"Alien:" The Crew of the Nostromo Quiz

Answer: Warrant Officer

Ripley was played by Sigourney Weaver in only her second ever feature film. She was not second-in-command aboard the vessel, as one might assume from her starring role.

Weaver was the last of the Nostromo's crew to be cast by the director, Ridley Scott. She earned nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Actress and for BAFTA's Most Promising Newcomer based on her performance.

Answer: Dallas

Tom Skerritt played Captain Dallas. He initially declined the role of Captain Dallas, as he thought that "Alien" was going to be a low-budget B-movie with a no-name director. He reconsidered upon learning that Ridley Scott was to direct the film, and that 20th Century Fox would finance "Alien" as one of their featured films for the summer of 1979.

Answer: Parker and Brett

Parker was played by Yaphet Kotto, later known widely for his role in television's "Homicide: Life on the Street". Kotto claims to be a descendant of the royal family of Cameroon.

Harry Dean Stanton portrayed the subservient Brett, who followed Parker around the ship and always supported his colleague's opinions with a simple "Riiight!"

Answer: Kane

British actor John Hurt played Kane. After disturbing the egg field, he was attacked and impregnated by an embryonic alien.

Hurt's "chestburster" scene in the mess hall is one of the most memorable and shocking surprise scenes in horror cinema. The special effects of the scene were not made known to Veronica Cartwright (who played Lambert) ahead of time. Thus the look of surprise and horror on her face was a genuine reaction to the emergence of the chestburster and the blood which sprayed her.

Answer: Brett

Kane was the first to die, but he died "giving birth" to the juvenile chestburster alien. Several scenes later in the film, after the crew had spread out to search for the creature, Brett was killed by the rapidly-matured adult alien as he searched the bowels of the Nostromo for the crew's pet cat.

Answer: Micro-changes in air density

Ash was played by veteran British stage and film actor Ian Holm. Holm was both the eldest and most experienced film actor to appear in "Alien".

When Ash created the motion tracker, Captain Dallas asked for a demonstration. Apparently satisfied, he ordered the crew to split up in order to track the alien. Ripley, however, by this point does not trust Ash, and she comments under her breath, "Micro-changes in air density my ass!"

Answer: Dallas

Dallas entered the air ducts armed with a flamethrower and guided by Ripley and Lambert, who were monitoring his and the alien's positions using Ash's tracking device.

His plan was to herd the alien toward the airlock room, closing off the air ducts' junction doors along the way, ultimately trapping the monster into a path which could only lead to the airlock. Then the alien would be ejected from the ship. Unfortunately, the plan did not succeed.

Answer: extra coolant for the shuttle

The shuttle could not carry all three crew without extra coolant, as it was only designed to support two passengers.

Answer: Dallas

In the theatrical release, Dallas' death was not shown; rather, his last moments were inferred by a quick shot of the alien reaching for him and screeching at him, then Dallas' radio going dead.

The 25th Anniversary Director's Cut of "Alien" includes an extended scene where Ripley located Dallas during her escape to the shuttle. He has been "cocooned" by the alien, and, while still barely conscious, begs Ripley to kill him. She obliges with her flamethrower.

Answer: Ripley and Jones (the crew's pet cat)

Jones, a tabby cat, survived with Ripley and would be found with her by a salvage crew decades later. This is shown in the first scene of the first sequel to this film, James Cameron's "Aliens" (1986).

Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley would go on to appear in several sequels. After "Aliens" came "Alien 3" (1992) and "Alien: Resurrection" (1997).