What's UNDER the HEAD DOME of the Xenomorph? - Alien Romulus

One of, if not the most distinguishing, and instantly recognisable features of the Xenomorphs, or Aliens as they are known, are their elongated heads. A detail of their design, which itself contains multiple other quirks that the Xenomorphs from Alien Romulus and other Alien movies like Alien and Aliens
The shape of the head itself is a distinctive, elongated, cylindrical shape, but with no visible facial features other than their mouth. The carapace atop the head has been seen to vary, depending on the type, or caste of Xenomorph. Some have a smooth “dome”, which can be either translucent or opaque, and others have been seen to have a more solid, sturdy “ridged” head, made from the same material as the rest of their exoskeleton. For example, the main visual difference between the Drone and Warrior castes, is the type of head dome. A young Drone will have a “dome” style head, but as it ages and matures, parts of its exoskeleton will harden into tough, protective armour, mainly, the dome, and the Xenomorph will become a Warrior.
Underneath, is the creature’s skull, which can be seen through the translucent dome, revealing a set of eye sockets, and a nose, looking very human-like. Behind the face, the structure extends far back and is around a metre in length.
At the end of the movie Predator 2, a Xenomorph skull can be seen displayed in the trophy room of the Predators ship. At the time, this was just done for fun, but was one of the early things that inspired Alien vs Predator as a franchise.
Located inside the mouth of the creature is the inner jaw, another iconic feature of the species, as well as its main weapon.
The inner jaw is capable of extending up to half a meter from the creature's head, although typically it is used only at close quarters. The piston-like appendage is incredibly powerful, and capable of punching a hole through bone and even metal; striking force has been estimated at between 70-100PSI.
The inner jaw is chiefly associated with the creature's signature method of killing - the "Headbite", whereby the jaw is used to pierce the victim's skull and destroy the brain within. However, the jaw is not only targeted at the victim's head, and has also been used to deliver fatal strikes against other sensitive areas of the body, including the neck and chest.
Xenomorphs are commonly seen to pause before delivering a blow with the inner jaw; typically the creature will slowly peel back its lips and open its mouth, before the inner jaw suddenly shoots out with incredible speed. This process is accompanied by a rising hissing sound.
A theory is that these actions indicate that it may be necessary for the Xenomorph to gradually build up in advance the potential energy required to propel the jaw with such devastating force, essentially “charging up” the attack.
The proboscis upon which the inner jaw is located is prehensile, although for maximum effect it is locked straight and rigid when being used to deliver a blow. It is unclear if there is any biological function of the inner jaw other than as a means of attack. When comparing the tongue to animals with similar jaws on Earth, it seems possible it might play some role in the consumption of food, this is backed up by the part in AVP Requiem when one Xenomorph looks to be eating a dead person it had just killed minutes before.
Although, as the dietary habits of the Xenomorphs have never been explored in depth, this remains speculative. On rare occasions, Xenomorphs have been seen to extend their inner jaw even when not attacking prey, and to do so with far less speed and force than is commonly associated with the proboscis. Again, the reasons for this are unclear.
The inner jaw also does not appear to be permanently rigid organ - when Ripley 8 tore one from a deceased Cloned Xenomorph aboard the USM Auriga, it was flaccid; this would imply that the organ is only rigid when the creature is alive or, more likely, when it is used offensively. Thus the pause typically observed before the Xenomorph strikes with its inner jaw may be the creature tensing it for deadly effect.
Some lifeforms created from the Black Goo also developed inner jaws, and similar mandibles, for example, the Deacon from the end of Prometheus, and the Neomorph from Alien covenant, had jaws similar to a Goblin Shark.
The teeth of the Xenomorph are a metallic silver in colour, as part of their biomechanical appearance.
Deep Space by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
Artist: audionautix.com/
#alienromulus
This article uses material from the Xenopedia wiki at Fandom and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

[@vincentcastor5978]

One of the original toys from the Aliens in the late 1970's Stood about 15"tall, had a removable dome plate. Underneath was a skull that glowed in the dark. It was really cool to see the glow in the dark skull underneath the tinted dome plate. My father had this toy. Not knowing at the time, this toy became the Holy Grail of toy collectors.

