Xenopedia
Register
Advertisement
Xenopedia
Hurt

John Hurt's Chestbursting cameo in Spaceballs.

This article covers the known references to the Alien franchise in popular culture. Owing to the nature of the article, this list is ongoing and may not be complete.

Television[]

  • The Alien franchise has been referred to numerous times on The Simpsons:
    • In the 1994 episode "Deep Space Homer", there is an Itchy & Scratchy sketch where the characters are in space. Itchy suddenly bursts out of Scratchy's stomach, a parody of the Chestburster scene in Alien.
    • In the 1994 episode "Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song", Bart brings his dog, Santa's Little Helper, to school where the dog wanders into the vents. Groundskeeper Willie has to go in after it and track it down through the school's air ducts. The scene cuts to Principal Skinner looking at the display of a motion tracking monitor, which shows one dot approaching another. This whole sequence is a direct parody of the scene in Alien where Dallas enters the air vents to try and flush out the Alien while the rest of the crew track him using motion detectors. Also during the scene, Skinner opens a grate and peers into the overhead duct, mimicking the scene where Corporal Hicks lifting a suspended ceiling panel in Aliens, and Willie catches vague glimpses of Santa's Little Helper running past the junctions in the ductwork, similar to the Dragon in Alien3.
    • The 1995 episode "Treehouse of Horror VI" features a segment called "Homer3".
    • The 1995 episode "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds" includes a scene where ill-behaved greyhound pups burst out of a roasted turkey that has just been placed on a dining room table, reminiscent of the Chestburster scene in Alien.
    • In the 2002 episode "The Lastest Gun in the West", Snake Jailbird and several goons are seen in a shootout with the Springfield Police Department; Snake and his men are armed with M41A Pulse Rifles.
    • Alien 3 Kiss

      The Dragon kissing Ripley on The Simpsons.

      In the 2010 episode "Stealing First Base", a montage of famous kissing scenes from various classic movies is played. However, one of these is a humorous spoof of the iconic scene in Alien3 where the Dragon leers over Ripley in the infirmary — in keeping with the theme of kissing, instead of hissing threateningly, the Dragon gently kisses Ripley on the cheek with its inner jaw. This was also a reference to a repeated joke that appeared in the opening titles of the TV series The Critic (see below), which was co-created by Simpsons producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss.
    • In the 2010 episode "Treehouse of Horror XXI", when Professor Frink walks in front of his X-ray machine, an Alien embryo is seen inside him.
    • In the 2011 episode "Treehouse of Horror XXII", Maggie bursts out of Bart's chest.
    • In the 2012 episode "To Cur with Love", while Mr. Burns is giving awards, a flying mutated Blinky fish appears. In addition to wings, it has a rigid tongue with its own set of jaws, like the Xenomorph.
    • In the 2013 episode "Treehouse of Horror XXIV", during the opening sequence, an Alien is among the movie creatures and characters seen in the field next to the Simpsons' house.
    • The 2019 episode "Thanksgiving of Horror" features a story that opens with a similar premise to Alien: Covenant, featuring a colony ship on which a monster similar to a Xenomorph gets loose. The characters also wear outfits based on those seen in Alien.
  • The Alien films have been referenced several times on the British sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf:
    • In the 1988 episode "Waiting for God", Rimmer warns Lister against opening a deep space pod of unknown origin, telling him he "might get some squiggly, slimy thing stuck to [his] face", a nod to the Facehuggers from the Alien films.
    • In a later 1988 episode, "Confidence & Paranoia", Confidence tells Lister, "In space no one can hear you cha-cha-cha," a reference to Alien's tagline "In space no one can hear you scream".
    • The 1989 episode "Polymorph" revolves around the crew battling a genetically-engineered lifeform known as a Polymorph, which features several characteristics clearly inspired by the Xenomorph, not least of all its name. The creature also features a rigid proboscis that shoots from its mouth as a means of attack, similar to the Xenomorph's inner jaw, that it uses to drain emotions from its victims by attaching it to their forehead, an obvious nod to the classic Headbite. Furthermore, the creature's large, elongated head and exposed jaws are somewhat similar to the Xenomorph Queen. Coincidentally, Rimmer at one point refers to the creature as "an eight-foot tall, armor-plated killing machine", which is similar to dialogue that would later be used by Andrews to describe the Alien in Alien3.
    • RedDwarf-Narci

      The Narcissus model (foreground, bottom right) in "Psirens".

      The 1993 episode "Psirens" reused a model of the Narcissus as one of many derelict ships abandoned in an asteroid field (along with models from several other 70s/80s sci-fi films and television series).
    • A later 1993 episode, "Emohawk: Polymorph II", saw the return of the Polymorph creature, including a spayed, semi-domesticated infant Polymorph that, like its elder relative from the earlier episode, features an emotion-draining inner jaw clearly inspired by the Alien.
    • The 1999 episode "Back in the Red (Part I)" includes a joke from Holly about a spacecraft called the "Nostrilomo", obvious a play on the Nostromo from Alien.
    • Notably, actor Mac McDonald, who played Simpson in the extended Special Edition of Aliens, featured in the show's first and eighth seasons.
  • The Alien films have been referenced in animated comedy Family Guy:
    • In the 2006 episode "You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives", a cutaway gag shows a doctor taking a blood sample from somebody. Instead of blood, the doctor draws acid which burns through the floor just like in Alien. A Chestburster then bursts out of the man's chest, which the doctor calmly kills with a shotgun.
    • Family Queen

      The First Acheron Queen in Family Guy.

      In the 2007 episode "Peter's Daughter", a cutaway gag shows the First Acheron Queen confronting Ripley and Newt aboard the Sulaco. Rather than attacking them, the Queen begins talking to them in the kindly voice of Bruce the Performance Artist, even holding a conversation with its own inner jaw. This scene is included on the Anthology Archives bonus disc in the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set.
  • The Alien films have also been referenced on Family Guy's sister show American Dad!:
    • In the 2006 episode "Rough Trade", Deputy Director Bullock asks Stan to demonstrate a new "Exoskeletal Weapon System" that the CIA has designed, the suit greatly resembling the Power Loader from Aliens.
    • The 2010 episode "Great Space Roaster" features a final act that is essentially one continuous parody of Alien — after enraging Roger, the Smith family flee Earth aboard the space shuttle to escape him. However, unknown to them, Roger has stowed away aboard the vessel and attacks the family one by one in a series of sequences that parody the film. For instance, Steve wanders alone into a dark room while searching for Klaus, at which point Roger drops down behind him and attacks, mirroring Brett's fate in the film. The surviving Smiths arm themselves with flamethrowers, and at one point Stan hears Francine and Hayley screaming over the radio as Roger attacks them; he rushes through the ship as their screams continue, but instead of going to help (as Ripley did with Parker and Lambert), he goes to the escape pod and tries to leave. However, Roger has stowed away aboard the pod, just as the Alien did aboard the Narcissus.
    • In the 2011 episode "Virtual In-Sanity", Francine attacks a synthetic body being controlled by Stan with an exosuit that again resembles a black Power Loader.
  • The series has been referenced several times in South Park:
    • In the 1999 episode "Cat Orgy", Cartman watches a clip of Aliens, and then quotes the scene "They mostly come at night... Mostly" when in a similar situation. He goes on to use the line a number of different times in varying situations, such as to describe a meteor shower. One of Skyler's band members is also named Jonesy, a possible reference to Jones the cat.
    • In the 2008 episode "Imaginationland Episode II", Butters finds himself in Imaginationland just as numerous movie monsters and villains are invading. At one point, the Mayor is killed by a Xenomorph's inner jaw, before Butters runs into the Predator.
    • In the 2012 episode "Raising the Bar", when James Cameron is attempting to find "the bar", he quotes Corporal Ferro, saying, "We're in the pipe, five by five."
  • The series has also been parodied numerous on stop-motion comedy series Robot Chicken:
    • AVPchess

      Alien vs. Predator.

      In the 2005 episode "A Piece of the Action", a brief skit showed an Alien and a Predator quietly playing a game of chess, parodying the Alien vs. Predator films.
    • The 2005 episode "The Sack" featured another Alien vs. Predator skit, in which the titular characters were transposed to a television dating show, similar to long-running reality series Blind Date. The date, between Susan the Alien and Douglas the Predator, initially goes well, but when Douglas attempts to kiss Susan as he drops her off at home, she protests and eventually plungers her inner jaw into his neck. The mortally wounded Douglas then activates his Self-Destruct Device, killing them both (and the camera crew). The skit was later reused in the 2008 episode "Adultizzle Swizzle".
    • The 2005 episode "Gold Dust Gasoline" features a skit where a Cyclops exclaims, "Game over, man! Game over!"
    • The 2006 episode "Adoption's an Option" features a skit where E.T. (from the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) is sent to what appears to be the Xenomorph home world, where he encounters what appear to be modified Cloned Xenomorphs from the Alien Resurrection line of figures.
    • The 2006 episode "Metal Militia" features a skit where the character Murky says the line, "Game over, man! Game over!"
    • The 2007 episode "Shoe" features a skit where Beast Man from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe says, "Game over, man! Game over!"
    • The 2011 episode "Fool's Goldfinger" features a skit where, when Hicks kills the Xenomorph in the elevator in Aliens, its acid blood causes it to fall through many (non-existent) floors of Hadley's Hope, before falling into a city populated by Xenomorphs in human clothes. Some figures used here appear to be McFarlane or NECA Xenomorph figures.
    • The 2013 episode "Robot Fight Accident" features a skit where Elroy, a character from The Jetsons, brings back an Egg which he found on an abandoned ship. The Egg later spawns a Facehugger that impregnates him, causing a Chestburster to erupt from him. The creature escapes and returns as a fully grown Drone (in only matter of seconds). The Jetsons battle the Xenomorph (Judy with a modified MP5 meant to be flamethrower) but the creature kills all of them except for Jane (who is a parody of Ripley) before Rosie the Robot exclaims, "Get away from her, you bitch!" and shoots the Drone until its acid blood causes it to fall through the floor. The Facehugger appears to be a NECA or McFarlane figure with a custom tail and the Drone appears to be a modified McFarlane Warrior.
  • The series has been referenced several times in Mystery Science Theater 3000:
    • In the 1990 episode featuring the film Rocketship X-M, Joel's invention is a mobile drum kit/exoskeleton called the BGC-19. It closely resembles the Power Loader. A clip of Joel in the BGC-19 was used during the opening credits of the show for the whole of Joel's tenure on the series.
    • In the 1991 episode featuring the film Daddy-O, Dr. Forrester has invented the Alien Teething Nook, which he describes as "...To baby, it's a satisfying nipple. To on-lookers, it's a terrifying alien facehugger".
    • Timmy

      Timmy bites TV's Frank.

