DH ‘Announces’ Aliens: Dust to Dust

[The Kurgan]

The Queen is clearly heard breathing in aliens.

Shit, you got me there. Totally forgot about that.

[Xenomrph]

Or it air or some equivalent gets produced by whatever functions that keep them going.

Also if i recall correctly the only undoubtedly breathing aliens are the hybrids in Resurrection. Maybe those do breath as a byproduct of the human DNA in them.

Alternately, the inhaling/exhaling isn't necessarily related to vital respiratory functions, but is instead part of an echolocation system that contributes to the Alien's already impressive sensory abilities.

[SiL]

There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.

[TC]

They snarl, roar and hiss. That requires the ability to breath.

Technically only the ability to push out air.

Which would require air to have been inhaled in the first place for it to be breathed out.

What do you guys mean by "breathe?" Do you mean respiration? i.e. the absorption of oxygen into the bloodstream so that it can oxidize glucose into energy for cellular processes (and expel carbon dioxide waste).

If the alien is a biomechanical being (although less and less so after Alien '79), or some kind of artificial creation, then I don't see why it's creators couldn't have used some kind of alien tech to "power" the xeno's cellular function. (Although surely Ash would have noted it during his examination of the face-hugger - but then again, maybe he did note it but was keeping a lot of secrets to himself.)

So if the xeno's suck air in and out (which they clearly do), not for respiration purposes, then for what?

I've always thought of the creatures as gene samplers. They prefer to prey on hosts that will boost their own evolution as predators. So maybe they suck in air to sample any DNA in the vicinity. Interestingly, humans do just this. In experiments where males and females are given sweaty tee shirts recently worn by the opposite sex and asked to rate the odours by "sexiness," the test subjects will prefer the sweat indicative of a different immunology than their own. This makes for a better mating prospect because any offspring will benefit from a more diversely reactive immune system (and therefore more able to combat a wider range of foreign micro-pathogens).

TC

[The Old One]

There's really no reason
to assume they don't breathe,
or that it's some kind of weakness.
Evidence pretty clearly points
to the fact  they breathe.
But also that they are super good
at holding their breath.

^

[The Kurgan]

There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.

It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...

I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.

Maybe they breath in air to use some exotic sense? Like a snake "smelling" with its tounge.
Maybe to gauge pheromone concentration in the air or something like that.

[Xenomrph]

There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.

It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...

I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.

Maybe they breath in air to use some exotic sense? Like a snake "smelling" with its tounge.
Maybe to gauge pheromone concentration in the air or something like that.

Like I said a few posts up, I think it could be part of their sensory system, not necessarily a vital life support system. Echolocation, smell, etc.

[Still Collating...]

Echolocation and especially smell is a very good explanation for the inhaling and exhaling of gases IMO.

[SiL]

It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...

That's like complaining their skin isn't bullet proof, though. If they can hold their breath for a long time then they could have a good chance of escaping poisons and gas. Again, the Queen lasted a good while in space.

And for a species that's parasitic, being able to survive places potential hosts can't really isn't that advantageous.

[Corporal Hicks]

Am I the only one who thinks Gabriel would have done Earth War/Female War justice? There's something about his art in Dust to Dust that makes me imagine that series if it was actually good.

[The Kurgan]

There's really no reason to assume they don't breathe, or that it's some kind of weakness. Evidence pretty clearly points to the fact they breathe. But also that they are super good at holding their breath.

It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...

I think it severely limits their adaptability, even if they could breath nearly anything.

Maybe they breath in air to use some exotic sense? Like a snake "smelling" with its tounge.
Maybe to gauge pheromone concentration in the air or something like that.

Like I said a few posts up, I think it could be part of their sensory system, not necessarily a vital life support system. Echolocation, smell, etc.

Oh sorry, totally missed that. Agreed.

It is a weakness. They can only operate for extended time in environments where they can breath, you could bring poison into their body over their respiratory system, you could suffocate them...

That's like complaining their skin isn't bullet proof, though. If they can hold their breath for a long time then they could have a good chance of escaping poisons and gas. Again, the Queen lasted a good while in space.

And for a species that's parasitic, being able to survive places potential hosts can't really isn't that advantageous.

I don't think it's quite the same. I see no problem in guns beeing able the kill an alien, but if you could just gas or poison them big scale, that would significantly decrease their threat. At least for me.

Have an infection? Just gas the colony with minimal structural damage, wait until it dispenses or neutralize it, and the whole thing is as good as new.

Am I the only one who thinks Gabriel would have done Earth War/Female War justice? There's something about his art in Dust to Dust that makes me imagine that series if it was actually good.

For sure, his art would be a nice match.

[SiL]

I don't think it's quite the same. I see no problem in guns beeing able the kill an alien, but if you could just gas or poison them big scale, that would significantly decrease their threat. At least for me.

Have an infection? Just gas the colony with minimal structural damage, wait until it dispenses or neutralize it, and the whole thing is as good as new.

Right, but again, if you tried to gas the colony, the Aliens could just ... leave. Because they can clearly hold their breath a long time.

Also, you're forgetting that gassing an Alien was tried -- successfully -- in the very first movie. Ripley uses insecticide to drive the Alien out of its hole in the Narcissus wall, and it's clearly bothered by it. Not killed, but bothered at least. Meanwhile, the marines don't bother using nerve gas because they're not sure it would even affect them -- sure, they might breathe it in, but that doesn't mean the chemicals will react the same way with the Alien nervous system.

So, again -- breathing really isn't the Achile's heel people think it is.

[The Kurgan]

I don't think it's quite the same. I see no problem in guns beeing able the kill an alien, but if you could just gas or poison them big scale, that would significantly decrease their threat. At least for me.

Have an infection? Just gas the colony with minimal structural damage, wait until it dispenses or neutralize it, and the whole thing is as good as new.

Right, but again, if you tried to gas the colony, the Aliens could just ... leave. Because they can clearly hold their breath a long time.

Also, you're forgetting that gassing an Alien was tried -- successfully -- in the very first movie. Ripley uses insecticide to drive the Alien out of its hole in the Narcissus wall, and it's clearly bothered by it. Not killed, but bothered at least.

Well true, depends on the actual situation. But still, i think effective chemical weapons are too much of an "I win" button.

Wasn't it the temperature that startled the Alien? I thought it was either hot steam or some coolant not something toxic. But i may misremember the details.

[SiL]

But still, i think effective chemical weapons are too much of an "I win" button.

"Nuking the site from orbit" isn't?

Wasn't it the temperature that startled the Alien? I thought it was either hot steam or some coolant not something toxic. But i may misremember the details.

It's a small detail, but you can actually read the chemical compound on the button she presses. When you look it up, you see it's commonly used as an insecticide. She's basically spraying all of the decontamination chemicals onto the Alien and seeing which one works.

I imagine it was a gag by the prop designers but hey, it's in the film.

[TheSailingRabbit]

Wasn't it a mold that crippled a hive in Labyrinth?