[@xObscureMars]

A couple years after the film came out I was around 6 years old and then first grade so around 1981 '82 and a kid had that same one I remember it with the removable dome on the bus. I had just snuck up late at night and watched it on the movie channel at that young age, so knew what it was. I was fascinated and horrified by it. Gave me nightmares for years.

[@joewharton-vy7oq]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnStmJZjpMSKobs

[@nickf4333]

@@xObscureMarsso do you regret watching it?😂

[@xObscureMars]

@@nickf4333 No, I loved it, and other horror films I would sneak up to watch at a young age. I saw that one where the fish men SA women to make babies, The Howling, It's Alive, The Thing all at a very young age. Inwas very curious as a child and read the encyclopedia for fun. Funny tho because I thought The Exorcist and Jaws were boring af and not scary at all.

[@brianplunkett4002]

My Father bought me the same action figure. He commented on the glowing skull 😂. The figure was taken off the market for being too scary. How times have changed.

[@atilax6452]

The skull under the dome is absolutely bizarre and terrifying. I will always say that the original xeno us the most horrifying version. It was more than simply a monster. Xenos after that, took on a much more animalistic model of creature. With the original, i always liked the idea that the reproduction process actually reconstitured the victim to some extent, restructurung them and placing them in an organic space suit. So, you had something more than a monster hunting you. You had an actual thinking, insane horror roaming the ship with all the worst human traits.

[@MisterAcid]

Completely agree with you.

[@joebrat6809]

Alien Resurrection DID actually bring back the human element with the hybrids, and the shot of Ripleys clones is honestly the scariest scene in the entire franchise. But everyone seems to hate that movie, sure it's not exactly an Oscar winning masterpiece but its not actually that bad either.

[@atilax6452]

@@joebrat6809 - I liked Resurection. Fun movie. But, i liked the Big Chap vibe. Its hard to describe what i mean. Just more than a monster, i guess.

[@MisterAcid]

@@joebrat6809 It is terrible in every conceivable way. The clone scene was the one and only scene that Weaver was allowed to act. What they did in regards to the design of the hybrid was the worst . Giger himself said in interview it looks literally like shit.

[@MisterAcid]

@@atilax6452 Rather then being a Resurrection for the Alien franchise it killed it. Every aspect of that mess of a movie was terrible , particularly the hybrid.

[@northernstar1869]

I recall that as a young child of the 70s the Alien toy in stores had the translucent dome with a glow in the dark "human" skull underneath. it was terrifying.

[@vincentcastor5978]

My father had this toy. Not knowing at the time, this became the Holy Grail of toy collectors. He had lost it over the years.Too bad.

[@AdventuresofaGeek]

Being able to see the skull under the dome makes it WAY more scarier

[@sikliztailbunch]

Everybody gets it wrong. The xenomorph skull didn´t inspire AvP. It was inspired by the AvP comics. They existed before Predator 2 already.

[@Grogeous_Maximus]

Those comics were so much better than the AvP movies tbh

[@zacharyberridge7239]

​@@Grogeous_Maximushow I wish they had adapted that first AvP comic to film. The one with the predator with the broken tusk that helps the humans, and where they seed a planet with eggs to make a hunting ground. Much better story, though not perfect by any means.

[@Nightdare]

Not to the general public, most don't even know there was an AvP comic, let alone the comic preceding the movie (I just learnt from you, and I'm not unknown to comics, and old enough to remember the release of the First Alien movie) the skull in P2 was the impetus for 'the crowd' to see more of that and the studio to go ahead

[@VonJay]

@@Nightdarewhat does the crowd’s experience have to do with what it was actually inspired by

[@Nightdare]

@@VonJay Profit!

[@gabriellen.2886]

All the variations of their heads are amazing, and you just know they can see somehow. I remember the first time I saw that thing tear out of Kane's chest - it then "looked around" - and for all the world, seemed to be counting the crew and making mental notes. That scared (the rest of) the crap outta me LOL

[@michaelemerson7661]

The first alien big chap was the scariest in my opinion due to that human skull under the dome. It felt more like it was really supposed to be as the result of being spawned by a human. I think it was Giger that actually said that there’s nothing scarier than a human being. The big chap had a sensual way of moving and that added to the creepy factor. The other xenomorphs from other films, while still cool, are more like insects. They’re missing that human element. The visible human skull is something I hope they bring back in Romulus, I think it’s the absolute best design of all xenomorph depictions

[@rajman7644]

I don't recall the skull being visible under the dome. In fact I recall a "making of" where they said they wanted to make the dome translucent and show the human skull, but couldn't because of budget constraints. Too bad because that would have been incredibly freaky.

