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The Xenomorph, whose disturbing life form involves the offspring violently erupting through human hosts, undoubtedly was (and still is) one of the most frightening recurring races ever created in science-fiction. If ever there were a heroine who dared to stand alone with the eusociality of an extraterrestrial life form, though, it would have to be Ellen Ripley. Ripley’s seminal role, which began in the 1979 movie Alien, not only had the tenacity to thwart the erotic propagation of the Xenomorph, but presented a human angle to the discovery of their species in space and challenged the stereotypes associated with gender within our society.

Whilst choosing to disregard anything to do with the “Newborn” creature and “Ripley #8” in Alien Resurrection as being a worthy addition to the franchise, I prefer to investigate the connection between antagonist and protagonist beginning with the first movie. Artist/sculptor H.R. Giger’s refinement of his surreal Necronom IV  lithograph, with the help of director Ridley Scott, portrayed the beauty and sexual overtones of the creature in Alien, with it’s loud hissing, provocative grin and drooling fluids, which was to have significant impact upon its human predecessors.

Ripley’s personal encounters with the alien, particularly towards the climax of the first movie, are almost erotic in places. As the viewer sees the protagonist strip down to her underwear, it is at that moment that the seemingly-defeated alien creature springs out of hiding to stalk Ripley further. The slow building tension between the female human and Xenomorph during this scene are evident when Ripley’s respiratory levels increase and she begins screaming when the alien starts advancing towards her, hissing and drooling from the mouth.

The alien's combination of sexually evocative physical and behavioural characteristics are guilty of being seductive when in the presence of the human being. Indeed, much of the alien’s looks and life cycle can be seen as a perverse sexual metaphor: The snapping metallic teeth are almost like the castrating "vagina dentata", according to critic Ximena Gallardo, and are deliberate in Giger's design of the obscene, insectoid killing machine.

The vaguely humanoid features of the Xenomorph, with its skeletal, biomechanical appearance, may well make up the most perfectly formed organism we’ve have ever seen on film. Its erotic nature of reproduction -- "interspecies rape", according to Alien story writer Dan O'Bannon (from the feature 'Alien Evolution', Alien Quadrilogy box set) -- has haunted audiences for years; whilst the words "we are not alone" have rung deeper within many of our minds as a result.

During the famous scene, where the Chestburster explodes through Kane’s ribcage on board the Nostromo, there is a distinct connection between sex and death. On first contact with the species, Kane had been subdued and made pregnant by the Facehugger from the egg, and later on the embryo develops and escapes via its host. It is a nightmare for the viewer to see the male gender decimated via the birth of another species in such a fashion; indeed, when the Ovomorph succeeded in planting the embryo, it was via the method of sexual assault.

Undoubtedly, there is a blurring of human sexual dichotomy here. At the time Alien was released, Sigourney Weaver, who played Ripley, was a little known actress, and it was somewhat surprising for a film audience to see such a horrifying plot develop with Ripley being the last remaining (female) character. This contrasted Tom Skerritt as Dallas, who was the more familiar face in the film, but he ended up being one of the Xenomorph's early captures along with Kane. Later, in the film's most talked about deleted scene, he is seen cocooned and helpless, being used as a host for the implantation process within the alien nest, and it is up to Ripley to end his suffering by shooting him.

In this sense, Ripley’s role is challenging the ideology of gender stereotypes: She is the only (female) survivor of the Nostromo crew, and overhauls the threat of the Xenomorph and its propagation, ultimately by herself. It is this breakthrough in feminist themes regarding women in combat that made Sigourney Weaver a cinematic icon: The “female action hero” was a rare title given to actresses in the days of Alien, and it wasn’t till the reprisal of Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, that Ellen Ripley had any serious (human) competition. The iconic image of holding a flame-thrower has been accepted and celebrated as pure cinematic magic, where Ripley, the heroine, triumphs over the alien species by blowing it out of the airlock. Her strength and will to carry on through the suffering of her deceased crew not only makes her a worthwhile female action hero, but truly iconic to the human race.

Furthermore, Ripley’s character role is made significant by challenging the ideals of science with a human angle: It is her common sense, emotion and will to survive that relates her to the best of us. If only the crew would’ve listened to Ripley citing quarantine protocol, there would have been no knowledge of the extraterrestrial life form, and humanity would be safe from its threat (at least from that first space adventure). Her attempts at persuading science officers Ash and Dallas to get rid of the Facehugger were also blatantly ignored.

The casting of Jones, the cat, is notable for further influencing Ripley’s iconic personality on screen. Despite being stalked by the alien and with the self-destruct sequence of Nostromo rapidly counting down, she is still desperate to get Jones out of there, under her wing, safely, after the crew has been completely diminished. It is such a characteristic that allows Ripley’s role to overshadow even that of the alien, which is quite extraordinary, especially given that the title of the movie refers to the antagonist. Although the alien is most certainly billed as the “perfect organism”, which leaves the audience intrigued to find out more about this highly aggressive, unfamiliar, extraterrestrial life form, it is the story of Ellen Ripley that really heightens the suspense and installs faith in humanity.

Inevitably, Ripley's story was so good that it inspired further chapters in the Alien film franchise. In Aliens, she's fights an even bigger battle with a whole colony of Xenomorphs in the company of the marines, and unofficially adopts an orphaned little girl who she carries to safety, largely unscathed. In fact, it isn’t till the third instalment in the franchise that we learn Ripley has finally been “caught”, and impregnated by the aliens (even then she was asleep when the attack took place) and she willingly throws herself into a furnace with her alien "baby" just to protect humanity's future.

Ellen Ripley ranked at eighth in AFI's 100 Greatest Heroes in 2003 and at the same position in Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters more recently. Though a higher position is deserved, it's undeniable that the impact of Ellen Ripley on popular culture has been significant; and the same can be said of Ridley Scott’s Alien masterpiece, Cameron's explosive sequel, Aliens; and, of course, H.R. Giger, one of the most grotesque and surreal artists the world has ever seen.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2012.