1 Summary
Analysis response to the movie Aliens. How many aliens were at Hadley's Hope?
There should not be more aliens (non-facehuggers) than the population of the colony and the few rescuers who… So, what I note as a "confirmed kill" is an onscreen death, usually followed by who made the kill. Some confirmed kills are from the audio only, though I did not count all of these. Also, I will assume a significantly rapid gestation time.
Using the special edition version of the film from the Aliens Quadrilogy DVD set.
Beginning
- 156 potential aliens, total
- 2 kills
Sublevel 3
- 159 potential aliens, total
- 8 kills
Sentry Guns
- 6 kills
Operations Room
- 161 potential aliens, total
- 20 kills
Return to Sublevel 3
- 5 kills
Sulaco
- 1 spaced and all the rest die in the explosion
POTENTIAL NUMBER OF ALIENS: 161 TOTAL CONFIRMED KILLS: 42
2 BEGINNING
- Hadley's Hope population 158 @ 15:10 +158 potential aliens
- Acid disintegration next to Hicks @ 51:22 -1 alien
- Acid disintegration next to Hudson @ 51:44 -1 alien
- John J Maracheck died from facehugger removal @ 55:58 -1 potential alien
- Survivor Rebecca "Newt" Jorden @ 59:53 -1 potential alien
3 SUBLEVEL 3
Could go back to count the number of instances of weapons discharge that are not confirmed kills. 8 confirmed kills. 3 more aliens are possible, though gestation time may or may not be adequate.
- Infested survivor found, alien killed @ 1:12:01 -1 alien
- Captured Marine Dietrich @ 1:13:14 +1 potential alien
- Captured Marine Wierzbowski @ 1:14:40 +1 potential alien
- "Let's Rock!" Vasquez and Drake open fire @ 1:14:44 defensive fire
- "On your right, man!" Vasquez is clearing killing something @ 1:14:59
- Captured Marine Apone @ 1:25:28 +1 potential alien
- Hicks opens fire @ 1:15:36
- "Hudson look out!" Hicks fires, alien cries @ 1:16:02 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Vasquez @ 1:17:25 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Drake @ 1:17:41 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Vasquez, Drake dies from the acid splash @ 1:18:03 -1 alien
- "Eat this!" kill by Hicks @ 1:18:38 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Ripley driving APC @ 1:19:30 -1 alien
- Hudson confirms Apone and Dietrich are still alive @ 1:20:47
- Dropship crash @ 1:24:38 -1 alien
4 Sentry Guns
2000 rounds total, 10 rounds not expelled to the knowledge of the viewer. A and B fired test shots, but did not affect the ammo counters on the displays (either a continuity error or the guns have a standard amount of rounds for a test fire). I think it's safe to say that at least 6 aliens died (and very probably much more), even if there is ambiguity for the onscreen deaths.
- Tunnel Sentry Guns A and B firing @ 1:37:31
- Corridor Sentry Guns C and D firing @ 1:41:14
- Confirmed Sentry Gun kill @ 1:41:37 -1 alien
- Sentry Gun kill, possibly the previous one falling down @ 1:41:40 -1 alien
- Confirmed Sentry Gun kill @ 1:41:47 -1 alien
- Sentry Gun kill, possibly the previous one exploding @ 1:41:48 -1 alien
- Confirmed Sentry Gun kills, or possibly one dying with composited camera shots @ 1:41:54 -2 aliens
5 OPERATIONS ROOM
Again, one could go through and count the number of times a weapon was fired and assume an alien death. However, I only counted purely visual onscreen deaths for this scene. 20 kills. 2 more potential aliens, though they'd never have time to gestate completely.
- First attack. Hicks discharges weapon @ 1:56:00
- Vasquez discharges weapon, alien cries @ 1:56:06 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill @ 1:56:10 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Ripley with M41A @ 1:56:26 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill @ 1:56:41 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Husdon @ 1:56:49 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Husdon @ 1:56:59 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Husdon @ 1:57:01 -1 alien
- Captured Marine Hudson @ 1:57:19 +1 potential alien, not enough time left in the movie to have another alien
- Confirmed kill by Hicks @ 1:57:20 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Hicks @ 1:57:23 -1 alien
- Probable kills by Vasquez with grenade launcher @ 1:57:38 -2 aliens
- Probable kill by Vasquez with gl @ 1:57:44 -1 alien
- Captured Civilian Burke @ 1:58:11 +1 potential alien, might have been killed, either way not enough time left for another alien
- Confirmed kill by Vasquez @ 1:59:26 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Vasquez @ 1:59:40 -1 alien
- Vasquez completely discharges M41a, probable kills @ 1:59:55
- Confirmed kill by Vasquez, Fenrir style with pistol @ 2:00:08 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Gorman @ 2:00:35 -1 alien
- Confirmed kills by Gorman with grenade @ 2:01:06 -3 aliens
- Confirmed kill by Hicks @ 2:04:32 -1 alien
6 RETURN TO SUBLEVEL 3
No ambiguity here. 5 aliens died.
- Confirmed kill by Ripley @ 2:12:22 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Ripley @ 2:12:03 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Ripley @ 2:16:05 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Ripley @ 2:16:08 -1 alien
- Confirmed kill by Ripley @ 2:16:46 -1 alien
7 SULACO
No ambiguity here. 1 and all the rest of the aliens died.
- Hadley's Hope explodes @ 2:21:52
- Queen flies out the airlock @ 2:28:40 -1 alien