      In the 1992 episode featuring the film Fire Maidens of Outer Space, the robot Crow inadvertently creates an evil duplicate of himself (named Timmy). Timmy turns on the rest of the crew and encases the robot Tom Servo in a cocoon, while Tom begs to be killed. Joel makes a dramatic entrance (à la Ripley) and expels Timmy from an airlock with the line, "Let go of him, you bitch!" Timmy then appears in Deep 13 (the Mad Scientists' lair), where he reveals that he has an inner jaw (like the Xenomorph) which he uses to bite TV's Frank before the closing credits.
    • In the 1993 episode featuring the film Manos: Hands of Fate, Joel, Tom, and Crow performed a sketch in which they appeared to be pulled over by police during the first intermission. Tom starts yelling, "This is a bughunt, man! A bughunt!" to which Crow responds, "Game over, man! Game over!" Both lines are references to Private Hudson.
    • The host segments for the 1997 episode featuring the film I Was A Teenage Werewolf mirror the plot of the original Alien, as the Satellite of Love is besieged by a hostile alien life form. During one segment, Tom Servo enters the satellite's ducts to track the monster but gets stuck and cries. Later, the crew discovers that the alien has laid a large number of eggs on the bridge, prompting them to cook a large omelette to dispose of the eggs. Crow is more interested in reviewing the food than eliminating the threat. Mike Nelson eventually repels the alien away from the satellite with an annoying impression of singer Adam Duritz from the band Counting Crows. The alien creature itself remains largely unseen, just like the Alien in Alien.
    • Many other references to the series were made on MST3K, including frequent uses of the phrases "bug hunt" and "game over". This continued in the producers' subsequent series Cinematic Titanic and Rifftrax.
  • The series has been referenced several times on Saturday Night Live:
    • In a 1986 episode hosted by Sigourney Weaver, one sketch was a parody of Aliens with the Xenomorph replaced by the lovable alien from the film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. Weaver appeared in character as Ripley, with Dennis Miller as Bishop, Jon Lovitz as Burke, Dana Carvey as Hudson, and Phil Hartman as Hicks.
    • A 1995 episode hosted by Paul Reiser included a sketch where Reiser parodied his appearance in Aliens. Entitled "Mad About You Alien", the sketch presented Reiser as a character that was an amalgamation of Carter Burke and Paul Buchman (his character from the popular TV sitcom Mad About You) living with an Alien (his spouse) in an apartment in New York City. A portion of the sketch mimicked Burke's deleted death scene, showing Cousin Ira (from Mad About You) cocooned and begging Reiser to kill him.
  • The Alien films have also been referenced several times in the long-running British sci-fi series Doctor Who:
    • In the 2013 episode "Cold War", the episode's main monster, an Ice Warrior, often attacks members of the crew from the ventilation shafts, a nod to the Alien films.
    • In the 2014 episode "Last Christmas", Professor Albert comments that the episode's main "monsters", dream crabs, are like Facehuggers. The Doctor is confused by the term, and the character explains that it is from the horror film Alien. The Doctor claims the film's title is offensive, and uses it as an example as to why Earth is often invaded by extraterrestrials. Later, a character wakes up from a dream crab-induced state an finds a "to-do" list for Christmas, with the first item being watching Alien.
    • Furthermore, several actors that have appeared in the Alien franchise have also appeared in episodes of Doctor Who.
  • In the Zig and Sharko episode "The Invader" a Xenomorph can be seen.
  • The Alien franchise has been referenced several times in the animated series Animaniacs:
    • The 1993 episode "Taming of the Screwy" features a Xenomorph and Ripley (in her prison uniform) at a table.
    • A later 1993 two-part episode, "Space Probed/Battle for the Planet", involves the Animaniacs being abducted by alien creatures. During part one, "Space Probed", the scene in Alien where the full-size creature is first revealed to the audience is spoofed — Dot is exploring the spaceship when the alien drops down on some chains behind her. The design of the creature is also almost identical to that in the film.
  • The sci-fi series The Expanse has routinely included references to the Alien film series, especially Aliens:
    • Donnager self destruct

      The Donnager's self destruct readout in The Expanse.

      In the 2015 episode "CQB", the self destruct readout seen aboard the MCRN Donnager is based on the instructions Ripley reads when setting the Nostromo's self destruct in Alien.
    • In the 2019 episode "Subduction", a "BAY 12" sign is seen on Mars, referencing dialogue from Sergeant Apone in Aliens.
    • The 2022 episode "Babylon's Ashes" features a scene where soldiers' lifesigns are displayed on a bank of monitors in a command center, much like Aliens. The monitors also show that squad Bravo includes troopers named "RIPLEY, E", "VASQUEZ, J", "HICKS, D" and "HUDSON, W". Additionally, squad Bravo includes a soldier named "DECKARD, R", a further nod to the film Blade Runner.
  • The television series Stranger Things, among numerous homages to popular 80s films, includes several references to the Alien series:
    • The show's humanoid monster, the Demogorgon, includes many similarities to the Alien, such as using humans as live incubators and trapping its victims in slime that it frequently leaves behind as sign that it has passed. Similarly, the design of the realm from which the creature originates shares many visual similarities with LV-426.
    • The show features a character named David O'Bannon, a reference to Dan O'Bannon, the writer of Alien.
    • When Joyce discovers her son Jonathan being attacked by the Demogorgon, she paraphrases Ripley in Aliens and yells at it, "Get away from him, you son of a bitch!"
    • Stranger Aliens

      The Stranger Things season 2 poster.

      One of the posters produced to advertise season 2 of the series was an homage to the theatrical poster for Alien, complete with the tagline "In the Upside Down, no one can hear you scream".
  • Several contestant robots entered into the British robot combat game show Robot Wars were directly inspired by the Alien series and its titular creature:
    • A robot named Xenomorph was entered into Robot Wars: The Third Wars in 1999 but failed to qualify for the heats. The robot featured an exterior modelled after the Alien and H. R. Giger's distinctive artwork.
    • A robot from Holland named Alien Destructor featured in series 1 of Robot Wars Extreme in 2001. Alien Destructor was styled after the Alien, as noted by commentator Jonathan Pearce in the show. As well as exterior decoration reminiscent of H. R. Giger's biomechanical artwork, the robot also featured a pneumatic spike weapon emerging from a mouth at the front, reminiscent of the Xenomorph's inner jaw.
    • A second robot named Xenomorph (unrelated to the first) was entered into Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars in 2007. Appearing in Heat O, Xenomorph was named after the creature from the Alien series and featured similar biomechanical styling on its upper body.
  • The 1987 episode "The Case of the Killer Pizzas" of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles features monsters who look similar the Xenomorph.
Baby_Animal_awakens_on_USS_Sulaco

Baby Animal awakens on USS Sulaco

The opening of "Nanny's Day Off".

  • In the 1988 episode "Nanny's Day Off" of Muppet Babies, the opening uses footage from Aliens. After the opening credits, a sequence of shots establishing the USS Sulaco from space and the vessel's interior segue into animation of Baby Animal being awakened from a stasis chamber. Harry Dean Stanton, Ian Holm and John Hurt have all appeared in Muppet releated media.
  • In a 1988 episode of the anime Dragon Ball, the text shown on screen when Major Metallitron scans Goku is based on the exchange between Ripley and Mother in Alien, when she learns of Special Order 937.
  • In a 1991 episode of the anime Dragon Ball Z, the supervillain Frieza takes on his third transformation, which looks notably similar to the Drone Xenomorph, mainly due to his elongated skull and dorsal spikes.
Critic

