Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by Dan O'Bannon.

Dialogue

Ripley: Ash, that transmission, Mother's deciphered part of it. It doesn't look like an S.O.S.

Ash: What is it, then?

Ripley: Well, I – it looks like a warning. I'm gonna go out after them.

Ash: What's the point? I mean, by the-the time it takes to get there, you'll, they'll know if it's a warning or not, yes?

Dallas: Okay, Ripley, we're clean. Let us in.

Ripley: What happened to Kane?

Dallas: Something's attached itself to him. We have to get him to the infirmary right away.

Ripley: What kind of thing? I need a clear definition.

Dallas: An organism. Open the hatch!

Ripley: Wait a minute. We let it in, the ship could be infected. You know the quarantine procedures: 24 hours for decontamination.

Dallas: He could die in 24 hours! Open the hatch.

Ripley: Listen to me. If we break quarantine, we could all die.

Lambert: Look! Would you open the goddamn hatch, we have to get him inside!

Ripley: No. And if you were in my position, you'd do the same.

Dallas: Ripley, this is an order. You open that hatch right now, you hear me?

Ripley: Yes.

Dallas: Ripley, that was an order! Do you hear me?!

Ripley: Yes, I read you. The answer is negative.

Ash: Inner hatch opened.

Dallas: [looks at a pen being dissolved by alien's body fluid] I haven't seen anything like that except molecular acid.

Brett: It must be using it for blood.

Parker: It's got a wonderful defense mechanism. You don't dare kill it.

Ash: Ripley, for God's sake, this is the first time that we've encountered a species like this. It has to go back, all sorts of tests have to be made.

Ripley: Ash, are you kidding? This thing bled acid, and who knows what it's gonna do when it's dead?

Ash: I think it's safe to assume it isn't a zombie.

Ripley: [watching Ash examine the creature] That's amazing. What is it?

Ash: Uh, yes, it is. Uh, I don't know yet. Did you want something?

Ripley: Yes, I, uh … have a little talk. How's Kane?

Ash: He's holding, no changes.

Ripley: And our guest?

Ash: Oh …

Ripley: Hm?

Ash: Well, as I said, I'm still … collating, actually. But I have confirmed that he's got an outer layer of protein polysaccharides. Has a funny habit of shedding his cells and replacing them with polarized silicon, which gives him a prolonged resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Is that enough?

Ripley: That's plenty. What does it mean?

[Ripley bends down to look through the micro-scanner]

Ash: Please don't do that. Thank you.

Ripley: I'm sorry.

Ash: Well, it's an interesting combination of elements, making him a … tough little son-of-a-bitch.

Ripley: And you let him in.

Ash: I was obeying a direct order, remember?

Ripley: Ash. When Dallas and Kane are off the ship, I'm Senior Officer.

Ash: Oh yes, I forgot.

Ripley: You also forgot the Science Division's basic quarantine law.

Ash: No, that I didn't forget.

Ripley: Oh, I see. You just broke it, then?

Ash: Look, what would you have done with Kane? You know his only chance of survival was to get him in here.

Ripley: Unfortunately, by breaking quarantine, you risk everybody's life.

Ash: Maybe I should have left him outside. Maybe I've jeopardized the rest of us, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

Ripley: That's a pretty big risk for a Science Officer. It's not exactly out of the manual, is it?

Ash: I do take my responsibilities as seriously as you, you know. You do your job and let me do mine, yes?

Parker: We found this laying there. No blood, no Dallas, nothing. How come I don't hear anybody say anything?

Ripley: I'm thinking! ...Unless somebody has got a better idea... we'll proceed with Dallas's plan.

Lambert: What? And end up like the others? No … no, you're out of your mind!

Ripley: You got a better idea?

Lambert: Yes! I say that we abandon this ship! We take the shuttle and just get the hell out of here! We take our chances and … and hope that somebody will pick us up!

Ripley: Lambert... the shuttle won't take four.

Lambert: Well, then why don't we draw straws and …

Parker: I'm not drawing any straws! I'm for killing that goddamn thing right now!

Ripley: Right. Well, let's talk about killing it. We know it's using the air shafts … will you listen to me, Parker? Shut up!

Parker: Let's hear it. Let's hear it.

Ripley: It's using the air shafts.

Parker: We don't know that.

Ripley: That's the only way! We'll move in pairs. We'll go step by step and cut off every bulkhead and every vent until we have it cornered. And then we'll blow it the fuck out into space. Is that acceptable to you?

Parker: If you think it means killing it, yeah, that's acceptable to me.

Ripley: Obviously, it means killing it. But we have to stick together.

Ripley: Ash. Any suggestions from you or Mother?

Ash: No, we're still collating.

Ripley: [laughing in disbelief] ...What? You're still 'collating'? I find that hard to believe.

Ash: What would you like me to do?

Ripley: Just what you've been doing, Ash – nothing. I've got access to Mother now, and I'll get my own answers, thank you.

Ash: All right.

Ripley: Ash, can you hear me? Ash?

Ash: Yes, I can hear you.

Ripley: What was your special order?

Ash: You read it. I thought it was clear.

Ripley: What was it?

Ash: Bring back life form. Priority One. All other priorities rescinded.

Parker: The damn company. What about our lives, you son of a bitch?!

Ash: I repeat, all other priorities are rescinded.

Ripley: How do we kill it, Ash? There got to be a way of killing it. How – how do we do it?

Ash: You can't.

Parker: That's bullshit.

Ash: You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you? The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility.

Lambert: You admire it.

Ash: I admire its purity. A survivor … unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.

Parker: Look, I am, I've heard enough of this, and I'm asking you to pull the plug.

[Ripley moves to turn Ash off, but he interrupts]

Ash: Last words.

Ripley: What?

Ash: I can't lie to you about your chances, but … you have my sympathies. [he smiles]

Ripley: When we throw the switches, how long before the ship blows?

Parker: Ten minutes.

Ripley: No bullshit?

Parker: We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space.

[Ripley has tried in vain to disengage the Nostromo's self-destruct]

Ripley: Mother! I've turned the cooling unit back on. Mother!

Mother: The ship will automatically destruct in T-minus five minutes.

Ripley: You … bitch!

[She smashes the computer monitor with a flamethrower]

Taglines

• Yeah, but it's a dry heat
• In space no one can hear you scream.
• Sometimes the scariest things come from within.
• A word of warning …

Cast

• Tom Skerritt – Dallas
• Sigourney Weaver – Ripley
• Veronica Cartwright – Lambert
• Harry Dean Stanton – Brett
• John Hurt – Kane
• Ian Holm – Ash
• Yaphet Kotto – Parker
• Bolaji Badejo – Alien
• Helen Horton – Mother