Ellen Ripley

Ellen Ripley (7th Jan, 2092 - 11th Aug, 2179) is the main protagonist of the franchise. She is the archenemy of the destructive alien species, the xenomorphs, who took just about everything she ever loved.
She was portrayed by , who later played Dana Barrett in the first two Ghostbusters films and Ripley 8 in Alien: Resurrection.
==Overview==
Ripley was a civilian adviser to the United States Colonial Marine Corps and a hugely influential figure in humanity's encounters with the species Xenomorph XX121. She was the mother of Amanda Ripley-McClaren and the forebear of Alan Decker.
Beginning her career as a warrant officer with Weyland-Yutani Corporation's commercial freight operations, Ripley was assigned to USCSS Nostromo in 2122 when it encountered a single Xenomorph unintentionally collected from the moon Acheron (LV-426). The event led to the death of the rest of Nostromo's crew and the destruction of the ship, and Ripley's encounter with the Xenomorph would fundamentally alter the course of her life.
Later promoted to Lieutenant First Class and attached to the Colonial Marines as a civilian adviser, Ripley would go on to have several more encounters with the creatures over the following decades, before eventually sacrificing herself on Fiorina "Fury" 161 to put an end to the Alien menace once and for all. Her exploits ensured that she was well-known among groups and individuals that dealt with the Xenomorph for decades, even centuries, after her death.
Ripley is the most level-headed member of the crew, demonstrating an impressive amount of bravery when dealing with the xenomorph. Likewise, she is the de facto leader of the crew on the basis of being the most proactive member.
The sole human survivor of the Nostromo Incident and the only constant character in the franchise apart from the Xenomorphs, Ripley is awakened from hypersleep 57 years later. She gets suspended by the Weyland-Yutani company for "questionable judgment" regarding the ship's self-destruction, finds out her daughter died a while ago and that LV-426, the planet where they encountered the Xenomorphs, is now colonized.
Once the colony predictably loses contact with Earth, Ripley accompanies the Badass Crew of Space Marines as a civilian adviser, and finds herself as de facto leader alongside Corporal Hicks due to unforeseen consequences.
==Personality and Traits ==
Given the horrifying events Ellen Ripley was exposed to during the latter part of her life, her personality understandably changed over time, but she nonetheless remained a strong-willed, level-headed, honorable and determined individual. Early in her life she had a strict sense of duty and professionalism, and operated very much by-the-book and in accordance with the rules, a trait that sometimes brought her into conflict with the more laid-back Parker and Brett aboard the Nostromo. Despite this, she still showed an easygoing and relaxed demeanor in front of her peers, an attitude that would soon be all but extinguished in her later life. When command of the Nostromo survivors fell to Ripley, she maintained her calm despite the terror they faced, although the revelation of Ash's betrayal somewhat dented this collected exterior and revealed a more impulsive, frantic person underneath. Ash's actions would also leave her with a deep-seated hatred and mistrust of synthetics.
The events on board the Nostromo significantly traumatized Ripley and, coupled with the rejection of her story upon her eventual return to Earth, affected her greatly, in many respects permanently altering her personality. She became far colder and more apathetic towards her life, resigned to the fact she had been ruined both professionally and personally by what had happened. At the same time, she was plagued by vivid nightmares involving the Xenomorph, nightmares that ultimately spurred her decision to return to LV-426 and confront the creatures again. When the mission went disastrously wrong, Ripley's prior experience with the Alien helped her to maintain a level of cool that even some of the hardened Colonial Marines fighting for survival alongside her could not match, most notably the panicky Private Hudson. Her level of calm and ability to make competent decisions, even under such extreme stress, endeared her greatly to the Marines around her, particularly Corporal Hicks, who openly included Ripley in tactical discussions, trusting her judgment despite the fact she was only a civilian.
Ripley was also capable of extreme bravery, perhaps never more apparent than when she entered the Hive on LV-426, alone, to rescue the captured Newt. Ripley's relationship with Newt was significant, in that it represented a reawakening of the maternal role that Ripley lost when she was informed that Amanda had died in the time she had spent drifting in space following the Nostromo's destruction. Ripley and Newt formed a close parent-child bond that not only encouraged Ripley to fight on, but also devastated her when Newt was killed on Fiorina 161. Events on LV-426 also helped Ripley to overcome her prejudice towards synthetics, even coming to view Bishop as something approaching a friend.