[@ivo5075]

@@rajman7644 It's never been visible in any film. it was in the original Giger design though. As far as I'm aware, Ridley wanted the dome not to be translucent, so that the alien is more of a mystery to the audience in the sense of 'how does it see' etc, thus more scary. Not 100% sure though, but always sounded plausible to me

[@rajman7644]

@@ivo5075 Well evolutionarily (I know, I know, this is a fictional creature), any creature that doesn't live in total darkness will have eyes. And I never really thought about the xeno not having eyes until it was mentioned in "Memory" that Giger's original design had the skull visible and eyes but budget constraints prevented it from happening. I think Ridley just used that as an excuse for why it had no eyes.

[@ivo5075]

@@rajman7644 That could very well be the case :) Fun things to contemplate. In any case, I think it wasn't a bad move for the movie's sake, whether it was budget constraints or artistic choices. It looks menacing as hell. But, my most cherished movie collectible still is a big chap statue from sideshow, which does have the skull living happily under the translucent dome!

[@Abdul_Al_Hassred]

@@rajman7644 Evolutionarily, you are right. But with the Alien, I think, letting it have no eyes makes it even scarier. Like, you know, eyes are some kind of "mirror of the soul", and by the Alien being an eyeless creature, it makes it questionable if it even *have* a soul. In addition, you will never know what it feels, thinks, and if its even looking at you/seeing you. Way more creepy than a skull benath a skull, in my opinion. ;)

[@rosenvitae]

It never occurred to me that the alien tongue attack actually needs a moment to build up, but it makes perfect sense. Stellar video! The xenomorph is just such a perfect organism of horror that I quit Alien Isolation the moment I thought I saw it in a foggy room with me.

[@joshua.merrill]

When I feed my snake, it also has a moment that it kind of "ramps up" to strike. You can see when she notices the food, she'll start to coil her body and start breathing more rapidly. Granted, snakes don't always psyche themselves up to strike, but it is something the idea of the xenomorph "building up" reminded me of.

[@bobhotchkiss2438]

The term you're looking for the "inner jaw" is "Pharyngeal jaw". it's a feature of the Moray eel that exists here on Earth. I've always assumed that if the xenomorph were real, it would serve the same purpose. It is a way for the animal to take bites from it's prey, without releasing the grasp of the larger outer jaw. To do so, would risk that the prey would escape. It aslo moves the food down the throat, in a similar fashion to how the toungue helps us swallow. It's also very similar to the mouth parts of dragon fly larva. (edited for spelling)

[@jamesmclemore9123]

Fun fact: the costume for the xenomorph in the original Alien movie used a real human skull.

[@A1V1NY]

No supprised, most people gonna say this same shit in every "behind the scenes" of the movie

[@kittentacticalwarfare1140]

According to the novelizations and comic books, the teeth are silver because they are indeed metallic. And the xeno diet is basically anything. When they consume all other forms of life from a planet, they can sustain themselves for thousands of years on minerals alone.

[@zadekomik9238]

After watching the new movie, one thing for that you get, is that there's a light source shines through the xenomorph's dome, revealing a human skull under it.

[@borisluzanov3361]

Inside that head there's a CD changer

[@theshapeexists]

It's a 5 disc with blu ray player

[@ivorybow]

Never forget that this incredible creature that has captured our attention for decades arose out of the mind of H.R. Giger. He said he dreamed it. One has to wonder if he connected with some other world somewhere in this vast universe. And the reason the alien has captured our love and horror all these decades, is because it’s somehow so real.

[@sanspeur9143]

Of course it’s real. There are infinite worlds and realms in infinite universes with infinite galaxies star systems planets and moons. And you know what we are all connected 😃

[@casperdelo7777]

I am very glad to.hear that other people know about him also he was a great artist

[@jareddrogose1470]

I had a a very intense dream with one of these things running around. It was terrifying.

[@brancast116]

It's pretty well documented that Giger was really into using acid to tap into his creative process. Makes one wonder if he managed to open a pathway within himself.

[@hilmir]

giger was a practitioner of the occult, this is something not really highlighted in the alien media related to him. but the xenomorph is a demon that visited him often.

