Xenomorphs Deserve Way More Respect

I’m not a huge fan of the Alien prequels, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but I do appreciate the additional lore they’ve provided. I recently rewatched Alien: Covenant, paying more attention to the scenes involving the synthetic, David. In the beginning of the film he has a conversation with Weyland of Weyland-Yutani, and he realizes he will live far longer than the man who created him. The significance of this realization plays a part in David’s obsession with creating life. David succeeds in creating the first xenomorphs and the focus since then has been on their weaponization, but they are way more interesting beyond that.

In Covenant it is revealed that Weyland-Yutani aim to secure the xenomorph specimen for financial gain – an idea that is especially perplexing when you consider that xenomorphs were created to speed up the extinction of mankind (which would certainly include Weyland-Yutani). If they have it their way, capitalism and space imperialism would definitely lead to the end of all human existence.

Thinking of all of this makes the creation of the xenomorphs the biggest and pettiest “fuck you” to humanity.

Is humanity that terrible? Maybe not all of humanity, but Weyland-Yutani as a corporation most certainly is. Just look at how they operate. Going planet to planet, terraforming, and taking resources whenever and wherever they can find them. Sending colonial marines and civilians alike on “and make sure you bring me back my change” missions. Sacrificing lives to obtain the very thing that would leave no one alive to participate in the capitalistic society they thrive in.

The xenomorphs are some of the most intriguing creatures to come out of the sci-fi genre. In the Aliens: Bug Hunt, an anthology, I learned that “facehuggers,” the xenomorph form responsible for the impregnated host, plays a role in the physiology of the emerging xenomorph. In the story Darkness Falls by Heather Graham, the facehuggers infect aliens called blue moon centipedes. The concept of giant centipedes is a stressful thought, but imagining them with xenomorph physical traits – dozens of appendages, the inner mouth, acidic blood, the mandibles – is weirdly fascinating.

In another story from the anthology Dangerous Prey, Scott Sigler wrote from the POV of several different xenomorphs. The xenomorphs are depicted with traits similar to bees: they operate with a hive mind and live to serve their colony. It also shows how they interpret potential threats to their colony, which they must protect at any cost. So it’s really nothing personal on their end. Hosts get their chests caved in everyday, b – by a xenomorph, probably.  

In the audiobook Alien: Sea of Sorrows by James A. Moore and Dirk Miggs, the main character is a distant relative of Ellen Ripley. He is kidnapped and blackmailed by Weyland-Yutani to help them secure a xenomorph specimen. This character is also an empath, meaning he has the ability to apprehend the mental or emotional state of individuals, including xenomorphs. The reason he was able to mentally connect with the them is because they’ve been holding a nasty grudge against Ripley: she killed one of their queens and almost destroyed their colony entirely. The hate for her was so strong they marked her entire lineage! That’s some next level hate. There is no turning the other cheek, or “forgiveness is for you,” or any of that. The acidic blood was bad enough, but the ability to hold centuries old grudges is unbelievable petty. I stan.

The xenomorphs are doing what they were created to do and I think anyone with a chest still intact can find some appreciation in that. Perhaps we should check in on Sophia the Robot. She could be whipping up some xenomorphs right now – a plot twist for the ages.

About the Author

Stephanie Williams is a meme queen and a thread of comedy. You can hear her pop culture commentary on podcast like The Lemonade Podcast and get a taste of her comic book expertise on the first two seasons of Misty Knight’s Uninformed Afro. You can find some of her other written works on SyFy Fangrrls. She is also currently co-writing Braxton, an upcoming graphic novel from ArcLightComics.