‘Aliens’ Deleted Scene Reveals Devastating Detail About Ripley
Sometimes even the most popular movies can have a secret or two. Case in point, James Cameron’s 1986 sci-fi classic Aliens originally featured a scene that adds a whole new dimension to Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley. Even with where the franchise went after, Aliens remains one of the most revered sequels ever made. And Cameron’s deleted scene only enhances its impact.
How James Cameron raised the bar with 1986’s ‘Aliens’
Ridley Scott’s 1979 hit Alien essentially plays like a haunted house movie in space. The xenomorph lurks in the shadows and strikes without warning, like a slasher. But Cameron had a very different approach. Rather than duplicate that scenario, his sequel has a more militaristic story in mind, turning the franchise into a sci-fi war film instead.
Famously, Cameron’s pitch for the film — which he made soon after The Terminator hit it big — also involved a lot more xenomorphs this time around. The Oscar-winning director said he simply added an “s” to the first film’s title and then transformed it into a “$” to emphasize the profitability of such a movie. With Aliens out-grossing its predecessor, Cameron was right.
‘Aliens’ fans learned more about Ripley in the extended cut
Following the home video release of Aliens, Cameron was able to share a ton of deleted footage. Among the scenes released was a brief conversation between Ripley and Burke (Paul Reiser) which reveals Ripley had a daughter. Burke informs Ripley that her daughter died two years ago while Ripley was still in hypersleep following the events of the first film.
Her daughter, Amanda, died at age 66 and left behind no children, according to Burke. Ripley, meanwhile, laments the fact that she never made it back home in time for her daughter’s 11th birthday and begins to sob. The sequence adds more weight to Ripley’s emotional arc – and Weaver’s Oscar-nominated performance – and puts even more emphasis on her relationship with Carrie Henn’s Newt later in the film.
‘Alien 3’ doubled-down on Ripley’s heartbreaking loss
Motherhood is a major theme in Aliens. And while Cameron’s decision to cut the reveal of Ripley’s daughter might make sense for pacing reasons, its inclusion would have strengthened the film’s themes substantially. By the end of the film, Ripley has found a surrogate daughter of sorts in Newt. And yet, the franchise continued to put the character through more heartbreak in the sequel.
Six years later, 1992’s Alien 3 would reveal that Newt and Hicks (Michael Biehn) are killed in a crash-landing that puts Ripley yet again face to face with more xenomorphs. The film — which has since been disowned by director David Fincher — angered fans with this decision. And it’s a key part of why Alien 3 remains so divisive. The Aliens deleted scene makes this story point even more tragic.