After crashing on Fiorina 161, Ripley was emotionally damaged yet again by the sudden death of Newt and Hicks' apparent demise. The anguish this brought on was later compounded by the death of Clemens (mere hours after the two had slept together) and the subsequent revelation that she herself had been impregnated with a Chestburster, a Queen no less, and that her death was imminent. Ripley became suicidal, but her core inner strength meant she was unable to kill herself — to this end, she sought to have first the Dragon and then Dillon end her life, but without success. Despite her depression, Ripley remained staunch in her determination to defeat the Xenomorph. In a final cruel twist, she was approached on Fiorina 161 by Michael Bishop and offered a chance at a continued existence, but at the cost of Weyland-Yutani potentially unleashing the Xenomorph upon humanity through their own short-sightedness. Ripley came perilously close to accepting the company's terms, but ultimately overcame her fear of death and honorably chose to end her own life, simultaneously denying Bishop the specimen and destroying the Xenomorph menace, saving mankind.
== Equipment ==
Although Ripley, of her own accord, was not a soldier, she would arm herself with whatever came to hand if it would help her survive. Aboard the Nostromo, she armed herself with one of Parker's custom-built Flame Throwers, although when cornered by the Alien aboard the Narcissus she resorted to a more rudimentary ASSO-400 Harpoon Grappling Gun to finally kill the creature. After spending some time with the Colonial Marines on LV-426 and being faced with the precariousness of their situation, Ripley had Hicks instruct her on the use of various USCM equipment, including the M41A Pulse Rifle and M240 Incinerator Unit, both of which she would later combine together (in a strictly non-regulation manner) when attempting to rescue Newt.
As a result of her short-lived career working in a dockyard on Earth, Ripley became adept with the Caterpillar P-5000 Powered Work Loader, a skill she later used in her battle with the First Acheron Queen aboard the Sulaco.
==Behind the Scenes==
===Comic book appearances===
Following Aliens, the character of Ellen Ripley went on to appear in a series of Aliens comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1989-1990 that reunited her with Hicks and Newt. In these comics, Ripley, Hicks and Newt travel to the Xenomorph home world in order to combat an infestation that has taken over the entire Earth, hoping to save the planet and the human race from the monstrous Xenomorph Queen Mother.
However, following the release of Alien3 in 1992, in which Ripley, Hicks and Newt perished, the presence of these characters in the comics clashed with their fates as shown in the movie franchise. As a result, the comic book characters were altered, with Ripley becoming a synthetic duplicate of the real Ripley. This change first appeared in the novel Aliens: The Female War, an adaptation of the comic series Aliens: Female War, published a year after Alien3. Similarly, Hicks became David Wilks, while Newt became Billie.
Subsequent reprints of the comics were also edited to use these altered identities. However, somewhat confusingly, the comics made no attempt to alter Ripley's nature and she remained the same human character she had been in the original releases (likely because changing her to a synthetic would require a significant expansion/modification of the comic way beyond simply altering names). As such, even the edited versions of the comic book offer no explanation as to how Ellen Ripley could still be alive post-Alien3; only the novel includes the extra material regarding the discovery that she is an android duplicate, and her subsequent struggles with this revelation.
More recently, Dark Horse has begun reissuing the original, unedited versions of the early Aliens comics, thereby reinstating the character of Ripley in these stories and restoring the comic series as alternative sequels to Aliens.
===Reception===
The character of Ripley, and Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of her, have become a landmark in cinema. Ripley is often considered one of the greatest female protagonists of all time, and one of the most iconic characters ever to appear in film. The part has also been heralded as challenging gender roles in motion pictures, particularly in the science fiction, action and horror genres.
Ripley has appeared in numerous best character lists over the years; in 2003, the American Film Institute ranked her as the eighth best hero in American film history in their list of the 100 greatest heroes and villains, while the following year Entertainment Weekly ranked Ripley 5th on their list of The 20 All Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture, calling her "one of the first female movie characters who isn't defined by the men around her, or by her relationship to them". The same year she was ranked 9th on Empire magazine's compilation of The 100 Greatest Movie Characters, being the highest ranked female to appear on the list.
