Deleted scenes

This article covers all the known deleted scenes from the films in the Alien franchises. Some of these sequences were filmed before being cut during the editing process, while others never progressed past the early script or storyboard stages. Despite this, several of these scenes were included in the corresponding novelizations and/or comic book adaptations of the movies.

Alien

Many of the removed sequences in Alien were retained in the novelization of the film, which was based on an early version of the script. Some scenes initially cut from the theatrical film were later reinstated in the 2003 Director's Cut of the movie; these sequences are not listed here.

Aside from these excisions, the film also had blood and gore trimmed throughout. There was talk of this censored violence footage being reintegrated into an uncut release of the film, although as of yet that has not occurred.

The flying Mice

Originally, before the crew wakes up aboard the Nostromo, the audience was to see several small flying robots, called "Mice", that would travel up and down the corridors of the ship fixing problems automatically. The idea was scrapped out of budget concerns, and also because the studio felt it moved the film too far in a science-fiction direction (from an early stage, it was decided to make the film feel as "real" as possible).

"I wanted to have small flying objects, like sensors, which flew up and down the corridors. They would find a problem, stop by a computer bank and fix it like little handymen. I wanted to call them 'Mice'. At the beginning of the film they would be the only things that were alive on the ship. We'd have shot a long empty corridor so you'd hear them coming before you actually saw them. Then WHOOSH! It would pass by the camera, going through the corridor. I think FOX felt it was too much in the direction of SF, and we dropped it."

—Ridley Scott, regarding the Mice

Kane in the morning

In the first draft of the script, Kane woke aboard the Nostromo before the other crewmembers, and was to begin preparing breakfast as the others woke one by one. The cast was also to be nude while in hypersleep, although this was considered too pornographic and changed to have the crew clothed. John Hurt actually filmed footage for the breakfast sequence, although the scene was cut and condensed to the version seen in the film before it was completed. The cut footage is available as a bonus feature on the DVD/Blu-ray release of the film.

Parker and Brett outside

Parker and Brett were to leave the ship on a small vehicle (affectionately known as the "Flying Bedstead" by the production team) to inspect the ship's intake valves. Parker notices one of the seals is damaged, and it is this damage that causes the Nostromo problems when it lands on LV-426. The scene was designed to show the scale of the vessel, but budget concerns meant it was cut before filming.

The rock formation

While Dallas, Kane and Lambert head for the source of the signal on the moon's surface, they were to pause and rest near a large rock formation. When they move on, Ash, watching from his science station aboard the Nostromo, notices a strange formation in the rock that is revealed to be the dead Space Jockey, fossilized inside the rock. Due to budget constraints, this scene was never filmed.

The Egg Silo

One of the more famous deleted sequences, originally the Xenomorph Eggs were not on board the Derelict. Instead, they were inside a separate structure dubbed the "Egg Silo", a large pyramid-type structure nearby. As Kane was lowered inside to explore it, his entire suit was supposed to light up to illuminate the area. Eventually it was realized the film's budget would not allow for two alien locations on LV-426, and so the Egg silo was merged with the Derelict as seen in the final film.

The Derelict

Footage was cut from the exploration of the Derelict, including an extended entry where Dallas, Lambert and Kane discuss whether or not they should enter the ship and, later, Kane volunteering to enter the cargo hold and Dallas warning him not to unhook himself from the cable. This footage can be seen on the DVD/Blu-ray.

Autodoc

The initial examination of Kane on board the Nostromo, including the removal of his helmet, was to be done with remotely operated medical equipment.

Kane's condition

After the Facehugger's acid blood has burned through the Nostromo's decks, the crew return to the infirmary where Lambert asks how they are going to get the creature off of Kane, but Ash has no suggestions. Ripley looks at the x-ray scanner and notices a stain on Kane's lungs, but no one is able to explain it. This sequence was included in the novelization and was filmed, and can be seen on the DVD/Blu-ray.

Repairs interrupted

Footage was filmed of Parker and Brett making repairs to the Nostromo before they leave LV-426, during which Parker mentions his intention to get his own ship one day. Ripley contacts them over the radio and complains that they are not working hard enough. This footage can be found on the DVD/Blu-ray.

Kane's funeral

Instead of being violently shot out into space, Kane's body was originally going to be gently set adrift by two of the ship's crewmembers who went outside in space suits. This scene was again to feature the Flying Bedstead.

Regrouping

After Kane's death, the crew were to meet in the mess room and discuss what to do. Parker suggests the crew put on space suits and decompress the entire ship, but Ash points out that they have no reason to believe a lack of oxygen will actually kill the Alien as the Eggs survived that way aboard the Derelict for some time. Brett, showing unusual initiative, proposes building nets and cattle prods to try and trap the Xenomorph — which, as far as the crew is aware, is still only a small Chestburster at this stage — so that it can be expelled into space. This sequence was filmed and can be seen as a bonus feature on the DVD/Blu-ray release, and was also included in the novelization of the movie.

