Alien: Understanding the Other Side

mhajieva
Nov 16, 2024
8 min read

Cosmos... where will it take humanity? What similarities exist between the dynamics of human psychology in traveling to space and migrating to another country? What is it like feeling like a stranger, or being the one who meets strangers?

In this post, I am going to dive into human behavior and psychology dynamics to explore the concept of the other side in the Alien franchise through the lens of the first four movies.

The Alien series begins with Alien (Scott, 1979), where the crew of a space ship encounters deadly Xenomorphs. In Aliens (Cameron, 1986), Ellen Ripley returns to fight off a larger infestation. Alien 3 (Fincher, 1992) sees Ripley on a prison planet, and Alien: Resurrection (Jeunet, 1997) continues her story with a new twist. The series explores themes of survival, fear, and the human-alien encounter.

Spoiler Alert: Content ahead may reveal major plot details from the Alien series.

What is the other side?

Carl Jung explains the concept of understanding the other side through the term shadow. This other side represents the hidden or suppressed parts of our psyche. Like crime-related videos, podcasts, and books, horror movies engage with Jung’s shadow concept by exploring the darker aspects of human nature. They spark psychological curiosity about the boundaries between good and evil while providing catharsis through confronting hidden fears and impulses.

Woman. Mother. Queen.

We see the Snow White reference in similar ways in the movie Aliens (Cameron, 1986) and Rammstein’s Deutschland video, with both associated with the mother or queen archetype. Despite the original Snow White story, where she as a princes weaker than the Queen, in the sample of Alien, we encounter strong female figure (Ellen Ripley) who take control in uncertain environments.

Have to mention that Snow White is not first appearing in their music videos, considering Sonne in 2001.

Ripley is a mother not only to the daughter she bore but also to those with whom she has no blood relation as in the samples like Rebecca Jorden (Cameron, 1986), Annalee Call (Jeunet, 1997). The archetype of the mother drives her actions. She is an example of the dilemma: Is a mother someone who gives birth, or someone who cares for a child?

Uncertainty or “the other world”

In the medieval or ancient world, uncertainty was represented by unconquered, undiscovered lands that emperors were eager to control.

By reading Homer’s Iliad, we see men fighting for women or land associated with the mother. Helen becomes the central point of conflict between Agamemnon and Paris, while the motherland—Troy—serves as the focal point of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans.

The assosiacion of uncertainty in the light of Cosmos is particularly striking in the movie Alien. The cosmos becomes a new metaphor for uncertainty. Unknown space, undiciplined lands provokes a masculine drive for conquest.

Prof. Dr. Nevzat Kaya comments on Zeus's acts of love toward mortal women in Greek Mythology as an acts of conquest. In the context of Greek mythology human are the other world for gods. Using this parallel, we can also explain the masculine motivation of love toward femininity: one seeks to discipline the chaos, while the chaos is willing to swallow the other.

However, Ari Aster’s approach to uncertainty and the other world resonates more deeply with me when viewed through the lens of migration. The expectations of people toward “the other world” – a new country of migration – are always the inverse of “the known world” – the country they emigrated from (Aster, 2019).

Feelings associated with the other side

Disgust, fear, hate are feelings commonly used to associate with the other side. In the movie Alien, the Xenomorph embodies disgust through its dirty, saliva-drenched appearance, much like the description of a grimy kiss or a sexual encounter viewed through the innocent eyes of a maiden. The term 'maiden' here is used metaphorically, representing a spiritual interaction with life rather than physical contact with the other side. This mirrors the virgin Athena in Greek mythology, who symbolizes masculinity through her wisdom and warrior spirit, despite being a goddess.

Note: Parthenon is derived from the Greek word parthenos (παρθένος), which means "maiden" or "virgin."

From another angle, The Queen Xenomorph, particularly, is portrayed through a lens of male horror—her grotesque egg-laying process, her biting threat, her potential to infect and spread. This revulsion mirrors the way a young, inexperienced man might perceive a woman’s menstrual cycle, seeing it as something foreign, "contagious," and unsettling.

Similar parallel with eggs of Vampires appears in Van Helsing (Sommers, 2004).

The other side. Aliens and more

Despite the film's title (Alien) directly hinting at extraterrestrial beings, as exemplified in its depiction of the Xenomorph, it also metaphorically explores themes of the "alien" within social dynamics, and primal survival instincts. Meet some of the aliens below.

A woman in a man’s world

A women destroying spiritual community in the world of men (Fincher, 1992). In the Alien it is showed as something reminding a church and a prison.

A robot in human’s world

Robots in Alien as Ash (Scott, 1979), Bishop (Cameron, 1986) (Fincher, 1992), Annalee Call (Jeunet, 1997), Andy (Alvarez, 2024), are looking like people but with some differences. Their white color of blood associated with something unfamiliar to human and synthetic, like today’s artificial intelligence. But only Ash is representing an alien for Ripley who represents a mother archetype and requires everyone to participate at the occurrence they face.