From The Critic

  • The 1994 animated series The Critic featured a short gag that was re-used during the opening titles of several episodes. It shows a Ripley-type character being menaced by a Xenomorph-type being; the creature exposes its inner jaw, which then kisses the woman on the cheek.
  • The 1994 episode "The Long Dark" of sci-fi series Babylon 5 features several similarities with Aliens. For instance, the episode begins with a lone woman being rescued from a ship that has drifted for an extended period of time in deep space — a three-man team from Babylon 5 boards the vessel and finds the woman alive inside a cryogenic pod, mirroring Ripley's rescue at the beginning of Aliens; at one point, Dr. Franklin wipes away the ice covering the woman's cryo tube to reveal her lying within, just as Jernigan did aboard the Narcissus. Later, Franklin breaks the news of the woman's extended period adrift while she recovers in a hospital bed, mirroring the scene between Ripley and Burke aboard Gateway. It is subsequently revealed that a malevolent creature was also aboard the woman's ship and is now on Babylon 5, killing its inhabitants.
  • In the 1996 episode "Tentacles of Doom" of British sitcom Father Ted, Father Dougal is told the elderly Bishop Jordan has recently suffered a heart attack and should not be subjected to sudden scares; moments later Dougal suddenly begins screaming hysterically, scaring the bishop. When Father Ted berates him, Dougal explains, "I just remembered Aliens is on after the news," going on to add, "It's the director's cut! Let's have a lads' night in."
  • In the 1996 episode "Frozen Dick" of sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, Harry gets a job at a video store. When one customer asks where he can find a copy of Aliens, Harry (himself an alien) starts to back off and nervously insists that there aren't any aliens in the store.
  • The 1998 episode "Pond Scum" of animated series The Angry Beavers features a scene where Daggett tries to block Norbert from leaving the kitchen, at which point his mouth opens and his tongue extends, with pond scum on it, a reference to the Alien's inner jaw.
  • In the 1999 episode "Winter" of sitcom The Vicar of Dibley, Alice states that she watched a birthing video that has made her very anxious about the impending birth of her child, stating, "I don't want my baby bursting through my stomach like that..." Geraldine subsequently points out she had in fact been watching Alien.
  • The 2001 episode "Dark Harvest" of the animated series Invader Zim featured a climax that is a parody of Alien.
  • In the 2001 episode "A Walk in the Woods" of the drama series ER, Dr. Elizabeth Corday mentions the chestbursting scene from Alien to her fiancé Dr. Mark Greene when reflecting on her pregnancy.
  • The 2001 episode "Halloween Spectacular of Spooky Doom" of the animated series Invader Zim, GIR is seen wearing a Xenomorph costume.
  • The 2002 episode "Lice" of the animated series Invader Zim, when the Countess is about to grind Zim's skin, she says, "Close your eyes, baby," quoting the phrase Ripley utters to Newt when the Queen has them cornered in Aliens.
Firefly-weyland-yutani

The Weyland-Yutani logo in Firefly.

  • In the 2002 pilot episode of Firefly, Mal Reynolds is seen using a machine gun turret in a flashback sequence. At the top of the turret's targeting system, the Weyland-Yutani logo can be seen. The targeting screen also reveals the name of the weapon to be "UA 571-D Ground Sentry", an obvious reference to the UA 571-C Automated Sentry Guns used in the extended Special Edition of Aliens. Firefly was created by Alien Resurrection writer Joss Whedon.
  • The 2002 episode "Operation: L.I.C.E." of animated series Codename: Kids Next Door is a parody of both Alien and Aliens.
  • The 2003 episode "End of Take" of the French animated series Code Lyoko features an Alien creature prop bought to life by the antagonist A.I, X.A.N.A. The creature prop greatly resembles a Xenomorph, with one of the characters even pointing out the similarity before being briskly cut-off.
  • In the 2004 episode "Harm's Way" of Angel, Weyland-Yutani is revealed to be a client of evil interdimensional law firm Wolfram & Hart. Angel was also co-created by Whedon.
  • In the 2006 episode "Greeks Bearing Gifts" of Torchwood, Toshiko examines a skeleton with a mysterious puncture through its ribcage and compares it to "that bit in Alien where that thing bursts out of John Hurt".
  • In the 2007 episode "Baby" of sitcom Not Going Out, Lee attempts to calm a crying baby by pretending they are in space, telling the child they can go and meet some aliens. When this simply makes the baby cry even more, Lee tells him he meant nice aliens, "not the hideous type that jumped out of John Hurt's chest".
  • The 2007 TV movie Battlestar Galactica: Razor, part of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica series, includes several references to Aliens in its final act, including a Marine member of the strikeforce that boards the Guardian baseship being named Hudson. Several lines of dialogue from Aliens are also repeated/paraphrased during this sequence, including, "Knock it off, Hudson," and, "Stay frosty."
  • In the 2008 episode "Kevin's Big Score" of animated series Ben 10: Alien Force, a gun that appears to be an M41A Pulse Rifle is found in the Rust Bucket's gun rack when Kevin shows Argit the hidden alien tech.
  • The 2008 episode "One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" of animated series Phineas and Ferb featured a monster of the Fireside Girls that features a tongue-head, in reference to the Xenomorph.
  • In the 2008 Wallace and Gromit short A Matter of Load and Death, Wallace attempts to escape from the murderous Piella Bakewell by crawling through a covered channel in the floor, leading Piella to tear up the grated covers in her efforts to reach him, mimicking the Queen's pursuit of Newt in the finale of Aliens. Immediately after this, Piella's poodle Fluffles confronts Piella driving a yellow forklift-like vehicle with mounted arms (fitted with giant oven mitts), a nod to the Power Loader and its fight with the Queen in Aliens. Additionally, the forklift is first revealed in a dramatic backlit shot highly reminiscent of the similar Power Loader reveal before the final battle in Aliens, while the music that plays during this shot also mimics James Horner's percussive score from the film.
  • The 2009 episode "Alien" of the found-footage series Lost Tapes features a titular creature that shares some characteristics with the Xenomorph species, most notably an endoparasitic lifecycle and an insectoid form. It also attacks its victims from the ceiling and air vents in a nod to Alien.
  • In 2009 episode "The Grape Worm" of animated series Chowder, a grape worm named Jam pops out of Chowder's belly button, similar to how Chestbursters burst out of their victims' chests and stomachs.
  • In the 2010 episode "We Can't Win" of the television series remake V, Weyland-Yutani is seen written on a name plate at a presentation of alien technology to various companies on Earth.
  • The 2010 Halloween episode of "Community" featured Troy and Abed wearing Aliens-themed costumes. Abed is dressed as a Xenomorph, while Troy wears a homemade Power Loader costume. When it fails to impress women, Troy removes his costume, which disappoints Abed. Troy later puts the Power Loader costume back on, hoping it will offer some protection as he makes his way through the student body which has been infected by a biological agent (it doesn't).
ARCHER

USCM armor in Archer.

  • The 2012 two-part season 3 finale of the animated comedy Archer, "Space Race", contains numerous references to Aliens. Most notably, the crew of the space station Horizon use the "M41 Mark 2 Plasma Pulse Rifle with concussion grenade launcher", which is clearly a reference to the M41A Pulse Rifle. Whilst aboard Horizon, several members of Archer's team wear armor very reminiscent of the M3 Pattern Personal Armor seen in the film; the armor that Archer wears is even customized with a dagger/skull/crossbones logo and love-knot, just like Hudson in Aliens. Part II of the episode also features an exosuit clearly based on the Caterpillar P-5000 Powered Work Loader.
  • In 2012 episode "Summerween" of animated series Gravity Falls, Mabel's pet pig Waddles bursts out of Stan's pajamas in order to scare trick-or-treating boys, who demand candies for failing to scare them.
  • In the 2013 episode "Skiing" of British sitcom Not Going Out, Daisy mentions that her mother used to show her a birthing video annually, but "then Alien came out on video and we watched that instead".
  • The 2013 episode "Murder on the Planet Express" of animated comedy Futurama is heavily inspired by Alien, with a plot that revolves around the crew of the titular spacecraft becoming trapped aboard the vessel with a horrific alien creature. The episode also includes a scene where Hermes and Dr. Zoidberg are crawling through air vents and tracking the creature on a motion tracker.
  • In the 2015 episode "Couples Costume" of sitcom The Goldbergs, Adam and his girlfriend Dana dress up as an Alien and Ripley, respectively, for Halloween. Beverly also dresses as a Predator in the episode.
  • In the 2016 animated reconstruction of the 1966 Doctor Who serial "The Power of the Daleks", the Weyland-Yutani logo can be seen on a communications device in the governor's office.
  • In the 2017 episode "Berks to the Future" of The Grand Tour, Richard Hammond states that his third attempt at a home-made armored survivalist car was modelled after the APC from Aliens, stating, "If it can protect Sigourney Weaver from that metal bitey thing with teeth, it can keep me safe from Jeremy Clarkson and James May."
  • In April 2017, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired an Alien sketch segment featuring Sigourney Weaver. The segment began with footage from Aliens, showing Gateway Station in orbit around Earth, continuing to show Colbert as an attendant named Randy who is managing the medical center reception desk, and who proceeds to react to a Xenomorph-implanted Ripley in a variety of comedic ways. Their subsequent exchange incorporated various references to the Alien series, including direct quotes from some of the films.
  • In the 2017 episode "Time to Pick Some Names" of the manga series My Hero Academia, one of the students in the chooses the name "Alien Queen". Teacher Midnight makes the comparison to a "bug with acidic blood", a clear reference to the Xenomorph.
  • Alien has even been referenced, somewhat incongruously, in animated children's series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic:
    • In the 2011 episode "May the Best Pet Win!", Rarity's cat, Opalescence, sticks out of the mouth of the Angel/Gummy/Owlowiscious hybrid in Rainbow Dash's nightmare, mimicking the way the Xenomorphs can extend its inner jaw.
    • In the 2011 episode "Secret of My Excess", the scene where Pinkie Pie throws cakes at Spike features music extremely reminiscent of music found in Aliens.
    • In the 2013 episode "Princess Twilight Sparkle (Part 2)", black creatures similar to Facehuggers appear, although the creatures spray some kind of gas from where the Facehugger's impregnation proboscis is found in the films. One of the creatures even appears to try and jump onto Twilight's face, before the other ponies tie them up.
    • In the 2013 episode "Bats!", Rarity approaches a tree in an attempt to help round up vampire fruit bats. She is wearing a helmet similar to the helmet Kane wears in Alien, and when she reaches the tree, an apple falls on the helmet, prompting a nearby fruit bat to latch onto it and begin licking the apple sauce off of it. This scene is highly reminiscent of the scene from Alien, where Kane approaches an egg, after which a Facehugger latches on to his helmet.

