What The Alien Should Really Be Called (Not Xenomorph)

Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Dan O’Bannon, the 1979 film Alien transformed horror and sci-fi with its introduction of a parasitic alien creature that was unlike anything the genres had seen before. It spawned an entire franchise that focused on the dangerous variants of the creature as well as crossover films with John McTiernan’s Predator. The masterful work of the writer, director, and design team created a monumental franchise with a dedicated fan base worldwide.

The Alien creature was born from the mind of the late Swiss artist H.R. Giger (Poltergeist II: The Other Side) and brought to life by a production team led by special effects designer Ron Cobb (Leviathan). They produced a terrifying creature with a biomechanical appearance, acidic blood, an inner set of jaws powerful enough to break bone, and a blade-tipped tail. While the creators behind the creature never gave it a name, fans found one in a throwaway comment made by Lieutenant Gorman (William Hope) in James Cameron’s 1986 sequel film Aliens.

In Aliens, Gorman refers to the creature as a “xenomorph.” As pointed out by Wired, the root of the term, “xeno-,” is derived from Greek and is translated in English as “foreign” or “strange,” and “-morph” translates to “shape.” The word can be applied to literally anything that has an abnormal appearance. In the context of the Alien franchise, it is not the name of the aliens, but refers to the way they look. Therefore it’s actually more specific to call the aliens simply “the alien,” and indeed that is what they are most commonly called in the movies. “Xenomorph,” a term that wasn’t used until the 1976 sequel Aliens, simply caught on because it sounded like a proper name as opposed to what it is: simply a fancier way of saying alien.

The species’ lack of true name actually creates a deeper level of terror. Giving the aliens a name lessens their fear-inducing nature. Rather than ascribe a name to the creatures that solely refers to their appearance, their name should be mysterious and undefined in order to enhance their horror. John Carpenter’s The Thingand Stephen King’s IT are other examples within the horror genre of how powerful an inscrutable name can be in increasing the horror.

By removing the term “xenomorph” as the aliens’ identity, the true terror of Ridley Scott’s original film is maintained, as well as the mystery of its origins as ambiguous and threatening. They do appear strange, but that does not mean their name should reflect a term that is only mentioned four times in the entire franchise and was derived from a single line in the sequel. If “xenomorph” was truly the name of the alien species, the franchise would use it more consistently.

There is no evidence that the aliens should be or have been named “Xenomorphs” as a proper noun rather than simply a description. Furthermore, leaving the alien may have been a conscious choice by Scott and O’Bannon in order to maintain the threat of the unknown, and removing that element takes away from the plot. Alien’s creatures should be called what they are: aliens.

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