<P> The commercial spacecraft Nostromo is on a return trip to Earth with a seven - member crew in stasis: Captain Dallas (Skerritt), Executive Officer Kane (Hurt), Warrant Officer Ripley (Weaver), Navigator Lambert (Cartwright), Science Officer Ash (Holm) and two Engineers, Parker (Kotto) and Brett (Stanton). Detecting a mysterious transmission from the nearby planetoid LV - 426, the ship's computer, Mother, awakens the crew . Company policy requires crews to investigate such transmissions so they land on the planetoid, sustaining damage from its atmosphere and rocky landscape . Parker and Brett repair the ship while Dallas, Kane and Lambert head out to investigate . They discover the signal comes from a derelict alien spacecraft and head inside it, losing communication with Ash . Inside, they find the remains of a large alien creature whose rib cage appears to have exploded from its inside . </P> <P> Mother speculates that the transmission may be a warning, not a distress call . In the alien ship, Kane discovers a chamber containing hundreds of large egg - like objects . When he touches one, it opens and a creature springs out and attaches to his face . Dallas and Lambert carry the unconscious Kane back to the Nostromo . As acting senior officer, Ripley refuses to let them aboard, citing quarantine regulations, but Ash ignores Ripley and lets them in . The crew unsuccessfully attempt to remove the creature from Kane's face, discovering that its blood is an extremely corrosive acid . It later detaches on its own and dies . With the ship partly repaired, the crew lifts off . Kane awakens, dazed but otherwise unharmed . During a final crew meal before stasis, he chokes and convulses in pain before a small alien creature bursts from his chest, killing him, and escapes out into the ship . Wary of its corrosive blood, the crew attempts to locate it with a tracking device and capture it with nets, electric prods and flamethrowers . </P> <P> Brett follows the crew's cat, Jones, into an engine room and the now fully - grown alien (Badejo) attacks him and disappears with his body into an air shaft . After heated discussion, the crew decide the creature must be in the air ducts . They plan to herd it into an airlock to jettison from the ship . Dallas enters and searches the Nostromo's ventilation ducts, but the alien ambushes him . Lambert implores the others to abandon ship and escape in its small shuttle . Now in command, Ripley explains that the shuttle will not support four people and pushes to continue with Dallas' plan of flushing the alien out . </P> <P> Now with access to Mother, Ripley discovers that Ash has been secretly ordered to return the alien to the company, with the crew deemed expendable . Ripley confronts Ash and he tries to choke her to death . Parker intervenes and clubs Ash, knocking off his head to reveal him to be an android . Parker reanimates Ash's head and they learn he was assigned to the Nostromo to ensure the creature was returned for analysis at any expense, including the crew's lives . Ash taunts them about their chances against the "perfect organism ." Ripley disconnects Ash and Parker burns his smashed remains with a flamethrower . </P>

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