Commercials[]

Alien_Pepsi_Commercial

Alien Pepsi Commercial

The Pepsi commercial with a Runner.

  • In a 1991 Pepsi commercial, two teenage boys are being chased by a Runner. Eventually, the Runner catches up to them and one boy hands the Xenomorph a can of Pepsi, which the Runner drinks. The Alien then extends its inner jaw towards the other boy and burps before leaving. The costume used for the Runner in this commercial appears to be an actual prop from Alien3, although the date in the commercial (1991) is actually a year before the release of the film.
  • In the theatrical trailer for the 1994 film Blown Away, music from the theatrical trailer of Aliens is used.
  • In the TV trailer for the 1998 film Apt Pupil, music from the theatrical trailer of Aliens is used.
  • In a 2004 Nik Naks advert first aired in the UK, a man eating Nik Naks starts convulsing, and a giant Nik-Nak bursts out of him. The people around him, who bear some resemblance to the cast of Alien, start dancing.

Movies[]

  • The 1981 film Outland has been noted as bearing abundant stylistic similarities to Alien. In fact, the film's similarities to Alien are obvious enough that fans sometimes consider Outland something of an unofficial spin-off, an unrelated story set within the same fictional universe.[1]
    • Most obviously, the film's "future realism" production design is remarkably similar to the used-future look of Alien. Many of the same production crew worked on both films.
    • Outland deals with similar themes of corporate greed and indifference to human life in a blue-collar setting, and Con-Amalgamate, the company that runs the mining colony in the film, bears obvious parallels to Weyland-Yutani.
    • Composer Jerry Goldsmith provided the score for both Alien and Outland.
    • The similarities between the two movies extend to their merchandise — both had novelizations written by Alan Dean Foster and both were adapted as comic books by Heavy Metal magazine.
    • In a further connection, the Con-Am space suits worn by the workers in Outland were later re-purposed by James Cameron for the costumes worn by Jernigan and his salvage team in Aliens.[2]
  • In the 1982 film Blade Runner, the flying police spinners feature computer graphics seen aboard the Nostromo on their on-board monitors. Additionally, the ambience used in the medical bay in Alien can also be heard in Deckard's apartment. Blade Runner was directed by Ridley Scott, the director of Alien. Much like Outland, the general aesthetic similarities between Blade Runner and the Alien franchise have long been noted by fans, and many years later, an oblique but obvious reference to the events of Blade Runner was included among the bonus features on the Blu-ray release for Prometheus (although it seems likely this was intended as nothing more than an in-joke).
  • In the 1984 film 2010: The Year We Make Contact, Curnow quips to Brailovsky, "Whatever you do, don't go chasing after the ship's cat," when the pair are exploring the derelict Discovery spacecraft.
  • In the 1985 film Fletch, Chevy Chase wears a blue USCSS Nostromo baseball-style cap towards the end of the film.
  • The 1985 film A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge features a sequence reminiscent of the Chestburster scene in Alien. In the scene, Jesse is possessed by Freddy Krueger while sleeping in his friend Ron's room. Jesse begins choking and convulsing, and moments later Freddy rips his way out of Jesse's chest, mirroring Kane's demise.
  • In the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a freshman asks Ferris over the phone how serious his (fictitious) stomach cramps are, to which Ferris responds, "Well, did you see Alien? When that, uh... creature was in that guy's stomach? It kind of feels like that."
  • The 1987 Star Wars spoof Spaceballs features a cameo from John Hurt (who played Kane in Alien) as a patron in a diner. As he eats, a Chestburster erupts from him, to which Hurt mutters, "Oh no, not again!" before the creature dons a hat and cane and sings a rendition of "Hello! Ma Baby" as it dances along the diner's counter. Hurt even wears the exact same outfit as Kane in the scene. This scene is included on the Anthology Archives bonus disc in the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set and was later referenced in an Easter egg in Aliens: Colonial Marines.
  • The 1988 action movie Die Hard (directed by John McTiernan) featured the previously unused first part of the track "Resolution and Hyperspace" from the Aliens soundtrack. It is used when the terrorist Karl emerges from the Nakatomi building after his apparent death and attempts to kill John McClane. The track was originally only placed in Die Hard as temporary source music until the film's composer, Michael Kamen, could write his own cue for the scene. However, director McTiernan liked it so much the track was retained in the finished film.
  • The 1989 Roger Corman film The Terror Within liberally recycles plot points, scenes, characters and even dialogue from Alien. For example, the movie features an alien monster that attaches to someone's face, a chestbursting scene, and a sequence where the commander character crawls through a vent system looking for the creature. One of the characters is a virtual facsimile of Brett, even wearing a Hawaiian shirt, one of the supporting female characters is promoted to hero as the film progresses, just like Ripley, and the team has a pet dog, mirroring Jones the cat.
  • In the 1990 film Xtro II: The Second Encounter (which has been sometimes regarded as an Aliens clone), a marine uses a uses giant, torso-mounted machine gun very similar to the M56 Smartgun. Also in the film, a monster bursts out of woman's abdomen.
  • The 1990 film Navy SEALs features a scene where one of the titular SEALs yells, "Eat this!" before destroying an armored car with a missile launcher. Afterwards, another member of the SEAL team comments, "Outstanding." Both lines are quotes from Hicks in Aliens; Navy SEALs features Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton in lead roles, both of whom played Colonial Marines in Aliens (Biehn being the actor who played Hicks).
  • In the 1991 film Suburban Commando, protagonist interstellar warrior Shep Ramsey asks for new missions, one of them being a "big bug hunt for creatures that bleed acid".
  • The 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgment Day recycles a scene originally cut from Aliens (but later reinstated in its extended Special Edition) almost verbatim. In it, an employee flags down his supervisor in a busy office and they walk together, discussing the behavior of their employer before the more senior man ends their conversation with a line about their employer always responding to sensitive questions with the phrase "don't ask". The whole sequence is almost identical to that featuring Simpson and Lydecker in the Special Edition of Aliens. Terminator 2 was written and directed by James Cameron, who also wrote and directed Aliens.
  • The 1991 Roger Corman film Dead Space (unrelated to the video game series of the same name) features a monster that bears marked similarities to the Xenomorph Queen, including a large crest atop its head and jaws that protrude from the front of its skull. The film also features a scene where a monster bursts from a man's chest.
  • The 1994 film Death Machine contains characters called Weyland and Yutani, as well as a character named Scott Ridley (an obvious reference to Ridley Scott, director of Alien). Furthermore, Death Machine was directed by Stephen Norrington, who previously worked as a special effects artist on Aliens.
WhackaAlien

"Whack-a-Alien" in Toy Story.

  • The 1995 animated film Toy Story shows an arcade game known as "Whack-a-Alien", a variation on the classic Whac-a-Mole game where players must use a mallet to hit creatures resembling Chestbursters as they pop out of an astronaut's torso.
  • In the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, one of the larger forms of the kaiju Destoroyah has a secondary inner jaw that shots from its mouth as a form of attack. In the 2014 installment of the franchise, the antagonistic MUTO are said to draw inspiration from the Xenomorphs, wit htheir glossy black exoskeletons, and parasitic lifestyle.
  • The 1995 film Species features a scene where human-alien hybrid offspring fatally burst from their human mothers' stomachs, similar to the Chestburster. The titular alien creature in the Species series and its evolved form seen in Species 2 were in fact designed by H. R. Giger.
  • At the end of the 1996 film Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the genie says "Game over, man!"
  • In the 1997 film Starship Troopers, the soldiers of the Mobile Infantry are armed with the "Morita Assault Rifle", which incorporates a built-in pump-action shotgun beneath the main barrel, an arrangement strikingly similar to the M41A Pulse Rifle's grenade launcher. Coincidentally, Aliens director James Cameron had the cast of his movie read the original Starship Troopers novel as part of their preparation, given its similarities to aspects of Aliens' plot.
  • In the 1998 film Solider, the "USCM Smartgun" is listed among Todd's ordnance levels (seen both on a computer display and tattooed on his arm).
  • The 1999 film Instinct features an exchange between Dr. Theo Caulder and an inmate in a mental asylum in which they discuss why the inmate killed his neighbor — the man claims his neighbor had a demon inside her, before asking if Caulder has ever seen Alien. When Caulder responds that he has and asks if the demon was the Alien, the inmate responds that the demon was actually Sigourney Weaver.
  • In the 2001 film K-Pax, the protagonist, an alien from the titular planet says, "I'm an alien. Don't worry, I'm not going to leap out of your chest," in reference to the Xenomorph.
  • In the 2002 animated short film The ChubbChubbs!, there is a very short cameo appearance from a Drone in a bar at the beginning.
Equilibrium APC

The Aliens-inspired APC in Equilibirum.

