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Xenomorph |
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The Xenomorph Alien is a hostile fictional extraterrestrial monster of unknown origin from the Alien universe, designed by the Swiss painter H. R. Giger. The Greek word xeno means alien (not to be confused with the name of unknown extraterrestrial life) and morph means "form", a Greek term that should not be confused with the English "morph". In other words, the word xenomorph itself means little more than "alien form" and it was coined by a UA Colonial Marine in Aliens and they are called "serpents" (although they are not snakes) in the Alien Vs. Predator movie.
Xenomorphs are roughly humanoid with a skeletal or insectoid appearance. They have an elongated, cylindrical head with no eyes and a secondary jaw which can extend from the mouth, all inside a black exoskeleton.
Their prehensile tail has a sharp blade-like tip and their claws are sharp. Their blood is highly acidic. To adapt to an environment they gestate their young in hosts who live in the local environment (Alien & Aliens = Humans; Alien 3 = Dog; Alien Resurrection = Humans; Alien VS Predator = Predator.)
Xenomorphs can produce a thick, strong resin, used to cocoon victims and build hives. Socially and politically, they are hive-minded like a caste system and are ruled by a queen and the Queen Mother. They reproduce as parasitoids, and grow to full size very rapidly.
They are quick and agile, and can run along ceilings and walls. They can survive in extreme temperatures, are well-adapted to swimming, and can survive in a vacuum for short periods. Their movement tends to be silent, and they do not radiate heat as their exoskeletal temperature matches ambient temperature. They salivate profusely, and are extremely aggressive and persistent, while being totally devoid of fear. This is all combined with what seems to be an intelligence, especially exhibited by the queen.
The Alien has been portrayed in noticeably different ways throughout the films. Much of this is due to the technology and techniques used to bring it to life.
Body shape
In the movie Alien, it was portrayed as a rather bulky creature by an actor in a large costume. By the time of Alien: Resurrection, they were depicted as much faster, more slender creatures created by computer-generated imagery.
Head shape
In Aliens the xenomorph was depicted as having ridges along its cranium. In all other movies though, it was shown with a smooth head.
Fingers
The original xenomorph had six fingers, whereas the ones in the sequel had three.
Reproduction
In Alien: Director's Cut, the alien originally had a second method of reproduction, whereby he could transform humans into eggs, as shown when Ripley discovers Brett and Dallas under the landing gear at the end of the film. This offered an origin for the eggs that didn't require a queen, which seems to have been superceded (some would say merely complemented) by the queen in Aliens. None of the other films have shown this angle. Although, in Alien 3 another addition was made: that of a "super facehugger" that could impregnate two hosts with Queen and Runner embryos and was larger and darker compared to normal. This explains why both Ripley and the dog (originally an ox took this role) was impregnated from one egg. Also, the hugger in the first cut impregnated Newt and when Newt drowned the fetus crawled from her mouth and entered Ripley. The "super facehugger" was found by some of the inmates, who thought it a type of jelly-fish.
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