Given that both Alien and Star Wars are two of the biggest science fiction franchises in history, it makes sense that fans would ask: who would win in a fight between Jedi and Xenomorphs? Well, the latest addition to Alien lore just answered that question with a gruesomely R-rated death.
Even though both technically fall into the wider science fiction category, the Alien and Star Wars franchises couldn’t be more different. Alien is centered around the unknown horrors of the cosmos and the grisly consequences of humanity’s hubris. While it isn’t exactly ‘hard Sci-Fi’, Alien does take elements from that subgenre to make the world feel authentic–as if this could actually become humanity’s reality in the distant future, and something like the Xenomorph species could be lurking in the void. Star Wars, on the other hand, is based in a purely fictional world with no basis in reality. Star Wars is set in a galaxy far, far away where alien life is plentiful and interplanetary travel is a regular–if not daily–occurrence. Not only that, but the Star Wars universe has what’s known as the Force which is a cosmic energy that can be manipulated by a select few–usually either Jedi (Light Side of the Force) or Sith (Dark Side of the Force). These Force-users also wield a weapon known as a lightsaber, which is what all Jedi and Sith use in battle with little variety in terms of physical weaponry in their arsenals. Aside from the literal act of flying through space, there are absolutely no similarities between Alien and Star Wars, which means a comprehensive argument for who would win between a Jedi and a Xenomorph is nearly impossible to make–that is, until now.
In Alien #4 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Julius Ohta, a synthetic spec-ops group known as Steel Team has infiltrated a planet overrun with Xenomorphs for the sole purpose of stealing an Ovomorph on behalf of humanity. When they got to the planet–known as Tobler-9–Steel Team was met by a rogue group of humans who survived the Xenomorph outbreak. These humans knew where a hive was and offered to take Steel Team there. However, once they got there, the humans trapped Steel Team within the hive, so they would be slaughtered by the Xenomorphs–though Steel Team wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
Steel Team’s ‘Lightsabers’ Confirm the Outcome of Jedi vs Xenomorphs
This issue depicts Steel Team wielding energy blades for the first time in the series, and these swords have exactly the same functionality as lightsabers. One member of the team, Nora, takes on an entire horde of Xenomorphs plus a Xenomorph Queen with an energy sword in each hand. While Nora is able to inflict some major damage, the overwhelming number of Xenomorphs plus the acid blood that would spill and spray upon every slice with the laser-light sword proved too much for Nora to handle, and she was eventually killed by the swarm. This comic is perhaps the closest fans will get to a Jedi vs Xenomorph battle, and it seems like the answer as to who would win is unquestionable: the Xenomorphs.
While Nora didn’t have the Force on her side, it isn’t likely that would make much difference. Remember, during Order 66, even Jedi masters were overwhelmed by attacking clones troopers despite having the Force on their side–which only proves that the Force doesn’t automatically make a Jedi untouchable. Perhaps if a Jedi were in Nora’s place they could have taken out a few more Xenomorphs with Force attacks, but in the end it is unlikely that would have made much of a difference. So, since Star Wars‘ lightsabers (or lightsaber equivalents) proved to not be enough to stop a Xenomorph horde, it seems as though Alien finally answered the Xenomorph vs Jedi question with the R-rated death of Steel Team’s Nora.
