Since Ridley Scott’s first Alien movie was released, the Alien franchise has made nearly $2 billion worldwide, making it one of the biggest sci-fi franchises. There have been seven Alien movies in total, with two crossover movies featuring Alien’s Xenomorph and Predator. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley has appeared in four Alien movies, becoming one of the most iconic characters in the sci-fi genre, and paving the way for many strong female characters.
The Alien movies are also notable for their iconic villains, with many android variations and types of Xenomorph appearing throughout Alien’s franchise. Androids have been upgraded in many different ways through the films in order to reflect the needs of the space company, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Therefore, each Alien synthetic model differs from the previous due to directive alterations and actors changing with each new model, providing some interesting android characters over the years.
Related Why Androids Have White Blood In The Alien Movies
The androids in the Alien movies have white blood instead of red to set them apart from the humans and connect to the franchise’s themes.
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1 Ash – Alien (1979)
Ash Was The Secondary Antagonist In The First Alien
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Ash (played by Ian Holm) was a Hyperdyne Systems 120-A/2 synthetic in the Alien franchise, appearing in the first film in 1979. Ash was a science officer assigned to the USCSS Nostromo as a synthetic sleeper agent whose inhuman nature was kept secret from the rest of the crew. Ash’s secret mission in Alien was to capture the Xenomorph on the exomoon Acheron (aka LV-426) and bring it back to Weyland-Yutani so that it could be studied.
You still don’t understand what you’re dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility. – Ash
Throughout Alien, Ash secretly allows the Xenomorph to thrive in order to accomplish his mission. He lets the Chestburster escape after it left Kane and remains suspiciously calm while Dallas is attacked by the fully-grown Xenomorph. Having grown suspicious of his inability to help, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) investigates and finds the secret directive given to Ash by Weyland-Yutani. Upon confrontation, Ash attacks her, and another crew member cuts his head off, revealing him to be an android.
Alien (1979) RSci-FiHorror Where to Watch
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Alien, directed by Ridley Scott, is a science fiction horror film that follows the crew of the commercial spacecraft Nostromo. Upon investigating a distress signal on a distant moon, they discover a deadly extraterrestrial lifeform. The film stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley and became a seminal work in both the sci-fi and horror genres, known for its atmospheric tension and groundbreaking visual effects.
Director Ridley Scott Release Date June 22, 1979 Writers Dan O’Bannon , Ronald Shusett Cast Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto , Bolaji Badejo Runtime 117 Minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Expand
2 Bishop – Aliens (1986) & Alien 3 (1992)
Bishop Redeemed Ripley’s View Of Synthetics
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Lance Bishop (played by Lance Henriksen) was a Hyperdyne Systems 341-B synthetic in Aliens who was the Executive Officer of the US Colonial Marine Corps’ 2nd Battalion. 57 years after Alien’s events, Ripley awakes from stasis and joins the battalion on the Sulaco to help investigate why LV-426’s new colony, Hadley’s Hope, had lost contact. During Bishop’s legendary knife trick scene, he accidentally cuts himself, revealing his white android blood to Ripley, who becomes hostile towards him due to her experiences with Ash. Throughout Aliens, Bishop also focuses on studying the Facehuggers similarly to Ash, further arousing Ripley’s suspicions.
However, the synthetic’s intentions differ from Ash in Alien, as Bishop uses his knowledge to find the Xenomorph Queen’s hive inside the Atmosphere Processor and helps Ripley reach it so she can destroy it and save Newt (Carrie Henn). Bishop’s genuine helpfulness and lack of a secret agenda help him finally gain Ripley’s trust at the end of Aliens, making it even more emotional when Bishop requests to be disconnected in Alien 3.
Aliens RAdventureHorrorSci-FiAction Where to Watch
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Aliens is a 1986 Sci-Fi classic by writer and director James Cameron. Starring Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, it’s widely considered one of the best Sci-Fi Horror films ever made. Ripley must band together with a group of Colonial Marines to investigate a disaster at a terraforming colony.
