- Ridley Scott reintroduced a deleted scene in the director’s cut of Alien that causes confusion in the Xenomorph reproductive mechanism.
- The deleted scene shows the characters Dallas and Brett being “eggmorphed” to create new facehugger eggs.
- This contradicts the concept of the Alien Queen introduced in Aliens as the source of eggs.
Eager fans of the Alien series are abuzz over the controversial decision by Ridley Scott to include a previously deleted scene in the director’s cut of Alien. This notorious scene, cut from the original, reveals that two characters, Dallas and Brett, were transformed in a process called “eggmorphing” and used as vessels for new facehugger eggs. However, the inclusion of this scene clashes with James Cameron’s protocol for Xenomorph reproduction introduced in the sequel, Aliens.
The Alien franchise, released with its groundbreaking title film in 1979, has fascinated fans with the chilling exploration of unknown space and monsters. The most mysterious element in the original Alien was the unexplained origin of the eggs found by the Nostromo crew in the derelict ship. That puzzle seemed solved in 1986’s Aliens, as James Cameron revealed the massive Alien Queen responsible for laying the eggs and ruling over the Xenomorph hive. However, Ridley Scott’s original idea for Xenomorph reproduction varied from Cameron’s vision, as explained by @{$=Screen Rant (https://screenrant.com/alien-directors-cut-xenomorph-plot-hole-eggs/)$}.
Sigourney Weaver skyrocketed to fame with her role in Alien. The film also starred MASH legend Tom Skerritt, who played Captain Dallas, and experienced an unsettling and unexpected off-screen demise. In the original, unedited version of the film, Skerritt’s character, along with Brett, played by Harry Dean Stanton, encounters Ripley amidst a Xenomorph nest—both men “eggmorphed” into new facehugger eggs. Ripley hesitantly burns the nascent eggs and escapes the Nostromo. While engaging, the scene was potentially removed from the film originally to maintain its fast pace.
The scene appears in Ridley Scott’s director’s cut and is considered canonical. However, James Cameron’s Aliens completely disregards the eggmorphing concept, instead attributing Xenomorph reproduction to the Alien Queen. These conflicting ideas might leave viewers puzzled if they watch the director’s cut of Alien before Aliens.
Although the eggmorphing debate creates strong disagreements among Alien fans, the discussion remains engaging. Some of the expanded universe materials, like spinoff novels, play with the eggmorphing idea. Tentatively, it seems plausible that without an Alien Queen present, a lone Xenomorph drone could resort to eggmorphing as an alternative reproductive method.
The Alien universe allows for various interpretations and evolutions to emerge. Ridley Scott’s decision to revisit the eggmorphing concept in the director’s cut adds a layer of complexity to the Xenomorph lifecycle. While some see the addition as an enriching element, others argue that excluding it from the original release could have averted the confusion in subsequent films. Regardless, its resurgence challenges and engages fans of the popular franchise.