Ripley in hypersleep
Stasis, also known as hypersleep or cryosleep, was the process of suspending the biological functions of a living being. Stasis had numerous applications, but the most common were in the medical industry, and to allow starship crews to spend the majority of long spaceflights in suspended animation.
Overview[]
In the 2020s, Sir Peter Weyland engaged his scientists in a project to find a way to extend Human life indefinitely. While they did not succeed in this mandate, the research bore fruit and the technology that resulted was a significant leap forward that revolutionized space exploration. The scientists discovered a way to slow a life-form's biological functions to a near-standstill and arresting aging on a cellular level. Both the medical industry and deep space missions at sublight speeds adopted the technology. When FTL travel was invented, stasis became a solution to the problem of resource management on long space flights.[1]
Entering stasis required a dedicated hypersleep chamber, where a mixture of gases were introduced into the sealed container and the occupant's body temperature was lowered significantly. Individuals in stasis were not consciousness and their brain functions were slowed for the duration. Travellers were encouraged to dream while in stasis as dreaming promoted mental health and helped the body's natural rhythm of regenerative healing.[1]
Stasis also offered health benefits to individuals. Travelling at FTL speeds could alter the perception of the Human brain, resulting in a syndrome known as Neurological Distortion Disorder. The disorder had a variety of effects, including paranoia, epilepsy, psychosis, and dementia. The faster a ship travelled, the worse the symptoms got. Stasis protected a Human against the effects of NDD. Time spent in stasis would result in the traveller being dehydrated upon revival; however, taking the drug Hyder8tion before entering stasis could counteract the effect. It was dangerous for an individual to be abruptly awoken from stasis without the proper revival protocols. Travellers awoken in this manner could suffer from disorientation, headaches, chest pain, nausea, and in extreme cases, death.[1]
Early stasis travel would result in discomfort for the travellers upon revival. The crew of the USCSS Prometheus awoke wet and cold, physically fatigued and with the need to expel fluid from their bodies. The crew were advised to drink plenty of water and consume shakes of high calorific content to counter the affects of stasis.[2] By the early 2100s, travellers awakening from stasis had a much easier revival process, essentially being able to wake and proceed to function normally shortly after with no visible ill efftects.[3]
Appearances[]
- Alien: Earth
- Alien (First appearance)
- Alien: Romulus