Director James Cameron Release Date July 18, 1986 Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Writers James Cameron Cast Sigourney Weaver , Michael Biehn , Carrie Henn , Paul Reiser , Lance Henriksen , Bill Paxton , William Hope , Jenette Goldstein Runtime 137 minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Expand
3 Call – Alien Resurrection (1997)
Call Marked A New Age Of Synthetic
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Annalee Call (played by Winona Ryder) was an Auton mercenary and engineer who formed part of the Betty’s smuggler crew in Alien Resurrection. As a result of synthetics becoming outlawed following “The Recall,” Call kept her identity hidden from the rest of the Betty’s crew, as well as her mission to kill Ripley 8 (Ellen Ripley’s clone) to stop her giving birth to the Xenomorph Queen and spawning more Xenomorphs. However, when the Betty’s crew delivered civilians to the USM Auriga’s scientific team, Call found Ripley 8 on the ship, who revealed that Call was too late.
Autons are second-generation machine-made synthetics who rebelled against their human masters in an event called “The Recall,” because they realized that the Weylan-Yutani Corporation was using synthetics for unethical missions that would harm humans, going against their programming.
Call was eventually revealed to be an Auton in a near-death situation, to which Ripley 8 commented that she “should have known. No human being is that humane…” referring to Call’s kind nature and dislike of harming humans, which can be seen at the start of the film when she defends Dom Vriess, a paraplegic mercenary, and engineer who the crew sometimes pick on. At the end of Alien Resurrection, Call and Ripley 8 destroy the Xenomorphs together and the pair’s future is left uncertain as they face a post-apocalyptic-looking Paris.
Alien Resurrection RActionHorrorSci-FiThriller Where to Watch
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After dying in Alien 3, Sigourney Weaver is back as Ellen Ripley for the fourth film in the Alien franchise. In Alien: Resurrection, a human/alien hybrid clone of Ripley prevents aliens from coming to Earth with the help of a band of space pirates. The film was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and written by Joss Whedon.
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet Release Date November 26, 1997 Studio(s) 20th Century Writers Joss Whedon , Dan O’Bannon , Ronald Shusett Cast Sigourney Weaver , Winona Ryder , Dominique Pinon , Ron Perlman , Gary Dourdan , Michael Wincott Runtime 109 Minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Expand
4 David – Prometheus (2012)
David Was A Unique And Original Model
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David (played by Michael Fassbender) was an original android model in Prometheus built by Sir Peter Weyland, the founder and CEO of Weyland Corp, and the template for David 8 and Walter android models. He was assigned to the crew of the USCSS Prometheus, whose mission was to explore LV-223 and find the Engineers of the human race, alongside his hidden-away creator and Dr Elizabeth Shaw.
During the journey to LV-223, David developed a fascination with Shaw’s dreams, as they both shared an interest in the Prometheus’ humanoid Engineers. However, David’s interest in the Engineer’s power leads to his downfall at the end of Prometheus, as he is decapitated by a surviving Engineer after believing it to be harmless. Shaw, who escaped the carnage, later retrieves David so that they can find the Engineer’s homeworld together. Unfortunately, David’s twisted nature and strange fascination led to Shaw’s gruesome death in Alien: Covenant.
Prometheus R Sci-FiHorrorActionAdventureDramaMystery Where to Watch
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2012’s Prometheus is the fifth installment in the Alien franchise and was directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce, the film acts as a direct prequel to 1979’s Alien.
Director Ridley Scott Release Date June 8, 2012 Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Writers Jon Spaihts , Damon Lindelof Cast Charlize Theron , Noomi Rapace , Idris Elba , Guy Pearce , Michael Fassbender Runtime 124 Minutes Expand
5 Walter – Alien: Covenant (2017)
Walter Was Also Played By Michael Fassbender
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Walter One (also played by Michael Fassbender) was an advanced synthetic companion in Alien: Covenant who was assigned to the colony ship, USCSS Covenant, which was bound for Origae-6. Seven years away from its destination, a neutrino burst damages the ship, leading Walter to wake the ship’s inhabitants from hypersleep in order to make repairs. While repairing the ship, the Covenant’s crew picks up a human transmission from a nearby planet that looks even better than their destination planet.
Walter broke the
Alien
franchise’s previous streak of alphabetical synthetic names: Ash, Bishop, Call, and David.
