What is Alien: Definition and 126 Discussions

Alien is a science-fiction horror/action media franchise centered on the film series which depicts warrant officer Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and her battles with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as "the Alien" or Xenomorph.
Produced and distributed by 20th Century Studios, the series began with Alien (1979), directed by Ridley Scott, and was followed by three sequels: Aliens (1986), directed by James Cameron; Alien 3 (1992), directed by David Fincher, and Alien Resurrection (1997), directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Scott also directed a prequel series, composed of Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017), which follows the exploits of the David 8 android and the creators of the eponymous creatures referred to as the "Engineers".
The series has led to numerous novels, comics, video games and television series. It has inspired a number of spin-offs - most notably the Alien vs. Predator franchise, which combines the continuities of the Alien franchise with the Predator franchise and consists of two films as well as various series of comics, books, and video games.

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  1. Greg Bernhardt

    Enormous alien planet discovered

    Giant Alien Planet Discovered in Most Distant Orbit Ever Seen \http://www.space.com/23858-most-distant-alien-planet-discovery-hd106906b.html
  2. wasteofo2

    Microscopic Alien life found on British Balloon?

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2416761/Scientists-claim-evidence-ALIEN-LIFE-Balloon-sent-edge-atmosphere-picks-organisms-come-space.html "British scientists believe they have found evidence alien life after sending a balloon to the edge of space. The team of scientists sent...
  3. Y

    British scientists is convinced it has found proof of alien life

    I stumbled upon this article and was wondering what others think of it? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-truth-is-out-there-british-scientists-claim-to-have-found-proof-of-alien-life-8826690.html
  4. P

    Idea to intercept alien communications

    Hey. I offer this idea in hopes that somebody with more knowhow can contribute. Basically the idea is this. Scan IR/Microwave/Radio wavelengths for recurring bits of information that can be sorted into a working language. If the language seems that it reveals information in some sort of...
  5. A

    Alien civilizations similar to us.

    Let me get right to the point: I believe that if there is ever contact with Aliens, they will either be so similar to us as to be funny, or be so different from us as to be nearly incomprehensible. A whale doesn't look like a bacteria, which doesn't look like a rose, or a moose or a...
  6. wolram

    Alien Lifeforms: Adapting to Extreme Environments and Behaviors

    Assume it could be from a world where the gravity is much higher or much lower than ours, it could be much hotter or colder than ours, it would have to have a method of manipulating tools.
  7. F

    Could Alien science and epistemology be incomprehensible to humans?

    On Wikipedia, I was reading the Stanisław Lem article and got linked to the Hypothetical types of biochemistry and Fermi paradox article, particularly the section on They are too alien, where it states "Another possibility is that human theoreticians have underestimated how much alien life might...
  8. H

    Is There Evidence of Alien Life in Russia?

    I found this news in the yahoo. I think it's amazing. The first extra-ordinary proof of alien existence http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/offbeat/11711701/russias-chilling-alien-discovery
  9. C

    Could we eat an alien life form?

    Yes, I know that it should be found and hunted (harvested?) first. ;) Let's take assumption that's a carbon based life form using water as solvent. Are the aminoacids that we use the only feasible and convergent evolution would cause that they would have the same? What would be a reaction...
  10. S

    Thoughts on Alien weapons' technology in Crysis

    The http://crysis.wikia.com/wiki/Weapons#Aliens" - are they theoretically possible? The weapon "Molecular Arrestor" is basically a freeze ray, is this thermodynamically possible? Freezing something would require removing energy - how something have its energy removed that rapidly makes it...
  11. E

    NASA NASA Scientist Claims Evidence of Alien Life on Meteorite

    http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/05/exclusive-nasa-scientists-claims-evidence-alien-life-meteorite/ When you consider the intergalactic scale and that there are something like 3x10^24 stars it seems so probable that life would exist--even in more complex forms. I heard that other labs...
  12. FtlIsAwesome

    Explore Physiology & Aerodynamics of Supersonic Alien Birds

    I am working on a scifi series. This question crosses both Aerodynamics and Exobiology topics. I thought it would be interesting to have a genus of nonsentient birdlike creatures on an alien planet and they can fly at supersonic speeds. What would the physiology of these creatures be? They...
  13. S

    Shouldn't we have heard alien radio signals by now? Why not?

    I figure that intelligent life couldn't have formed until, at the very least, the second generation stars that started birthing forth carbon (maybe 3 billion years after the Big Bang?). On Earth, it took something like 2.5 billion years until multicellular life formed, and so maybe we can...
  14. M

    Is the Ancient Alien Theory worth considering?

    How serious should we take this theory? I have been watching the show on the History channel lately and the ancient alien theorist have a lot of evidence. I mean some of the claims are a bit far-fetched, but the evidence is there. What do you guys think?
  15. R

    Alien life forms, do they exist?

