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Xenopedia
"We've twenty-five prisoners in this facility. All double-Y chromos. All thieves, rapists, murderers, forgers, child molesters... All scum."
―Supt. Andrews, to Ripley (from Alien3)

The Fiorina 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit, commonly referred to as C-Max, (IRIS Ident No. R161/12037154[1]) was a maximum security prison on Fiorina 161 that was established in 2152.[1] Originally built, owned, and operated by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation[2] as a commercial mining venture,[3] the installation's primary purpose was to act as a penal labor camp, detaining dangerous prisoners whilst also providing a large convict workforce to operate the adjacent industrial lead works.

Overview[]

The correctional unit was built to house double-Y chromosome maximum-risk inmates. The prisoners themselves were used as a source of free labor in a lead foundry run on natural methane that was constructed alongside the prison.[2] Here the inmates manufactured lead shielding for use in nuclear and toxic waste containment systems. The entire complex was powered by an automated fusion reactor[4] and spread out over some 16 square kilometers.[3] Water was supplied by a desalinization plant built in the neighboring bay.[5]

At its peak, the facility housed 5,000 male inmates, almost all double-Y individuals, but this number was drastically reduced when Weyland-Yutani shut down the penal facility in 2175.[3] After the closure, the facility became a low priority for Weyland-Yutani and the only regular communications with the outside world was a supply ship that visited every six months to drop off vital necessities. Despite the potential abundance of power that could be generated by the colony's reactor, its output was dramatically scaled back to the point where significant uninhabited portions of the complex were left unlit and unheated. In these unlit areas, illumination was typically provided when required through the use of candles, made using wax the prisoners recycled from molds used in the lead works.[6] Owing to the lack of qualified maintenance personnel on site, a thorough systems check of the colony's reactor was carried out as part of the supply ship's visit every six months.[7]

The now dank, damp complex quickly became infested with a myriad of bugs and insects, some of which (known colloquially by the remaining inhabitants as "lice") feed voraciously on the keratin in human hair.[8] As a result, all of the remaining men living on the planet have to continually shave their heads and bodies.[2]

Staff and inmates[]

While it is unknown how many custodians were originally placed in the correctional unit, by 2179 it only maintained a total of three, consisting of a warden, Superintendent Harry Andrews, and prison guard Francis Aaron, along with Jonathan Clemens (formerly an inmate) as the prison's resident medical officer. At the time of Ellen Ripley's arrival, the facility had been reduced to just twenty-two inmates[2] who now served as a skeleton crew that oversaw the foundry, despite it having being inoperative for years.

Known Inhabitants[]

Staff[]

Inmates[]

History[]

Early history[]

The colony on Fiorina 161 began as a commercial mining operation, founded by Weyland-Yutani in 2118.[3] By 2127, all valuable natural resources on the planet had been exhausted, and on February 2, 2152, the refinery was decommissioned.[1] Subsequently, the colony was leased to the EU/UK and recommissioned as a Class C penal complex on June 8, 2152,[1] gradually growing to its peak capacity of around 5,000 inmates. As standard, each inmate was stamped on the back of the head with an identifying bar code, containing the individual's DNA profile, date of birth, case file reference(s), crime for which they were convicted, jurisdiction, sentence, and any proclivities.[11] Many of the inmates embraced religion, following an apocalyptic millenarian faith based on Christian worship that was particularly popular with convicts — it is estimated that around 4 million inmates within the core systems followed these beliefs.[12]

A changing political climate led to the vast prison facility being closed down in December 2175,[1] at which time the vast majority of the convicts held there were transported off-site.[3] However, a small number of inmates wished to stay behind, largely as a consequence of their beliefs; they were ultimately allowed to do so under the supervision of three custodians.[2] These remaining prisoners were generally free to roam the facility; despite their serious past crimes, their religious beliefs ensured they generally lived in harmony with each other, awaiting what they foresaw as the end of the world. The prisoners were led in their faith, which included a strict vow of celibacy, by inmate Leonard Dillon. With no internal conflict and no means to escape the planet, there was no need to confine the inmates to cells.[2] They continued to produce lead shielding for nuclear waste containers, albeit on a far smaller scale than before, although after a time these operations also ceased. With only a handful of people left to maintain the sprawling prison, large parts of the facility were simply abandoned. By 2179, even the areas that were still occupied had deteriorated significantly, with much of the prison's electronic equipment (including its video surveillance system) now inoperable.

Xenomorph incident[]

In 2179, a Type 337 EEV containing Ellen Ripley, Newt, Bishop, and Turk, the latter mistaken to be Corporal Dwayne Hicks, crashed into the ocean near the Fiorina 161 correctional facility. Only Ripley survived the crash, although the heavily damaged android Bishop was also recovered from the wreckage and found to be barely operable. Bishop was subsequently placed on a scrap heap by the prisoners on the colony.

