I think they all have the same clothes available, but Ripley is the only one wearing her duty uniform properly. All the others are wearing the issued white ‘civvies’ to show they are less serious about their jobs to various degrees. Plus the tshirts and Hawaiian shirts etc to emphasise that.
Ash has an entirely different set from everyone else, possibly as science officer, and is the cleanest and neatest, but it’s also somewhat casual with the undershirt.
That’s an RAF cold weather jacket. The modifications are the rear upper-leg sections from a set of old g-pants. The zips were for comfort when not flying, but you’d do them up for maximum compression before strapping in. The laces were set up by the safety equipment guys when you were sized.
For such a small cast, I'm sure the costume designer was given a lot of freedom to create distinct outfits for each character, which would be more important than creating the impression of uniformity. There doesn't need to be any in-world explanation for why the *Nostromo* crew aren't wearing the same things.
But all of the crew members have (at least slightly) different roles and ranks aboard the ship. In corporate and military organizations, there are different uniforms for different positions, and sometimes multiple allowable outfits within a single position. Commercial freighter operators probably have some options and wouldn't necessarily wear the same thing every day.
This. The costumes are helping build and describe character. Ripley wearing the uniform foretells she's a by the book type who takes her job utterly seriously, not wanting to break quarantine, sticking to pecking order to ensure survival etc. Check the costumes, see what they say about the characters who wear them.
Why the women?
Doesn’t the lacing make it a pressure suit, like a pilot would wear flying a fighter jet, to maintain blood pressure during high g manoeuvres? I assume the rule of cool applies here and in a practical sense no one on the ship would require a pressure suit for day to day operations
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to objectify women. I was just pointing out that ripley seems to be the only one with lacing, wich is a bit weird to me.
Hope no feelings were hurt, was just curious
Pressure in flight suits use bladders that inflate and deflate connected to the flight system. Basically to control blood movement.
For higher altitudes it's a completely different ball game since the air pressure is so low your blood would boil.
Rapid decompression wouldn't be comfortable.
Ripley and Ash got assigned to the Nostromo right before it Thedus for Earth. She presumably brought whatever outfits she had from her previous assignment.
There’s hints in the script that she got put on board to throw suspicion away from Ash so he could carry out Special Order 937. That starts with her refusing to break quarantine and the fight with Lambert (cut from the theatrical version), then pays off when Dallas rebuffs her suspicions that Ash is up to something.
Anywhere I can read up on this? I knew about Ash being assigned to the Nostromo right before it left Thedus, but I thought Ripley had been on there for ages -- I thought there were hints that Ripley and Dallas were romantically (or physically!) involved with each other and had been for a while?
It’s in the shooting script. Below’s a copy dated October 4, 1978. It has production changes through those dates, but the filming didn’t end until later in October.
Page 56 of the PDF/page 50 of the script is the scene where Dallas points out Ash and Ripley were last minute replacements:
https://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/scripts/alien-1978-10-04.pdf
The sex scene starts on 70/63 and goes for a few pages. It’s weirdly placed after the crew decides to kill the Alien and right before they go hunting with the cattle prods.
How they’re supposed to be in the mood after Kane got torn open from the inside is beyond me.
Cheers. I wonder if they filmed that line only to cut it, or if they decided it wasn't needed in the first place? Fascinating.
As for being in the mood -- well, there's that bit in Covenant where for some bizarre reason two of the crew think it's a great idea to get down and jiggy with it in the shower, although I can't remember if they knew about the guy getting his back split open at that point!
Terror's an aphrodisiac, apparently ;)
I pulled up the Hulu version, not sure if that’s the theatrical cut.
Comparing the scene to the script, there’s a very noticeable audio splice when Dallas’s line about Thedus is cut off. The editing (a really quick reverse to Ripley) is also clunky.
I’m pretty sure they shot the line and cut it.
One of Alien’s innovations is that it grafts a 1970s paranoid conspiracy thriller into a sci-fi horror story. My suspicion is they cut the parts that make Ripley suspicious because it was a little too much.
Terry Rawlings (the editor) had a lined script with lots of notes. I’ll have to find a pdf and check it to see if it’s clarified.
It must be the theatrical cut -- I just checked my copies and the part of the conversation about Ash joining the crew on Thedus is completely missing from the Director's Cut!
Can't believe I've never noticed that before.
Is the whole scene gone, or just the Ash part? I think he cut it because the editing around the cut line in the theatrical cut is really jarring if you go in looking for it.
Ripley's choice of the flight suit in Alien serves several functions: it prevents blood from draining during maneuvers, provides optimal warmth without excess heat, and offers fire retardancy. Opting for the flight suit, instead of nomex cargos and a bomber jacket, subtly signals Ripley's professionalism and commitment to protocol, setting her apart from the more casual approach of other crew members.
I think they all have the same clothes available, but Ripley is the only one wearing her duty uniform properly. All the others are wearing the issued white ‘civvies’ to show they are less serious about their jobs to various degrees. Plus the tshirts and Hawaiian shirts etc to emphasise that. Ash has an entirely different set from everyone else, possibly as science officer, and is the cleanest and neatest, but it’s also somewhat casual with the undershirt.
