Time is one aspect in the Alien series that has been inconsistent especially when it relates to the xenomorph’s biology. While perusing a few articles on the subject of the xenomorph’s biology, one thing stands out is that the incubation process has been listed as anywhere between a few minutes to hours. Probably, the worst offender I have seen thus far was one of the ridiculous embryo implants in Alien: Covenant where the chestburster seemed to happen shortly thereafter. The important thing though is in establishing precedent via the first movie which has caused me to go down this rabbithole.
I wrote a while back about how time affected the development of the egg process. While the so-called eggmorphing aspect of a xenomorph may not necessarily be considered cannon by all people, what it has made me think of is the whole life cycle of the alien. There have been talks about the differences in the way one alien appears vs another such as how James Cameron justified the slight modification in appearance between his version and the original one (where he mentions that the xenomorphs were alive longer…which sounds odd considering that now it’s becoming more accepted that the slowness of the xenomorph in the escape craft was a result of the alien near the end of its life).
With this in mind, I want to discuss time in the original Alien movie as there are very little hints about the actual time that goes on. More importantly, I want to talk about where it becomes relevant as this notion influences the way other movies may interpret the xenomorph lifecycle.
I would like to argue that the initial point at where time becomes relevant in Alien is the moment the crew leave the ship. The importance of this is effectively starting a timer on the distance between the Nostromo to the alien derelict space craft with regards to when the three approximately reach the derelict. While I assume that the Nostromo had landed in a spot reasonably close to the derelict craft, the craft itself didn’t seem to be in the distance of say a simple jog. In fact, it appeared to be on a hill above a valley. Given this premise, I would like to assume that they were at least an hour’s walk away from the craft at least. Also, they could do little more than a steady pace at best given the near Earth-like gravity and the bulkiness of their space suits.
Once they arrive at the craft, they do some exploring and eventually arrive at a section that Kane discovers leading to the space jockey. It’s very important to note that the three are required to climb up to reach the space jockey platform. From there, Kane discovers a hole that leads to the underground (?) egg storage. In one of the deleted scenes, there’s a small lead up showing the pulley device that Kane is hooked into. I assume that constructing that device could take anywhere between 5-15 minutes (where was it even kept???) Also, it’s interesting to note that the hole (or orifice if you examine closely) Kane emerges from is similar to others around in the chamber. Why only one was discovered is anyone’s guess.
At any rate, after Kane is assaulted by the facehugger, one can assume that radio silence could have been no more than 1-5 minutes as we heard Kane reporting his findings frequently up until seeing the egg unfold itself. Dallas did warn Kane in that deleted shot not to unhook himself for any reason as this would allow Dallas and Lambert to begin hauling him back in an emergency. Since Kane was practically dead weight, I imagine retrieving Kane would take just slightly longer than lowering him into the chamber maybe 3-4 minutes tops (barring him getting jammed in that orifice hole thing)
Obviously, once Dallas and Lambert saw him with the facehugger attached, they would have panicked and perhaps even made an attempt to prod or remove it. For certain though, they would need to check his vital signs to confirm he was still alive before concluding that they would need to return to the ship. After that, they would eventually construct a make shift gurney (you can see them carrying Kane on one as they approach the ship with his body). So that’s another 3-5 minutes or so. But we have to note that they needed to go back down the side, which was elevated so I imagine that they had to re-appropriate the pulley device to get Kane’s body back down the side which, due to safety, could take another 5+ minutes. Probably, they would construct the gurney after the fact since I don’t think the pulley could have adequately handled the gurney.
But let’s say from entering the derelict to leaving, the entire period was at least an hour or so. Right now, we’re looking at roughly a three hour round trip. Part of the importance of this noting of time also includes Ripley’s decoding of the alien warning and Brett and Parker’s repairs. But if we eliminate say 90 minutes from reaching the derelict up to the facehugger attack, I would estimate at least 90 minutes had passed as the facehugger began the embryo implantation process (which is why I think Alien: Covenant is a piece of garbage)
Even dealing with the airlock situation, we can assume maybe another 10 minutes before Kane could arrive at the infirmary where the breakdown might be Dallas and Lambert removing their space suits (3-5 minutes), Ash and Dallas hauling Kane to the medical lab, then another small period to carefully remove Kane’s space suit (except the helmet obviously). So that’s another 10 minutes.
