Greatest Characters in the Alien series

[makdawikid]

Jones sole survivor of Nostromo. Respect.

[beckmen]

Somebody with a similar cat should make a comic fanfilm about Jones, post-Aliens.

[Hudson]

Hudson being under-respresented is pissin' me off.   

Alien - Everyone
Aliens - All the marines, and I mean all of them plus two.   
Alien 3 - Clemens, Dillon, Rains (cracks me up), Golic
Resurrection - Christy, Elgyn 

[Ava]

Somebody with a similar cat should make a comic fanfilm about Jones, post-Aliens.

Yeah, a sequel. And Anderson could direct. *hint hint*

[beckmen]

Sorry, Hudson. I used to be a fan of your namesake, but I outgrew it. I find him pretty annoying now. Although I do like the Pax.

[TheDeed]

My top 5:
(assuming that Ripley is a given and we're discussing the other characters)

1. Clemens - the single best character and performance in the entire saga
2. Bishop - for being the most subtle character in Aliens and the most three dimensional (and for the dummy in Alien³ which added even more depth and humility)
3. Kane - for being the original, ultimate badass (the only man who can put a gun to his own head and stare a facehugger down)
4. Andrews - Not even the marines threatened to cut people in half...
5. Dallas - the character so many people overlook, but ultimately a seriously interesting guy.  Bloody brilliantly acted and clearly a man torn between responsibility, laziness and his own fear.

Thus spake TheDeed.

[Tryfan915]

5. Dallas - clearly a man torn between responsibility, laziness and his own fear.

That's me!

[TheDeed]

+1 for your honesty... and a group hug.

Actually, it's great thinking about which characters you really like, and what that means to you.  I didn't realise that, for me, it's more about what they don't say and the actors' expressions, rather than which lines they delivered.

That's why so many memorable characters didn't make my list - we're talking Hudson, Parker, and Dillon here.  For all their presence, they're just not as interesting to watch. 

[maledoro]

4. Andrews - Not even the marines threatened to cut people in half...

And Andrews would have done it without weapons of any kind!

[TheDeed]

And Andrews would have done it without weapons of any kind!

 
Seriously, I wonder how much of a badass he must have been in his younger days.  OK, he'd got a bit pompous in later life and he didn't "want any ripples in the water", but there was something about him (maybe just his physical presence and the need to crush his squash ball  ) that suggested he could kick ass and take names if he wanted to... it's just he didn't want to.

Andrews - bottled fury.

[Tryfan915]

And back at you! +

I didn't realise that, for me, it's more about what they don't say and the actors' expressions, rather than which lines they delivered.

That's right. That's why I prefer Alien and Alien³ over Aliens. The actors say more with their expressions rather than being gobshites.

[Pandorag]

Ripley to the end!!

Alien: the alien of course, the rest was collateral damage. I loved the way he grinned at Jones the cat while it's in its cage and helpless. The slow stalking and merciless killing... I could go on and on! And Ash, calculating and can't-help-myself-i-was-programmed-that-way-Ash. Ok, maybe Brett a little...and Parker, but that's it!!

Aliens: cool-headed Hicks, who keeps his cool even when freaking out.

Alien³: yeah Clemens, I wish he had time to see what hit him.

Alien:rez: Elgyn, every time I watch i keep wanting him to not do the stupidest thing and not die so fast. Let Hillard die first!!

[maledoro]

Let Hillard die first!!

[Thedus]

Alien:rez: Elgyn, every time I watch i keep wanting him to not do the stupidest thing and not die so fast. Let Hillard die first!!

I still wish Elgyn had made it. Hillard had a nice butt, that was about all she had going for her, so I agree - let her die first.  And Why oh why did Johner have to live?  I really like Ron Pearlman as an actor, but he was totally wrong for that character.  Let Johner bite it!  Actually. if only Elgyn and Christie had lived I would've been happy. ...but I digress.

For me, the characters I find myself drawn to are either characters I feel I share something with, or characters who have traits I admire and wish I had (such as a quite power, or a keen tactical sense).  ...But then there are characters like Aaron and Burke who I like simply because the actors who portrayed them were so well suited for the role and really made the character work.

[Weasel]

Alien: Ripley. She goes out of her way to save her CAT when their is a super hostile alien that has destroyed her crew. She was not even armed until the very end. I mean, thats just insane survival.

Aliens: Hudson. A wise crack, and interesting character. When it came down to almost dying he started to puss out. But in the end he shut up, set his mind, and died protecting his comrades in battle. A prime example that even if your scared, you can try your best to pull through.

Alien 3: Clemens. A true man of honor. Showing that even though shit gets hard, nothing is impossible. Even the lowest degenerate can turn into a kind and helpful friend. Some of the best acting of any of the characters IMO and one of the reasons I like alien 3.

Alien Resurrection: ....eh