Fans have spotted an Ellen Ripley Easter egg in Alien: Romulus.
Alien: Romulus was released in United States theaters on August 16, 2024. Directed by Fede Álvarez, the movie is set between the events of 1979’s Alien (directed by Ridley Scott) and 1986’s Aliens (directed by James Cameron).
During the time period where Alien: Romulus is set, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley character would presumably be floating through space in an escape pod while in cryostasis after the Nostromo was destroyed at the end of Alien.
Appearing on the ReelBlend Podcast, Álvarez noted that it wouldn’t be “impossible” for Ripley to have some sort of presence in Alien: Romulus.
“No one knows exactly what happened in all those years that she’s been drifting away,” Álvarez said. “I cannot say more. I think for legal reasons I cannot say more. I would say that it’s not impossible.”
What is the Ellen Ripley Easter egg discovered in Alien: Romulus?
Fans have now noticed that Ripley’s escape pod appears to make a quick appearance near the end of Alien: Romulus.
A post from RidgeTop on Alien vs. Predator Galaxy reads, “I remembered the theatrical trailer for Alien: Romulus, where I spotted a Starcub-class escape shuttle drifting away from the Renaissance station as it smashes into the planetary ring. Initially I thought this was an escape shuttle used by our main characters to leave the doomed station, I even thought I had confirmed this with someone, but after watching Fede’s interview, I knew this was indeed THE Narcissus containing the still asleep Ellen Ripley.
“On my third viewing (funnily enough) I had my eyes peeled for that ‘wait a minute!” moment Fede teased, and this time around I indeed saw it. During the scene where Kay is locked in a room with the Xenomorph, while Tyler and Rain beg Andy to open the door, if you look down the corridor you can see the Narcissus shuttle vertically docked… It’s more likely in this case that Ripley remained in cryostasis aboard the retrieved shuttle, which apparently automatically jettisoned as the station crashed. It’s possible there are even more easter eggs in the film hinting at Ripley’s background presence, so I’ll have to continue to keep my eyes and ears peeled in a subsequent viewing.”
Alien: Romulus is now playing in United States theaters.
Brandon Schreur
Brandon Schreur has been writing about comics, movies, television shows, and all things pop culture for roughly five years. He's a lifelong cinephile who spends way, way too much money buying Blu-rays and trade paperbacks. You can find him on twitter at @brandonschreur.
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