The preeminent literary, Alien, sets the tone for other television phenomena in terms of creating rich plots with dynamic yet complex characters that leave the audience entertained and with powerful insights about life. With the original series comprising four films between 1979 and 1997, Alien focuses on Ellen Ripley’s struggle against an alien rampage and a corrupt megacorporation (Reardon, 2019). Aliens particularly hint at empathy, resourcefulness, leadership, and moral character as instrumental in a world with epic mysteries and harsh realities. Among the main characters, Ripley and Dwayne Hicks learn and relearn countless significant lessons, reiterating their gravity. In addition to helping viewers appreciate art and escape from reality, Alien challenges people’s perspectives on everyday life and essential personality traits.
Empathy and moral character press on shaping beliefs and attitudes, boosting positivity, and sensitivity. Despite their complex character, Riley and Hicks exhibit strong empathy and moral character. In Aliens, the marines save an orphaned girl, Newt, after her whole family gets killed by aliens (Bradley, 2017). Ripley personally cares for the girl, gaining her trust in the process. When movie takes a plot twist, Newt get captured by the aliens and Riley makes every effort to save her. Like Riley, Hicks holds a tough yet empathetic protagonist role. Unlike other Marines dispatched to the exomoon LX-426, Hicks treated Newt with kindness, treating her as part of the team. Not to mention, moral competence permeates with sensitivity, an aspect that requires empathy.
Furthermore, emotional intelligence comprises moral character, empathy, self-awareness, social skills, and resourcefulness. Through emotional intelligence, one can recognize and manage their own and other people’s emotions. During difficult times, someone must hold things together and foster resourcefulness to positively influence strategy and decision-making. Among the colonial marines sent to the Sulaco expedition was Ripley. As the remaining survivor of the Sulaco expedition, Ripley’s intelligence and resourcefulness helped incarcerated prisoners to defeat the aliens (Bradley, 2017). On the other hand, Hicks was quite subdued during the initial operation stages until he took command. Nonetheless, Hicks managed to remain calm, helping him visualize unique solutions to a difficult situation. Resourcefulness demands a positive mindset and critical thinking.
Furthermore, good leadership necessitate intelligence and experience. Good leaders provide guidance, effective mentorship, and help mitigate potential threats through accountability. In addition to having a clear purpose and promoting team values, leaders promote creativity, plus build coordination and confidence. Therefore, a good leader must possess empathy, resourcefulness, intelligence, and moral character. Hicks’ leadership abilities began to show after gaining command. However, Hicks became more cynical after his rescue largely contributed to his prolonged torture by Weyland-Yutani and the alleged death of Ripley, which adversely affected his decision-making and the whole mission (Bradley, 2017). Conversely, Ellen Ripley showed strength and good leadership throughout the film, displaying intelligence and interpersonal skills crucial for unifying the team and fighting the enemy.
In summary, Alien remains a phenomenon literary that redefined science-fiction and horror films. While showing how various lives got affected, in some ways, by the aliens, Alien presents mixed feelings of harsh realities and optimism. Nonetheless, the third original film, Aliens, gains a winning effect because of the nuanced performance with much to learn from. Ellen Ripley and Dwayne Hicks challenge the audience based on key personality traits, including intelligence, empathy, resourcefulness, leadership, and moral character. The four core traits hold the Marines together and help place the team on the winning side of the epic war. Aliens impeccably propelled a massive and individualizes cast that enrapture the viewers.
References
Bradley, W. (2017). Aliens (1986) Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn. [Video]. YouTube.
Reardon, S. (2019). Monsters, marines, and feminism in the 1980s: A look at Ellen Ripley from Aliens.