Alien

Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon

Produced by Gordon Carroll

David Giler

Walter Hill

Directed by Ridley Scott

Cast List:

Sigourney Weaver Ripley

Tom Skerritt Dallas

Veronica Cartwright Lambert

Harry Dean Stanton Brett

John Hurt Kane

Ian Holm Ash

Yaphet Kotto Parker

Science fiction plucks from within us our deepest fears and hopes then shows them to us in rough disguise: The monster and the rocket.

W.H. Auden

We live, as we dream – alone.

Joseph Conrad

"ALIEN"

FADE IN:

SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE:

INT. ENGINE ROOM

Empty, cavernous.

INT. ENGINE CUBICLE

Circular, jammed with instruments.

All of them idle.

Console chairs for two.

Empty.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR – "C" LEVEL

Long, dark.

Empty.

Turbos throbbing.

No other movement.

INT. CORRIDOR – "A" LEVEL

Long, empty.

INT. INFIRMARY – "A" LEVEL

Distressed ivory walls.

All instrumentation at rest.

INT. CORRIDOR TO BRIDGE – "A" LEVEL

Black, empty.

INT. BRIDGE

Vacant.

Two space helmets resting on chairs.

Electrical hum.

Lights on the helmets begin to signal one another.

Moments of silence.

A yellow light goes on.

Data mind bank in b.g.

Electronic hum.

A green light goes on in front of one helmet.

Electronic pulsing sounds.

A red light goes on in front of other helmet.

An electronic conversation ensues.

Reaches a crescendo.

Then silence.

The lights go off, save the yellow.

INT. CORRIDOR TO HYPERSLEEP VAULT

Lights come on.

Seven gowns hang from the curved wall.

Vault door opens.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT

Explosion of escaping gas.

The lid on a freezer pops open.

Slowly, groggily, KANE sits up. Pale. He rubs the sleep from his eyes. Stands, looks around. Stretches. Looks at the other freezer compartments. Scratches. Moves off.

INT. GALLEY

Kane plugs in a Silex. Lights a cigarette. Coughs. Grinds some coffee beans. Runs some water through.

KANE

Rise and shine, Lambert.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT

Another lid pops open. A young woman sits up.

LAMBERT

What time is it.

KANE (V.O.)

What do you care.

INT. GALLEY

Pot now half-full.

Kane watches it drip. Inhales the fragrance.

KANE

Now Dallas and Ash.

(calls out)

Good morning Captain.

DALLAS (V.O.)

Where's the coffee.

KANE

Brewing.

LAMBERT walks into the kitchen. Pours herself a cup.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT

Two more lids pop open.

A pair of men sit up. Look at each other.

INT. GALLEY

Kane enjoys a freshly-brewed cup.

KANE

Ripley...

Another moment.

And then the sound of another lid opening.

KANE

And if we have Parker, can Brett be far behind.

Lid opening sound.

KANE

Right.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT

DALLAS looks at his groggy circus.

DALLAS

One of you jokers get the cat.

RIPLEY picks up a limp cat out of one of the compartments.

INT. MESS

The crew of the United States commercial starship Nostromo seated around a table.

Dallas Captain

Kane Executive Officer

Ripley Warrant Officer

Ash Science Officer

Lambert Navigator

Parker Engineer

Brett Engineering Technician

Jones Cat

Five men and two women: Lambert and Ripley.

LAMBERT

Jesus am I cold.

PARKER

Still with us, Brett.

BRETT

Yo.

RIPLEY

Lucky us.

They yawn, stretch, shiver.

Dallas looks over at a flashing yellow light.

KANE

I feel dead.