Abstract

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book engages both the deeper layers of the Alien universe and what those layers mean on topics as diverse as identity and personhood, morality and the political and economic forces of the Alien universe, just war theory in going into battle against the Xenomorphs, the philosophy of horror, and feminist insights into Ripley's leadership style. The philosophy of cosmic horror perfected in the works of H.P. Lovecraft, the value of horror films as art, and themes of contagion and impurity are explored in a number of chapters. The Alien series boasts Ellen Ripley, one of the bravest and most badass protagonists in film history, and Ripley makes a number of choices in the films that allow people to examine femininity and motherhood in depth.