[@Farmerb1985]

I gotta love the inner jaw ,alien secondary weapon

[@InfinitySciFi]

it's so cool 😎

[@cyrusq5999]

ALIEN (1979) had the best headbites. Parker, copped a beauty!

[@DSI99]

Even they are empty the eye sockets resemble eyes in human subconscious.Human make the first contact with eyes with other people , animals and species and this is the way of simple communication.. Not having a translucent dome makes the Xeno a lot more terrifying because there is nothing to contact so you know that you cannot see what Xeno feels. You cannot communicate and feel helpless.

[@bitethebook7650]

The queen was so terrifying to see on the big screen.

[@kirbyjefferson2095]

Can't wait for a king to emerge on film

[@randomdaveUK]

The reveal in Aliens was epic

[@MaxietyRu]

for 10 years I have never noticed that skull until now. crazy

[@AthensWar64]

It was theorized somewhere that the Xenomorph takes genetics from its host, example the human like skull behind the forehead may be a genetic replica of its host. It was supposed to tie in with when Ash says “Kane’s Son” at least according to subtitles in the first movie when the crew were discussing how big it got.

[@fwrailton]

In alien 3 the xenomorph host is a dog and the alien is a lot more dog like in its movements.

[@thoriated]

Using the host's genetics to adapt to the local environment is the only way the parasite life cycle makes sense. The face hugger egg is big enough to hatch a chest burster, so there is no reason to do the extra steps unless something specific is to be gained from the host. Most parasites have tiny eggs/larvae as the host provides food and protection until they are self sufficient. If the queen is putting in the energy to lay large eggs, the hatchlings are strong enough to survive without that protection. The later movies indicate it is an engineered creature designed as a bio-weapon, but the life cycle is still needlessly convoluted without the genetic adaptation component of the parasite stage.

[@DavidVickers-k3b]

@@fwrailton What I don't get is why all the "new" aliens have the dog legs with 3 joints. The Alien in Covenant had animal legs. So did AVP. Thos aliens never came from animals, so why the dog legs?

[@cottonmouthasmr8713]

I think they mentioned it in Alien Covenant

[@AthensWar64]

@@DavidVickers-k3b I may have an idea on that 🤔 in the game (Alien Isolation) the Xenomorph is supposed to be the same “type” of Xenomorph from the first movie with human jointed legs. But the programmers of the game said they changed the legs to be 3 jointed because they wanted it to “look” like it would be as fast as it was, in the game it can sprint after you like a Raptor. The movie developers likely had the same idea.

[@chris-k6v]

i watched everything about aliens and i must say this is one of the most interesting and informative vids.

[@M3CHAGRAPHIC]

While eye sockets are present, they're blind it was some of the changes to the design, it makes them way scarier to think of a creature that reacts by instinct

[@chrisdals5182]

Originally, Ridley Scott wanted the head to be uncovered and there is a still showing it as intended. But Giger then showed him a drawing of it covered and Scott liked it better because it was more alien. The thing is that the xenomorph takes on the physical attributes of the host. I read somewhere that Brett was meant to have the hots for either Lambert or Ripley and this influenced the xenomorph’s behaviour.

[@toothpik00]

I've had a quick scan of the comments and I don't see what I'm about to say mentioned anywhere. I'm sure somewhere in a special feature or maybe the Aliens commentary, James Cameron says they inspected the original head piece from the Alien Xenomorph costume and either the transluscent cap had deteriorated or they simply removed it to reveal the interesting textured design underneith. They thought it looked cool so they ran with it for the new costumes. This was many years ago on the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set. Another fun fact from the Making Of documentary for Alien is the fluid used for the saliva for the Xenomorph is KY Jelly.

[@StudioPluche]

I seem to recall from somewhere that he xenomorphs could detect preys by he pheromones hey produced. This is perhaps why they didn't attack Newt who was too young to emit pheromones, and by the same extent, Bishop when he was crawling in the tunnel in a cut scene, as andr... artificial persons most certainly don't produce pheromones.

[@she-venom9842]

I always loved Queen's creset design it feels like a crown for her Majesty and protect her head from any ambush James Cameron and Stan made her so beautiful without cgi

[@InfinitySciFi]

so true!! 😊😎

[@DavidVickers-k3b]

Queen's head is a "clit hood". her face sliding out of it is the "clit".