Love scene

Another famous deleted scene, the original intention was to have the crew members sleep with each other regularly on long-haul trips to relieve tension. While Parker and Brett are building the cattle prods, Ripley finds Dallas in an observation dome on the ship's exterior, telling him that she needs some relief, meaning that she wants to make love. While this scene was never filmed as part of principal photography, it was used for Sigourney Weaver's screen test.

Ripley soothes Lambert

A brief scene extension was cut after Ripley takes charge and elects to continue with Dallas' plan of forcing the Alien into the airlock. After Parker leaves to refuel the flamethrower, Ripley comforts Lambert, and asks her if she has ever slept with Ash (again tying into the original idea that crew members would regularly sleep together). Her response in the negative fuels Ripley's suspicions of Ash. This footage can be found on the DVD/Blu-ray.

Airlock sequence

Another lengthy scene cut during filming was to have Parker encounter the Alien near the Nostromo's main airlock when he goes to refuel Dallas' flamethrower. The creature does not see him, and he quietly contacts Ripley and Lambert, on the ship's bridge, telling them to slowly open the inner airlock door. They do so and a spinning green light apparently mesmerises the creature, luring it inside the lock. Parker orders the airlock opened, but as Ripley shuts the inner door and opens the outer one an alarm sounds and scares the creature away. As it flees, its arm gets caught in the inner airlock door as it closes, tearing it off. Parker is knocked unconscious by the Alien as it flees. Ripley goes to investigate and when she arrives, the blood spilled from the creature's severed arm finally burns through the inner airlock door, decompressing the area. A safety bulkhead supposed to separate Ripley and Parker from the breach gets jammed by one of the cylinders of flamethrower fuel Parker had been carrying, trapping them in the decompressed area, but Ripley, blood frothing out of her nose and ears, manages to free the obstruction.

Lambert and Ash arrive to give the wounded crewmembers oxygen. Ripley accuses Ash of setting off the alarm and alerting the creature, and intends to prove it by accessing MU-TH-UR. This would then lead into the scene in the finished film where Ripley accesses the ship's computer and finds out about Ash's special order (and also explains why she suddenly has a nosebleed in this scene). While the majority of this sequence was never filmed, footage of Ripley and Lambert on the Nostromo's bridge was shot and can be seen as a bonus feature on the DVD/Blu-ray release. The sequence was included in the film's novelization.

Kane's corpse

While the crew searches for the Alien, they investigate a tapping noise coming from Ash's science station and discover Kane's body, caught in the antenna array outside, banging against the window. While the footage was never shot, the shroud that actor John Hurt would wear in this scene was made.

The box Alien

During Ripley's first attempt at escaping the Nostromo, she was originally going to encounter a strange box in one of the ship's corridors. As she approached, the box was to unfold, revealing it to be the Alien. In the film, she merely encounters the Alien around a corner. There are conflicting reports on whether or not the "box Alien" scene was ever filmed, but it appears in the comic adaptation of the film.

Toy Birds of Destruction

Originally, the dippy birds inside the Nostromo were going to be shown right before the ship exploded. The scene was shot, but it was deemed unnecessary.

Killing the Alien

Originally, finally killing the Alien was not so simple for Ripley. When she opened the hatch on the Narcissus, she too was sucked out, ending up hanging in space attached to a safety cable with the Xenomorph clinging to the end. She uses a gun to shoot the creature in the head and climbs back aboard the shuttle, sealing the hatch behind her. However, the Alien, still alive, begins clawing at the hatch, so Ripley ignites the shuttle's engines and sets it alight, flinging it away into space where it explodes. As with several other scenes, this was cut due to a lack of budget.

Aliens

The majority of the footage cut from Aliens was removed at a late stage when the studio complained that the film was too long, and these scenes were subsequently reinstated for the 1992 extended Special Edition of the film; they are not included here. However, several other pieces of footage have never been used in any version of the film, although some of the deleted material was included in the novelization of the film and the comic Aliens: Newt's Tale.

Recovering Ripley

The sequence showing the recovery of the Narcissus was originally longer, beginning with the salvage vessel scanning the shuttle with a large searchlight as it approached.

Ripley's daughter

In the scene where Burke informs Ripley that her daughter Amanda has died, he additionally tells her, "Some promises you just can't keep." (referring to Ripley's promise to Amanda to be home for her 11th birthday). Following this, he checks his watch, anxious to get himself and Ripley to the hearing seen in the finished film.

Hadley's Hope

More footage was filmed of the day-to-day life at Hadley's Hope, including some colonists struggling to cover machinery and vehicles in the gale-force winds (briefly visible in the background in the Special Edition). Another shot showed a colonist entering a bar and grill.

The colony rescue team

After Russ Jorden is subdued by a Facehugger, it was originally planned to show a rescue team arriving from the colony in response to Anne's distress call. They were to head inside the Derelict Ship, discovering the remains of the Pilot (now partially buried by volcanic debris), before stumbling into the cargo hold and themselves being subdued by multiple Facehuggers. The rescue team and Russ would subsequently be taken back to the colony, heralding the beginning of the infestation. While the sequence was cut before filming due to budget limitations, the events were later mentioned in Aliens: Newt's Tale.

