MovieChat Forums > Alien (1979) Discussion > Is this supposed to be the first contact...

Is this supposed to be the first contact humans have with a non human civilization?


If that's the case, they have a very relaxed attitude about it.

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What "civilization" are you referring to?

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When they arrive to the planet at the beginning they see the corpse of a non human creature (the Engineer) with non human technology.

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Centuries dead non-human creature in a derelict, centuries old decaying vessel. They're not archeologists or anthropologists.

The only reason they went to check it out was because they believed there might be a financial incentive, like reward for rescuing someone or something.

If it was the first time they had encountered relics of non-human technology or culture, they would have said so. Dallas and Lambert were for turning back when they saw what a lump of rotting garbage the ship was. Kane convinced them that they should continue since they had come so far.

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But in the Alien universe are there more non-human creatures, like in Star Wars and Star Trek, or not?

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If they were the first humans ever to come across something like that, they would have said so.

This isn't a movie that shoehorns unrealistic dialogue explaining what the universe is like so that you don't ask non- pertinent questions like that.

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Ok, you are ignorant about the Alien universe, you can refrain yourself to answer my question and let space to someone who knows :)

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Oh I thought you were asking about what the actual movie tells you. Not asking for validation of your idle side thoughts.

Only nerd dipshits use supplementary material to explain stuff that's not spoon feed to them in the movie (because it plays no part). But there is a sequel set only 57 years later and in that the Space Marines talk about encounters with alien civilization as if it is commonplace. Capisce? (Why would there even be a Space Marines if there weren't alien civilisations to encounter in the first place?)

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Plus the references: -
Just another bug hunt.
We endanger species.
Acturian poontang.

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yes..predotors

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Going solely by their comments in the first film I get the impression humanity has encountered some sort of Alien species, but nothing as complex or bizarre as this. They don't seem as phased by the existence of an alien (they don't wildly declare the space jockey as first evidence of alien life as one would expect if it were the first time humans have seen this), but are quite bewildered and terrified by the Alien itself.

Ash also implies that it's an important species, but this line probably would be different if it was the first contact with any alien lifeform:
"Ripley, for God's sake, this is the first time we've encountered a species like this. It has to go back. All sorts of tests have to be made."

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