[@JoeeeeeeeyMama]

I was always curious to know how the alien could see, because it looks like it doesn’t even have eyes and stuff, so it having a human like skull inside the dome where its eyes are is so cool, especially because the alien uses a human host, so it having a human like skull makes more sense like its adopting a human trait like the predalien, who adopts the predlocks and the mandibles from a predator

[@she-venom9842]

How about Heart?🤔

[@InfinitySciFi]

💯 😎

[@joshfacio9379]

Dont forget earth, wind, water and fire! By their powers combined.... Lol sorry i couldnt help myself

[@branak]

That would be an awesome way to show off the xenomorph's skull! Makes me think of the first movie.... Dellas jump scare attack....

[@InfinitySciFi]

exactly! 😀

[@heidihughes7013]

That's how Ridleys "baby" looked so this spot on

[@mivaward]

this toy became the Holy Grail of toy collectors.

[@XMG3]

it looks like the face of the newborn from alien resurrection, that's the first thing I thought of when I saw the animatronics behind the scenes

[@judsongaiden9878]

3:45 That one could have been tasting the air, possibly sensing for pheromones like an insect. 5:15 Insectoid in both form and function. I once saw a dragonfly react to the rhythm of loud summer festival music by "bouncing" as it flew. 6:15 Possibly similar to a cicada's ocelli. 7:09 Giger was definitely going for maximum Freudian vibes. 7:50 Brett is literally me.

[@herrlogan17]

I always appreciated, there is no skull really visible in classic Alien and Aliens. It is really more menacing. Only years after I actually see skull in the making of. It is strange. I am not sure whose idea was it, but lots of Giger paintings show creature without a skull and I like it.

[@provaricus627]

It’s a very interesting desoign indeed

[@NichtNameee]

What do you soy?

[@fukkingusernames]

That's where I turned off

[@razatiger22]

The skull and the jaw is based on a penis which is why is has such a Phallic design. H.R Giger was a freak and often incorporated penis and vaginas into his artwork.

[@MikeB-us5cg]

We see the xenomorph skull in all its glory with the mutant nicknamed the Raven, seen in Colonial Marines. This also implies that the skull resembles the host species, so a Runner would have a canine or bovine skull, a Predalien a yautja skull, et cetera, which has hilariously been overlooked (especially in Alien Versus Predator 2, where the Predalien is strangely fleshy like a yautja).

[@cottonmouthasmr8713]

When a Xeno does the slow proboscis mouth and not the quick strike i feel like they're trying to intimidate the victim where they might not just see it as weak prey

[@W.Isarnorix.D]

I used to do this in AvP Gold. The Humans would cower, scream and cry.

[@TK--ch9jl]

I own the Big Chap Neca figure, and the skull is visible in all it's glory. The whole figure is delightful.

[@Dtt4]

Frieza from DBZ, third form took inspiration from the Xenomorph's head.

[@The_kookclub]

Dude said “desoooign” 😂

[@vmvlev]

that light up skull idea is really great .. lets hope they watch this video

[@eggshapedisraelioperative6317]

This guys voice is far more terrifying than any xenomorph

[@piperatthegatesofdawn]

No one is forcing you to listen, move along little girl

[@robertmiles1603]

imo the gieger features were what made the first movie better than the second. deformed space monster with a bit of its host trapped in it, like the skull under the translucent dome and that type of thing

[@johndriver6998]

In the Alan Dean Foster novelisation of Alien the Alien actually had eyes. It also had eyes in the original H R Giger painting. When I was a kid I swear that I thought the Alien grew bigger throughout the film, getting bigger in every scene, when in actual fact it went from chest burster to full size by the time it got Brett. In the novel the Alien sustained itself by breaking into the crew rations. I also never trusted that darn cat!

[@samvojtech1153]

The dome is also not phased by the acid which the Predator informs the human in AVP who uses it as a shield. Cool video!

[@Davepool-hs7vr]

The inner jaw must be a great souvenir

[@TomMSTie1138]

The inner skull always creeped me out, mostly due to it's resemblance to a human skull, as if it was a biproduct of it's host's anatomy.

[@KruellNationGaming]

Your "scary" moment has already been used so many times in the Alien franchise... all the way back to the first film.

[@shaunsutton699]

The Alien vs Predator comic came out before Predator 2.