  • In the 2002 film Equilibrium, several of the white armored cars used by the Tetragrammaton security forces look almost identical to the APC from Aliens, albeit with the nose gun turret removed and the roof turret replaced by a pair of large exposed autocannons placed slightly further forwards on the body.
  • In the 2003 film Dreamcatcher, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, the extraterrestrial parasite attempting to take over the Earth is named "Ripley" by the US military, in honor of Ellen Ripley and the Alien franchise. The creature's larval stage is also somewhat similar to the Chestburster in that it develops inside a human host, later violently emerging from them and killing them. Unlike Chestbursters, however, they emerge from the victim's rectum. Additionally, one of the characters in the film is called Jonesy.
  • The 2003 movie Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines contains a scene in which the antagonistic T-X scrolls through a list of replacement weapons after its primary weapon is destroyed. Two of these possible replacements are the M41 Pulse Rifle and the M41A Pulse Rifle.
  • In the 2004 film The Girl Next Door, an Alien poster can be seen on the wall in a room. The film also stars James Remar, the actor originally cast as Corporal Hicks in Aliens.
  • In the 2004 animated film Shrek 2, when Puss in Boots attacks Shrek, he crawls into Shrek's shirt and then bursts out of it like the Chestburster.
  • In the 2005 animated film Chicken Little, when Chicken Little, Runt of the Litter and Abby Mallard enter the alien spaceship looking for Fish out of the Water, Runt says that maybe the aliens want to incubate their babies in him, or perhaps put his skull on the wall like a trophy. This is a reference to both the Alien and Predator films.
  • The 2005 film DOOM, an adaptation of the video game series of the same name, bears several similarities to Aliens, not least of all its plot, which revolves around a team of hardened but laid-back soldiers investigating an abandoned extraterrestrial colony that has been overrun by voracious alien creatures. Additionally, many of the weapons carried by the soldiers feature LCD ammo counters like the Pulse Rifle, while one scene has a character lift a ceiling tile with the barrel of his weapon to peer inside, just like Hicks in Aliens.
  • The 2007 film AVH: Alien vs. Hunter is an obvious rip-off or "mockbuster" of Alien vs. Predator (which was released in the United States under the title AVP: Alien vs. Predator). The film's plot likewise involves two hostile alien species doing battle on Earth, with humans caught in between. The titular spideroid "Alien", despite being an eight-legged creature, also shares some superficial similarities with the Xenomorph, namely its elongated, smooth cranium. The film's release was timed to coincide with Alien vs. Predator's sequel, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.
  • Soldiers in the 2008 film Starship Troopers 3: Marauder are armed with the "Morita III Assault Rifle", which is described as using an electronic pulse action to fire 10×50mm caseless ammunition and features a built-in grenade launcher — all features that it shares with the M41A Pulse Rifle.
  • In the 2008 film Death Race, America's prison system is depicted as being privately run by an immoral company called the Weyland Corporation. The Weyland Corporation returns in the same role in the prequel films Death Race 2 and Death Race 3: Inferno.
Planet-51-alien-dog

"Dog" from Planet 51.

  • In the 2009 animated film Planet 51, the "dog" on the titular planet resembles a Xenomorph. It has no eyes, a short dome-shaped head, short dorsal tubes on its back, a long tail and a tongue that it can shoot out of its mouth. It is also grey and has acid urine. At the end of the film, the "dog" sneaks aboard the astronaut's ship and goes up into space with him. The same astronaut character also tells a young alien boy, "In space nobody can hear you scream!"
  • The 2009 film Avatar (also directed by James Cameron) features several similarities to Aliens:
    • The film prominently features a corporation known as the RDA, which at one point is referred to as "the Company", similarly to Weyland-Yutani. The two corporations bear notable similarities beyond this nickname, including resource-mongering and a lack of ethical concerns.
    • The RDA employs a military branch similar to the USCM, both in terms of its structure and the equipment it uses.
    • Among this equipment used by the RDA is the "Amplified Mobility Platform", a large combat exosuit similar to the Power Loader from Aliens; in fact, the AMP suit bears a striking resemblance to a piece of unused Power Loader concept art created for Aliens by Syd Mead. Towards the end of the film, one of these AMP suits is used to fight a large Thantor creature, similar to Ripley's duel with the Queen in Aliens.
    • The RDA also uses an irritant chemical weapon named CN20, the same name as the nerve gas suggested by Vasquez in Aliens.
    • Michael Biehn, who played Hicks, was considered for the role of Colonel Miles Quaritch in Avatar, before the part eventually went to Steven Lang (who, ironically, had auditioned unsuccessfully for the part of Hicks in Aliens).[3]
  • In the 2009 animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, a talking Chestburster-like creature bursts out of an astronaut's chest as he sits in a bar, going on to steal his beer. Later, the Xenomorph Queen is seen waiting in line for valet parking.
  • In the 2010 film The Rig, the company that owns the titular oil rig is called Weyland Drilling Corp, in reference to the Alien series. The company also uses a similar logo. Both Alien and The Rig deal with a small group of blue-collar workers trapped in a restricted space being stalked by a voracious killer monster.
  • In the 2011 film Paul, Tara Walton quotes Ripley's famous line, "Get away from her, you bitch!" Ironically, Walton says it just before punching a character played by Sigourney Weaver (who played Ripley). Weaver's role in Paul is a clear homage to her role in the Alien series. Furthermore, star Simon Pegg has stated that he would like to film a sequel to Paul called "Pauls",[4] a clear reference to how Aliens added an "s" to the end of the previous film's title.
  • In the 2012 film Cabin in the Woods, a creature (described as being "Gigeresque" in the film's novelization) reminiscent of a Facehugger is seen during the climax sequence where the monsters run amok in the bunker. The creature is seen leaping out of an elevator and on to a security guard, killing him as he fires wildly into the air and causing its acidic blood to spill out in the process. Though it is a stretch, another monster vaguely reminiscent of a Xenomorph in terms of appearance and demeanor is shown stalking an employee from the perspective of a security camera. Notably, the film stars Sigourney Weaver in a cameo role and was produced by Alien Resurrection writer Joss Whedon.
  • In the 2012 film Chronicle, the character Matt Garetty wears a USCSS Nostromo T-shirt during the final confrontation with Andrew Detmer.
TedAliens

Ted has his Bishop moment.

  • In the 2012 film Ted, the titular sentient teddy bear mutters, "Jesus, I look like the robot from Aliens," after he is torn in half near the film's end. Earlier in the film, he also performs the knife game on another person, again like Bishop in Aliens, except he ends up nailing the man's hand to the table on account of being intoxicated.
  • In the 2013 film Despicable Me 2, there is a scene where El Macho's guard chicken, Pollito, jumps inside Gru's shirt. Gru subsequently falls back onto a table and the chicken bursts through the clothing over his chest, mimicking a Chestburster.
  • In the 2013 film The World's End, Gary and Oliver mention that they "recreated the knife scene from Aliens" in their youth, only Gary accidentally stabbed Oliver in the finger. Later in the film, Oliver is ironically revealed to be a robot, as is Bishop during the knife scene when he nicks his finger with the knife.
  • In the 2013 film The Wolverine, Wolverine mistakenly identifies Noburo as "Nostromo" when he is unable to remember his name.
  • The 2013 film Elysium features two mercenaries named Drake and Crowe; given that director Neill Blomkamp has admitted to being a huge fan of Aliens, this may well be a reference to that film. Blomkamp was later attached to direct Alien 5, but the project was ultimately cancelled.
  • The 2015 film Jurassic World features a scene in which the Indominus rex attacks the Asset Containment Unit (ACU) troopers dispatched to capture it in a sequence highly reminiscent of the Hive ambush in Aliens. For instance, the ACU team is equipped with cameras and vital sign monitors on their persons, the readouts from which are displayed on view screens in the park's control center for their superiors to view. The team is also equipped with motion sensors to track the Indominus. When the squad is attacked, the troopers are quickly decimated, with their vital signs flatlining as they are killed by the creature. Moments before the ambush begins, Owen implores those in command to pull the team out but is overruled — mirroring how Ripley tries to convince Lieutenant Gorman to pull back the Marines in Aliens. Additionally, in a later scene, an InGen Security operative is dragged to his death by a Velociraptor, the incident seen through the feed from his mounted camera, mirroring Wierzbowski's demise in Aliens.
  • In the 2016 film Deadpool, Deadpool responds to seeing the shaven-headed Negasonic Teenage Warhead with the line, "Ripley! From Alien3!"
  • The 2016 animated film Zootopia features a scene in young Judy's imagination where she has a ketchup bottle squirting out of her chest, imitating the birth of a Chestburster.
  • The 2016 animated film The Secret Life of Pets features a scene where Beard Dragon pops out of Tattoo's shirt like a Chestburster to scare a woman.
  • The 2017 film xXx: Return of Xander Cage includes a scene where a member of Xander's team asks, "Why don't we just nuke this bitch from orbit and call it a day?" in reference to the movie's villain.
  • The 2018 film Ready Player One, among its many pop culture references, features several direct references to the Alien series:
    • One of the ship's in Aech's collection is the Sulaco from Aliens.
    • Having disguised herself as Goro from the Mortal Kombat franchise to avoid harassment, Art3mis uses a Chestburster hand puppet to burst out of the costume, punching it through Goro's chest from within. The Alien itself has appeared as a playable character in Mortal Kombat X.
    • A Cheyenne dropship from Aliens is among the spacecraft seen queuing to get into the Distracted Globe nightclub.
    • Art3mis uses an M41A Pulse Rifle during the shootout in The Distracted Globe, and again during the battle on Planet Doom.
  • In the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War, there is a sequence in which Peter Parker, Tony Stark, and the Cape of Levitation are trying to rescue Doctor Strange from Ebony Maw. During this sequence, Peter asks Tony if he’s ever "seen that really old movie Aliens?" In the confrontation afterward, Peter creates a hull breach, ejecting Ebony Maw into space where he freezes to death, mirroring Ripley's final encounter with the Xenomorph in Alien and her final encounter with the Queen in Aliens. Later on, Peter references Aliens again, warning the others that if any aliens appear and try to lay eggs in his chest he won’t be happy. When Mantis appears moments later, he proceeds to freak out and voice his fears that she wants to impregnate him with her alien eggs.
  • In the 2020 film Underwater, the sling made by Captain Lucien for his injured arm has the Weyland Corp logo on the fabric patch sew into it.

Trailers[]

  • The theatrical trailers for the 1991 film Terminator 2: Judgement Day feature text that is "printed" on-screen by a wipe effect almost identical to the laser used by Jernigan and his crew to scan the Narcissus in Aliens; not only is the visual effect itself almost identical, but it also uses similar sound effects.