    Hello, I am interested to know how many readers think that we will find life in our solar system, if so when?. I am confident that we will find basic life forms in a human lifetime. also if anyone thinks that there is more that one intelligent civilisation in our galaxy other than our own...
  16. H

    Feeling Like an Outsider: Overcoming Unwarranted Reactions

    So today i go to work lifeguarding... i step out of the punch in office and this fellow guard took the corner towards the punch in office while i was turning the corner to leave; we both had enough space and were not in front of each other. She slightly jumped when she saw me, said sorry, and...
  17. BobG

    Deciphering Drake's Message: Astronomers Solve Alien Code

    By 1960, new radio telescopes were capable of detecting radio signals from at least the nearest stars and scientists began to consider what a message from outer space might look like. Dr. Frank Drake (the originator of the Drake Equation) came up with this first attempt at what a message from...
  18. S

    Spacecraft landing on an alien planet

    Homework Statement A spacecraft of mass m0 is descending with velocity v0 to land on an alien plant where the value of g is 1/6 of g on the earth. In order to land safely (meaning the final velocity upon landing is zero), fuel has to be burnt at a constant rate dm/dt=-k, where k is a...
  19. J

    Famous argument against alien life

    Hello, a couple decades ago, an argument was introduced in a notable physics journal of some kind, but I cannot recall the name of this argument, or the journal. I believe it might have been associated with Cambridge, but can't remember. The argument is a logical theory as to why the...
  20. M

    Calculating Collision Time: Astronaut's Experiment on Alien Planet

    Homework Statement An Astronaugt is doing an experiment on an alien planet. She fires a ball straight up towards a target ball that is dropped at the same time as the lower ball is launched. If air resistence is ignored, how long does it take for the two balls to collide? Homework...
  21. T

    Calculating acceleration due to gravity on an alien planet

    Homework Statement On an alien planet you throw a stone upward and measure the times Ta and Tb. The difference in heights of point a and point b is h. Calculate the acceleration due to gravity. Ta = 7.1s; Tb= 4.4s; h = 15.1m Homework Equations a = dv/st v(t) = vo - gt The...
  22. marcus

    Alien Maps of an Ocean-Bearing World

    Cool. http://arxiv.org/abs/0905.3742 Abstract: To simulate the kinds of observations that will eventually be obtained for exoplanets, the Deep Impact spacecraft obtained light curves of Earth at seven wavebands spanning 300-1000 nm as part of the EPOXI mission of opportunity. In this...
  23. Z

    How much Storage capacity could an Alien Device have?

    Lets assume an Alien race that's 1.2 billion years ahead of human civilization in terms of technology. Do you think they'd be able to store the entire internet in one of their single device? If not, then how much storage do you think they'd have? Discuss..
  24. M

    Poll: Have you ever seen a UFO, alien or cosmic object?

    Please give an honest, clear answer and leave a detailed comment unless the answer is none. Please make the comment inside the signature poll. I am using a different poll because my poll is active in other forums. Poll: Have you ever seen a UFO, alien or unusual cosmic object. · UFO · Alien...
  25. T

    Peruvian video of a small alien

    http://xmb.stuffucanuse.com/xmb/viewthread.php?tid=5929 Seen this linked on a site. Most of us have figured it out, can you? Considering the nature of these forums, you guys should have no problem figuring it out.
  26. W

    Metal sphere left by alien civilization

    voltage/charge problem Homework Statement Imagine a small metal sphere left by some alien civilization is floating in space. A probe is launched directly at the sphere in order to study it. When the probe is 1000 m from the sphere, it detects a voltage of 110.0 V; and when it’s at 100.0 m...
  27. R

    Odds of Finding Alien Life: An Exploration

    What do you guys reckon to the odds of us finding alien life? The fermi paradox: 'If there are all these billions of planets in the universe that are capable of supporting life, and millions of intelligent species out there, then how come none has visited earth?' I reckon there exists...
  28. Ivan Seeking

    Are UFO Sightings by Credible Witnesses Convincing?

    CNN's "Alien believers among us" Part 1 of 5. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/11/24/obrien.aliens.not.just.crazy.cnn
  29. S

    Communicating with an alien race

    Not sure if this has been asked here (searched but couldn't find anything), but I thought this was an awesome question (heard in a feynman lecture) If you were communicating with an alien race, with no visual lines of communication (only audio) how would you explain left and right, so that it...
  30. F

    Teaching an Alien to Recognize Human Faces

    Hello everyone :) There is an alien that just came to Earth and is having trouble recognizing peoples faces. We also have trouble recognizing his face; where his eye is on one hand and a mouth on the other. Luckily for us the alien understands our language and simple colours. The task is...
  31. turbo

    Is the Alleged Alien Video Real?