From here, until the “you get back to work” mandate issued by Dallas to Parker and Brett, I would say there’s not a lot of missing time outside of possibly Ash and Dallas preparing the facehugger/Kane for the removal attempt. Even then I don’t think it would’ve taken Ash that much time to retrieve his cutting instrument. However, in between Ripley’s talk with Ash, we don’t know how much time has passed. One of the key developments in the scene between Ripley and Ash is Ripley noticing Ash examining a dark splotch on the scanner. Previously, when Ash first began scanning Kane, Dallas noticed the tube in Kane’s throat. There’s a weird clear cell-like object floating around which might hint at the embryo but it’s never been clearly identified. However, I bring these visuals up to illustrate the possible development of the embryo from that clear cell-like object to a black stain. Obviously, the thing is rapidly growing within Kane but at this stage, the facehugger is still attached and theoretically feeding Kane and the embryo nutrients.
After that, we gradually come to the part where we encounter Dallas in the shuttle listening to classical music. I assume he hides himself away to avoid the problems of his crew but it is an interesting notion because it points to how only Parker, Brett and Ash are actually working. Lambert, Ripley and Dallas are off doing their own activities. It also gives more time to Parker and Brett to perform their rudimentary repairs for the ship to launch again. Not long after though, Ash wants Dallas (and Ripley) to check out Kane’s (and the facehugger’s) condition. Again, the time elapsed between Ripley’s last visit to the infirmary until this point should be considered important as at this stage, the facehugger has been successful at its operation and either managed to hide itself or where Ash has hidden it to have it assault a human while it was dead. But we really have no idea how much time passes here.
Next, they launch and reconnect with the rest of the refinery. Although the landing sequence should have been taken into consideration, I assume that lift off especially after being damaged would require more effort and time. This could be anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour plus. I doubt it would take mere minutes as the movie had shown.
The next significant moment is Kane waking up. Again, there’s no real indication when this occurs but by this point, I assume that the chestburster phase of the xenomorph is nearly complete since Kane complains of hunger. While the metabolism of the creature is undoubtedly very high, there’s no clear indication again of the time it takes from implantation to the actual “birth.” But between the initial infirmary scene until the chestburster moment, I would estimate anywhere between 2-3 hours had passed. So effectively, from the initial facehugger attack until the chestburster coming out, I imagine that a total of 3-4 hours had gone by, possibly more depending on scenes that don’t exist. But I think 3-4 hours is a generous time span for that thing to be born.
Next, the crew go to search for the chestburster. Most likely, this would be given 10 minutes max because of how small the thing is and how big the ship might be. Then they had to wrap Kane’s body up, clean up the lounge area (notice that the place was SPOTLESS!) and prepare Kane for his outer space funeral. That had to take 30+ minutes. I didn’t even include the time it would take to clean themselves up (most notably Lambert who got sprayed by Kane’s blood and was pristine thereafter).
Once Kane’s body is launched, there is another deleted scene where they discuss what to do about the chestburster. This is one of the few moments in the movie where time is CONCRETELY discussed. The topic centers around Brett (and Parker) to manufacture the cattle prods and nets to capture the xenomorph. Brett estimates 20 minutes to an hour (where Parker concurs). Once the two engineers leave, Dallas sarcastically remarks, “With those two, it’ll be something like two to three hours.” So realistically, let’s call it the worst case scenario (hey engineers are notorious for overpromising and underdelivering especially when it comes to time estimates) and say that it took them three hours to complete this effort. Along with that Ash also concocts his own little motion tracker device (how he’s able to do this on this ship that’s meant as a refinery is anyone’s guess).
Either way, let’s say that another four hours pass until this scene. That means, during this period the chestburster is evolving into its main form. All we know is that at some point the xenomorph sheds its yellow-ish skin in one of the storage areas. In the novel, there’s a scene where the crew find the creature possibly eating at their food supplies. That scene isn’t shown nor mentioned so we don’t know how else the creature manages to grow this fast.
