# ALIEN: What Animal is the Creature Based On? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519 "2009-01-29T07:30:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/21 "2009-01-29T20:26:37Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Also, did they ever explain how the thing rows after leaving the host? Gently down the scream, I assume. The novelization of _Alien_ includes a passage where (I think) Ripley speculates that the creature _might_ metabolize air but the crew later discovers the creature has broken into the food stores and torn open food cans. ---
**Author:** ![Gam\_Zeh\_Yaavor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@Gam\_Zeh\_Yaavor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gam_Zeh_Yaavor)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/22 "2009-01-29T20:51:11Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > It’s pretty clearly based on a human form. I think one of the ideas batted around when they were making the first **Alien** film was that it acquired a lot of its looks from its host (which would make me want to see what developed from that chaire-bound Navigator with the burst chest they found on the first alien ship in the original film). But I don’t know if that idea survived even in that film. They certainly ignored it in the sequels. They certainly didn’t ignore it in Alien 3: the critter in that film was gestated in a dog and was quadrupedal. Seems to be clear evidence that the host influences the form of the Bug/Xenomorph/Wienerhead. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/23 "2009-01-29T21:11:59Z")
> [@Gam\_Zeh\_Yaavor](#): > > They certainly didn’t ignore it in Alien 3: the critter in that film was gestated in a dog and was quadrupedal. Seems to be clear evidence that the host influences the form of the Bug/Xenomorph/Wienerhead. There’s also the _Alien v. Predator_ movies, which feature the [results](http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2007/10/26/alienpred460.jpg) of an alien incubating in a predator. (I used to work with a guy who said that the first _AvP_ movie was his favorite movie of all time. He also believed that the US government was behind 9/11. I’m pretty sure there’s a connection there.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/24 "2009-01-29T21:16:15Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > And isn’t stomach acid fairly strong? I know it’s a bit of a leap from stomach acid to acid in the veins that melts through everything on contact, but again, this is fiction. An acid that strong is impossible, so it turns from SF to Horror. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/25 "2009-01-29T22:04:14Z")
It’s SF _and_ horror. Science fiction is full of impossible things. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/26 "2009-01-29T22:11:39Z")
Exactly, that’s the “fiction” part of “science fiction.” Alien is most certainly scifi. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2009, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/27 "2009-01-29T22:14:44Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > The acidic blood, which is an acid of a type that is impossible given the laws of chemistry and physics. May I introduce you to time travel, faster than light travel, and telepathy which are staples of science fiction? Odesio ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/28 "2009-01-29T22:16:54Z")
Pile on! 🙂 But yeah, something being impossible doesn’t push it right out of one genre into another. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/29 "2009-01-29T22:26:25Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > An acid that strong is impossible, so it turns from SF to Horror. So apparently _Star Trek_, with it’s DiLithium Crystals, is a Horror film too. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/30 "2009-01-29T22:43:57Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > It’s SF _and_ horror. It’s New Shimmer! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/31 "2009-01-29T22:46:26Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > May I introduce you to time travel, faster than light travel, and telepathy which are staples of science fiction? > > Odesio And, each can be made the “one impossible thing” to put the hook of the SF strory on. But in this case, it was just a side explanation of why they couldn’t just shoot the damn thing. A horror film set in outer space is still a horror film. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/32 "2009-01-29T22:53:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > A horror film set in outer space is still a horror film. A horror film set in the future where men and women are space truckers sure smells like science fiction to me. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/33 "2009-01-29T22:53:10Z")
And a scary science fiction movie is still science fiction. You’re trying to make a distinction that just does not exist. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/34 "2009-01-29T22:58:34Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > It’s New Shimmer! It’s a desert topping _and_ a floor wax. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/35 "2009-01-29T23:40:49Z")