Likewise, Weaver has received critical praise for her portrayal of the character, and the role remains by far her most famous to date. For her performance in Alien, Weaver was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Leading Newcomer and a Saturn Award for Best Actress. Although her performance in the film was acclaimed, it was Aliens that brought Weaver worldwide recognition, becoming the second horror actress in history (after Ellen Burstyn for The Exorcist) to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. She also received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, and won the Saturn Award for Best Actress, the first major award in her career. Although Alien3 and Alien Resurrection were less successful critically than the first two films in the franchise, Weaver's performance as Ripley was again praised. She received her third and fourth Saturn Award for Best Actress nominations, and a nomination for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress – Sci-Fi for Alien Resurrection.
===Rank===
There seems to be some confusion over the rank that Ripley holds throughout the series. In Alien, her rank is never specified, although she is clearly subordinate to both Captain Dallas and First Officer Kane. At the start of the extended Special Edition of Aliens, her rank is stated to be that of Warrant Officer (although she is subsequently stripped of this rank following the inquiry into the destruction of the Nostromo). However, by Alien3 she is said to be Lieutenant Ellen Ripley. If this were the case, she should have had superiority over Corporal Hicks during the events of Aliens, when clearly she did not. What's more, Alien Resurrection states Ripley was a Lieutenant 1st Class at the time of her death.
While the issue is never addressed in the films, it seems likely that Ripley was given the rank of Lieutenant 1st Class upon her reinstatement in Aliens, once she had agreed to return to LV-426, and that the rank of Lieutenant ascribed to her in Alien3 was merely an abbreviation of her full title. Furthermore, as her rank was an ICC commercial rank, Hicks — who held a military rank — was still superior despite only being a Corporal; essentially Ripley's situation could be compared to the "Captain" of a commercial cruise liner being stranded with enlisted Navy SEALs. The fact that Hicks accepts Ripley's suggestion to "nuke the site from orbit" merely shows that he respects her opinion as the best course of action.
===Alien3===
Ripley's "Body Level Organ Torso" was used in the scene in Alien3 where she undergoes a CAT-scan, discovering that she has been impregnated by a Facehugger. For this sequence, this torso was filmed as an insert for the monitor displaying Ripley's scan. Crafted from foam latex, this torso represents Ripley's inner organs, including her heart, lungs, and intestines, all of which have been highly painted with red and orange colors, while the reverse side that has not been painted or textured.
This organ torso measures approximately 16" x 9" x 28" (41cm x 23cm x 72cm) and today features wear from production use and age, particularly to the material which has hardened in several places, causing the foam to crack and flake. There is also a large hole in the foam that is located on the backside, exposing the organs. This torso has also been redressed with stage blood for use in another production after the completion of Alien3. Aside from the noted flaking, today this piece remains in overall fair condition despite its age.
This prop was briefly available at the Prop Store's website in 2013, but it was purchased sometime between 3.50 PM the 15th and 7:15 PM the 16th of October the same year. The page for the prop was subsequently deleted.
==Appearances==
*Alien/novel/photonovel/comic
*Aliens/novel
*Alien3/novel/comic
*Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual (mentioned only)
*Alien Resurrection/comic (mentioned only)
*Alien: Resurrection (novel) (appears in flashback)
*Aliens: Colonial Marines (mentioned only)
*Stasis Interrupted
*Alien: Out of the Shadows/audio drama
*Alien: Sea of Sorrows (mentioned only)
*Aliens: Field Report
*Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report
*Alien: Isolation/series (voice only)
*Alien: River of Pain/audio drama
*Aliens: Defiance (mentioned only)
*Dark Mother
*Deep Black (mentioned only)
===Non-canon===
*Aliens: Outbreak (appears in flashback)/novel (indirect mention)
*Aliens: Nightmare Asylum/novel (mentioned only)
*Aliens: Female War/novel (mentioned only)
*Aliens: The Alien (mentioned only)
*Aliens: Genocide (novel) (mentioned only)
*Aliens (video game)
*Aliens Adventure Game (mentioned only)
*Aliens: Tribes (indirect mention)
*Aliens: Newt's Tale
*Aliens: Music of the Spears (novel) (mentioned only)
*Alien Trilogy
*Aliens: Original Sin (mentioned only)
*Aliens vs. Predator (video game) (mentioned only)
*Crew Expendable
*Last Survivor
*Aliens vs. Pinball
*Alien 3: The Unproduced Screenplay
*Alien: Isolation (novel) (appears in flashback)
*Fortnite (playable skin)
==Trivia==
*Meryl Streep, Kay Lenz, Katherine Ross, and Geneviève Bujold were all considered for the role of Ripley.