Another bizarre thing to think about (before I get into the time aspect again) is that Jones is discovered in a locker while Ripley, Parker and Brett are on the C-deck trying to find the xenomorph. More importantly, the locker’s door is closed. It’s unclear what he’s doing in that locker and how that door ended up being shut. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the cat was trying to chase the chestburster at some point (maybe discovering the aforementioned shed skin) and was hunted by the alien into the locker. Or maybe (this is really off the rails as a theory), the cat found the smaller version of the xenomorph and the creature tricked the cat into the locker before it could get caught. Since there’s no mention of an injury on Jones (like lacerations or acid scars), I assume that he was fine.
Either way, between the weapons/net scene to the trio searching for the xenomorph, I doubt much more than a few minutes pass for the three to get down to C-deck. I think most of this part until Brett gets whacked by the alien is real time or close to it. The more important part is the time it takes for Parker to get cleaned up before the remaining five regroup (because in certain cuts we see Parker being drenched by Brett’s blood as the xenomorph takes him into the ventilation shaft). So that’s probably at least another 10-15 minutes that go by until that scene occurs.
Next we encounter one of the other crucial mentions of time in the movie where Parker discusses rigging some flame throwers up. Parker says that it would take him 20 minutes (which may mean they already had something available which again seems odd on a refinery). I can’t tell if it meant 20 minutes per or altogether. In this case, I’ll be a little generous considering the circumstances and Parker’s change in attitude and give him 20 minutes (maybe 30). Then there’s the setup where Dallas goes to the duct while the other two groups go to their destination. Maybe that’s another 10 minutes.
Once Dallas goes into the vent, I assume most of that occurs in “real time.” However, after the xenomorph captures Dallas, there’s another major gap in time as the remaining four regroup. But it’s implied that Parker (at least) and possibly Lambert had gone into the vent to locate Dallas’ last location to discover the incinerator unit lying on the ground (minus Dallas). Assuming the dire nature of their search, I’m sure Parker would dash in that vent. But being a bulky guy and possibly with Lambert in tow, it would take at minimal the same amount of time as Dallas to reach that point (along with Ripley’s re-opening all the vents that Dallas had ordered her to shut behind him). So let’s say another 10 minutes at least.
Then another deleted scene would occur where Ripley has a private talk with Lambert on Ash’s sexuality. It’s a very short scene but it’s the place where Ripley starts to really suspect that something is wrong with Ash. But there’s a small part where Ripley also has Lambert focus herself on plotting their course, which means giving her something to do on the side (i.e. wasting time) as Parker goes to refuel the incinerator and Ash continues to collate his information.
Depending on the cut of the movie, you’ll see an extra scene of Parker slipping from corridor to corridor as he’s going to refuel the incinerator. But this is important because at some point in one of the actual deleted scenes, Parker encounters the alien near one of the airlocks. While the whole scene isn’t shot, the idea here (at least in the novel) is that he gets Lambert and Ripley to try and blow the airlock. However, Ash is monitoring the situation to and tries to protect the alien. Ripley and Parker end up dealing with some depressurization as the alien escapes (and explains Ripley’s nose bleed later on). But a follow up scene has Lambert solo where she seems alone. However, she manages to get Ash on the comm and has him help Ripley and Parker to the infirmary.
Obviously, that entire section is quite a major part of the movie that was cut out for one reason or another. But it also means around 10+ minutes had been cut out of potential footage. Along with that, there’s Parker and Ripley recovering from the incident in the infirmary should that prior scene had been shot. That aspect could have lasted for some time depending on how badly injured both were.
Next I would say everything up until Ash is hooked back up would seem contiguous time-wise. Ripley goes to do her own investigation with Mother (or however you spell it), Ash assaults her and Parker and Lambert rescue Ripley. I don’t know how long it would take to re-wire Ash but we do see Ripley at least disabling his motor related wires before plugging him back in. Maybe that whole section would take another 10 minutes (Ripley was pretty messed up after Ash attacks her)
Once the remaining three blast Ash with the flame thrower (gee, I just realized after all these years why they called him Ash), they split up to prepare for escape. Again, it’s unclear just how much time passes as they prepare with Ripley going to the navigation portion of the ship while Lambert and Parker obtain coolant. Also, I’m unsure if they were able to make it back to the shuttle to start installing the coolant bottles. Also, while that’s going on, Ripley ends up searching for Jones. In short, more time passes until the alien assaults Parker and Lambert possibly 30 minutes or so.
