Ellen Ripley

The only survivor of the Nostromo who returned to face the Alien Queen.

Lt. Ellen Louise Ripley, usually referred to by her surname, stands as the original protagonist of the Alien film series, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver. Originally conceived as male for the first film, director Ridley Scott changed this early in production. Considered one of the greatest characters in science fiction history, she remains Weaver's most famous role and earned her worldwide recognition. In Alien (1979), Ripley served as a warrant officer aboard the Nostromo, escaping alone before deliberately exploding the ship to kill the monster.

She expelled an Alien from her shuttle before entering stasis for Earth. Fifty-seven years later, in Aliens (1986), she wakes from stasis, and her account of the Alien is met with such skepticism that she loses her space flight license. After a colony on LV-426 was infested, she escaped with Corporal Dwayne Hicks, Bishop, and Newt, expelling an Alien Queen into space. In Alien 3 (1992), she survived a crash on Fiorina 'Fury' 161, discovered a Queen embryo inside her, and sacrificed herself in a furnace to prevent the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from using it as a weapon.

Quick Facts

Series: Alien
First: Alien (1979)
Last: Dead by Daylight (2023)
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Occupation: Lieutenant (First Class)
Spouse: Alex (first husband, deceased); Paul Carter (second husband, deceased)
Family: Alan Decker (grandson of Ripley 8)

Lore & Background

In Alien (1979), she was the sole member to escape the Nostromo after an unknown creature infiltrated the ship and killed her crew. She starts the Nostromo's self-destruct sequence before escaping on the shuttle Narcissus. Fifty-seven years later in Aliens (1986), Ripley faced skepticism regarding her testimony, losing her flight license while learning of her daughter Amanda's death. Reuniting with a Colonial Marine squad to investigate LV-426, she witnessed the massacre of almost all marines before escaping with Hicks, Bishop, and Newt.

On the Sulaco, they fought off an Alien Queen which Ripley expelled into space. In Alien 3 (1992), her escape pod crashed on Fiorina 'Fury' 161. Unbeknownst to her, an egg had stowed away. After rallying inmates and discovering a Queen embryo growing inside her, she killed the creature by thermal shock before diving into a furnace as the Queen began to erupt from her chest, ensuring its extermination.

Reader's Guide

As a warrant officer on the Nostromo, she adhered to protocol but ultimately took decisive action when the crew was compromised, becoming the sole survivor. Her leadership style shifted from hierarchical obedience to desperate survival, as seen in Alien 3 where she rallied inmates on Fiorina 'Fury' 161 against a creature that refused to kill her due to the Queen embryo within her. In Alien Resurrection, Ripley 8 utilized her hybrid traits—enhanced reflexes and acidic blood—to navigate the chaos of the Auriga. She tearfully killed the Newborn hybrid, which had recognized her as its mother.

Did You Know?

Sigourney Weaver earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Aliens, which is now seen as a landmark recognition for science-fiction and horror genres.
The first six clones of Ripley produced in Alien Resurrection were useless monstrosities; the eighth clone proved successful.
In Alien: Isolation, a vocal message from Ripley (voiced by Sigourney Weaver) was found by her daughter Amanda, explaining the true nature of the Nostromo's disappearance.