Captain Arthur Dallas was the commanding officer of the commercial towing vessel USCSS Nostromo, operated by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. Dallas was in command of the Nostromo during its final voyage, transporting twenty million tons of mineral ore to Earth from Thedus when the ship was rerouted to investigate a transmission of unknown origin. Dallas led the initial expedition to the derelict alien vessel, authorized the recovery of Executive Officer Gilbert Kane after his infection by an unknown lifeform, and later coordinated efforts to track and neutralize the creature aboard the ship. Dallas was captured by the alien during a solo incursion into the Nostromo's ventilation system while attempting to flush it out.
Biography[]
Early Service[]
Arthur Dallas was born on 27 February, 2076 in Wolf Point, Montana in the United Americas. He graduated the Mercerton Flight Academy in 2099. Dallas began a three-year tour as the Navigator/Pilot of the salvage vessel USCSS Snark in 2100, serving under Captain Van Shuyten. Dallas ended his service on the Snark in 2103. After the Snark, Dallas transferred to the military cargo vessel UTX Ganymede as a Pilot under Captain Britten for a two year tour. He concluded his service on the Ganymede at the end of 2105.[1]
In 2106, Dallas was commissioned into the United Americas Outer Rim Defense Fleet with the rank of Lieutenant and assigned to Liberty Echo. From 12 June of that year, Dallas fought in the Torin Prime Civil War, serving under Major Baines as the Pilot of the UAS Leviathan fast attack vessel. He served on the Leviathan until 2108 when the Torin Prime Civil War concluded with the Liberation of Torin Prime; Dallas was promoted to Captain and awarded the Sunburst Medal of Honour for meritorious service following the conflict.[1]
Dallas was assigned to command the troop carrier UAS Archangel. On 25 December 2109, the UAS was involved in a peace-keeping operation on Thedus. During the operation, the vessel was destroyed with the loss of 15,293 personnel. The Archangel was unsalvageable, and Dallas had his flight status suspended. Following the incident, Dallas was dishonourably discharged from the United Americas Outer Rim Defense Fleet and his flight status was revoked.[1]
Dallas dropped out of public view following the Archangel incident, resurfacing in 2113. He crewed aboard the civilian cargo vessel The Vidar, smuggling weapons and medical supplies to the Solomons under Captain Joshua. Dallas then began freelancing for Weyland-Yutani Corporation transporting hazardous materials in the Solomons until mid-2114. Dallas went on to purchase the civilian cargo vessel Tremolino. Putting together a crew, he freelanced for Weyland-Yutani throughout the Outer Rim Territories performing cargo and transport operations. The Tremolinowas decommissioned and the crew disbanded at the end of 2119. In 2120, Dallas was given command of the Weyland-Yutani commercial towing vehicle USCSS Nostromo.[1]
USCSS Nostromo[]
The USCSS Nostromo departed Weyland-Yutani Drydock Bravo at Thedus on 12 June, 2121, clearing the flight plan with Antarctica Traffic Control.[1] Two days prior to launch, the Nostromo's regular science officer was replaced by Ash.[3]
During the return trip to Earth, Dallas was awoken from hypersleep alongside the rest of the crew when the ship's computer, MOTHER, intercepted a signal of unknown origin near Zeta II Reticuli. Dallas conferred with MOTHER and informed the crew that they had been awoken halfway into their journey to Earth. Under company orders, they were required to investigate the signal, with Science Officer Ash further clarifying that if they did not, they forfeited their shares for the job. Dallas ordered the Nostromo to be detached from the refinery it was towing, and to land on the planetoid where the signal was originating from.[3]
Dallas, Executive Officer Gilbert Kane, and Navigator Joan Lambert left the Nostromo, using Mk.50 compression suits to survive in the planetoid's atmosphere. The signal was emanating two thousand meters from their position, and they discovered a derelict alien spacecraft containing the remains of a large non-human lifeform and a chamber filled with eggs. Kane was attacked by an organism that attached itself to his face.[3]