After the alien disposes of Lambert and Parker, Ripley cautiously seeks them out. It can’t be more than 10 minutes at most though. The one thing that makes this part significant between the movie and the novel is that the novel’s version has Parker and Lambert being taken away by the alien rather than Ripley discovering their dead bodies. As what we’ll eventually discover about Brett and Dallas’ ultimate fates, it’s implied that in the novel Lambert and Parker would probably suffer a similar situation, which in a way would make the time differential more significant in that case. In contrast, Ripley discovering Parker and Lambert’s corpses implies the other theory of how the alien is about to naturally expire since it does not use either for creating new eggs.
From here, the pace really picks up because Ripley goes to set the self destruct sequence into motion. As explained by Parker, the self destruction sequence would give survivors 10 minutes maximum to get off the ship. So this is the last portion of the movie where time becomes a crucial feature (not to mention sending the movie into overdrive).
However, with the director’s cut of the movie, we get the infamous cocoon/eggmorphing scene that supposedly occurs after Ripley starts the self destruction sequence. With the original deleted scene and full dialogue added in, I’ve heard it extends up to 15 minutes, which would make the self destruction aspect moot (especially if the audience had timed it). On the other hand, I read a different version where the scene was inserted BEFORE the self destruction sequence was initiated, which would have made TONS of sense as that would have given Ripley’s final motivation for blowing up the ship. Also, it would have provided a little more time before the countdown started.
And I suppose part of this exercise in defining time and its relevance really comes back to the lifecycle of the alien again. First, let’s talk about the nest. One thing that hit me was whether or not the alien had started the construction of the nest before or after capturing Brett. The reason why I ask is that the alien seemed to be just hanging around that area with the chains while its skin had been shed not too far from that area. The alien didn’t appear in many spots in the ship after it was born if you really think about it. Just that storage area, the C-deck, the airshaft, the airlock, near the shuttle (or wherever Parker and Lambert last was), the spot with the cat in the box and eventually inside the shuttle itself. It never appeared in the command center, lounge area (except when it was born), etc. at least as an adult.
And I bring this point up because I have to think it had a very limited hunting area. And with Parker and Lambert being killed and not eggmorphed, one would think that it’s main purpose had been complete once it caught Brett and Dallas. I’m guessing a good deal of its time was spent working on its nest area and then transmuting Brett and Dallas. I mentioned in a previous blog post how Ridley Scott (or one of the people involved in the original Alien, possibly HR Giger) talked about how Brett’s corpse was discovered bloated a few days old by Ripley. This is important as all the time commitments leading to the point of Ripley’s discovery of the nest itself took place over at least a day or two, possibly three. So did that mean the crew slept at all during this period? There was moments of urgency like the construction of the flame throwers.
But with regards to the biological lifecycle of the alien, this also implies the length of time for construction of the nest as well as Dallas’ own cocooning efforts. I’ve maintained that my belief has been Dallas’ purpose was to become the next victim of a facehugger, which would reinforce the idea of the alien being “the perfect organism.” It’s still unclear whether or not he had been implanted because we get no visual cues and his only response to Ripley is to kill him. Still, if Brett’s corpse is 2-3 days old, then Dallas’ form can’t be that far behind (maybe 1 day at least). Then there’s the other wall that lacks a victim. One has to wonder if the ultimate intention was to gradually bring Lambert and Parker’s corpses to that spot or if the alien was simply generating more of the hive structure. And I bring this up because it’s a good section of the wall that’s been infected and we never have been given the mechanism for how it’s done. Is it a mixture of acid and slime? Is it purely organic?
Regardless, eggmorphing discussion aside, it’s pretty much a 10 minute sure shot straight until the end. Once Ripley gets aboard the shuttle, the time aspect becomes less critical except to emphasize that possibly the alien is dying like a bug from old age. It blends into a side of the wall, possibly trying to get warm while its body functions slow down. Obviously, time again becomes relevant once you take into consideration Aliens (with the 57 year movie gap). But mostly I want to show the unsaid portions of the movie and how they would influence the biology in some way.
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