*In early drafts of Alien, Ripley was a man called Martin Roby, but 20th Century Fox president Alan Ladd, Jr. suggested a female hero.
*Ripley later inspired Samus Aran, the protagonist of the Alien-inspired video game franchise, as well as Kate Lloyd from .
*She's ranked 8th best hero in American film history by the American Film Institute, 9th on Empire Magazine's compilation of "The 100 Greatest Movie Characters", and 5th on Entertainment Weekly's list of "The 20 All Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture".
*Since Ripley was born in January of 2092, she would have been 30 years old during Alien (set in 2122), minus the fact that she had been in cryogenic stasis for a short while beforehand. During Aliens (set 57 years after Alien), she would have technically been 87, if not physically.
* Ripley actress Sigourney Weaver became worried she would lose the role when early in filming it was believed she was allergic to Jones the cat. However, it eventually transpired that it was a combination of cat hair and the glycerin used to make the actress appear sweaty during scenes that she was allergic to; one without the other had no effect on her.
*In early drafts of the film's script, Ripley was known as Martin Roby and was the ship's executive officer (a role given to Kane in the finished film). While the majority of the characters in the original Alien script were written so that they could be either male or female, Roby was always intended to be a man. It was 20th Century Fox president Alan Ladd, Jr. who suggested making the hero female, to help the film stand out from its contemporaries. Ripley was so named by Walter Hill after Ripley's Believe It or Not!. Her first name, Ellen, is Hill's mother's maiden name.
*Ripley was originally supposed to be naked for the final act in Alien aboard the Narcissus, but 20th Century Fox branded the idea pornographic and so she remained clothed (albeit in her underwear).
*A figure based on Ripley was released by Kenner Products as part of the company's Aliens toy line. The Lt. Ripley toy was shipped with the Aliens: Space Marines mini-comic Aliens: Fireball.
*Ripley is briefly mentioned by Karl Bishop Weyland in an audio log in the 2010 video game Aliens vs. Predator, albeit not by name and it would require being familiar with the three films in which she appeared in.
*In the Aliens arcade game by Konami, Ripley is mistakenly portrayed with blonde hair.
* Ripley's combination M41A Pulse Rifle/M240 Incinerator Unit from Aliens appears in the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines as a "Legendary Weapon", but only to those who pre-ordered the Collector's Edition or purchase the weapon as additional DLC.
*Ripley is one letter off from Ridley (the director of Alien). In fact, spinning the "p" in Ripley's name through 180° will spell Ridley. However, this is merely a coincidence as Ripley was named before Ridley Scott became involved with Alien.
*Dr. Ryan Stone from the 2013 film Gravity has been compared to Ripley.
*Sigourney Weaver has recently expressed interest in 'finishing' Ellen Ripley's story in a fifth Alien film that was supposed to completely ignore Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection.
*Ellen Ripley features in a deleted scene from The Predator, in which she was portrayed by Breanna Watkins. In the scene, an alternate ending for the film, Ripley was to be revealed inside the Predator pod in the final scene. Her face would have been covered by a Weyland-Yutani breather mask, although the nametag on her uniform would have revealed her identity.
*Ellen Ripley and Private Hudson are seems to clearly understand the Xenomorphs hierarchy. Where according to them the Queen Xenomorph is the only female in hive, and potrait as Queen Bees.
==Licensing==
This article contains content derived from the "Ellen Ripley" article on the Xenopedia, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
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