Dallas and Lambert brought Kane back to the Nostromo, but Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley refused to let them in, citing quarantine protocols due to the organism attached to Kane. Ash disobeyed Ripley's order and opened the airlock, allowing Dallas and the others in. While Ash was examining Kane and the organism, Dallas took responsibility and ordered Ash to remove it. Ash attempted to cut off one of the organism's digits, but found that its blood was some type of molecular acid. Eventually, the creature came off by itself and died; Dallas decided to resume course to Earth.[3]
The crew assembled for a meal before re-entering hypersleep. Kane began convulsing, and a new lifeform violently emerged from his chest, killing him. The creature then disappeared into the bowels of the Nostromo. Dallas organized a search of the ship, with two teams armed with cattle prods, tracking devices, and nets. The plan was to capture the creature and throw it out of the airlock. During the search, Engineering Technician Samuel Brett was killed by the alien, which was now fully grown. Brett was taken into the ship's air shafts.[3]
Examining the blueprints, Dallas determined that if the creature was in the air ducts, it might work to their advantage. The ducts connected to the main airlock, and if they could block off certain junctions they could flush the alien towards the airlock and blow it into space. Dallas had Engineer Dennis Parker rig up several incinerator units, and planned to go into the ducts himself.[3]
Entering the ducts, Dallas began working through the cramped confines, firing blasts of flame from the incinerator and having junctions closed off behind him. Lambert, using a tracking device, monitored the creature closing on Dallas' position. Dallas found slime in the ducts and began to panic, wanting to get out of the shaft. After descending to another level, Lambert reported that the alien's signal was heading directly for him. The alien captured Dallas, appearing out of the darkness in a shaft to his left. Parker later found his incinerator in the ducts, but no body or blood.[3]
Chronology[]
- 2076
- 27 February: Born in Wolf Point, Montana, United Americas.
- 2099
- 15 May: Graduates Mercerton Flight Academy (Flight Status C).
- 2100
- 11 March: Begins serving aboard USCSS Snark (Flight Status B).
- 2103
- 9 January: Finishes service aboard USCSS Snark.
- 23 January: Begins serving aboard UTX Ganymede.
- 2105
- 4 December: Finished service aboard UTX Ganymede.
- 2106
- 1 June: Commissioned as Lieutenant in United Americas Outer Rim Defense Fleet.
- 12 June: Begins serving aboard the UAS Leviathan during the Torin Prime Civil War (Flight Status A.)
- 2108
- 17 February: Finishes service aboard UAS Leviathan.
- 23 February: Promoted to Captain following Liberation of Torin Prime and awarded Sunburst Medal of Honour.
- 1 March: Given command of UAS Archangel (Flight Status A).
- 2109
- 25 December: UAS Archangel destroyed in enemy attack during peace-keeping operation on Thedus. Flight Status Suspended.
- 2110
- 3 January: Receives Dishonourable Discharge from United Americas Outer Rim Defense Fleet and flight Status revoked.
- 2113
- 28 April: Crews aboard The Vidar smuggling weapons and medical supplies into the Solomons.
- 9 September: Finished service aboard The Vidar.
- 14 December: Freelances special transport ops of hazardous materials for Weyland-Yutani in the Solomons (Probationary Flight Status D).
- 2114
- 4 May: Ends freelance work for Weyland-Yutani.
- 21 July: Purchases civilian cargo vessel Tremolino. Freelances cargo and transport ops for Weyland-Yutani throughout the Outer Rim Territories (Flight Status C).
- 2119
- 7 December: Tremolino decommissioned and crew disbanded.
- 2120
- 4 January: Given command of USCSS Nostromo (Fight Status B).
- 2121
- 12 June: USCSS Nostromo departs Thedus on route to Earth.
- 2122
- June: USCSS Nostromo makes unscheduled stop at LV-426. Dies along with majority of the Nostromo crew during encounter with unknown alien species.
Behind the scenes[]
In a deleted and later restored scene, Ripley finds Dallas cocooned in the lower sections of the ship, dissolving into slurry to provide nutrients for a Xenomorph egg. Knowing what is happening to him, he begs Ripley to kill him. Seeing she can't save Dallas from his fate, she kills him with a flamethrower rather than prolong his suffering.
Appearances[]
- Alien (First appearance)