    A guy claims to have video of an alien, and he's going to show it to some people tomorrow. He won't let the public see it because it's going to be included in a documentary. http://media.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/content/purported-ufo-video-be-shown-friday.html
  32. Z

    News The illegal alien problem, Huckabee and the 2008 elections

    This is basically the gist of Huckabee's immigration plan touchback provision: He would repeal the multi-year baring of illegals to re-enter the U.S. for illegals who register during a 120-day period with Homeland Security and temporarily exit the country (for only a few days, at most). It...
  33. wolram

    Was the Recent Intergalactic Explosion Evidence of Alien Technology?

    http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2007/intergalatic_shot.html Solid proof that aliens are about, this must have been a warp core breach.
  34. P

    History History channel: Alien engineering show

    History channel: "Alien engineering" show I'm curious if anyone saw this show, or part of it. (I only watched part, it was rather long). For a rather ga-ga premise, the show seemed to be fairly serious. A friend of mine commented that it might attract kids to science. I know I don't want...
  35. M

    Spacecraft vs Alien on a spherical planet

    Here's a problem which I encountered a while ago: "There is an alien on the surface of a spherical planet. The alien can run at a top speed of u. An alien hunter is hunting the alien in his spaceship which can fly at a top speed of v. Once the hunter sees the alien, he fires, and the alien...
  36. R

    Dr Roger Lier, alleged Alien Implants

    Dr Roger Lier, a qualified surgeon, claims to have removed a total of 11 implants from aliens. He has sent them off to "one of the most abvanced labs in the world" and the people who did the tests were stumped by it. I saw this clip of him which, i think, is going to be aired soon in an...
  37. F

    Debunking Alien Captured On Video

    Below is a link to a video of a group of boys playing soccer in an alley in Mexico. At 0:29 an alien figure reaches for a boy. The quality of the video is not that great. It was recorded using a cell phone. The boys are speaking in spanish. I speak spanish so I can translate: The boy after...
  38. S

    Meet an alien from another planet

    Suppose you are going to meet an alien from another planet. How can you make sure that the alien is not build of antimatter without touching it? My teacher told me that I have to compare the rate of the C-P violated processes. I didn't understand this point.
  39. Evo

    Becoming an Illegal Alien (retroactively)

    Ok, this letter is tongue in cheek, but I thought it took a humorus poke at a not so humorus issue. The Honorable Joe Lieberman Senate Office Building 309 Hart Washington DC, 20510 Dear Senator Lieberman, As a native to CT. and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I...
  40. Orion1

    Has the Alien Interview video been discussed on this forum?

    Has this video been discussed on this forum? Reference: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2812084192530401757 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7774302182564094167
  41. Ivan Seeking

    News Bush's border and illegal alien plan

    To be given in a few minutes, he will offically announce the call for National Guard troops to be sent to the border for support roles with the border patrol, but with no law enforcement directly. Now, in principle I might agree with the effort. Something has to be done. But at the same time, we...
  42. Schrodinger's Dog

    Are the CIA hiding evidence of alien anti gravity technology?

    A very partial transcript of the BBC interview is on this link and you can watch the whole interview: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/4977134.stm" I spotted this on my way round the web it's about a guys hacking into top secret computers involved with the DoD and NASA...
  43. P

    Opinion Poll on Bigfoot, Alien, Ghosts

    This is part of a survey I am doing for a class project, wanted to get a sampling from the scientific community. Many Thanks.
  44. K

    Exploring the Possibility of Alien Life: Facts and Theories

    I once watched a tv program on the possibility of alien life. The program intrigued me in the possibility that life as we know it might not be as limited. Some possibilities that entertained me are: 1) alien life might not need DNA to transfer traits to the next generations. 2) They might be...
  45. U

    On alien abduction, grays, and consciousness

    Hello, I'm new to this part of the forum and thought it might be fun to poke a stick into the hornet's nest (so to speak). Lot's of folks have alien abduction stories to tell, and lots of these stories have unsettling similarities. Some of these similarities are the apparent ability of...
  46. E

    Red rain phenomenon of Kerala - aka alien rain?

    Have you seen this? http://www.arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601022 Any comments?
  47. S

    Possible alien signal found The 1977 WOW signal

    http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=318 :approve: :approve: Don't execpt to be aliens.I'am hoping it is but stuff like this could an error or a bad joke.:wink: :bugeye: Let's hope they have highly advance Universial translaters Never mind it happened a long time ago.I got to exicted sorry.
  48. wolram

    How many different alien forms are there?

    They have been around for some time now, but where did the idea of little green men come from, or the big eyed hairless Ivan type, how many different alien forms are there ?
  49. P

    Skeptic interviews alien abduction expert(Dr. David Jacobs)

    Here Dr. David Jacobs is interviewed by Aaron Sakulich: The first two pages (introduction)may be a bit dull, but it gets quite interesting after that. Does anyone disagree with something said in the interview? Heres another interesting quote:
  50. Ivan Seeking

    Medical Alien Hand Syndrome: Causes & Symptoms

    Many here may have heard of Alien Hand Syndrome http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=12655 Could this be an example of Alien Paw Syndrome? :biggrin: [edit by Ivan: link deleted. See post #16]
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