[@user-bu4ui3hv6s]

I had ALL of the comics, including issue 0, it wasn’t known as issue 0 but it was a short comic based in a large, multiple story and comic based comic book. Kind of hard to explain. I gave them to a friend when I was in the military.

[@InfinitySciFi]

that's dope! 😎

[@ascensionindustries9631]

Got the originals! Great story.

[@ParanormalHorrorArtist]

I like the game Alien vs. Predator because you get to be Alien. Jumping from surface to surface and walking on them and even breaking lights for stealth isn't shown enough in the movies.

[@Spider-Bros333]

The wait for this video was worth it

[@InfinitySciFi]

thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! 😎

[@Spider-Bros333]

@@InfinitySciFi No thank you, it entertains me

[@Spider-Bros333]

Video Idea: AvP If Weyland corp didn't find the temple

[@M_Alexander]

My new theory is that the aliens build up hydrologic pressure to make the inner jaw rigid and fire out, and that's what they're "charging"

[@johnmoreno5965]

Oh believe me when the original alien was made apart Rolls-Royce they weren't thinking that much into it

[@Swindle1984]

The skull being visible through the translucent head dome is reminiscent of several deep sea fish, most notably the barrel-eye fish. It has a transparent head (even the skull is see-through) and the eyes are set inside; it's believed this is to protect the fish's eyes from the pressure and the stings of the jellyfish it eats. The xenomorph having vestigial photoreceptors could be eyes located inside the eye sockets of the skull.

[@PRESIDENT_LEMON]

I have a theory about the mini mouth in the xenos mouth. It is a defence mechanism against face huggers, let me explain, just like on earth there a species of animals, but also like on earth there are many versions of a species, like with sharks there are tiger sharks, great whites and all the like, so why not other special verities of the xenomorph? So my idea is that other species of face hugger might try to latch on to other species of xenomorphs and try to impregnate them, in response to this the xenonorph has a tiny mouth in its mouth that can shut refusing access, along with incase the face hugger can get it in, it will snap shut and bite it off, blocking access.

[@erosgritti5171]

Unfortunately the following films revealed that they are engineered creatures and not natural ones, so all your reasoning is worthless. It's bad and that's why I hate the two sequels.

[@PRESIDENT_LEMON]

@erosgritti5171 except that's not how bio engineering works, it's not likely they were completely made from scratch but rather they were a species taken and had desirable traits enhanced to make them better, faster, stealthier killing machines.

[@kavehthephantomboy]

A new dome head xeno alongside the spitter xenomorph are what I want to see in the future movies

[@blackbeardthepirate7467]

That would make good lore, if the more developed head creast gave more mature xenos better senses. Something like maybe a luneberg lens is a good example, giving finer directional resolution and maybe broader spectrum sensing. Like insect compound eyes, pit viper heat sensing, and more rolled into one package that is also structurally stronger. Young squishie heads just see everything it can until the final organic system develops. So much opportunity left in that franchise.

[@xc8487]

The eerie appearance of the humanlike skull really makes the creature appear more frightening. I think it was great in Resurrection when the Newborn had a head that was a result of moving back towards more human as it was still elongated and had deep eye sockets, but it actually had usable eyes and no exterior dome. I think the Deacon and Neomorphs were a bit of missed opportunity because they don't really capture the same genetic hybrid aspect as the Xenomorph even though they're supposed to evolutionarily come before the Xenomorph.

[@vanderromano9257]

Excellent content! I would never imagine that the Alien skull had so many meanings. Thanks for explaining and keep going!

[@garethjohnstone9282]

I always preferred the ridged head in Aliens. Do you think it would have been scarier if the eyeless skull was exposed and visible? Apparently, things that are 'human-ish' but 'not human' are innately disturbing.

[@ursidae97]

The human skull is scarier to me because it suggests that every xenomorph is a clone of it's victim twisted by the dark RNA of the creature into something we can't recognize. It's the deep space zombie/vampire. But there's plenty of variation so an artist should focus on choosing what works best for their story and being consistent with that. That's what Prometheus should have done. It could have been excellent Alien fanfiction.

[@willhemmings]

I think it's one of the most impractical devices biomechanics has conceived but none of that has stopped the aliens from being among the most badass killers imaginable

[@justinwilliam4644]

Pretty sure they showed what's under it when the alien got its head cut in half in alien vs predator

[@silencefiction60]

He sounds like Forrest gump's son

[@kingcosworth2643]

I still want to know how they built spaceships? At the alien spaceship factory there would be alien mechanics, janitors, receptionists, engineers etc

[@wulfheort8021]

they don't...

