Launching Kane’s body into space is one of the strangest choices made by the crew of the Nostromo in the original Alien, and here is why they did it. Kane is one of the most significant characters in the Alien franchise despite his small role in the first movie due to his connection with one of Alien‘s most iconic scenes, making him an incredibly memorable character. However, the final fate of his body has always seemed a bit strange, with the 1979 Alien film never providing a full explanation as to why the Nostromo crew launched his body into space.

1979’s Alien is one of the most iconic sci-fi and horror films of all time, with the Ridley Scott classic essentially defining the genre. Alien not only inspired all kinds of homages and rip-offs, but it also started a massive franchise of its own, with each movie in the Alien franchise attempting to recapture the magic of the original. Many of these films have tried to bring back some elements of the first film, such as the iconic Alien Chestburster, but still, none have been able to live up to the critically acclaimed original Alien.

Keeping Kane’s Body On The Nostromo Would’ve Been A Risk In Alien

Not Enough Was Known About The Chestburster

Kane is the first death in the original Alien film, with him dying around an hour into the film. After becoming infected by the facehugger earlier in the film, Kane meets his final fate when Alien‘s iconic Chestburster explodes out of his body, killing Kane in a way that is still terrifying decades later. After Kane’s death, a small funeral is held before his body is launched into space. While this may seem weird, it actually makes sense once the risk is considered.

Due to Kane being the first death in the Alien franchise, very little was known about the Chestbursters or the facehuggers at this point. Because of this, Kane’s corpse could have been infected with something from the alien that is potentially dangerous, putting the rest of the crew at risk. The contamination of Kane’s body was too dangerous to gamble on, with the crew launching his body into space to avoid further interaction with it.

Why Launching Kane’s Body In Space Made Sense In Alien

It Isn’t The First Time That This Has Happened

Although the Nostromo’s crew could have kept Kane’s body on ice or sent him back to Earth in a pod, the contamination risk causes the crew’s decision to launch him into space to make sense. While this may seem illegal, burials at sea were actually a common practice before the modern era, with groups who were going to establish colonies leaving bodies in the ocean due to the dangers of keeping a corpse on a small ship.

Giving dead spacefarers burials at sea seems to be a repeated practice in the universe of the original Alien, as the same thing happens to Jake Branson’s body in Alien: Covenant. This may simply be a practice that has happened throughout Alien history, further explaining the Nostromo crew’s choice.