Ellen Ripley’s 10 Smartest Decisions In The Alien Movies

Ellen Ripley is one of the most well-known and adored female protagonists in film, and she led the charge through four installments of the popular Alien franchise. Played with brilliance by actress Sigourney Weaver, Ripley brought a new kind of heroism to the screen, mixing a do-what-it-takes attitude with a strong dose of common sense, and a well-tuned moral compass.

This gave Ripley the smarts she needed when it came to dealing with threats from both xenomorphs and humans alike. Bold, unapologetic, and driven, Ripley refused to back down if she thought she was right, and Alien fans couldn’t help but admire her conviction and dedication towards making the right decisions.

She Upheld Quarantine Procedures (Alien)

One of Ripley’s first and smartest decisions took place on LV-426, which at the time was nothing more than a desolate planetoid housing a derelict alien spacecraft. When crewmembers Kane, Lambert, and Captain Dallas led an away mission to investigate the crashed spacecraft, they encountered a parasitic lifeform that attached itself to Kane’s face.

Lambert and Dallas brought an unconscious Kane back to the ship, but Ripley refused to allow them entry, citing company quarantine procedures. Even Captain Dallas, her superior, could not shake her decision. Had Ripley’s decision stuck, a major crisis could have been averted. Unfortunately, the sinister science officer Ash manually opened the doors and allowed them in, violating the chain of command.

Blowing Up The Nostromo (Alien)

After Kane birthed a xenomorph chestburster in one of the most shocking character deaths in any horror film, the creature quickly grew in size, becoming powerful enough to slaughter the crew, one by one. The demise of Captain Dallas once again thrust authority on Ripley, who was next in line for command. Rather than attempt to fight the creature, Ripley decided to blow up the Nostromo and evacuate everyone to the EEV escape shuttle.

Normally, this shuttle couldn’t accommodate the four remaining crew members, but Ripley decided it would be best to take their chances rather than make a futile final stand. Her objective was to scuttle the Nostromo in the hopes of killing the creature, and this decision was validated after she learned of the company’s true intentions for the alien.

The Airlock Trick (Alien)

After narrowly avoiding oblivion when the Nostromo self-destructed, Ripley thought she had seen the last of the lethal xenomorph. She prepared to settle down for a long nap in the EEV shuttle’s hyper-sleep chamber, only to discover that the terrifying creature had stowed away during the chaos, and was now on board.

With nowhere to run, Ripley quickly took advantage of the creature’s disorientation and slipped into her spacesuit. She then flushed the creature out using a blast of coolant, before hitting the airlock door. The alien tried to prevent itself from being sucked into space by clinging to the hatch frame, but Ripley fired a grappling gun at it, wedging it out the airlock door.

Going Back To LV-426 (Aliens)

After suffering an intensely traumatic experience with the original xenomorph, Ripley was glad to be home. Unfortunately, the nightmares of her ordeal didn’t stop, and she knew that as long as the aliens were out there, she’d never be able to find peace. Rather than cower, Ripley decided to face her fears head-on.

When she learned that the sinister mega-conglomerate Weyland-Yutani had lost contact with a colony established on LV-426 during her absence, she suspected the worst. Going back to the planetoid was one of the smartest decisions she ever made, given what the company would have done with the xenomorphs if they were able to procure them.

Driving The APC (Aliens)

The tough-as-nails Colonial Marines sent to LV-426 to combat the xenomorph threat quickly realized how outclassed they were. This enemy was unlike anything they’d ever seen, and they cut through the Marines like butter, in short order. As their numbers dropped, chaos broke out, leaving them scattered and confused.

When commanding officer Gorman froze with panic, Ripley decided to take matters into her own hands. She took control of the APC vehicle, and drove it straight through the wall of the alien hive, giving the surviving Marines a chance to escape. Had she stayed put, the entire team would probably have been wiped out.

Fighting The Alien Queen (Aliens)

A normal xenomorph is dangerous enough, but a queen is practically unstoppable. After stowing away on the dropship, it attacked the android Bishop on board the Sulaco, then set its sights on Newt and Ripley. While Newt hid from the pursuing queen, Ripley strapped herself into the seat of an industrial power loader and prepared for battle.

She faced down the queen, presenting herself as a challenge, and a threat. The queen reacted aggressively, going hand-to-hand with Ripley on the floor of the launch bay. This was definitely a smart move on Ripley’s part, as it gave her the chance to kill the queen, rather than leave it as a prize for Weyland-Yutani to acquire. The scene is still regarded as one of the most enduring of the entire Aliens film.

Facing Down The Inmates (Alien 3)

After her escape pod crash-landed on the desolate prison planet Fiorina 161, Ripley found herself in the middle of the lion’s den. The planet’s small refinery outpost was home to some of the most ruthless and sadistic criminals in the galaxy, all of which had been deposited there to serve out life sentences.

None had seen a woman in ages, which represented a grave threat. However, rather than hide herself and await extraction, Ripley decided to face the inmates head-on. This allowed her to establish the fact that she wasn’t afraid of them, which would later serve her when she led them in a fight against a lethal new “runner” xenomorph.

Using Her Infection To Her Advantage (Alien 3)

Throughout the third Alien film, it became clear that Ripley’s health was suffering. She later learned that she had been infected by an alien facehugger, which had implanted the embryo of a queen inside her chest. Realizing her time was short, Ripley decided to make the best of it.

She went into the bowels of the prison complex to try and flush out the xenomorph in the hopes that it would kill both her and the queen embryo. Unfortunately, the creature could sense the alien within, and refused to harm her, but Ripley used that to her advantage when she and the prisoners set out to slay it.

Sacrificing Herself (Alien 3)

By the end of Alien 3, Ripley had found herself cornered by Weyland-Yutani, and their intention was to extract the alien queen from her. She was promised a return to her normal life after the procedure was over, and for a moment, Ripley was tempted by the notion. However, she quickly realized the company could not be trusted.

Rather than give in to their demands, Ripley decided to sacrifice herself by falling into the scorching flames of the facility’s giant furnace. The theatrical cut of her sacrifice includes the queen bursting out of her chest, but this was one of many things altered by the much-lauded, superior “Assembly Cut” of Alien 3.

Fighting The Xenomorphs (Alien Resurrection)

Following her death, Ripley was genetically cloned by a team of scientists who wanted to get access to the alien queen embryo originally inside of her. They took blood samples from Fiorina 161, and after a string of failed attempts, managed to clone the perfect copy of Ripley.

After extracting the alien queen from her chest, the team quickly learned that Ripley had undergone a sort of genetic cross mutation. She was imbued with super-strength, a killer instinct, acid blood, and the ability to sense the xenomorphs. At first, it seemed like Ripley might have sided with the creatures to whom she felt a connection. However, the original Ripley’s experiences managed to override her newfound animal instincts, and she once again took up arms against her genetic kin.

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