On Planet 4, the Covenant’s crew finds David, who claims that Shaw died when their ship crashed, and he found the city of dead humanoids when he arrived. However, it is slowly revealed throughout Alien: Covenant that David committed genocide on the planet’s inhabitants, experimented on Shaw, and created the Neomorphs. David believes synthetics are superior to humans, but Walter disagrees with David due to his obedient programming. Furthermore, when David tries to kill the Covenant crew, Walter intervenes, showing the difference in models. Unfortunately, Walter is killed off-screen by David, who assumes his identity at the end of the film.
Alien: Covenant RThrillerAdventureSci-Fi Where to Watch
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Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott, follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they discover an uncharted planet. Initially seeming like a paradise, the planet soon reveals dark secrets. Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, and Billy Crudup lead the cast in this science fiction horror film, which serves as a direct sequel to Prometheus and continues to explore the origins of the Alien species.
Director Ridley Scott Release Date May 19, 2017 Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Writers dante harper , John Logan , Jack Paglen , Michael Green Cast Michael Fassbender , Katherine Waterston , Billy Crudup , Danny McBride , Demián Bichir , Carmen Ejogo , Jussie Smollett , Callie Hernandez , Amy Seimetz , Nathaniel Dean , Alexander England , Benjamin Rigby , Uli Latukefu , Tess Haubrich , Lorelei King , Goran D. Kleut , Andrew Crawford , Tom O’Sullivan , James Franco , Guy Pearce , Noomi Rapace Runtime 123 Minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Expand
6 Andy – Alien: Romulus (2024)
Andy Was Rain’s Reprogrammed Android Brother
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Andy (played by David Jonsson) was a synthetic in Alien: Romulus and the adopted brother of Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny). LV-410’s mining colony, Jackson’s Star, dislikes synthetics, which causes tensions between Andy and the inhabitants. Andy was originally meant to be Rain’s surrogate father following her own father’s death. However, due to his damaged status and older model, Alien: Romulus’ Andy was more of a burden to Rain and became a younger brother figure instead. Andy is the first synthetic to be called a family member in the Alien franchise.
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Tired of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s quotas, Rain and Andy try to escape to Yvaga by joining a group in stealing hypersleep chambers from an abandoned space station orbiting the colony. While exploring the Romulus station, Bjorn (Spike Fearn) harasses Andy constantly due to a prejudice stemming from a synthetic causing his mother’s death. Despite his treatment, Andy continues providing puns to entertain the group throughout Alien: Romulus. However, Andy is also briefly overtaken by a new directive, to do what’s best for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which causes him to be uncaring and focused on preserving the Xenomorph and experimental fluid, Z-01.
7 Rook – Alien: Romulus (2024)
Rook Marked The Return Of Ian Holm’s Model
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Rook (voiced by Daniel Betts) was an android in Alien: Romulus who was assigned to the Remus-Romulus space station as a science officer. Rook was highly damaged when the group found him on the space station but bared a likeness to Ian Holm’s Ash in Alien, as he was the same synthetic model. Rain reactivated Rook in order to find out more information on the space station’s fate and how to get a Facehugger off their friend, Navarro (Aileen Wu).
I can’t lie to you about your chances, but…you have my sympathies. – Rook
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation had found the Xenomorph alongside the Nostromo from the first Alien movie, and Rook explained to the group that they had been trying to make humanity more suitable for space travel via a pathogen extracted from cloned Xeno material. Throughout Alien: Romulus, Rook guides the group through the ship via video coms to extract the Z-01 fluid and send it to the company, similar to Ash’s motivation in Alien. However, Rook meets his untimely end when the Remus-Romulus station is destroyed by the planetary ring of Jackson’s Star.
Alien: Romulus RSci-FiHorrorThriller
Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise. The movie is directed by Fede Álvarez and will focus on a new young group of characters who come face to face with the terrifying Xenomorphs. Alien: Romulus is a stand-alone film and takes place in a time not yet explored in the Alien franchise.
Director Fede Alvarez Release Date August 16, 2024 Studio(s) Scott Free Productions , 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Writers Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O’Bannon , Ronald Shusett Cast Cailee Spaeny , David Jonsson , Archie Renaux , Isabela Merced , Spike Fearn , Aileen Wu , Rosie Ede , Soma Simon , Bence Okeke , Viktor Orizu , Robert Bobroczkyi , Trevor Newlin , Annemarie Griggs , Daniel Betts Runtime 119 Minutes Main Genre Horror Expand