Waking from hypersleep

As the Marines wake up aboard the USS Sulaco, Spunkmeyer is seen saying, "I'm too old for this shit."

The APC

As the Marines prepare for the drop, Bishop is seen using a remote device to raise the section's APC into the Sulaco's hangar bay on a hydraulic lift. He then uses the remote to drive the APC towards Gorman (seen in the finished film). Model shots for this sequence were filmed but never used.

Searching the colony

Several individual lines of dialogue were cut during the initial sweep of the colony complex. As a Marine scans a trashed room with his camera, Burke comments that it resembles his room from college. When Newt escapes into the ventilation system, Drake nonchalantly comments, "Let her go, man, who cares!" This line made it into the comic adaptation Aliens: Newt's Tale. After pointing out how she never speaks, Ripley additionally tells Newt, "It's alright with me. Most people talk a lot, and they wind up not saying anything at all." Soon after this when Hicks informs them that they are heading out to the Atmosphere Processor, Newt attempts to escape but is caught by Hicks, who she tries to bite on the hand again. This time he pulls away before she can, remarking, "Hope she ain't got rabies." This also made it into Aliens: Newt's Tale. All of this footage is found on the film's DVD/Blu-ray.

Hicks and Wierzbowski

During the Hive ambush, footage was filmed of Hicks propping a wounded Wierzbowski up against a wall after the Pulse Rifle ammunition explodes. He then goes to check on Crowe (seen in the film).

APC's destruction

During the dropship crash sequence, model shots of the crashing ship hitting and destroying the APC were filmed, although were ultimately not used (likely because the footage is not particularly realistic).

Aliens in the complex

Immediately after Bishop is elected to go to the colony's transmitter, the pounding of the Xenomorphs ramming the pressure door suddenly stops. Hicks points out that the creatures are inside the complex. This brief sequence is available on the DVD/Blu-ray.

Ripley and Hicks

When Hicks asks Ripley how long it has been since she slept, she pessimistically tells him, "They'll get us." He responds with, "Maybe. Maybe not." This brief sequence is on the DVD/Blu-ray.

Dropship fuelling

Model shots were filmed of the second dropship being fuelled automatically aboard the Sulaco. These were never used.

Burke cocooned

By far the most famous of Aliens' deleted scenes. As Ripley searches for Newt inside the Hive, she is suddenly grabbed by a hand. It turns out to be Burke, who is cocooned to the wall with a Chestburster inside him. He begs Ripley to kill him; she gives him a hand grenade and moves on. The scene was ultimately cut because director James Cameron realised after filming that Burke should still have had a Facehugger attached to him at this point in the film. It was, however, included in the novelization and Aliens: Newt's Tale. The footage was released for the first time on the Alien Anthology Blu-ray set.

Ripley suits up

Before Ripley confronts the Queen in the Power Loader, a sequence originally showed her strapping into the suit, similar to that seen earlier in the film when she helps to move supplies aboard the Sulaco.

Alien³

Alien³ was drastically changed and re-cut during the course of production, with many alterations taking place even after filming had begun. While almost 30 minutes of deleted footage was later reinstated for the 2003 Assembly Cut, considerably altering the movie, several other sequences were left out, or even scrapped before filming took place. Some of these scenes were included in the film's novel and comic adaptations.

Sulaco's destruction

Originally, the Sulaco was going to be seen partially exploding after the EEV jettisons, the intention being that it was this explosion that damaged the EEV's guidance systems, causing it to crash on Fiorina 161 instead of landing safely. While the models for this sequence were built, it was cut before filming, although it did appear in the novelization of the film.

Newt's autopsy

Originally Newt's autopsy was far more graphic, including close-ups of the surgical procedure and her internal organs. Poor receptions in test screenings caused the sequence to be progressively trimmed to the version ultimately seen on film.

Murphy's death

Murphy's death in the ventilation shaft was cut considerably for violence. Prosthetic appliances for close-up shots of Murphy's face disfigured by the Dragon's acid spit were made and used in filming, but the footage never made it into the movie. Extra footage of Murphy's remains splattering the sides of the ventilation shaft was also filmed but never used. In addition, early cuts of the film had Murphy singing "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones; in all released versions of the film he instead sings "In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" by Dennis Zager and Richard Evans.

Golic's vision

After the Dragon kills Boggs and Golic is sprayed with his blood, Golic originally looked up at the creature and saw it as some kind of fiery dragon, distorted by imaginary heat. In the final film, the creature merely bares its teeth at Golic.

Clemens' death

A large amount of footage was filmed of the Xenomorph's shadows on the wall above Golic in the scene where it enters the infirmary and kills Clemens. Clemens' death itself was also more bloody, with extra footage of blood squiring from his head when he is killed.