I promised her... I'd be home for her birthday... her 11th birthday.
Tearjerking moments in Aliens.
- In the extended edition, Ripley learns her daughter had grown up and died while she was still in hypersleep. What's worse is that she died two years before the events of this movie. Her relationship with Newt is all the more meaningful in this context.Ripley: (tearing up) Amy... I promised her... I'd be home for her birthday... her 11th birthday.
- An earlier draft would have had Amanda still alive, and Ripley would have had a tense phonecall with her where she yells at her mother for "abandoning" her.
- It's okay, Ripley. She knows.
- Newt...good God, poor Newt...Newt: My mommy always said there were no monsters...no real ones...but there are.
- Ripley tries to comfort her by saying that Casey her doll probably doesn't have nightmares, so maybe Newt could learn from her. Newt's response is that Casey is just a piece of plastic, reminding Ripley and the audience that this little girl has grown up way too fast.
- Newt also has to tell Ripley that her brother and parents are dead, along with the rest of the colony. Fridge Horror leads us to realise that it's possible this is the first time she's ever had to say it out loud (as she's been alone for weeks).
- Ripley facing her nightmares by having to watch an alien embryo burst out of a colonist's chest.
- It can be pretty heart-wrenching to see Hudson, Vasquez, and Gorman die when they were so close to reaching the dropship. Particularly bad for Hudson, as the other two were able to die on their own terms, whereas he is taken screaming for help by the aliens. For all we know, he could have been impregnated before getting killed off.
- It doesn't make his death any less creepy, but it seemed he was screaming obscenities at the xenomorphs and shooting in the hole as he got dragged down, not exactly screaming for help. Ultimate badass indeed.
- He does, initially, but then he starts screaming in pain as he's dragged down... and a xenomorph hand latches onto his face. We are mercifully spared the sight of what's being done to his lower body.
- Hicks tried to pull him to safety and is clearly devastated that he failed. After fending off an attack, he looks towards where Hudson was last seen and appears to be contemplating going after him, but he gets pulled away by Vasquez for his own good (echoing what he did for her when Drake died).
- Though getting to go on out own terms, Vasquez's anguished Little "No" upon being immobilized and out of ammo still packs a punch.
- Drake nearly makes it to safety but gets acid splashed on his face when an alien is hit. Vasquez lets out a Big "NO!" and has to be restrained from going after him by Hicks. According to Word of God they grew up together, so Vasquez just watched her childhood friend die.Vasquez: Drake's coming!Hicks: Vasquez, he's gone!Vasquez: *struggling* No, he's... not!Hicks: *pulls her back into the APC* FORGET HIM, HE'S GONE!!
- What makes it worse is that it was Vasquez who was technically responsible for getting Drake killed (albeit indirectly and unintentionally) since it was her burst of Smart Gun fire that caused the alien to explode and shower him with acid.
- In a way, Apone's death. They build him up as a pretty likable guy who actually gives a damn about his squad, and when he's taken out, it's a massive blow to the surviving Marines' morale.
- There's a moment when Hudson notices that Apone and Dietrich's lifesigns monitors are showing them as still barely alive, triggering an brief argument over whether to go back for them — Vasquez says yes, Hudson says no — but Ripley interrupts and points out that they'll be cocooned and impregnated like the other colonists; this leads to Hicks subtly tearing up and Hudson losing it, both clearly grief-stricken that they can't help their suffering comrades.
- Newt being kidnapped by the aliens. Ripley finds the doll's head floating on its own in the water as evidence that she's been taken. She starts screaming desperately at Hicks that the girl has to be alive — morbidly because she knows the aliens cocoon their prey to impregnate them first.
- Although it's brief, the moment where Ripley and Newt finally reach the landing bay seemingly to get to safety...and discover the drop ship gone. Ripley can only scream "Bishop, god damn you!" — thinking she's been betrayed by another android — and she and this poor young girl can only wait to die. Thankfully the ship turns up.
- Frost's death is another brief one, as he gets accidentally taken out by Dietrich's flamethrower and only has a split-second to react before he's hit. As Frost falls to a lower level, Hicks (who up to this point had been quite reserved and calm) shouts his name in shock.
- After Bishop heads out to try to signal the dropship, the xenomorphs make another attempt to breach the building and end up exhausting all but 10 bullets, which ends up making the dour mood even worse. Hicks tries to be reassuring when ordering Hudson and Vasquez to do a perimeter check, but once they leave, Ripley talks quite openly about how she won't end up like the colonists under any circumstances and asks him to pull the trigger. Hicks promises to shoot her and then himself, but he's still focused on survival; Ripley is making peace with dying on this rock.