I agree with the above posters who say that the Alien is based on humans. Early facehugger designs look even more like a pair of hands fused together. Early designs of the Alien had eyes like motorcycle goggles. Re Host Characteristics Dark Horse comics, who have the comic book rights to both Alien and Predator, have taken this to heart. The Aliens have a varied appearance, depending on the host. Wizard did a competition of ‘Aliens with famous hosts’ based on the idea. My favorite was a blue Alien with antennae and a broad grin, having burst from the Tick. The Alien action figure line(by Mattel? I can’t remember. They came out in the nineties) used this an excuse to make more toys, making Aliens that had different shapes and coloration due to having different hosts. These included- scorpion, bull, rhino, crab, gorilla, and snake varieties. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/36 "2009-01-29T23:46:16Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > And, each can be made the “one impossible thing” to put the hook of the SF strory on. But in this case, it was just a side explanation of why they couldn’t just shoot the damn thing. > A horror film set in outer space is still a horror film. A horror film set in outer space is a horror film that is also a science fiction film. It doesn’t have to be only one or the other. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/37 "2009-01-29T23:57:19Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > But in this case, it was just a side explanation of why they couldn’t just shoot the damn thing. I thought it was the lack of firearms aboard the Nostromo that prevented them from shooting the damn thing? You got science fiction in my horror film! No you got horror film in my science fiction! Hey! Now you have two great tastes in one movie! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/38 "2009-01-30T00:38:37Z")
H.R. Giger’s design for the alien may have been inspired variously by genitalia [both sexes’], insects, dinosaurs, and certain reptiles and amphibians, but if you go further back, it really all started, via Dan O’Bannon, with a large, orange, spotted beach ball with feet in [Dark Star](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069945/trivia). That page doesn’t elaborate on the ur-Alien design, but merely states: “Co-written by Dan O’Bannon, who later reused the “alien mascot” section of the film as the basis of his script for Alien (1979).” Fortunately, Google Images [comes to the rescue](http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=Dark+Star+alien+beach+ball&gbv=2)! Thank goodness Giger revamped the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/39 "2009-01-30T00:56:19Z")
> [@](#): > > H.R. Giger’s design for the alien may have been inspired variously by genitalia [both sexes’], insects, dinosaurs, and certain reptiles and amphibians, but if you go further back, it really all started, via Dan O’Bannon, with a large, orange, spotted beach ball with feet in Dark Star. That page doesn’t elaborate on the ur-Alien design, but merely states: “Co-written by Dan O’Bannon, who later reused the “alien mascot” section of the film as the basis of his script for Alien (1979).” > > Fortunately, Google Images comes to the rescue! > > Thank goodness Giger revamped the whole thing. There were stages between, and there’s no evidence that O’Bannon saw his creature from Dark Star as the ancestor of Alien (especially as “the beachball” wasn’t originally even IN “Dark Star”. The film started life as a student film. It was too short for a commercial release, so they added to it. A lot of what they added was Pinback’s scenes (O’Bannon played Pinback), including all the scenes with the “beachball.” When they were putting together “Alien”, Giger was by no means the first artist. I’ve seen other production sketches by another artist (Ron Cobb, I think), that looked _nothing_ like the final production. I didn’t see any sketches of The Creature, but it undoubtedly would’ve looked different. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519/40 "2009-01-30T05:14:50Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > There were stages between, and there’s no evidence that O’Bannon saw his creature from Dark Star as the ancestor of Alien (especially as “the beachball” wasn’t originally even IN “Dark Star”. The film started life as a student film. It was too short for a commercial release, so they added to it. A lot of what they added was Pinback’s scenes (O’Bannon played Pinback), including all the scenes with the “beachball.” > > When they were putting together “Alien”, Giger was by no means the first artist. I’ve seen other production sketches by another artist (Ron Cobb, I think), that looked _nothing_ like the final production. I didn’t see any sketches of The Creature, but it undoubtedly would’ve looked different. Christopher Foss did some work for it at one stage. I’ve got a book called “21st Century Foss” which includes a section on Alien. Mostly architectural stuff and spaceships, nothing critter-related. His style, while very cool, is quite different from Giger. He also worked on an initial attempt at making “Dune” into a movie. Same book has plenty of sketches from that. Interestingly IMDB says that Dan O’Bannon and H.R. Giger met because they were both working on the same movie. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alien-what-animal-is-the-creature-based-on/483519.md?page=3)