Colette Ferro

"We're in the pipe, five by five."

―Cpl. Ferro (from Aliens)

Corporal Colette Ferro was a UD-4L Cheyenne Dropship pilot for the United States Colonial Marine Corps, part of 2nd Battalion Bravo Team.^[4] She was a member of the combat unit deployed to LV-426 aboard the USS Sulaco in 2179, to investigate the sudden loss of contact with the colony of Hadley's Hope. She subsequently perished as a result of the Xenomorph infestation at the colony.

During the mission to Hadley's Hope, Ferro piloted the dropship Bug Stomper, assisted by copilot Private Spunkmeyer. She was killed when a Xenomorph attacked her in-flight as she sat at the controls. Her death resulted in the loss of the dropship itself and the destruction of the squad's APC, leaving the few surviving Marines stranded and with little usable equipment.

Biography

Mission to LV-426

"OK, Ferro, take us in low over the main colony complex."

―Gorman, to Ferro (from Aliens)

Ferro during drop — Ferro during the drop to LV-426.

It was Ferro's job to deliver the Marines' APC to the surface of LV-426, as well as providing aerial reconnaissance and support during the mission. Once the colony had been secured, Ferro set down outside the complex to drop off additional supplies. Bug Stomper remained at the colony while the Marines went to the Atmosphere Processing Plant in search of surviving colonists.

Rescue attempt and death

"Well where the fu-"

―Ferro's last words, before being killed by a Warrior (from Aliens)

Ferro's death — Ferro's blood being splattered across the dropship's windshield.

After the ambush in the Hive, Corporal Hicks called Ferro in to pick up the survivors, intending to evacuate the planet immediately and destroy the entire site from orbit with nuclear weapons. Ferro responded, not knowing a Xenomorph Warrior had stowed away aboard the dropship. After presumably incapacitating Spunkmeyer in the cargo hold, the Warrior entered the cockpit, lunging at Ferro as she sat at the controls. She attempted to draw her sidearm but was savagely killed, and with no one at the controls Bug Stomper rapidly pitched into a dive and crashed, destroying the APC on the ground and badly damaging the Atmosphere Processor in the process.

Personality and Traits

"She's supposed to be some kind of consultant. Apparently, she saw an alien once!"

―Ferro, dismissing Ripley (from Aliens)

In many ways, Ferro was the stereotypical military pilot — self-confident and ice cool under pressure. Even during combat drop operations, she remained totally calm and unfazed at the controls of her dropship, despite the huge physical stresses being placed upon her as she plummeted planetward. She was unimpressed by Ripley and her story of the Alien aboard the Nostromo, dismissing her claims as the fearful ramblings of a weak-minded civilian.

Equipment

Foremost amongst Ferro's combat equipment were the UD-4L Cheyenne Dropships that she piloted, Bug Stomper and Smart Ass. When in action, she wore a standard-issue USCM flight suit and helmet, the latter of which she had customized with the words "'I Fly the Friendly Skies'" written across the front above the visor.^[5] For personal defence she carried a standard issue Heckler & Koch VP70 in a holster, which she had also customized with a lucky rabbit's foot.^[5]

Trivia

In Cameron's original treatment for Aliens, Ferro is actually a Sergeant in rank (and therefore superior to everyone else in the unit except Gorman and Apone).^[6]
Ferro bears several similarities to Lieutenant Carol "Foe Hammer" Rawley from the video game Halo: Combat Evolved, including the fact that both are dropship pilots and both are killed trying to rescue the main characters in their respective media. Considering Halo's developers have admitted that Al Apone was a direct inspiration for the character of Sergeant Major Avery Johnson from the franchise, this similarity is likely not coincidental.
Ferro is also the direct inspiration for many other female pilots in video games, including StarCraft, Gears of War and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
- Most notable of which are in Starcraft, where the dropship pilot's quotes are "In the pipe, five by five", and "Hang on, we're in for some chop."
When Ferro is reaching down to grab her pistol, you can see briefly that she has a rabbit's foot attached to her uniform.
The planet Ferro is likely named after Colette.