The Alien movies are full of compelling characters that keep them gripping to watch, though some of them are more memorable than others. The Alien films might be better known for the various breeds of Xenomorphs that terrorize the various planets, ships, and space stations that make up their unique science fiction universe.
However, as great sci-fi horror movies, the Alien films understand that the audience needs to care if some characters live or die, increasing the tension and drama of the creatures’ rampages. From science officers to hardened space marines to curious androids, the Alien movies are populated by plenty of compelling characters.
10
Clemens
Alien³
For the most part, Alien³ is considered to be one of the weakest entries in the Alien franchise. However, the cast has a real bright spot in the form of Clemens, a doctor in the penal colony on the desolate planet Fury 161 the film takes place on, played by Charles Dance of Game of Thrones fame.
Clemens stands out from his fellow inmates for his sensitivity, with a layered backstory that gives him sympathy as he serves a more unconventional supporting male character role. His worst sin is being trapped in such a low point in the franchise, holding him back compared to other great characters.
9
Chief Engineer Dennis Parker
Alien
Part of the reason the original Alien works so well as a horror movie is because each crewmember of the Nostromo has a vivid personality, far beyond expendable stock tropes to be fed into the gaping jaws of the Xenomorph one after another. Among the best of them is Chief Engineer Dennis Parker, whose survival is easy to get invested in.
Accompanied by his buddy, Assistant Engineer Samuel Brett, who mostly just responds with “Right” to anything Parker says, the ship’s Chief Engineer is a plucky and relatable worker who complains about pay scale and jokes around when he can. It’s genuinely heartbreaking to see him killed, but he doesn’t have the depth of the franchise’s most iconic names.
8
Rain Carradine
Alien: Romulus
The Alien films enthusiastically participated in the “final girl” trope, and one of their best comes from the most recent film in the franchise, Alien: Romulus. It’s here we’re introduced to Rain Carradine, trapped in the dark, hostile mining world of LV-410 alongside her android “brother”. Unlike other capable protagonists, Rain has no special training or knowledge.
If anything, this everywoman status only makes her more compelling, pulling through in the chaos from tenacity and quick-thinking alone. She could be argued to be something of a Mary Sue thanks to her inexplicable skill with weapons and calm head in a crisis, but Rain is a likable heroine who admittedly hasn’t reached icon status yet.
7
Andy
Alien: Romulus
The trademark androids of the Weyland Yutani corporation that make up many characters in the Alien franchise tend to be some of their most compelling. One of the most intriguing of them is Alien: Romulus’ Andy, who is treated as a brother by Rain.
Andy is different from the other androids, a glitchy older model of synthetic man who yearns to become a “real” human, grappling with far more emotional depth than most of his brethren. This makes for a fascinating conflict that drives the film, making Andy arguably more interesting than his “sister”.
6
Bishop
Aliens
Speaking of the Alien series’ androids, Bishop represents quite the turning point for the artificial humanoids. After the events of Alien, Ripley has an understandable distrust of androids, going out of her way to avoid trusting or relying on any form of artificial intelligence whenever she can.
However, Bishop represents a turning point for this assumption, showing that even beings programmed to unfailingly follow their directives are capable of doing good. It’s Bishop who Ripley has to thank for her survival at the end of Aliens, making him an incredibly important character even if he doesn’t have the most personality.
5
Corporal Hicks
Aliens
Another fixture staple of the second movie, Michael Biehn already proved himself as a phenomenal vessel for James Cameron’s storytelling as Kyle Reese in The Terminator, but he’s even better as Corporal Hicks in Aliens. While some of the Colonial Marines are shown to be foolhardy, skittish, or even cowardly, Hicks is the closest thing allowed to a traditional action hero soldier.
It’s a role Beihn is great fun to watch in as he sternly adapts to the unforeseen threat of the Xenomorph colony, admiring Ripley’s clear ferocity and recognizing her as a fellow survivor. Without Hicks, the second film simply wouldn’t work as well as it does as a space opera action epic.
4
Ash
Alien
While the brunt of the terror in the Alien franchise is always lurking in the foreground with the Xenomorphs themselves, it’s the insidious plotting of the hyper-capital Weyland-Yutani Corporation that truly drives the horror forwards. In this first film, this presence is represented by Ian Holm’s android Ash.
A planted android hidden in plain sight among the Nostromo crew posing as the Science Officer, Ash’s cold, calculated fascination with the creature is soon shown to be rooted in corporate greed as his milky white innards are stunningly shown for the first time. Ash is a compelling character, even if he is more of a literal plot device.
3
Private Hudson
Aliens
The Alien franchise clearly enjoys turning classic tropes on their heads, and making the sole survivor of the first film the unassuming female warrant officer was quite a bold move for the time. The sequel follows these trends in reverse with the introduction of Private Hudson, a lovably cowardly Space Marine.
Compared to the rest of the gung-ho soldiers, Hudson finds himself shaking like a leaf at the threat of the Xenomorph menace, leading to the classic line “Game over, man! Game over!”. Bill Paxton is excellent in this expectation-flipping role, proving just how much complexity the characters of the franchise can have.
2
David 8
Prometheus, Alien: Covenant
The closest thing the Alien franchise has to an overarching villain, Michael Fassbender’s android David 8, or simply “David”, is easily one of his best characters. David exhibits the same disturbing curiosity as Ash, but echoes his actions to a far more disturbing degree, implying an alarming level of autonomy compared to the other robot, who was simply following orders.
This makes the ultimate reveal that David is the one behind the Xenomorphs in Alien: Prometheus may have been a controversial one, but serves his mad scientist character quite well. Because of his impact on the franchise and wonderful scene-stealing personality, David 8 is undeniably a standout of the Alien films.
1
Ellen Ripley
Alien, Aliens, Alien³, Alien: Resurrection
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley is the main protagonist and best character of the Alien franchise by far. Played wonderfully by Sigourney Weaver in her first lead role, Ripley goes from a cautious worker to a grizzled Xenomorph slayer over the course of only a couple of films.
Ripley isn’t just an icon within her franchise, but to the action genre in general, being the first woman to lead a sci-fi thriller franchise to the same degree. Beyond this monumental achievement, Ripley’s no-nonsense personality and endearing commitment to protecting the innocent make her a wonderful heroine to stake the Alien films on.