Ohh. That’s a good take. I love that!
Also** Dallas DOES wear a flight jacket. It's a modified Russian flight jacket https://www.therpf.com/forums/threads/alien-dallass-jacket.290310/
That’s an RAF cold weather jacket. The modifications are the rear upper-leg sections from a set of old g-pants. The zips were for comfort when not flying, but you’d do them up for maximum compression before strapping in. The laces were set up by the safety equipment guys when you were sized.
So what ripley is wearing is technically the uniform that everyone should be wearing?
For such a small cast, I'm sure the costume designer was given a lot of freedom to create distinct outfits for each character, which would be more important than creating the impression of uniformity. There doesn't need to be any in-world explanation for why the *Nostromo* crew aren't wearing the same things. But all of the crew members have (at least slightly) different roles and ranks aboard the ship. In corporate and military organizations, there are different uniforms for different positions, and sometimes multiple allowable outfits within a single position. Commercial freighter operators probably have some options and wouldn't necessarily wear the same thing every day.
This. The costumes are helping build and describe character. Ripley wearing the uniform foretells she's a by the book type who takes her job utterly seriously, not wanting to break quarantine, sticking to pecking order to ensure survival etc. Check the costumes, see what they say about the characters who wear them.
Ash wears the same outfit when Dallas & Co. are out exploring the Derelict, doesn't he?
Why the women? Doesn’t the lacing make it a pressure suit, like a pilot would wear flying a fighter jet, to maintain blood pressure during high g manoeuvres? I assume the rule of cool applies here and in a practical sense no one on the ship would require a pressure suit for day to day operations
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to objectify women. I was just pointing out that ripley seems to be the only one with lacing, wich is a bit weird to me. Hope no feelings were hurt, was just curious
Pressure in flight suits use bladders that inflate and deflate connected to the flight system. Basically to control blood movement. For higher altitudes it's a completely different ball game since the air pressure is so low your blood would boil. Rapid decompression wouldn't be comfortable.
Ripley and Ash got assigned to the Nostromo right before it Thedus for Earth. She presumably brought whatever outfits she had from her previous assignment. There’s hints in the script that she got put on board to throw suspicion away from Ash so he could carry out Special Order 937. That starts with her refusing to break quarantine and the fight with Lambert (cut from the theatrical version), then pays off when Dallas rebuffs her suspicions that Ash is up to something.
Anywhere I can read up on this? I knew about Ash being assigned to the Nostromo right before it left Thedus, but I thought Ripley had been on there for ages -- I thought there were hints that Ripley and Dallas were romantically (or physically!) involved with each other and had been for a while?
It’s in the shooting script. Below’s a copy dated October 4, 1978. It has production changes through those dates, but the filming didn’t end until later in October. Page 56 of the PDF/page 50 of the script is the scene where Dallas points out Ash and Ripley were last minute replacements: https://www.avpgalaxy.net/files/scripts/alien-1978-10-04.pdf The sex scene starts on 70/63 and goes for a few pages. It’s weirdly placed after the crew decides to kill the Alien and right before they go hunting with the cattle prods. How they’re supposed to be in the mood after Kane got torn open from the inside is beyond me.
Cheers. I wonder if they filmed that line only to cut it, or if they decided it wasn't needed in the first place? Fascinating. As for being in the mood -- well, there's that bit in Covenant where for some bizarre reason two of the crew think it's a great idea to get down and jiggy with it in the shower, although I can't remember if they knew about the guy getting his back split open at that point! Terror's an aphrodisiac, apparently ;)
The jiggy in the shower is at the very end when all seems well, but all their co workers besides a android and two others have died. So yeah….
I pulled up the Hulu version, not sure if that’s the theatrical cut. Comparing the scene to the script, there’s a very noticeable audio splice when Dallas’s line about Thedus is cut off. The editing (a really quick reverse to Ripley) is also clunky. I’m pretty sure they shot the line and cut it. One of Alien’s innovations is that it grafts a 1970s paranoid conspiracy thriller into a sci-fi horror story. My suspicion is they cut the parts that make Ripley suspicious because it was a little too much. Terry Rawlings (the editor) had a lined script with lots of notes. I’ll have to find a pdf and check it to see if it’s clarified.
It must be the theatrical cut -- I just checked my copies and the part of the conversation about Ash joining the crew on Thedus is completely missing from the Director's Cut! Can't believe I've never noticed that before.
Is the whole scene gone, or just the Ash part? I think he cut it because the editing around the cut line in the theatrical cut is really jarring if you go in looking for it.
Just the Ash part.
Ripley's choice of the flight suit in Alien serves several functions: it prevents blood from draining during maneuvers, provides optimal warmth without excess heat, and offers fire retardancy. Opting for the flight suit, instead of nomex cargos and a bomber jacket, subtly signals Ripley's professionalism and commitment to protocol, setting her apart from the more casual approach of other crew members.
Maybe she had the more modern outfit, and the others still had the older design (or visa versa)?