Idea on the Alien hierarchy

[Nobody]

Basically, we know one of two possibly things:
1) Any alien can morph into a Queen
2) (AvP) A praetorian is required for a Queen to be born



But after watching Alien once more and due to the Alien's differentiation from Cameron's design, however design it might be, I've come up with an explanation. It's possible the egg was either 1) enhanced by the Pilots or 2) Quite possibly that alien could be a young Queen based on the deleted egg morphing scenes. Perhaps Young Queens, unfertile to produce eggs yet, can use egg morphing to protect herself.

[MadassAlex]

Or perhaps Queens are just born?

ALIEN 3 was the first to suggest an explanation, and that explanation is that a Queen comes from a facehugger and is born with the crest and all that stuff.

[SM]

And if there's no Queen, they try to morph a host (living or dead) into a Queen bearing egg.

Apocryphally speaking.

Otherwise they just die.

[Aeus]

Or a PredalienQueen thing comes along and makes you all very, very angry at the world.

[SM]

Not the world.  Just bits of it.

[The Necronoir]

In actual fact, we still really know nothing. It becomes more confused with each new film (not to mention the chaos of the expended universe). Personally, I don't mind though. Having their precise nature obscured in a mass of confusing and apparent contradiction preserves at least some mystique.

I'm also coming to embrace the idea that their life-cycle may be as adaptable as each of the individual aliens are. That's something truly alien.

[SM]

the expended universe

If only it were. 

[The Necronoir]

the expended universe

If only it were. 

Funny, how the truth manages to present itself unconsciously. Think I'll leave it like that.

For the record, though, I don't hate the EU side-show (with some exceptions). I just keep it well separated from the headline act.

[SM]

I'm much the same.

Although I do hate some of it.

[Mr. Domino]

I'm also coming to embrace the idea that their life-cycle may be as adaptable as each of the individual aliens are. That's something truly alien.

That's a very intriguing way of thinking about it. I like.

[SM]

Can't say I do.  The life cycle is something that really shouldn't be messed with too much - at least not the degree it was in AvP:Poo.  That's not adaptability (I'm sure Predator fans lurve the idea that Predators reproduce by ralphing down each other's throats) - it's lazy writing.

[Mr. Domino]

Well, while I wouldn't be caught dead defending AVPR under normal circumstances, which is lazier writing? Using the same thing over and over without trying to evolve or expand the concept? Or taking something that people are familiar with, and making it suddenly unfamiliar, even if it doesn't end up working in the end?

[SM]

The latter.

[MadassAlex]

It takes real creativity to take an existing concept and make it exciting again.

[SM]

A prime example is Cameron making the facehuggers animated and active.

The way not to do it is AvP:Poo.

The trick is to pay respect to the source, before you put your take on it.  Respect doesn't mean throwing shit out because it doesn't suit you or you want to gross people out.  It's clear that neither the Strausses nor Salerno had any idea why that new reproductive bullshit is in the film.

A mate of mine wrote an AvP script God knows how many years ago for a laugh (literally - it was pisstake) but it had a great scene in it where the characters were running from a FIELD of facehuggers.  I was mucking about with an idea for a Resurrection sequel that expanded on this by having the roof of the leadworks on Fiorina heaving with huggers.

Now I dunno if these ideas would work, or if anyone would like them - but the creativity as faar as I'm concerned lies in working within the given rules, while bringing the audience something new.