[@guyblack172]

Always amazed to see the victims stand there in shock as the alien charges up a spirit bomb

[@ursidae97]

I sure as hell wouldn't be able to run

[@MrConspark]

The mechanism that shouts the inner jaws out of course!

[@AngelaStone-js2kr]

I’d like to know where all that fluid you see pouring off the Xenomorph when it’s peeling back its lips, comes from and what it’s made of.

[@suchopsmimic399]

Xenos (probably)dont use echolocation. This is a misconception. Although they dont have eyes they can definitely see. This is confirmed since they can see through glass.

[@CordeliaWagner1999]

They are so gorgeous 🖤

[@JT-si6bl]

How does the xenomorph hydrate? Its pretty wet.

[@apocaalypso]

Why do we even consider AvP films cannon?

[@stuartbardin3164]

Excellent video

[@InfinitySciFi]

Thank you very much! 😊

[@ollllj]

the whole design is a metaphor on sexual assault. early prototypes had eyes, but an eyeless version won, mostly because you can not read emotions from eyes that are not there, because "line above"

[@wulfheort8021]

A metaphor on sexual assault? Where did you get that from?

[@duncangreen2483]

I had a large toy of a xeno as a kid. The skull was visible and glow in the dark. Scared the hell out of my Gran whenever she got up to use the bathroom.

[@chrisbate9956]

What is really under it is the Alien 25th anniversary DVD set.

[@kernowskunkworks]

Such detail about a film prop ,, must be real then .

[@Bushismetal]

It's cool Chris Packham knows so much about xenos.

[@Mr_Gray_1995]

It’s true. When I was little I had a toy alien action figure, I wanted to know so badly what was under the dome (if there was anything) and there is was just like at 1:17 , there was a human-like skull underneath. Creepy…!

[@philginn9087]

A big crawfish tail, and butter.

[@kingginger3335]

Xenomorph's don't have extra sensory perception. They can see and hear through the dome. In Alien: Covenant near the end of the movie, the camera multiple times pans to the PoV of the Xenomorph. It see's through the dome, although their vision is not as great as humans. Their vision isn't quite as sharp as ours because there's millions of little floaters. Like when you're focusing and your vision picks up on a little tiny floater. It's like that but much worse for them. Their hearing is similar to ours except slightly muffled because they hear through their dome.

[@dohan4789]

Xenomorphs take a break before the bite for dramaturgic reasons only🤓

[@sallyphilpin1104]

3.40 Ever thought that the Xenomorph could have just been yawning??? Many creatures stick their tongues out when they yawn, some forget to put their tongue back in the whole way which produces the cutest look in kittens especially.

[@purefoldnz3070]

thats where you change the oil of course.

[@AngelaStone-js2kr]

When I first saw the human looking skull under the alien dome I took that to mean sometime they were going to have it be that the alien somehow comes from humans. They had the perfect opportunity to write that in when that android was messing with the black goo and Elizabeth Shaw.

[@Ladislav1993]

Before this video, when I played Alien Isolation, and in death moments when Xeno catch you and kill you, I saw mask "human" skull and eyes. It was freaked to explained about Xeno body... 90% is human body, others is alien species.

[@jamestully156]

I thought i was the only one with the theory that the dome becomes the ribber head as the alien ages. My running theory was always that the aliens dome is like an amniotic sack that gets used up.

[@RandomMackem0069]

So does it have eyes that look through the dome?

[@user-le4sm4wd1e]

They actually made domes for Aliens but Cameron couldn't be arsed using them, budget and time constraints were more important. I personally think that they look crap compared to the original Alien.

[@Frostbite351]

Aliens bio mechanical, engineered weapon.

[@philyeary8809]

But, not made by David.

[@tampakmurni]

the warrior design is just Cameron being lazy about continuity. He doesn't want to deal with clear domes cracking on set. that's the only reason. Another reason is that he just wants a piece of the same cake that made Giger famous by adding his own signature, hence the longer fingers etc. Kinda like how kids draws their favorite character but with added spikes and horns or just exaggerate everything in general. Or how they completely changed godzilla's look in the 1998 american version. Giger's design is cannon in my head. everything else is just director's ego.