Video Games[]

  • In Popeye 3: WrestleCrazy (1992), a fighting game based on the long running comic srip Popeye, a xenomorph appears as one of the enemies that Popeye fights against.
  • There are multiple references to the films of the Alien franchise, specifically Aliens, in the Halo series of video games. Halo's developers, Bungie, have admitted to taking inspiration from the film. References include:
    • The UNSC Marines are comparable to the USCM in terms of armor design, behavior (characteristics and personality), overall role and means of deployment.
    • JohnsonHalo

      Sergeant Major Johnson in Halo 3.

      Sergeant Major Avery Johnson bears many obvious similarities to Sergeant Apone, both being hardened, cigar-chomping, African-American non-coms; Bungie have admitted that they in fact based Johnson on the character from Aliens.[5]
    • Lieutenant Carol "Foe Hammer" Rawley from Halo: Combat Evolved bears similarities to Corporal Ferro, including the fact that both are dropship pilots and both are killed trying to rescue the main characters in their respective media.
    • The D77-TC Pelican dropship is based on the Cheyenne from Aliens. Many of the interstellar vessels used by the UNSC are also visibly similar to the Conestoga-class ships in the Alien series.
    • The headdress worn by the Covenant Councillors in the games resembles the head crest of Xenomorph Queens.
    • Numerous lines of dialogue from Aliens are paraphrased or referenced in the Halo games. These include Hicks' "Short, controlled bursts" line.
    • Jones the cat is repeatedly referenced throughout the games.
    • The ammo counters of the MA5 series of assault rifles is likely a reference to the ammo counters of the M41A Pulse Rifle.
  • The Metroid series contains multiple references to the Alien franchise:
    • Both Alien and the original Metroid feature a female protagonist (Ripley and Samus, respectively), something of a peculiarity at the time they were made.
    • There is a boss in the Metroid series named Ridley, likely a reference to Ridley Scott, director of Alien. The creature's skeletal, thin body further replicates some Xenomorph features.
    • The most common form of Metroid creature in the games latches onto the player's face, like the Facehuggers in the Alien franchise. Zeta Metroids are capable of spitting a damaging fluid at the player, much like some Xenomorph castes that can spit acid. Additionally, both Metroids and Xenomorphs molt as they grow.
    • Metroid II features Samus traveling to the Metroids' source, a planet called SR388, to destroy them, eventually discovering the creatures are bred by a single Queen Metroid, mirroring the plot of Aliens.
    • The finale of Metroid Fusion parallels the ending of Aliens, with Samus left stranded with no means of escape and under attack from an Omega Metroid, before her ship arrives and rescues her.
    • Metroid Fusion also shares a few similarities with Alien Resurrection. Both protagonists have DNA of the antagonist alien species (Ripley 8 has Xenomorph DNA and Samus has Metroid DNA), the aliens do not attack the protagonist due to them believing they are one of them, and both human entities (United Systems Military and the Galactic Federation) resurrect the franchise's previously extinct alien species.
  • There are multiple references to the films of the Alien franchise in the StarCraft series of video games:
    • The Zerg share some traits with the Xenomorphs; StarCraft developer Blizzard has cited the Xenomorphs as one of their sources of inspiration for the Zerg.
    • Terran units, if clicked on repeatedly, will repeat lines from Aliens. These include, "How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?" and, "In the pipe, five by five." Similar mission-based lines of dialogue appear in StarCraft II, including "Marines, we are leaving!" and "Oh god! Game over, man! Game over!"
    • Apone's 'prep speech' is repeated verbatim by Raynor's Riaders, along with Hudson's "Express elevator to hell!" comment.
    • A version of the C-14 rifle features a LED ammo counter similar to the M41A Pulse Rifle.
    • The planet of Mar Sara has two references to the film Aliens — the first is it being referred to as a "shake and bake colony", a term used by Van Leuwen to describe Hadley's Hope in Aliens, while the second is the phrase "They come at night... mostly", used in relation to the Zerg.
    • The terran science vessel shares some design cues with the Nostromo, both in terms of external structure and internal design.
    • It is mentioned that the Zerg "hydralisk" strain was first encountered on a cargo vessel, possibly another reference to the Nostromo and its encounter with a Xenomorph.
    • The Zerg queen strain bears resemblance to the Xenomorph Queen, both in terms of body structure and their shared role as egg-layers.
    • One of the earliest contacts with the Zerg is said to have taken place on a planet called LV-555, a likely reference to the encounter with Xenomorphs on LV-426.
  • There several references to Aliens in the Mass Effect series:
    • The original Mass Effect features a star system called "Acheron", similar to the planet Acheron (LV-426) in terms of mythological namesake.
    • Several planets in Mass Effect also mention "wildcat" miners in their description, and while on the planet Rayingri players can discover a group of corpses described as "a 'mom and pop' independent salvage team". Both are likely references to the extended Special Edition of Aliens, in which Russ and Anne Jorden are described as "wildcatters" and a "mom and pop survey team" by Lydecker.
    • RACHNI

      Shepard stands before the rachni queen (foreground), surrounded by her eggs, in Mass Effect 3.

      In Mass Effect 3, an egg-laying queen for an insectoid species known as the rachni is encountered in much the same state as the Queen in Aliens — seated on a large biomechanical throne that greatly resembles that in the movie and surrounded by her eggs and multiple humanoid aliens known as krogan that have been cocooned to the chamber's walls.
    • Furthermore, if the player kills the rachni queen then engages Joker in conversation on the Normandy following the mission, they will debate whether the rachni threat is extinct now that the nest has been destroyed. Joker will say, "You wanna nuke it from orbit? It's the only way to- Ah, forget it, it's probably fine."
    • The mobile game Mass Effect: Infiltrator features a planet called "LV426", a reference to Acheron (LV-426).
  • There are also several references to Aliens in some of the more recent games in the Call of Duty franchise:
    • In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, during the mission "Crew Expendable", Gaz switches to a shotgun and quips, "I like to keep this for close encounters," paraphrasing Hicks in Aliens. Shortly afterwards, Captain Price reminds the squad to "check those corners", a quote from Apone. Later in the level, Price advizes his men to "stay frosty", another quote from Hicks. Finally, when the ship begins to sink and the SAS have to flee for their lives, Price shouts to the player character, "We are leaving!" which is likewise said by Hicks in Aliens, said under similar circumstances.
    • The Sentry Gun in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is seemingly based on the UA 571-C Automated Sentry Gun from Aliens, both being automated defense machine guns with target-tracking capabilities; in fact, concept art from the game shows that early designs bore far greater resemblance to the weapons from Aliens than the version ultimately used in the game.
    • There is a sequence in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 where Corporal Dunn loses his cool and starts panicking when an EMP is detonated over Washington, mirroring the scene in Aliens where Hudson does the same following the loss of the Bug Stomper.
    • Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 also features "heartbeat sensors" mounted on some weapons, which are remarkably similar to the M314 Motion Tracker in both appearance and function.
    • Furthermore, actor Lance Henriksen lends his voice to the game.
    • A Remote Sentry gun returned in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, this time appearing more like the guns from Aliens and mounted on a tripod almost identical to those in the film. The Remote Sentry also shares its name with the sentry gun in Aliens: Colonial Marines.
    • Black Ops II LSAT

      The LSAT in Black Ops II.

      The LSAT machine gun in Call of Duty: Black Ops II contains several references to Aliens. Not only does the weapon feature an LCD ammunition counter, it has the word "Adios" scrawled on one side and bears the serial number "V4SQ33Z" (leetspeak for Vasquez). The LSAT returns in Call of Duty: Ghosts, but in this appearance the Aliens references have been removed.
  • The Half-Life series shares several similarities with the Alien franchise. Indeed, the series' art director Ted Backman has stated in interviews that one of his inspirations for the creatures in the games was H. R. Giger's Necronomicon paintings and their sexual innuendos, so these similarities are likely not coincidental.
    • The Headcrab parasites, which latch onto their victim's heads, were likely inspired by the Facehugger. Notably, the Headcrabs' ability to take control of their victim's body and mutate them into a zombie-like state is remarkably similar to the Infectoids featured in the original Alien vs. Predator arcade game, which came out in 1994, 4 years before the original Half-Life was released.
    • The series also features another hostile species known as Antlions, a race of insects that are also shown to abduct prey and bring them back to their nest, where the victims are plastered to the walls, ceilings or floors to be used as a food source for Antlion larvae.
    • Additionally, several creatures cut from the games but still seen in concept art are shown to share similarities with the Xenomorphs.
  • The 1982 video game The Alien borrows heavily from Alien, including a similar plot in which a crew of seven must deal with a murderous alien lifeform that is loose aboard their ship.
  • The main characters in the 1987 game Contra, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, are named after actors Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen and Michael Biehn, all of whom appeared in Aliens. The entire Contra franchise is heavily inspired by Aliens; most obviously, the main antagonists in the game, an extraterrestrial species led by a creature known as the Red Falcon, are based on H. R. Giger's Necronom IV, the painting that was also the basis for the Alien in Alien.
Alien Breed cover

Cover artwork to Alien Breed.

  • The 1991 video game Alien Breed is heavily inspired by the Alien franchise, particularly Aliens. Most overtly, the game's cover artwork is an obvious rip-off of the imagery of the Alien series, featuring the silver-toothed jaws of a distinctly Xenomorph-like creature looming out of the darkness. In some of the game's later levels, players are trapped in enclosed spaces with alien boss characters while they must wait for a lift that will take them to their objective, reminiscent of the scenario Ripley finds herself in whilst escaping the Atmosphere Processor in Aliens.
  • The 1992 video game Splatterhouse 2 features a pink creature on its cover artwork that bears a clear resemblance to the Xenomorph, with an elongated head and biomechanical mesoskeleton.
  • The 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII includes Xenomorph-like enemies with bat wings named Valrons, encountered in Nibel Area and Battle Square.
TibSunPulse

The M41A appearing as the "M16 Mk. II Pulse Rifle" in Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun.

