Warning! This article contains spoilers for Alien Annual #1
The name ‘Xenomorph’ when used to describe the monstrous creature in the Alien franchise has always had an air of terrifying mystery surrounding it–given that the word ‘Xenomorph’ basically just means ‘alien’–but now, the new name for a Xenomorph is even more horrifying as it better highlights the species’ superior role in the cosmos.
Alien fans were first introduced to the Xenomorph in the film Alien directed by Ridley Scott, but the name ‘Xenomorph’ wouldn’t actually be coined until the sequel film Aliens directed by James Cameron. In Aliens, a team of Colonial Marines are gearing up to eradicate a ‘bug infestation’ within the human settlement of Hadley’s Hope. Since the ‘bugs’ (animalistic/lower alien life forms) were unknown to everyone except Ripley, they were referred to as Xenomorphs, which was simply a placeholder title until they learned more about the mysterious species. However, the name stuck and to this day, the aliens in Alien are known as Xenomorphs–that is, until very recently.
In Alien Annual #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Salvador Larroca, Weyland-Yutani board members are discussing a retaliation plan against a gang of organized rebels who were successful in overrunning one of the company’s bases in protest of the company’s immoral experiments and its uncaring nature towards human life. Unfortunately for the extremist group known as the Second Hand, the station they overtook was of little consequence to Weyland-Yutani, and the company actually took this situation as an opportunity to release the biological weapon they worked so hard to obtain–Weyland-Yutani was going to attack these ‘terrorists’ with the full might of their Xenomorphs. However, the board members didn’t refer to their alien creature as ‘Xenomorph’ in this issue, instead, they referred to it as something much more intimidating: The Organism.
On the surface, ‘The Organism’ doesn’t sound like a very scary name for something as monstrous as the Xenomorph, but upon taking a look at the deeper meaning behind that title, it becomes clear how absolutely terrifying the name really is. Referring to a Xenomorph as ‘The Organism’ indicates the creature’s superiority as a lifeform–especially when read as THE organism, a title best suited for its status as the pinnacle of evolution, the top of the food chain, the perfect organism. Xenomorphs are seen as the greatest species not just because of their proficiency as cosmic predators, but because their biological material allows them to adapt to any environment, making them the most versatile living creature in existence. Just as Sherlock Holmes refers to Irene Adler as ‘the woman’ since, in the Great Detective’s eyes, Adler “eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex”, the Xenomorph is superior to every other living creature in the cosmos, and the moniker ‘The Organism’ makes that point terrifyingly clear.
Interestingly enough, while ‘The Organism’ is a new name for the Xenomorph, the title actually links back to the creature’s very first appearance in Alien. Ash, the synthetic programmed to bring back a Xenomorph regardless of the well-being of the Nostromo crew, referred to the alien as the perfect organism when the crew first came across it. Now, the word ‘perfect’ from the creature’s original moniker has become redundant, as Alien’s new name for Xenomorph perfectly encapsulates its status as the superior lifeform.