[@cyrusq5999]

Cameron, was more interested in his Alien Queen design. I never liked the thing - it looked like an anorexic dinosaur. None of the redesigns can touch Giger's classic original. Even H.R. Giger, himself, couldn't top his 1978/79 Alien design. His original Alien3 creature redesign was lacking, imo. The Wolverine claws he added were sh*t. And losing the dorsal tubes was a mistake - apparently, he never liked them. I never liked what Gillis and his buddy did with the creatures for the sequels. Their stuff was sh*t - mostly.

[@tampakmurni]

@@cyrusq5999 I felt the same way with alien 3 design. the wolverine claw thing was too much. It's funny how in the sequel's making-of clips, we often hear statements like, more fierce, more animalistic, more evolved, etc. It's clear that the desire to do "more everything" has been a big problem. I like to call it "the mall ninja sword syndrome."

[@cyrusq5999]

@@tampakmurni Yeah, no subtlety in the redesign. Bigger isn't always better. The ALIEN3 Giger Alien did have a sword blade instead of the scorpion stinger. Lol.

[@forgottennutsyo4278]

SO. Does that mean a xenomorph's inner jaw is likely powered by a fluid filled bladder? Relying on charged pressure from forcing it's acid blood into a chamber through valves in its head, firing the jaw forward at immense speed and force. Ramming it's metallic teeth forward like an organic warhammer to cause maximum damage and smash through bone and armor!

[@nosub8969]

Surely the Skull under the dome is that of the creature they have impregnated ..hence the human skull in the Original (even though its only really seen in stills from the movie?)

[@insertnamehere8723]

The skull is a reminant from Human DNA sinply based on it's simikarities. As for eyesight, it may have very under developed eyesight, but depth perception isn’t always necessary, or vision at all, for that matter. For example, look at ambush predators or deep sea fish hunt. As for the crest, the Aliens seem to have a combination of an exoskeleton as well as a conventional skeletal steucture based on the square cube law, as any organism of that size would be crushed under it's own weight. It appears to also have a sort of vascularised opaque membrane covering the entirety of the Xenonorphs body which again could be due to reminant human DNA constituting part of their makeup which also gives them a slightly glossy appearance. Otherwise, it wouldnt make much defensive sense to have acid blood but only deploy this if mortally injured alone and logically would be way, way more dangerous at deterring attacks - even with light damage. I also doubt AVP is cannon and could well be a case that they just don't need food and are born without a digestive system to soley serve the furthering of their species and the service of the queen. This can be evidenced based on certain insect life cycles where initially food is required, but after they pupate and metamorphaise, their only goal is to multiply and, in this particular case, serve the queen once more - sort of like an ant colony. I think the only exception to the eating rule is if, in the absence of a queen to serve, they transform into a queen themselves. Im not too sure how canon the AVP game was, but it touched upon a psychic hive mind network that could potentially be a catalyst to a physiological change in the absence of a queen factoring in royal jelly. Canon aside, if that's not the case, they may be desegnated as a protector to a facehugger and ensure the futre potential of a queen sucessor, or possibky both could be true.

[@lylehoanshelt179]

Their heads are cool

[@ParanormalHorrorArtist]

I think we need to look at H.R. Gigers life and mind to understand the true nature of these terrifying creatures. The Deacon opening its mouth in Promethius scares the hell out of me. There are Deepwater fish that have see through skulls. It is bio illuminated. Truly nature's marvel.

[@bgc3864]

Is what you stated about xenomorphs heads becoming more solid as they age factual? Because in AVPR, the xenomorphs always had solid domes all throughout the movie and they didn't take a lot of time to grow either. Also, this might only have been a capability for the pred-alien but it used its inner jaw to impregnate a host in the hospital. Again, maybe only reserved for the pred-alien because it was said it was also a young queen

[@Mikeyzom]

Loved the video thanks

[@nemesis3295]

Aliens have some type of sight. This is proven in Alien 4 when the guy goes to press the button to douse the alien with the nitrogen or whatever gas it is. heat or sonar wouldn't work through the glass. I like your scary idea.

[@rossato2109]

Great video!!!

[@caedenhustler8250]

I always just assumed that the head dome was one long eyeball

[@Courior117]

Predaliens have a cool crest