In 1979, when I was 8 years old, I paid for a PG movie theater ticket with my friend Donnie. Once inside, we snuck into a different theater to watch Alien. A film that my mother had definitely forbidden me to see. I loved that film, and it left a deeper impression on me than I realized. Later, when I was 15, I spent the summer of 1986 at my grandmother’s house because my mother and stepfather were going through a nasty separation. To fill those days, I went and saw the sequel, Aliens, dozens of times. I’ve never seen a film as many times in the theaters since.
There’s more, but I want to get to the heart of this post. Back in 2024, I heard that Free League was going to be doing a second edition of their officially licensed Alien RPG. Hoping beyond hope that I could somehow be involved. I reached out to Tomas over at Free League, and he offered to have me write a one-shot as a stretch goal. I leaped at the chance. It’s taken longer to release than I thought it would, but here it is, in all its glory!
Despite the word count and scope limit, I’m really proud of this story. To me, it makes me feel the way I did when I watched Alien and Aliens. More than that, this is a dream come true for younger me. My entire life has been punctuated by that world. Whether it was films, video games, tabletop games, books, tattoos, jewelry, or art, the xenomorphs have stamped themselves into my soul. And being able to combine two of my great passions and see my name attached to an officially licensed Alien title is a dream come true. I can add this to my long list of cool Alien-related bragging rights.
The End.
Oh – in case you’re curious, below are all the cool ways that I can remember while I’m writing this that have connected me to that universe.
- Alien was the first rated R film I watched
- I’ve seen Aliens well over 50 times. Maybe closing in on 100. One time, when I was delivering pizzas and my radio broke, I spent my time reciting the film’s dialogue. From beginning to end.
- When it was released, I bought the Aliens tabletop game from Leading Edge. By sheer circumstance, I still have it. (I lost most of my older belongings in Hurricane Katrina). I also still have many of the miniatures.
- I didn’t have a laser disc player, but when I heard there was a “Special Edition”, I bought the discs and rented a player so I could see the extra footage.
- I lost many things in Katrina. Two things were: A working script of Aliens that was a gift to me, and a hardback version of the Leading Edge roleplaying game, gifted to me by the company because they lost my originally pre-ordered soft cover. I also lost about the first 50 issues of the Aliens comics released by Dark Horse, including the Alien v Predator comics.
- The first real celebrity I ever met was Bill Paxton. We walked together through LAX, and he was so kind and generous. He’s one of two people I’ve ever fangirled out over.
- My first large tattoo was a xenomorph across the top center of my back. Later, I added biomechanical-style art to my entire back and shoulders.
- In 2009, in L.A., I went to a 50mm screening of The Abyss and Aliens where James Cameron was speaking in between the films. That was cool and all, but the real treat was that sitting right in front of me was Jenette Goldstein. I sat quietly until the intermission, when people were wandering around. I approached her and told her what a treat it was to be able to watch Aliens with the person who brought Vasquez to life. She was so nice and told me that besides James Cameron, no one else in the theater had recognized her.
- I have a screen-accurate set of Colonial Marine Armor that I got and assembled in order to cosplay, including a really cool screen-accurate pulse rifle. I’m not sure I will now, due to my transition. We’ll see.
- And now I can add Chrysalis!
Finally, if you’re wondering, here are my favorite Alien stories. I’m not a fan who blindly loves everything in that world, and I believe that being critical of a fandom you’re part of is critical to its health. There are quite a few that are just ‘fine’. And some that are just absolute shite. But these are ones that I love.
- Alien
- Aliens (I prefer the Special Edition, but don’t care for the first Hadley’s Hope scene)
- Aliens (Dark Horse comic six-issue mini-series)
- Alien RPG and tabletop game from Leading Edge (1989)
- Alien V Predator (1999) PC Game
- Alien: Isolation (2014) Console Game
- Alien RPG from Free League
- Alien: Romulus (honestly, this one barely makes the list. It’s right on the edge)
Anyway, that’s my Alien blathering. Hope you’re all having a lovely day.
Kenna
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