Alien (1979) - Act 3 Summary

Objective

This is a detailed summary of the third act (ending) of Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, Alien. The summary highlights key plot points, character arcs, and thematic reveals.

Key Points

1. The Death of Captain Dallas & Ripley's Rise

• Captain Dallas dies searching for the Xenomorph in the ship’s ventilation shafts, intending to lure it into an airlock.
• Ellen Ripley becomes the protagonist after Dallas' death.
• Ripley is promoted from third-in-command to leader.
• She confronts Dallas (before his death) about the dangers of bringing the alien specimen to Earth; Dallas ignores her concerns and defers to Science Officer Ash.

2. Special Order 937 & Ash's True Nature

• Crew plans to escape, but the shuttle Narcissus can only support 3 people, while Ash is suspected to be the fourth human.
• Ripley gains access to “Mother” (the ship’s AI) and learns about Special Order 937:
  • Company (Weyland-Yutani) orders Ash to bring back the Xenomorph, considering the crew expendable.
• Ash is revealed to be a synthetic/robot working under company orders.
• Ash attacks Ripley, but Parker saves her by disabling Ash, revealing his artificial nature (white blood, convulsions).
• They interrogate Ash’s head, who admits admiration for the Xenomorph’s perfection and confirms the expendability of the crew.
• Parker incinerates Ash’s body.

3. Final Confrontation & Escape from Nostromo

• Ripley, Parker, and Lambert prepare to escape, while Ripley sets the self-destruct mechanism.
• Xenomorph kills Parker and Lambert: Parker tries to save frozen-in-fear Lambert, but both die.
• Ripley rescues Jones the Cat and races to the Narcissus lifeboat.
• She tries, but fails, to abort self-destruct; the Nostromo will explode.

4. Climax: The Last Xeno-Scare

• Ripley evacuates with Jones as Nostromo explodes.
• Believing she is safe, Ripley prepares for cryosleep, but discovers the Xenomorph is aboard the shuttle, camouflaged in a wall.
• She dons a spacesuit and flushes the Xenomorph into space using the airlock, then incinerates it by firing the shuttle’s engines.

5. Resolution

• Ripley makes a final log, stating she is the sole survivor, hoping for rescue.
• Establishes Ripley as a heroic survivor.

Thematic Reveals & Establishment

• Ellen Ripley is established as the main franchise hero.
• The Xenomorph’s life cycle is clearly depicted: Ovomorph (egg) → Facehugger → Chestburster → Xenomorph.
• Weyland-Yutani is revealed as a ruthless corporation, viewing its workers as expendable in pursuit of alien specimens for analysis/weaponization.
• The company’s true nature is ambiguous regarding prior knowledge of the Xenomorph and the downed "Space Jockey" ship.
• Ash’s secret placement on the crew (as a last-minute synthetic replacement) implies corporate foreknowledge.

Summary Table

| Character | Fate/Role | ||-| | Dallas | Killed by Xenomorph | | Kane | Killed by Chestburster | | Ash | Killed, revealed as synthetic | | Parker | Killed by Xenomorph | | Lambert | Killed by Xenomorph | | Ripley | Survivor, final hero | | Jones (Cat) | Survives with Ripley |

Core Themes

• Corporate betrayal and expendability of workers
• The rise of an unlikely hero (Ripley)
• The overwhelming threat and "perfection" of the Xenomorph

Final Notes

• The crew’s deaths and company machinations set the foundation for the ongoing Alien franchise drama.
• Ripley’s actions and survival become iconic elements of the sci-fi horror genre.