A man in mother’s world

People become mature by detaching from parental figures. In Alien Resurrection (Jeunet, 1997), the Alien-newborn, unlike its predecessors, dares to kill its mother, the queen of aliens. By doing this, it also kills the 'son' within itself, which is unacceptable to another female whose archetype is driven by motherhood. This makes it seem impossible for a mother figure like Ripley to prefer such a being over a robot, Annalee Call. Yet, unlike to Ash (Scott, 1979) Ripley experiences an empathy towards the Alien-newborn she choses to kill in Alien Resurrection (Jeunet, 1997).

Critics to scientist approach

In a world where science is trying to assert its superiority over religion, we see many examples of criticism highlighting its weaknesses.

Have to mention the difference between scientific and classical psychology by giving a sample to this argument.

Many people still associate psychology with the theories of Freud, such as psychoanalysis, or Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. However, the scientific psychology pioneered by Wilhelm Wundt (first psychology laboratory, 1879, Leipzig, Germany) is quite different from classical psychology. Wundt’s contributions laid the foundation for psychology as a science, in contrast to Freud’s more practical / therapeutic focus. Wundt is the father of scientific psychology, while Freud is the father of applied psychology.

So the scientific approach in the sample of psychology often lacks humanistic empathy, focusing solely on the pursuit of research and discovery rather than participate in healing.

In Alien (Scott, 1979), the archetype of the scientist is represented by Ash – robot. Robots in the movie sometimes are called androids or synthetics (likely due to their white, silicon-like blood). The two types of robots in Alien (Scott, 1979) and Aliens 2 (Cameron, 1986) illustrate contrasting approaches: the first (Ash) remains detached from life, while the second (Bishop) chooses to engage with and become part of the reality it is involved in.

Stranger things vs Alien

The other side of us appears or is reborn through the human body in Alien (Scott, 1979), while in Stranger Things (The Duffer Brothers, 2022), it emerges in the minds of the teens. It is more platonic than romantic; it does not represent physical contact.

However the monster – Vecna (Stranger Things: The Piggyback (S4, E9), 2022) have features similar to the Facehugger (Alien, 1979). Both from the other world rather from an alternate reality that exists within the same world as ours or just from another galaxy, planet. Similar to the strange people we meet outside of our home, tourists/migrants coming to our coutry, or members of the civil community through the eyes of an ex-prisoner/patient of a psychiatric clinics and so on…

(The Duffer Brothers, 2022), (Alien, 1979)

Challenging colors of the other side

The appearance of the 'other side' evolves with changes in the trending norms of society, similar to shifts in smell, voice, colors, and other elements. For example, in contrast to complex designs, we now tend to favor more minimalist styles in interiors. Fashion trends from previous eras may seem strange in modern society. With each trend, there are also anti-trends that emerge. So let’s pay attention to some sample colors of the other side below.

Red

Red has long represented a challenge, often associated with the Devil, while women have traditionally been symbolized by pink, a lighter version of red. However, you may be surprised to learn that in some eras, the blue/red representation of men and women was quite the opposite (Şeytan'ın sanatı, 2023).

Yellow

As time progresses, the associations with colors evolve, often shifting in response to cultural, emotional, and psychological changes. Ari Aster challenges these traditional associations by using yellow and bright daylight in a way that subverts expectations in the movie Midsommar (Aster, 2019). Rather than feeling safe, the vibrant yellow and constant daylight create an eerie atmosphere, turning something familiar into something unsettling.

White

In Alien, alongside the Alien-Newborn — a dark shadow of masculinity — there’s another alien presence: the androids (robots), with their unsettling white, blood-like fluid. These "silicones," like Ash in Alien (1979), represent a shadowed femininity in contrast to Ripley, who fully embraces the brutal reality around her. The android’s clinical detachment opposes Ripley’s raw humanity, and their pale, bloodless color serves as a stark, challenging mirror to Ripley’s living resilience.

We also see the Alien-newborn in Alien: Resurrection (Jeunet, 1997) appearing in ivory-white color which indicates he is accepted as an alien by Ripley.

Conclusion

Aliens, creatures, monsters, robots, and artificial beings—similar to foreigners, migrants or locals — are often seen as representations or samples of the potential 'other side.' Even by coming back to own country, a man is still an other side compared with locals.

It takes time to adapt, become familiar with each other, and grow accustomed to each other's existence.

There is no way to avoid or repress an alien as a human psychology can only replace a character with another. Considering Dr. Zimbardo’s studies, everyone has a tendency to evil under certain cirqumstances (The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, 2007).

In today’s globalized world, uncertainty accompanies us in various aspects of life, including work, society, and politics. Ultimately, we are all part of the cyclical dynamics of life. But what kind of role will you take on?

Dillon: Why should we put our as* on the line for you? Ripley: Your as* is already on the line. The only question is what are you gonna do about it?