version 3 - The Alien Encyclopedia

netic makeup, the Queen started to develop human reproductive organs and became pregnant
through unknown means. During the last hour before the Auriga would crash onto Earth, the Queen
gave birth to the Newborn, at a time when Ripley 8 was present in the hive. Rejecting its mother,
the Newborn killed the Queen and instead developed an affection for Ripley 8. Knowing that the
Auriga was about to be destroyed, Ripley 8 fled the hive and escaped aboard the Betty. However,
the Newborn had managed to board the Betty as a stowaway before the impact. Ripley confronted
the Newborn in the Betty's cargo hold and eventually killed it, using her acid blood to create a hole
in the hull which sucked out the Newborn into vacuum piece by piece. (A:RES)
Newt: The nickname of Rebecca Jorden. See “Jorden, Rebecca”
Night Cougar Alien: A Xenomorph subspecies originating from a large feline creature. This
creature was similar to another breed called the Panther Alien, sharing its slender appearance and
digigrade hindlegs. However, it featured a lighter complexion. Also, the parasite situated on its back
did not destroy itself on impact when it was launched a ta target. (KAF)
Northrop Grumman: An aerospace and defense technology company. Weyland Industries acquired
Northrop Grumman in 2032. (PR:WIW)
Nostromo: A class-M cargo hauling vessel in service of Weyland-Yutani in 2122. Named after the
Joseph Conrad novel of the same name. Namesake and location of the Nostromo incident, mankind's
first major contact with the Xenomorph species. Originally a Lockmart CM-88b Bison transporter
that underwent modification in 2116 in order to accommodate its new task of hauling automated
ore and oil refineries.
Massing 63.000 metric tons in its updated configuration, the Nostromo was powered by Laretel WF-
15 fusion generator. Propulsion was provided by a Yutani T7A FTL drive (0.42 light years per sidereal
day without attached cargo and 0.12 light years per sidereal day with attached cargo) and two
Rolls-Royce N66 Cyclone thrusters for sublight speed, which replaced the original Saturn J-3000
drives as they were insufficient for heavy hauling duty. The interior consisted of three decks and
four main cargo bays, with deck A housing the bridge, medical facilities, living areas and the hypersleep
chamber, deck B providing equipment space and access to the emergency shuttle and deck C
consisting of further equipment storage and maintenance access. While the crew was in hypersleep,
the MOTHER mainframe monitored the automated systems. The Nostromo was operated by a crew
of 7, with a minimum of 4 required for landing and take-off.
For the first four years of its tour, there was nothing of particular note about the crew of the ship or
its assignments. However, in 2120, the command of the ship was given to Dallas, with the rest of
the crew that would be involved in the pivotal Nostromo incident assembling over the following two
years. In 2122, the Nostromo was on its way back to Earth from Thedus with a 20-million ton ore
refinery when MOTHER picked up the alien signal emanating from LV-426. It woke the crew, and
following proper protocol, the Nostromo was deattached from the refinery and landed on the surface
of the planetoid in order to investigate. After the ship had been repaired from minor damage it had
suffered during the landing, it returned into deep space. Before the Nostromo could resume its journey
home, a Xenomorph infestation took place aboard that wiped out the whole crew, save for Ellen
Ripley, who set the ship on self-destruct and escaped in the Nostromo's emergency shuttle, the Narcissus.
Subsequently, the Nostromo and the refinery was obliterated in the explosion. The Nostromo
and its crew was later declared missing, and the truth about the ship's fate would not come out for
another 57 years. In 2179, when Ripley's account revealed the Nostromo's destruction, the monetary
value of the ship was estimated at 42 million dollars by the insurance agency involved in the investigation.
(A1, A:CMTM)
Nostromo incident: The events surrounding and including the Xenomorph infestation aboard the
spacecraft Nostromo in 2122, notable as the first major encounter of mankind with the organism.