Unbeknownst to the inmates a Royal Facehugger had also stowed away on board the EEV and had implanted Ripley with a Queen embryo. The creature quickly impregnated a dog kept as a pet by one of the inmates. The resultant Runner soon hatched and began stalking and killing the people on the planet, who, with no weapons of any kind, had no means to defend themselves. Eventually, the inmates and Ripley successfully lured the Xenomorph into the lead foundry and killed it there, first drowning it in molten lead then spraying it with water, causing it to shatter due to thermal shock. However, the plan claimed the lives of virtually all the remaining inhabitants.

A Weyland-Yutani science team led by Michael Bishop and accompanied by commandos arrived on the planet too late to recover the Xenomorph. Ultimately, only a single prisoner, Robert Morse, survived the ordeal at the correction facility. The Weyland-Yutani group attempted to retrieve the Queen which was growing inside Ripley, but the latter sacrificed herself by falling into the inferno, preventing the Queen Chestburster from falling into company hands, just as Samwell Stone and Corporal Hicks arrived in the scene, unable to save her. After Bishop captured Hicks and Stone, Morse was subsequently escorted away by the Weyland-Yutani team, while Hicks and Stone were sent back to LV-426. The prison and lead works themselves were finally closed and sealed and Weyland-Yutani sold the remaining foundry equipment as scrap.[2]

Legacy[]

Deep Black[]

Ten years after the prison unit was decommissioned, a trio of elite Colonial Marine operatives were deployed to Fiorina "Fury" 161 when suspicious activity was detected at the prison complex, including the presence of a highly advanced stealth starship that suggests the mystery intruders are far more than squatters or pirates. Suspecting the trespassers may have found something of value at the colony that they missed, Weyland-Yutani arranged for a small USCM team to go in and investigate.

Aliens vs. Predator (video game)[]

Some time later, a second Xenomorph incident occurred at the prison, although its origins remain unclear. At this time, the facility was also visited by a lone Predator.[13] This incident was ultimately cleaned up by a force of Colonial Marines led by Sergeant Kaneko.[14]

Behind the Scenes[]

The Fiorina Work Correctional Unit evolved from David Twohy's unproduced script for Alien3, in which the prison was in fact a giant space station called Moloch Island in orbit around Earth. Moloch Island also contained a giant ore refinery, comparable to the lead works on Fiorina, in which the inmates were used as manual labor. This location was eventually incorporated into the final film in the form of a planetary prison colony. At the same time, elements of the prison interior evolved from Vincent Ward's unused script for a third film, most notably the tall, multi-level assembly hall set, which developed from a vertical library room on Ward's wooden planet Arceon.[15] The "molten lead" was in fact a water and aluminum mixture; although not as hot as real molten lead would be, it was still highly toxic and the areas of the set where it would be used had to be carefully waterproofed to stop the liquid leaking.[16]

The vast lead works/foundry set, where the climax of the movie takes place, was built on the famous 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios.[17] The set, including a practical, moving gantry, took a total of 12 weeks to construct.[18] The exterior of the furnace, with the huge exhaust ports and surrounding structures, was a table-top miniature hastily constructed late in production. It was built largely from foam core and plastic.[19] The effect of the furnace exhaust gasses leaping from the conical cooling towers was created with propane gas piped from gas bottles into steel cylinders.[16]

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Graham Langridge. Alien: The Blueprints, p. 95 (2019), Titan Books.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Vincent Ward (writer), David Fincher (director). Alien3 (1992), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, p. 129 (2014), Insight Editions.
  4. Alan Dean Foster. Alien3, p. 73 (2014), Titan Books.
  5. Alan Dean Foster. Alien3, p. 71 (2014), Titan Books.
  6. Alan Dean Foster. Alien3, p. 74 (2014), Titan Books.
  7. Alan Dean Foster. Alien3, p. 165 (2014), Titan Books.
  8. Alan Dean Foster. Alien3, p. 40 (2014), Titan Books.
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "Weyland-Yutani Archives - Whose Who in Alien 3". Retrieved on 2014-06-09.
  10. Alan Dean Foster. Alien3, p. 81 (1992), Warner Books.
  11. S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, p. 133 (2014), Insight Editions.
  12. S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, p. 135 (2014), Insight Editions.
  13. Aliens versus Predator, Microsoft Windows version, Rebellion, 1999.
  14. Aliens vs. Predator, Microsoft Windows version, Rebellion, 2010.
  15. Jody Duncan. The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio, p. 213 (2006), Titan Books.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Paul Taglianetti, Geoff Topping, Bob Gould. Sci-Fi & Fantasy FX #48, p. 18 (2000), Next Millennium Publishing.
  17. Alien3 trading cards — 48. Lead Works Set (1992), Star Pics.
  18. Dave Hughes, Michael Matessino, David C. Fein, James Cameron. Alien Trilogy booklet, p. 24 (1992), 20th Century Fox.
  19. Paul Taglianetti, Geoff Topping, Bob Gould. Sci-Fi & Fantasy FX #48, p. 17 (2000), Next Millennium Publishing.
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