Dom Vriess

"Who were you expecting? Santa Claus?"

―Vriess (from Alien Resurrection)

Dom Vriess
Biographical Information
Date of birth	2340
Rank	Chief Mechanic
Serial number	USME3891
Affiliation	USM (formerly) Betty crew
Status	Alive as of 2381
Physical Description
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Height	5ft 5 (165.1 cm)
Hair color	Light brown
Eye color	Blue
Other Information
Notable facts	Survived Auriga Xenomorph infestation.
Portrayed by	Dominique Pinon

Dom Vriess was a mercenary and an engineer aboard the smuggling ship the Betty. Vriess and the crew of the Betty were responsible for delivering several kidnapped civilians to United Systems Military scientists aboard the USM Auriga, and he subsequently became involved in the Xenomorph outbreak and infestation aboard the ship.

Vriess was paralyzed from the waist down, requiring the use of a P.T.V. for mobility. Despite this handicap, he was one of four survivors of the Auriga incident, along with Ripley 8, Johner and the Auton Annalee Call.

Biography

Early life

In 2350, aged just 10 years old, Vriess took a job as an engineer technician at a United Systems Military shipyard, but was discharged in 2358 after repeated failures to maintain his sobriety. Several years later, in 2375, he joined up with Frank Elgyn and his smuggler crew aboard the Betty, becoming their chief mechanic.

During an operation on the planet Kawlang in 2377, where the Betty crew were acting as mercenaries, Vriess was wounded by shrapnel; the injury paralyzed him from the waist down, forcing Christie to carry him out strapped to his back in what the two came to know as the "Kawlang maneuver". Following his injury, Vriess used a P.T.V. for mobility.

Aboard the Auriga

"You wanna check the chair?"

―Vreiss to a USM soldier (from Alien Resurrection)

After the Betty docked with the Auriga, Vriess went to the USM vessel's cargo hold to scavenge supplies and spare parts. He was alone there when the Cloned Xenomorphs escaped containment and began rampaging throughout the ship. Despite his disability, he managed to defend himself against the Xenomorphs with his Collapsible Shotgun, hastily assembled from parts hidden on his P.T.V. and whistled the Popeye theme, before reuniting with the rest of his crew. When the survivors were forced to swim through a flooded galley to reach the Betty, Vriess had to abandon his wheelchair and be carried on Christie's back. Although Christie was killed by the Xenomorphs in a subsequent ambush, Vriess managed to survive.

The few remaining survivors eventually reached the Betty and escaped the Auriga before it impacted the Earth. With Vriess and Johner at the helm, the ship barely survived re-entry into the planet's atmosphere, despite a hull breach caused by the death of the Newborn on board the vessel. Vriess subsequently set the Betty down just outside of a devastated Paris, bringing the survivors home to Earth.

Personality and Traits

"Hey, Christie, do me a favour. When we hit the surface on the other side — no backstroke, OK?"

―Vriess (from Alien Resurrection)

Unlike the majority of the Betty crew, who were all hardened pirates and killers, Vriess was a simple mechanic. However, prior to his crippling injuries, Vriess had been an expert mercenary, just like the rest of his crew. He proved himself just as canny and dangerous, managing to defeat and kill a Xenomorph on his own thanks to his equipment and marksmanship. While several of his comrades treated him with scorn following his paralysis, Christie still held Vriess in high regard, and the mechanic was also close to Call, the newest member of the team. When Christie cut himself free of Vriess and plunged to his death to save him, Vriess was grief-stricken by the loss of his friend.

Equipment

Vriess' most notable piece of equipment was his motorized P.T.V., which included various points of articulation and recline to allow him to perform his primary duties as a mechanic aboard the Betty. The chair also contained parts that could be used to construct the crew's home-made concealed weapons, including a Collapsible Shotgun, a Collapsible Grenade Launcher and a small Zip Gun. As such, the P.T.V. served as a means for the Betty crew to smuggle weapons through security checkpoints. During the outbreak on the Auriga, Vriess armed himself with his shotgun.

Trivia

• In the novelization of Alien Resurrection, Vriess' fist name is given as John. However, this was later changed to Dom in Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, after the actor who plays the character (Dominique Pinon).

Appearances

• Alien Resurrection/novel/comic
• Aliens: Original Sin

Gallery

Vriess on Christie's back