Remembering the iconic women of the Alien franchise

The Queen Xeno

Women-centric narratives are ingrained in Xenomorph-related media. Even without Ripley, Shaw, Daniels, and so many of the other female protagonists, the Alien anthology wouldn’t be the same without its integral big bad. And, we don’t have an italics feature to stress the “big” enough. After all, there aren’t many aliens bigger and badder than the Xenomorph Queen. Or the Supreme Queen for that matter.

Xenomorph Queens are big bad bugs, and it’s tough to kill them. Not only that, but they often live in an ever-growing hive of other nonbinary Xenos who help support the Queen’s women-aligned agenda. Granted, that agenda might be filled with killing men and breeding an infinite amount of like-minded telepathic parasitoids. However, the Queen’s power lies in her ability to lead her colony.

Neomorphs, Xenomorph drones and warriors, and likely the other Xenomorph predecessors are non-binary icons — from Hammerpedes, Deacons and everywhere in between. However, they’re all equally powerful antagonists in the franchise. More importantly, the Xenomorph scouts and warriors help support protect the Xenomorph Queen.

All the Xenomorphs collectively work together to help and protect not only the queen but their entire species. Oh, and they do so telepathically. There aren’t many bugs badder than the Xenomorph Queen and her hive. Being able to wield that kind of volunteer support takes more than just a telepathic language and a villainous character makeup. Xenomorphs are just that powerful, and we respect the horrifying grind.

Following the quintessential Xenomorph Queen and her hive, some might argue the franchise began with a robot who has more than just a few daddy issues mixed with a god complex. However, we argue that we wouldn’t have the modern Xenomorphs without Elizabeth Shaw.