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Hey just curious what is the life span of a Xenomorph? Can they live hundreds of years or a few weeks?

"As long as the story needs them to" is the unfortunate answer. The movies never make a definitive statement on the subject and there's plenty of EU things that have them being functionally immortal while other stuff leans closer to the short-lived-bioweapon angle.

I'm glad they haven't gone with one day lifespan idea

They never live more than a few weeks in the movies so we have no way of knowing.

My head canon is this: Xenos will remain active untill they capture and impregnate the last of viable hosts in their reach. After that they will enter a state of deep hibernation which makes them as close to immortal as it gets

I think the adults will ultimately fade away and die, but the eggs persist.

I prefer that they can all hibernate indefinitely.

They're survivors. If they weren't killed in combat I'd imagine they would live for a long time, and in that time constantly seeking to multiply their numbers. The one day life cycle idea had merit (they grow quickly, thus everything could be sped up), but it's not what I'd prefer at all. Growing up fast just means they're killing people quicker.

Quote from: SiL on Sep 08, 2022, 07:16:11 PMI think the adults will ultimately fade away and die, but the eggs persist.

Which fits in with the vibe that the original film gives. Though, that could just be the technology of the derelict keeping the eggs preserved.

Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 08, 2022, 07:19:19 PMI prefer that they can all hibernate indefinitely.

Given the rapid nature of the creatures life cycle, it seems likely to me that wouldn't be the case. There's just no way to know, though. Their compunction to be as tenacious and so focused on reproduction seems to suggest the opposite. Especially wherein the facehugger is concerned. "I dropped my load, now i'm dead."

Fair enough. I just think if you can simply wait them out then it becomes a simpler matter.

True, but having a finite lifespan for the adults doesn't inherently mean it's one you can reasonably wait out. If their shelf life is, say, 15 years, you're not making it to the end of that.

Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 14, 2022, 12:36:28 PMFair enough. I just think if you can simply wait them out then it becomes a simpler matter.

Depends on the circumstances. In Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3, there was no "waiting them out." They were coming to get you one way or the other.

The simplest answer from a non universe perspective is: as long as they need to for the narrative.

Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 08, 2022, 07:19:19 PMI prefer that they can all hibernate indefinitely.

Then what happened to the one that burst from the Space Jockey?  Was it just hibernating somewhere on the Derelict while the Nostromo crew was poking around?

Yes actually, my silly head canon has always been that it was the Queen we see in Aliens, just chilling down there.

Quote from: OpenMaw on Sep 14, 2022, 07:32:07 PM

Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 14, 2022, 12:36:28 PMFair enough. I just think if you can simply wait them out then it becomes a simpler matter.

Depends on the circumstances. In Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3, there was no "waiting them out." They were coming to get you one way or the other.

In Aliens they definitely could have, if the plot did not require the comedic set up of leaving no one onboard the Sulaco.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 14, 2022, 09:16:07 PM

Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 08, 2022, 07:19:19 PMI prefer that they can all hibernate indefinitely.

Then what happened to the one that burst from the Space Jockey?  Was it just hibernating somewhere on the Derelict while the Nostromo crew was poking around?

Funny enough in the script it's pretty much explicitly dead on the planet.

Quote from: BlueMarsalis79 on Sep 14, 2022, 10:25:12 PMYes actually, my silly head canon has always been that it was the Queen we see in Aliens, just chilling down there.

Same.

The Queen is slow as shit, surely by the time she got to the colony to start laying eggs the colonists probably would've called for help.

The whole thing barely makes sense as it is but the hive developing quickly is kind of necessary.

Yeah it doesn't hold up well with the timeline, but it's cool so I dig it regardless.

Most insects live for less than a year because they are cold blooded and don't survive winter 👀

(https://i.ibb.co/WnWstPp/Pics-Art-09-14-10-50-36.jpg)

▶Strange Shapes - The Insect Influence (https://alienseries.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/the-insect-influence/)

Quote from: SiL on Sep 15, 2022, 01:44:30 AMThe Queen is slow as shit, surely by the time she got to the colony to start laying eggs the colonists probably would've called for help.

The whole thing barely makes sense as it is but the hive developing quickly is kind of necessary.

I always wondered about that.  Cameron said even more colonists ventured into the derelict and got hugged, but wouldn't Anne Jorden have warned them about the eggs?

I always thought it'd make more sense if Russ Jorden's chestburster got loose, abducted some more colonists and eggmorphed them.  One of that batch could then become a queen.

It would have had to happen quickly though.  The colonists all had PDTs implanted so it would be impossible for them to go missing for very long.

I've always thought that the queen likely had an intermediate stage between being born and being royalty wherein she would be a part of the pack (or solo) and kidnap the first generation of victims for the hive herself.

