2012-06-18T18:21:18Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Just watched Aliens 3. Have to agree,…it sucks. I will need to watch Resurrection to see which sucks more. Alien 3 sucks more. Lots more. Joss Whedon wrote Resurrection so just imagine the dialogue. It’s not going to be a stinker, just for that alone. Earth, man. What a shithole. As for the water in the dumpster in Star Wars, it looks like they squeeze it shut, maybe they’re getting the water out and sending it off to be purified, smashing the rest into a cube, and then dumping it into space. The seemingly needless dripping water scene in Alien is supposed to be part of the engine’s cooling system, I’m told. And yeah, they DID know about the chest burster. You can’t set up a scene like that without cutting and letting the actors see precisely what is going to happen, setting up cameras, putting Hurt under the table and replacing his torso with the fake one, etc. But as others said, they weren’t expecting QUITE the bursting they got. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/62 "2012-06-18T18:28:25Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > “Who’s Snow White?” > “Some big shot. Says she saw an alien.” ohhhhh, whippey fuckin do! I’m impressed. Going by memory but that implies there are aliens. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/63 "2012-06-18T19:32:18Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > ohhhhh, whippey fuckin do! I’m impressed. > > Going by memory but that implies there are aliens. I might say the same thing if someone told me they saw Bigfoot. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/64 "2012-06-18T19:53:44Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I might say the same thing if someone told me they saw Bigfoot. Hmm. I would say “get the fuck outta here”, not "hey, I’m impressed :rolleyes: ". ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/65 "2012-06-18T20:06:37Z")
I got the impression that they just thought it was made up. Hudson (the “hey, I’m impressed” guy) also said WTF is a xenomorph when it was brought up in the briefing, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/66 "2012-06-18T20:22:45Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > I got the impression that they just thought it was made up. Hudson (the “hey, I’m impressed” guy) also said WTF is a xenomorph when it was brought up in the briefing, IIRC. Nope. That was Pvt. Frost. Hudson asked if it was a bug hunt. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/67 "2012-06-18T22:07:08Z")
Was there any explanation into the life cycle of the xenomorphs? It seems so unusual and (yeah I know) _alien_. In some ways it seems like an overly complicated way to sustain a species, but on the other it may also give them an edge as they have more than one way to reproduce. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/68 "2012-06-18T22:31:20Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Was there any explanation into the life cycle of the xenomorphs? It seems so unusual and (yeah I know) _alien_. In some ways it seems like an overly complicated way to sustain a species, but on the other it may also give them an edge as they have more than one way to reproduce. It’s never stated in the films, but I got the impression that the aliens are genetically engineered bio-weapons by the Space Jockeys. They’re designed to wipe out a population by breeding off them until there’s nothing left. That’s why the aliens don’t make sense from a sustainability viewpoint. Haven’t seen Prometheus yet so I don’t know if there’s any reveal of the alien’s origin. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/69 "2012-06-18T22:55:55Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Was there any explanation into the life cycle of the xenomorphs? It seems so unusual and (yeah I know) _alien_. In some ways it seems like an overly complicated way to sustain a species, but on the other it may also give them an edge as they have more than one way to reproduce. We have plenty of species of insects here on Earth that cannot reproduce without the aid of another species. i.e. Wasps that lay their eggs in the bodies of spiders. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/70 "2012-06-19T00:12:57Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > the aliens are genetically engineered bio-weapons by the Space Jockeys. They’re designed to wipe out a population by breeding off them until there’s nothing left. Ah! That makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/71 "2012-06-19T01:29:57Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Was there any explanation into the life cycle of the xenomorphs? It seems so unusual and (yeah I know) _alien_. In some ways it seems like an overly complicated way to sustain a species, but on the other it may also give them an edge as they have more than one way to reproduce. [Honestly, there are weirder and creepier reproductive cycles currently in existence.](http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1659/1137.short) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/72 "2012-06-19T01:47:53Z")
There are also plenty of species that use alternation of generations, where every other generation is completely different, and usually uses different reproductive techniques. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/73 "2012-06-19T02:14:09Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > [Honestly, there are weirder and creepier reproductive cycles currently in existence.](http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1659/1137.short) Anything that messes with [killifish](http://www.fishchannel.com/images/exclusives/fama/blue-gularis-killifish-500.jpg) is Evile. Chronos: I do not doubt you, Sir, but cites or links would be interesting. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/74 "2012-06-19T02:20:23Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > [Honestly, there are weirder and creepier reproductive cycles currently in existence.](http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1659/1137.short) [Cordyceps fungus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps) is way up the list. It makes the xenomorphs’ approach look almost wholesome. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/75 "2012-06-19T04:31:26Z")
> [@Sierra\_Indigo](#): > > Both Aliens vs Predator films take place on Earth, which is why they should be set on fire and never mentioned again. But the first one was pretty good. A lot better than Alien 3 and Alien 4. Well, paint drying is better than Alien 3. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553/76 "2012-06-19T04:41:33Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > SciFi has been running an “Aliens” marathon-man, do these endless sequels get boring! Anyway, a few questions: > -why are interstellar spaceships so run down and shitty? > -what are future clothing styles so drab and shitty? > -why are the characters bored out of their minds? > -WHY do they keep going back to the planet that has these awful monsters? > -Finally, these people can travelo between stars! Life shoulkd be great, at this level of technology! > Instead, people seem to live like they were in some crummy New mexico town, ca, 1890! This is what happens when you give corporations the ability to make unlimited campaign donations. Your great great great grandchildren wind up on filthy rustbuckets doing errands for rich corporate types who consider all of you “expendable.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-questions-about-the-aliens-movies/624553.md?page=3)