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Can Xenomorphs Get a Resur-erection? Ridley Scott Finally Reveals the Gender of His Alien Xenomorphs

So, after 38 years of alien queens and female-first heroines, it looks like we may have been wrong all along.

By Tom ChapmanPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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'Aliens' [Credit: 20th Century Fox]

In 2017, does gender really matter? Well, it seems that even back in 1979 it didn't matter either. #RidleyScott's #Alien famously brought the acid-blooded Xenomorphs into creation and has had us screaming into space ever since. However, if you have ever tried to lift the hind legs of Xeno to check its gender, you may know that it harder than expected.

With the iconic line from James Cameron's Aliens, "Get away from her, you bitch," it is easy to assume that the titular aliens are of the fairer sex. So, after 38 years of alien queens and female-first heroines, it looks like we may have been wrong all along.

You Won't Adam And Eve It

Speaking to Digital Spy, Scott revealed that his creatures are actually more gender fluid than we first thought:

"No, I think it's a hybrid, I think it could be either. The next thing is: could he re-evolve himself? Certain insects are hermaphrodites. Insects can be hermaphrodites. Animals maybe can. I'm trying to think of animals that are hermaphrodites. Sea creatures, maybe."

Without dropping any #AlienCovenant spoilers, it is evident that the prequel/sequel film will explore the idea of the species evolving. We have already seen scenes of both Xenomorphs and the newly dubbed Neomorphs popping up in all the trailers; however, don't expect to see the carnal rutting of two aliens anytime soon — it looks like a pretty lonely sex drive for the intergalactic #horror hounds:

"There's a hermaphrodite-al idea sitting there within them. I don't think they copulate, no. That would not happen, because I think they're so fundamentally primordial, but with extraordinary intelligence. That's a very dangerous entity."

Well, who needs to think with your genitalia when you are busy trying to eradicate the human race?

Looking back, this answer has actually been in front of us all this time. In Scott's 1979 original, the antagonistic android Ash referred to the lil' chestburster as "Kane's son." Elsewhere, the Aliens v Predator video game saw Specimen 6 named as a female by Dr. Groves, possibly knowing it would become the queen.

What An Egg-cellent Idea

Of course, Scott's comments throw more canonical mess our way than Alien: Covenant. We clearly saw Aliens and Alien: Resurrection contain the idea of eggs, while the spider-like facehuggers then lay their own eggs inside the human hosts. Similar to male seahorses, the idea of pregnant Xenos seems to be up to your own interpretation.

Scott also reassures us that he could be breaking a few "eggs" when Covenant hits cinemas:

"I don't know how you go from DNA to the egg, but I'm not going to ask the question. But I want to use the egg. So everybody goes from that, the original film, going, 'Oh my goodness, there's the egg.' That's what they were missing in Prometheus."

Whether king for a day or queen of the night, there is no denying that the Xenomorphs are one of the most formidable fears in the galaxy. Forget Thanos, Daleks, or Darkseid, a meeting with H.R. Giger's creations is a one-way ticket to the morgue, so who really cares what you are packing in your pants?

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About the Creator

Tom Chapman

Tom is a Manchester-based writer with square eyes and the love of a good pun. Raised on a diet of Jurassic Park, this ’90s boy has VHS flowing in his blood. No topic is too big for this freelancer by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night.

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