Summary
- Android characters in Alien movies add depth & complexity, ranging from heroes to villains, enhancing the story beyond the Xenomorph.
- Each new android brings a unique twist, like Rook's nostalgic connection to Ash, or Andy's transformation from caring to sinister.
- Walter in Covenant showcases an android's evolution towards humanity, contrasting with David's descent into twisted creations.
With Alien: Romulus, fans are given the iconic Xenomorph as expected, but it also continues a long-running tradition of featuring at least one android character. These artificial people are almost as important as the titular monsters because they are often an important part of the cast and plot.
Every Alien Movie In Chronological Order (Including Alien: Romulus)
The Alien franchise is vast with sequels and prequels alike, making the chronology of the many films a bit confusing for casual moviegoers.
One of the best things tha t Alien: Romulus also maintains is that the android character is always vastly different in each new entry. Some are heroic and show as much, if not more, humanity than the humans, while others are twisted villains who can be just as scary as the Xenomorph due to their soft-spoken voices and eerily collected personality.
Major story spoilers ahead for Alien: Romulus
8 Bishop II - Alien 3
Too Little, Too Late
- Played by: Lance Henriksen
- Possibly a human and creator of the Bishop models.
In the last five minutes of Alien 3, even after the Xenomorph has been killed, audiences are given a literal last-minute villain in the form of Bishop II. Though he is enigmatic, with Lance Henriksen stealing the spotlight for a brief but sinister performance, it is far too brief.
The way Alien 3 displays this character, it's not even clear if he is a synthetic or not. On one hand, he displays red blood like a human, but even his name is a hint of him being one, and the character Aaron calls him an android. It makes for a confusing final mystery before Alien 3 ends with the sacrifice of Ellen Ripley and the character leaves little to no impact.
7 Rook - Alien: Romulus
Surprising But Slightly Jarring Fan Service
- Played By: Daniel Betts
- The physical actor was an actual animatronic.
When the scavengers of the Corbelan IV become victims of Xenomorph horror in Alien: Romulus, they end up being guided by the surviving science officer of the Renaissance station. Much to the surprise of audiences, it turns out to be a synthetic of the same model as Ash from the original Alien.
Science officer Rook even features Ian Holm's likeness via CGI replication, which was consented to by his family, and a nearly perfect impression of his voice by Daniel Betts. It makes for a fun nostalgia trip but, with the occasional Uncanny Valley factor, Rook doesn't provide anything new other than a surprising connection to previous movies.
6 Call - Alien: Resurrection
The Most Human-like Android
- Played By: Winona Ryder
- The only other Android who poses as a human.
Winona Ryder provides a memorable performance in Alien: Resurrection as the character of Call since it's not clear at all that she is an android until the latter half. Somehow, Call knows of Ellen Ripley and the attempt to clone her along with the Xenomorph strain, leading to her trying to kill both by hiding among the pirate crew of the Betty.
There are many interesting aspects to Call, such as her mysterious origin, compassion for humanity, and her being far more human-like than any other synthetic before and since. Unfortunately, Call is one of the few enjoyable aspects of Alien: Resurrection and even her best qualities are often ruined by inconsistent tones and lack of development.
Alien: Romulus - 8 New Things It Brings To The Franchise
From new developments regarding the Facehuggers to thrilling zero-gravity scenes, Alien: Romulus boasts new ideas for the iconic Xenomorph franchise.
5 Walter - Alien: Covenant
Unsung Hero Of The Covenant
- Played By: Michael Fassbender
- The first Android to show love for a human.
In Alien Covenant, Michael Fassbender was given the chance to flex his acting skills by playing a heroic and villainous variant of the same android model. While David becomes vehemently frustrated with humanity, Walter shows kindness, curiosity, and care in his own Stoic ways that showcase a drastic contrast between the two androids.
The conflict between the brothers remains a strong part of Alien: Covenant. When Walter can clearly see where David is coming from in his desire to create the perfect organism via the Xenomorph out of spite of humans, Walter also sees the beauty in humanity, especially in Daniels, whom he seemingly has feelings for, showcasing androids becoming more human-like with each generation.
4 Ash - Alien
The First Android And Still Iconic
- Played By: Ian Holm
- The first Android to appear in the franchise.
Back in 1979, the reveal of Ash being an android was a shock in the original Alien. While the Xenomorph is a terrifying creature, Ash being this cold and calculated machine willing to sacrifice and kill all members of the Nostromo crew just to bring the Xenomorph back to Weyland-Yutani is arguably even creepier.
Ian Holm cleverly plays Ash to be an emotionless and arrogant science officer who should make it obvious that he isn't human, but there are just enough human qualities to keep him hidden, even from the audience. Combined with his eerie admiration for the alien life form, he is an an iconic character in Ridley Scott's Alien and across the whole franchise.
3 David - Prometheus & Alien: Covenant
Scariest Artificial Person In The Galaxy
- Played By: Michael Fassbender
- Created the Xenomorph species
Despite Prometheus and Alien: Covenant being the most divisive films in the Alien timeline, even critics would give credit to Michael Fassbender for show-stealing as David. In Prometheus, David starts as this curious servant of his human masters, fascinated by the Engineers and their sciences. However, from the start, there is an eeriness about him similar to Ash but also different.
David performs experiments with the Pathogen, which leads to him becoming far more evolved in Alien: Covenant, where he's rediscovered himself and created the first Xenomorph. Arguably, he goes through more growth than any human character does, showing a slow evolution into an even more twisted version of Dr. Frankenstein, which is equally fascinating to witness as it is creepy.
8 Scariest Xenomorphs In Alien Games
From the classic drones to the Praetorian guard, Xenomorphs have struck fear into the hearts of gamers for years as a perfect organism.
2 Bishop - Aliens & Alien 3
Famous Face Of The Franchise
- Played By: Lance Henriksen
- The first heroic Android in the franchise
After Ellen Ripley is nearly killed by an android in the first movie, Aliens introduces Bishop, played by Lance Henriksen, and director James Cameron was clever with him. Ripley, as well as the audience, naturally doesn't trust Bishop at first and the movie even makes Bishop a bit peculiar to a degree to keep first-time viewers from fully trusting him, such as his interest in the Facehuggers.
However, the more Aliens progresses, the more Bishop proves himself. From volunteering to crawl through yards of tunnels on his own to saving Ripley and Newt when they needed him most. He even saves Newt from being sucked into space. It can be said that he's not bad for an artificial person, and he inspired future sci-fi games such as Detroit: Become Human.
1 Andy - Alien: Romulus
He Stole The Entire Movie
- Played By: David Jonsson
- The first android character to kill a Xenomorph
While Alien: Romulus retreads a lot of familiar space, it also introduces several new concepts to the Alien mythology, such as lower-class working androids. One of them is a brother figure to the main character, Rain, named Andy. Andy is almost like a child at first, only caring about his sister's well-being with a timid but kind nature.
However, thanks to an upgrade, Andy becomes a servant of Weyland-Yutani, swapping his personality for a more phlegmatic and unwavering one. In a way, Andy has the qualities of Walter and David rolled into one, even down to his accent changing between the two personas. Andy is considered a highlight of Alien: Romulus and much of that goes to David Jonsson's performance.
Alien Romulus: 10 Best References To The Franchise
Though Alien: Romulus stands on its own, there are plenty of references and Easter Eggs to satisfy nostalgic fans of the Alien series.