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Xenopedia
"I HATE BUGS!"
Morse (from Alien3)

Robert Morse[1] was an inmate at the Fiorina "Fury" 161 Class C Work Correctional Unit, one of several who stayed behind after the facility was officially closed down by Weyland-Yutani. He was involved in battling a lone Xenomorph that was born in the prison in 2179.

Foul-mouthed and argumentative, Morse was nonetheless the only person to survive the Xenomorph incident, although he was shot and wounded by commandos under the command of Michael Bishop, and was subsequently taken into custody by Weyland-Yutani. Following the incident, Morse wrote a book, Space Beast, detailing his experiences, but the manuscript was banned.[4]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Morse was born in 2142.[1] He was sent to Fiorina 161 for five counts of armed robbery[5] and murder.[1]

Ripley and the Dragon[]

"Why don't we just get her head and shove it through the fucking wall!"
Morse, threatening Ripley (from Alien3)

When Superintendent Andrews first notified the prison populace of Ripley's arrival on Fiorina 161, Morse angrily confronted the warden regarding the implications this may have on the inmates' strict vow of chastity. His hostility towards Ripley only increased once it became apparent that the Dragon was stalking the prisoners, and Morse blamed her personally for the situation. Following the disastrous failure of the plan to burn the Dragon out of the prison's vent system with quinitricetyline, Morse and Aaron almost came to blows before Dillon separated them.

Chase[]

"Why the fuck can't we wait for the company and have some guns on our side? Why do we have to go on some fucking suicide run?!"
Morse to Dillon, arguing with the bait-and-chase plan (from Alien3)

When Dillon and Ripley proposed using the inmates themselves as bait to lure the Dragon into the facility's lead works where it could be drowned in hot lead, Morse initially refused to take any part, preferring instead to wait for the company team that was on its way, allowing them to deal with the Xenomorph. However, when Dillon gave the survivors a rousing speech Morse relented and agreed to take part. As the plan deteriorated and Eric started the mold's piston prematurely, Morse came face to face with the Dragon when it killed Gregor right in front of him, just moments after the two men had accidentally collided whilst running through the foundry's corridors. The creature would likely have killed Morse too, if it were not for Ripley arriving and distracting the creature long enough for him to hide. When Ripley and Dillon finally succeeded in luring the Dragon in front of the piston, Morse personally closed the final door behind it, trapping it and forcing it into the mold.

Killing the Dragon[]

"Ripley! It's burning hot! Hit the sprinklers!"
Morse to Ripley, signalling the Dragon's demise (from Alien3)

With the Dragon trapped, Morse ran for the gantry overhead and poured the lead just moments after the Xenomorph had killed Dillon. However, the creature somehow survived the ordeal, leaping from the molten metal and chasing after Ripley. Noticing its mesoskeleton was scalding hot, Morse shouted at Ripley to activate the overhead sprinkler system, hoping the cold water would induce thermal shock and either incapacitate or kill the Xenomorph. The plan worked, and the Dragon exploded violently, finally killing it.

Moments later Michael Bishop and his team of Weyland-Yutani personnel arrived, too late to recover the adult specimen but still hoping to acquire the Queen embryo gestating inside Ripley. When Ripley turned down Bishop's offer and Morse began moving the gantry on which she stood away from them, one of the Weyland-Yutani Commandos shot him in the leg, badly wounding him, but he still managed to position the gantry above the furnace so that Ripley could throw herself into it. Morse was subsequently taken into Weyland-Yutani custody, his wounds were treated, and he was taken off of Fiorina 161.

Special Edition[]

In the Special Edition, Morse is tasked with guarding Golic when he is restrained in the infirmary. After the Dragon is successfully trapped in the nuclear waste tank, he makes the mistake of informing Golic of the creature's location; Golic convinces Morse to undo his restraints, then knocks him unconscious and releases the Xenomorph from captivity. After waking, Morse sheepishly informed Dillon of what had happened. When the prisoners subsequently hole up in the assembly hall, a match lit by Gregor gives Morse the idea of moving everyone to the foundry adjacent to the prison, where hopefully they will be safer from the Dragon.

Later life[]

Following the incident on Fiorina 161, Morse was relocated to another Class-C prison facility.[6] His experiences with "The Beast" left him suffering from graphic nightmares, and also caused him to give up his faith in God.[6] He subsequently wrote an account of the Xenomorph incident on Fiorina 161 called Space Beast, which was published in 2183.[7] Due to its sensitive nature, the book was banned,[4] although copies remained in circulation; almost two centuries after Morse's death, the auton Annalee Call was able to read his account, thus gaining more insight into Ellen Ripley.[4] Morse eventually passed away in 2208.[1]

Personality and Traits[]

"We've got no entertainment center, no climate control, no video system, no surveillance, no freezers, no fucking ice cream, no rubbers, no women, no guns, all we got here is shit!"
Morse to Ripley (from Alien3)

Robert Morse was a loud, foul-mouthed, argumentative individual, embittered by the lack of conventional conveniences such as ice cream on Fiorina 161. He had no reservations against openly insulting those he disagreed with or disliked — Aaron in particular was often on the receiving end of his abuse, which typically centered on the prison guard's inferior IQ. Additionally, he had no respect for authority[5] and would typically act out against authoritative figures regardless of the situation, good or bad; even when being led away by heavily-armed Weyland-Yutani Commandos, one of whom had in fact shot him just a short time previously, Morse remained argumentative and insulting.

While Morse's abuse was typically verbal in nature, he was not averse to attacking people physically, although his prowess in this regard was notably lower. Also, despite his routinely abrasive and confrontational personality, Morse was more friendly with Golic, who viewed him as a genuine friend.[8] His attitude towards Ripley also noticeably softened as the incident on Fiorina 161 progressed, particularly following the destruction of the Dragon. Furthermore, his attitude even toward Aaron mellowed somewhat when the two reached a mutual agreement about waiting for the Weyland-Yutani team to arrive instead of going through with the bait-and-chase plan. Several of Morse's teeth were notably capped in gold.[5]

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, p. 133 (2014), Insight Editions.
  2. Morse's actor's (Danny Webb) height is 5ft 6 ½ (168.9 cm), so that is also how tall Morse would have been.
  3. Vincent Ward (writer), David Fincher (director). Alien3 (1992), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 A. C. Crispin, Kathleen O'Malley. Alien Resurrection, p. 115 (2015), Titan Books.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Alien3 trading cards — 69. Morse (1992), Star Pics.
  6. 6.0 6.1 S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report: Space Beast insert, p. 8 (2014), Insight Editions.
  7. S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, p. 138 (2014), Insight Editions.
  8. Vincent Ward (writer), David Fincher (director). Alien3 Special Edition (2003), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
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