Alien: Why did the crew of Nostromo launch Kane's body in space?
One of the most unusual decisions the Nostromo crew took in the original Alien was launching Kane's body into space; here is why. Despite his little part in the first film, Kane is among the most important characters in the Alien series since he connects with one of the most famous scenes in the film. But the ultimate destiny of his body has always seemed a bit odd; the 1979 Alien movie never offers a complete justification as to why the Nostromo crew threw his body into space.
With the Ridley Scott classic basically creating the genre, 1979's Alien is among the most famous sci-fi and horror movies of all time. Apart from various types of homages and rip-offs, Alien launched a huge franchise of its own, with every film trying to retell the magic of the original. Though several of these movies have sought to replicate portions of the first movie, including the legendary Alien chestburster, none have been able to live up to the highly regarded original.
Maintaining Kane's Body On The Nostromo Would Have Been Risky in Alien
With Kane dying about an hour into the original Alien, he is the first death in the movie. Originally infected by the facehugger earlier in the movie, Kane meets his ultimate end when Alien's famous Chestburster bursts out of his flesh, murdering Kane in a still horrifying manner decades later. Before Kane's Body is sent into orbit, a modest funeral is conducted. Although this seems strange, once one considers the risk, it makes sense.
Kane was the first death in the Alien series, hence at this point very nothing was known about the Chestbursts or the facehuggers. Kane's Body might thus have been contaminated with something from the extraterrestrial that is possibly harmful, endangering the rest of the crew. With the team releasing Kane's body into Space to evade more engagement with it, the contamination of his body was too risky to gamble on.
Why Launching Kane's Body In Space Made Sense In Alien
The contamination risk drives the crew of the Nostromo to launch Kane into Space even though they could have brought him back to Earth in a capsule or maintained his remains on ice. Although this may appear illegal, burials at sea were actually a regular practice prior to the modern age, with parties intending to build colonies leaving dead in the water due to the hazards of maintaining a corpse on a small ship.
As the same thing occurs to Jake Branson's body in Alien: Covenant, giving deceased Spacefarers funerals at sea seems to be a recurrent habit in the universe of the original Alien. This could just be a habit that has persisted across Alien history, so clarifying the decision taken by the Nostromo crew.
Examining the Alien Franchise, One Notes the Decision Made by the Nostromo Crew to Launch Kane's Body.
A pivotal event in the Alien series is the choice of the Nostromo crew to send Kane's body into orbit. It draws attention to the crew's uncertainty and terror about the future. The movie looks with the risks of space exploration and the possible fallout from coming across extraterrestrial life forms. Though apparently odd, the crew's behaviors reflect the terrible situation they find themselves in and their frantic attempts to control the Xenomorph danger.
Still revered for its intriguing atmosphere, horrific monster design, and provocative concepts, Alien is a cinematic masterwork. The film's continuing effect is clear in its influence on innumerable sci-fi and horror films. Though the Alien franchise has grown with many prequels and sequels, the original movie remains pillar of the sci-fi horror subgenre.
Alien: A Science Fiction and Horror Cinematic Landmark
Director Ridley Scott's science fiction horror-thriller Alien follows the crew of a spacecraft called the Nostromo. Once the crew of the merchant's vessel detects an unidentified transmission as a distress cry, its landing on the source moon discovers one of the crew members attacked by an unidentified lifeform and quickly realizes that its life cycle has only lately started.
Inspired by many sequelues, spin-offs, video games, and even a blockbuster series, alien has become a cultural phenomenon. Audiences are still enthralled with the legendary creature design of the movie, its tense environment, and its examination of the future. Alien reminds us of the ongoing influence of science fiction and horror as well as their legacy will surely remain for next generations.