  • In the 1999 game Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, both GDI and Nod forces are said to use the "M16 Mk. II Pulse Rifle" as their standard issue infantry weapon; aside from bearing similarities to the M41A Pulse Rifle in terms of function, an M41A prop was actually used to represent the M16 Mk. II in some live-action footage in the game (however, not all live-action footage used the prop; the weapon's appearance throughout the game is inconsistent). Additionally, Michael Biehn, the actor who portrayed Corporal Hicks in Aliens, is among the game's live-action cast, taking on the role of Commander Michael "Mack" McNeil, a GDI commander and one of the player characters, in cutscenes.
  • The 2000 game Homeworld: Cataclysm features a cutscene that shows a ship almost identical to the Narcissus being salvaged in a debris field following the game's initial battle. The Narcissus replica was originally going to appear in the first Homeworld game, released the previous year, but it was removed as a result of copyright concerns. However, its texture files can still be found in the game's data.
  • In the 2001 game Conker's Bad Fur Day (which referenced and parodied numerous famous films of the 1980s and 90s), the final boss fought by the player character is a giant Xenomorph named Heinrich who bursts out of the chest of the game's main antagonist. The fight begins with Conker strapping himself into a yellow, armored exosuit, a reference to the Power Loader from Aliens, and quoting Ripley's famous line, "Get away from her, you bitch!" The player ultimately defeats Heinrich by jettisoning him into space through an airlock, just like the Queen in Aliens.
  • In the 2003 game Final Fantasy X-2, Yuna uses Hudson's "Game over!" line if she wins while equipped with the Lady Luck dressphere.
  • The 2003 game Resident Evil Outbreak contains creatures called G-Larvae which are very similar to the Chestburster.
  • In the 2004 game DOOM3, when the demons first begin attacking the base on Mars, soldiers can be heard screaming, "They're coming out of the walls!" over the radio, a reference to dialogue spoken by Hudson in Aliens. The style in which the game's title is written, with a superscript "3", is also possibly inspired by Alien3.
  • In the 2004 game Killzone, one of the playable characters, Rico Velasquez, is clearly inspired by Vasquez from Aliens. Aside from sharing similar-sounding surnames, the primary weapon carried by Velasquez, the M224-A3 Heavy Support Weapon, is a large, unwieldy machine gun attached to him via a gyro-stabilizing arm at the waist, just like the M56 Smartgun carried by Vasquez in the film. Their personalities are also similar, both being aggressive, somewhat hard-headed yet very capable soldiers.
  • The 2005 game Resident Evil 4 features a sequence viewed from a monster's perspective as it runs along the walls and ceiling of a corridor, just like the point-of-view shots during the bait-and-chase sequence in Alien3.
  • In the 2005 game TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, a soldier in the opening level is heard shouting, "They're coming outta the walls!" In the later level "You Genius, U-Genix", one enemy trooper can be heard exclaiming, "Game over, man! Game over!" while another, locked in combat with a horde of mutants, rants, "You like that, huh? You want some more? Oh, you want some too, huh?" All of these lines of dialogue are references to Hudson in Aliens.
  • The 2008 game Turok is heavily inspired by Aliens and features several notable references:
    • The title character Joseph Turok is a space marine working for Whiskey Company, a large military company comprised of members of the United States Marine Corps, clearly a homage to the Colonial Marines.
    • The main group of antagonists is the futuristic transnational Mendel-Gruman Corporation, obviously inspired by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
    • The game is set on a planet terraformed by the MG Corporation; this terraforming leads to the appearance of creatures ranging from dinosaurs to giant insects across the planet. The planet has several biomes, including an array of subterranean cave systems beneath its surface, resembling Xenomorph Hives. The inhabitants of these caves include dinosaurs adapted to the low-light conditions, but also giant scorpion-like insects whose appearance and demeanor resemble Xenomorphs to a degree.
    • When communications are lost in the aftermath of the assault on Whiskey Company's crash site, Shepard loses his cool and starts panicking in a similar vein to Hudson following the loss of Bug Stomper in Aliens.
    • Some of the game's weaponry, such as the ORO L66 Pulse Rifle, is clearly a homage to the M41A Pulse Rifle.
    • In addition to these similarities, actors Mark Rolston and Ron Perlman lend their voices to the game.
  • The 2008 video game Dead Space pits the player against Necromorphs, recombinant creatures created from corpses reanimated by an alien infection, the name of which is seemingly inspired by the Xenomorph. Both the Xenomorphs and the Necromorphs parisitize human bodies in order to reproduce and have a preference for ventilation shafts, using them both to travel around their environment undetected and as a place from which to launch ambush attacks. Additionally, the Neomorphs are accompanied by a biological growth that infests the areas in which they are found, covering the walls and floors in a manner not dissimilar to the Hives built by Xenomorphs. Beyond its antagonistic monsters, the game's sci-fi horror theme, setting (a run-down commercial mining starship) and player character (a blue-collar engineer) have also been compared to aspects of the Alien series.
  • The 2008 game Grand Theft Auto IV features an aircraft tractor called the "Ripley", named after Ellen Ripley and a reference to how the M577 APC in Aliens was built from a real-life airport tug.
  • The 2008 game Resistance 2 features a trophy/achievement called "For Close Encounters", awarded for killing enemies at close range with a shotgun.
  • In the 2009 game Arma II, the line "How do I get out of this chickenshit outfit?" and the reply "You secure that shit, Hudson!" are sometimes said verbatim by characters during the question-and-answer portion of the briefing at the beginning of the main campaign.
  • The 2011 video game Dead Space2 once again pits the player against the Necromorph creatures. Additionally, the way in which the game's title is formatted, with a subscript "2", is likely inspired by the superscript "3" in the title of Alien3.
LBP-statwal-alienref
  • In The Muppets Premium Level Kit add-on for the 2011 game LittleBigPlanet 2, Waldorf says to Statler, "In space, nobody can hear you scream."
  • The 2011 game Duke Nukem Forever features a level called "The Hive" that is obviously inspired by Aliens. The hive itself is similar in appearance to that seen in Aliens, being made a slimy, gooey substance that covers the floor, walls and ceiling and includes many organic features. Additionally, numerous human victims of the game's aliens are found entombed within, while the aliens breed using human hosts who violently explode in the process of giving birth. At the end of the level, the player must battle the alien's queen. Aside from this one level, several of the game's trophies/achievements are named in reference to Aliens, including "Not Bad for a Human" and "Let's Rock".
  • The 2011 game Payday: The Heist has a sentry turret that features this description: "Based on internet blueprints, the sentry gun is a criminal's best friend. Two guns connected to a computer automatically aim and fire at any target detected by its sensors. Being the bad guy has never felt more alien." This is an obvious reference to the automated guns in Aliens.
  • In the 2011 video game Minecraft, when the player dies in a multiplayer hardcore server game, text appears on the screen stating, "You have died. Game over man, it's game over!"
  • In the 2011 Steam game Dino D-Day, there is an achievement called "Let's Ragnaroooooook!" a reference to Vasquez's famous line during the Hive ambush in Aliens.
Screen Shot 2013-03-17 at 3.23

The Hen Queen in Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse.

  • In the 2012 game Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse, the level in which Stewie and Brian Griffin must fight their way to stop Bertram from releasing chickens contains many Alien references. The design of the mother ship in the level appears to be based on the Nostromo and Sulaco, and includes chains hanging from the ceiling, referencing the scene where Brett is killed in Alien. The chickens themselves create hives, obviously based on the design of the Xenomorphs', in which they cocoon victims to the walls and impregnate them with chickens which burst through their chests. Eggs based on the Xenomorphs' Eggs are also found throughout the level. At one point, Meg is found cocooned to a wall, and when discovered she begs the player to kill her, just like Mary in Aliens. The chickens are bred by the Alien Queen Chicken, which in many way resembles a Xenomorph Queen, including a similar lair in which it resides, surrounded by its eggs. The elevator that takes Stewie/Brian to the Queen's lair appears to be based on the one Ripley uses to enter the sub-levels of the Atmosphere Processing Plant in Aliens. Upon discovering his dad cocooned to a wall in the Queen's hive, Stewie says, "Get away from my dad, you bitch!"
  • The 2012 video game Borderlands 2 features a series of bipedal robotic enemies called Loaders. One Loader variant is known as the PWR Loader, the name and design of which are an obvious reference to the Power Loader in Aliens.
  • The 2013 Far Cry 3 stand-alone expansion Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which pays homage to numerous iconic sci-fi and action films from the 80s and 90s, features several obvious references to both the Alien and Predator franchises. Alien references include:
    • During the game's opening mission, the player's HUD uses the phrase, "Five by five," a term used by Ferro during the dropship sequence in Aliens.
    • The mission "What is This Shit?" tasks the player with using a flamethrower to destroy a nest of Blood Dragon eggs, mirroring Ripley's actions near the end of Aliens. After the eggs are destroyed, the player is forced to wait for an elevator to arrive whilst being chased by a Blood Dragon, again similar to what happens to Ripley with the Queen in the film.
    • The eggs of the titular Blood Dragon creatures resemble Xenomorph Eggs, with a cross-like opening in the top and a leathery appearance (albeit embellished with a neon-like purple glow).
    • Aside from these specific Alien references, the game's protagonist, Rex "Power" Colt, is voiced by Michael Biehn, who portrayed Hicks in Aliens.
  • The 2013 iPhone, iPad and Android game Kingdom Rush: Frontiers features enemies known as "Parasytes", which latch onto infantry units and lay an egg inside their victim that later hatches into a "Reaper", paralleling the lifecycle of the Xenomorph. Furthermore, the description for the stage they make their debut on says "The men feel as if they're being hunted by something not of this world..."; the Parasytes apparently came from the nearby crashed spaceship. On top of all of this, killing 30 Parasytes or Reapers rewards the player the achievement "Colonial Marine", very likely a reference to the United States Colonial Marine Corps.
Xenomorph like tile Deadfall Adventures

The Xenomorph-like glyph in Deadfall Adventures.