I could see a praetorian version of the queen roaming the colony and abducting people early on, and everyone trying to figure out what exactly was happening, by which point it would be too late.

Say, for example, the first 24-48 hours after birth the queen is ambulatory and kidnapping hosts, creating the "core" of the hive. Likely at that point a search party would go looking, and the first few aliens would be born. Search party gets taken out, maybe the aliens lose a grunt or two, but end up doubling their ranks.

Rinse and repeat. Maybe the colonists try other things. According to what Ripley said Newt survived longer than 17 days. So, how long would that be from the time Russ was facehugged to the time the marines arrived? A month? More? I haven't looked at any of the Aliens drafts in quite sometime so I forget if it gives us any kind of a description of how much time passes between the events.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 15, 2022, 02:11:04 AMI always wondered about that.  Cameron said even more colonists ventured into the derelict and got hugged, but wouldn't Anne Jorden have warned them about the eggs?

I always thought it'd make more sense if Russ Jorden's chestburster got loose, abducted some more colonists and eggmorphed them.  One of that batch could then become a queen.

It would have had to happen quickly though.  The colonists all had PDTs implanted so it would be impossible for them to go missing for very long.

That scene is in the treatment version of the film as I recall. The problem I have with the idea that a recon team went out to the derelict is it adds questions of how they ever got back to the colony. It's not exactly just around the corner. If I were the colonial administration on LV426 I would be very weary of sending more people out into a major unknown like that. Mark the map with "Here be dragons" and send a detailed report back home.

Quote from: OpenMaw on Sep 15, 2022, 02:23:50 AMAccording to what Ripley said Newt survived longer than 17 days. So, how long would that be from the time Russ was facehugged to the time the marines arrived? A month? More?

Three weeks for the Sulaco to get to LV-426, but it may have been several days or even weeks between Russ popping and the loss of contact with Earth (not to mention however long it took for Earth to notice and/or get worried enough to send in the marines).

What I never understood is why Simpson or Lydecker didn't report it immediately.

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 15, 2022, 02:33:23 AMWhat I never understood is why Simpson or Lydecker didn't report it immediately.

"Don't ask"

Russ gives us the answer - "Let's wait till we know what to call it in as."

The script says the downed line to the station comms is from the fighting, but it probably happened early on in the process.

Surely there was at least one officious bureaucrat who would have insisted on informing their corporate (or ECA) overlords about the derelict.  Someone like Andrews?

I can just imagine some colonist taking a shot at the fleeing chestburster after it popped out of Russ and accidentally hitting some vital piece of communications equipment.  That's the only way it makes any sense that they didn't send a report at some point before things got really bad.

They all seemed pretty laid back. If anything I could see them arguing about calling it in as nobody would want to take the blame.

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Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 15, 2022, 03:07:01 AMSurely there was at least one officious bureaucrat who would have insisted on informing their corporate (or ECA) overlords about the derelict.  Someone like Andrews?

I can just imagine some colonist taking a shot at the fleeing chestburster after it popped out of Russ and accidentally hitting some vital piece of communications equipment.  That's the only way it makes any sense that they didn't send a report at some point before things got really bad.

My head canon is it's the works we see being done in the sub flooring as Simpson and Lydecker walk past

Did SM ever address this matter?

Maybe a message did get to the Corporate Overlords about the Facehugger, who were more nearby than Gateway and then they came in for the rescue... and rescued some Eggs, then said "lol bye" and figuratively speaking sniped a hole through the satellite dish as they departed and decided to let nature take charge.

Hence... The Cold Forge. 

Maybe it won't work with the Alien Alien, but I like the ancient parasites in Dan O'Bannon's original ideas👁🦋👁

Quote from: Local Trouble on Sep 15, 2022, 03:14:55 AMDid SM ever address this matter?

We discussed it while hashing out a Hadley's Hope story but that's all I know from him.

Quote from: Kradan on Sep 08, 2022, 10:47:58 AMMy head canon is this: Xenos will remain active untill they capture and impregnate the last of viable hosts in their reach. After that they will enter a state of deep hibernation which makes them as close to immortal as it gets

This is where my head is at.

Quote from: OpenMaw on Sep 15, 2022, 02:23:50 AMThe problem I have with the idea that a recon team went out to the derelict is it adds questions of how they ever got back to the colony.

Maybe they didn't. .. but their children did

Same way the Jordans did. Not everyone got hugged.

Quote from: SiL on Sep 15, 2022, 07:23:51 AMSame way the Jordans did. Not everyone got hugged.

It doesn't seem to read that way in the original treatment. I should have clarified I was referring to the treatments depiction. Of course if you have a 12 person rescue team and eight of em get hugged, you can have the rest doing rescue. It didn't read that way int he treatment. Of course, been a minute since I last read that one.

I mean it was a treatment, it wasn't fleshed out.