LV-426
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| LV-426 | |
 The mountainous terrain of LV-426 with the derelict spaceship viewable in the background as seen in Alien. |
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Universe | Alien |
| Planet type | Moon |
| Creator | Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett |
| Genre | Science fiction, Action, Horror |
LV-426, also known as Acheron, is the name of the fictitious moon (frequently, but erroneously, referred to as a planet) where the Alien was first encountered by humans in the 1979 movie Alien. It has been referred to as "LB-426."[1]
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[edit] Description
Named "Hadley's Hope" after one of its original settlers, LV-426 is a moon in orbit around a gas giant called Livinum, in the Zeta II Reticuli system, 39 light-years from Earth, which lies beyond the "Outer Rim." LV-426 has .86 of Earth's gravity and is geologically active, judging from its surface composition (igneous rock, "lava base") and steam vents on its surface. Prior to terraforming, the atmosphere consisted mostly of nitrogen and methane,[original research?] giving it a strong resemblance to that of Saturn's moon, Titan. The moon was cold enough that carbon dioxide froze putting its temperature somewhere between -182° and -57°C (-296° and -70°F).
Source materials differ widely on the diameter of this world: figures of 1,200 km[2] and 12,201 km[3] are given. Between these, 12,201 km is the only one that is possible, given the surface gravity. Upon questioning, it was stated as being a rock, with no indigenous life.[1] On an unspecified region of the moon, a derelict alien ship of unknown origin appears to have crashed into a mountain. How long it has been there isn't known, but the only known occupant, the Space Jockey, has started to fossilize into what is presumed as a bridge.
Stored in what could be assumed as a cargo hold are dozens of Alien eggs. Many fans of the Alien franchise have speculated that the Alien eggs originated from an untold part of LV-426. Whether the derelict was simply passing over LV-426 after collecting the eggs from the Aliens homeworld (provided there is one) and had a misfortunate Alien-related attack (inclined by a hole in the Space Jockey's ribcage) and crashed, or after collecting the eggs from LV-426, a facehugger impregnated a Space Jockey and subsequently attacked the crew causing a crash, is unknown. This is purely a matter of speculation, and has been unarated by the story itself, or Alien officals such as producers, writers or directors.
[edit] In film
In the year 2122, the commercial starship Nostromo, on a return trip to Earth, intercepts an extraterrestrial transmission originating from the moon's surface. The transmission is found to be an acoustical beacon repeating at twelve-second intervals, emanating from an alien spacecraft.[2]
During the 57 years that elapse between the end of Alien and the events of Aliens, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation are responsible for establishing a colony on LV-426. They made the world habitable with the aid of an enormous, fusion-powered atmosphere processor and established a terraforming colony called "Hadley's Hope." The colony is destroyed when the atmosphere processor suffers critical damage during military operations, causing an explosion which destroyed the colony.[1]
[edit] Creation and design
The colony was designed by Ron Cobb from preliminary sketches by James Cameron. Cobb concieved that that the colony would be broken down into three districts: a main complex, the "frontier town," and the atmosphere processing station, all surrounded by a storm wall. Partial full-size, 1/6, and 1/50 scale sets were built for various shots. Ron Cobb designed most of the colony with modules that could be added and rearranged as the population grew.[4]
According to the book Giger's Alien,[citation needed] the Alien eggs were originally meant to be housed in a complete architectural structure, shaped in the form of a massive pyramid. This would imply the previous existence of a native civilization, and would also substantiate the theory that the Aliens originated from LV-426.
[edit] Expanded universe
According to the computer game Aliens versus Predator, the derelict ship survived the explosion and Weyland-Yutani established a new colony, atmosphere processor, and research facility dedicated to studying the derelict ship and its contents. All were destroyed ten years later during a second Alien infestation, when an unnamed Colonial Marine disabled the atmosphere processor's cooling systems, causing another explosion.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c James Cameron (writer and director). (1986). Aliens [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett (writers) and Ridley Scott (director). (1979). Alien [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Brimmicombe-Wood, Lee (1996). Aliens: Colonial Marines Technical Manual, pp.159. ISBN 0-06-105343-0.
- ^ (2003). Superior Firepower: The Making of Aliens, Alien Quadrilogy, Disc 4 [Documentary]. 20th Century Fox.