  • The 2013 game Deadfall Adventures features several puzzles that contain moving tiles with a Xenomorph-like glyph.
  • In the 2013 game Saints Row IV, one of the alternate skins for the "Burst Rifle" is essentially an M41A Pulse Rifle (with the addition of a foregrip), called the "Impulse Rifle". Each weapon skin in the game displays a description when selected; the default Impulse Rifle skin's description is "Remember: Short, controlled bursts." Two alternate Impulse Rifle skins alter the weapon's color, but all retain the recognizable shape of the M41A.
  • The 2013 game Grand Theft Auto V includes appearances by alien characters that bear a distinct resemblance to the Xenomorph, albeit colored green. The creatures most notably feature elongated, ridged skulls similar to the Drones seen in Aliens. There is also a museum in Los Santos called "Bishop's WTF?!", a pun on Ripley's Believe It or Not!; Bishop and Ripley are both major characters in the Alien franchise. The "Ripley", an aircraft tractor from Grand Theft Auto IV, also returns in the game.
Nostromo Napalmer

The "Nostromo Napalmer" in Team Fortress 2.

  • The 2014 game Final Fantasy: Record Keeper again features the Valrons from Final Fantasy VII; their visual similarities with a bat-winged Xenomorph are even more apparent in this appearance.
  • The Alien DLC for the 2015 game Mortal Kombat X adds a playable Xenomorph character to the game, with three variations — the Tarkatan Xenomorph, the Acidic Xenomorph and the Konjurer Xenomorph.
  • In the 2015 video game Mad Max, Chumbucket's random dialogue while roaming the wasteland includes the line, "They mostly come at night, yes, yes. Mostly," referring to the hostile Buzzard faction.
Ellenripbro

Render of 'Ellen Ripbro' from 'Broforce'.

  • The 2015 game Broforce, which extensively references/parodies 80s and 90s action movies, contains several references to the Alien films, particularly Aliens:
    • One of the game's playable characters, Ellen Ripbro, is directly based on Ripley in Aliens. Ripbro is armed with a Pulse Rifle/flamethrower combination weapon just like Ripley in the film.
    • The game features Xenomorph and Facehugger enemies, the latter of which is capable of implanting a Xenomorph inside player characters and NPCs, causing a Xenomorph to burst out of them, killing them.
    • The game also features an enemy called "The Brute", a larger Xenomorph that attacks by charging, notably similar to the Crusher from Aliens: Colonial Marines.
    • Furthermore, the three Crawler creatures in the game are clearly inspired by the Xenomorph, with large, elongated craniums and a second set of inner jaws. The Acid Crawler additionally spits acid at the player, a trait it shares with several Xenomorph castes.
  • A 2015 time-limited event for the Facebook game Soldiers Inc. added exclusive Alien vs. Predator-themed content to the game, including numerous Xenomorph and Yautja units that could be used in battle and a campaign for each species based around Weyland Corp discovering a huge Yautja pyramid in Africa.
  • In the 2016 video game Watchdogs 2, at the beginning of the Shanghaied — Down by the Docks mission, Sitara tests Marcus' fandom by facetiously supplying LV-426 as a cargo container's ID.
  • The 2016 video game Stellaris features an achievement called "Building Better Worlds", a reference to Weyland-Yutani's slogan.
  • The Carnage à Trois Skins Pack DLC for the 2017 video game Agents of Mayhem includes a skin for the character Braddock entitled "El Riesgo" that is an almost exact duplicate of Vasquez's outfit in Aliens. The name "El Riesgo" is a further reference to the character; Vasquez has "El riesgo siempre vive" written on the chest plate of her armor in the film, which roughly translates as "The risk always lives". Also included in the DLC pack is the "Sulaco" weapon skin for Braddock's Lainey assault rifle, which is modelled after the M41A Pulse Rifle. The base game also includes a costume for Braddock that is a reference to Dutch from Predator.
  • The RTS game Stormgate has an alien unit called the Brute, which can 'chestburst' smaller units called Fiends. This has been likened to chestbursters.[6]

Literature[]

  • In the Sniper series of novels by Alan D. Altieri, a prominent villain to hero Russel Kane is a megacorporation known as Gottschalk-Yutani, which fills a similar role to Weyland-Yutani in the Alien franchise.
  • The novel Dreamcatcher, like the film it was later made into, features an extraterrestrial parasite that gestates inside a living human host, christened "Ripley" by US military scientists. Like the film, the book also features a character called Jonesy.
  • In the Graham McNeill novel Warriors of Ultramar, there is a planet named Hadley's Hope, after the colony in Aliens. Similar to the film, the planet is overrun by Xenomorph-like creatures known as Tyranids.
  • In Proven Guilty, the eighth Dresden Files novel by Jim Butcher, wizard-protagonist Harry Dresden encounters a magical creature that takes the form of a Xenomorph. He responds by quoting several lines of dialogue from the films at it, including, "Get away from her, you bitch!" and "Is this gonna be a standup fight, or just another bug hunt?"
  • The novel Ready Player One, alongside a multitude of references to other 80s films and games, includes mention of an assault using "rockets, missiles, nukes, and harsh language", a clear reference to dialogue from Private Frost in Aliens, as well as potentially referencing Hudson's rant on the dropship in the Special Edition.
  • In Project Maigo, the third book in Jeremy Robinson's Nemesis Saga, the giant monster Giger is noted to have a distinct resembalnce to a Xenomorph and is accordingly named after H. R. Giger.

Comics[]

  • The Alien franchise has been referenced several time in The Simpsons comic books:
    • Simpsons alien

      Aliens scene in The Simpsons: Futurama Crossover Crisis.

      In the comic book The Simpsons: Futurama Crossover Crisis, the protagonists of The Simpsons and Futurama fight against a Xenomorph Queen. Marge even fights the Queen in a Power Loader.
    • In the story For a Limited Time Only in the issue Bart Simpson 77, the license plate on Larry H. Lawyer's car reads "LV-426".
    • The story In Springfield No One Can Hear You Scream in the issue Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror 7 is named after Alien's tagline. The story's plot is likewise a parody of the creatures and stories of the Alien films, while Bart and Maggie watch an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon titled "Facehuggin' Frolics".
    • The story Bart Simpson and the Krusty Brand Fun Factory in the issue Simpsons Comics 41 features an Itchy & Scratchy cartoon where Scratchy is shot into the sun, and as he flies through space he tries to scream, but all that appears in his speech bubble is an asterisk. A note at the bottom of the panel states that "In space, no one can hear you scream".
  • Several issues of Marvel's Deadpool comic series make overt references to the Alien films:
    • Deadpool, Vol. 1 #40 features a cover that mimics the iconic theatrical poster for Alien, with Deadpool's hooded face in place of the Egg. It also prominently features the tag line "In space... no one can hear you scream..." (to which Deadpool replies, "But I'm gonna keep yelling anyway!")
    • Deadpool, Vol. 3 #23 features a cover depicting Deadpool extending an inner jaw from his mouth, tipped with a miniature version of his own face that is sticking out its tongue. The issue itself contains numerous references to and lines from Aliens.
  • In The Far Side Gallery 3, a strip shows a Chestburster emerging from a turkey.
  • The cover for Avengers, Vol. 5 #26 features several soldiers equipped with M41A Pulse Rifles.
  • In The Powerpuff Girls #1, Mojo Jojo uses a yellow, armoured exosuit, a reference to the Power Loader from Aliens.

Music[]

Alien Offspring

Original cover art for 1989's The Offspring.

  • The Offspring's 1989 self-titled debut album originally featured cover art showing a decidedly Xenomorph-like creature erupting from a man's torso, a Fender Stratocaster clutched in its talons. Due to its graphic nature, the cover was changed on subsequent reissues.
  • The cover of Bruce Dickinson's 1997 album Accident of Birth depicts a jack-in-the-box Jester bursting from a man's stomach, mimicking the Chestburster.
  • In the claymation music video for the 2015 song "Tech Noir" by GUNSHIP, one of the 80s movie villains that the antagonist transforms into is the Xenomorph. While in the guise of the Xenomorph, he attempts to have the leading lady impregnated with a Chestburster, placing an Egg before her while she is bound to a tree; his plans are thwarted when the hero arrives on his motorcycle, flattening the Egg and the Facehugger beneath his wheels. GUNSHIP have also referenced Predator in their music videos.
  • The distinctive audio that plays while the Nostromo is coming online at the very beginning of the film Alien can be heard during the first fifteen econds of the song "Virtual Insanity" by Jamiroquai, from the album Travelling Without Moving.

Rides and Attractions[]

  • The Great Movie Ride located in Disney's Hollywood Studios is a guided vehicle dark ride that features a section based on Alien, in which spectators will be guided through the depths of the Nostromo, encountering Ripley and the Drone on the way. Jones can also be heard in the ambiance.
  • ClosetEncounters

    "In Space, No One Can Find Their Shoes."

    A poster in the waiting queue of Muppet*Vision 3D features a spoof of the Alien's tagline: "In space, no one can find their shoes."
    • Another poster decorating the attraction released years later spoofs WALL-E, and features the tagline "In space, no one can hear you meep!"

Videos[]

See Also[]

External Links[]

References[]

Advertisement