James Cameron’sAliensis often celebrated as one of the greatest movie sequels of all time, building and even improving on so much of its brilliant predecessor,Ridley Scott’sAlien. However, one of the most fascinating details inAliensis one that most viewers won’t have noticed on a first, or even second and third, viewing. When Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)returns home, she is questioned by representatives of Weyland-Yutani, the evil corporation that plotted to send the Nostromo crew to retrieve the Alien sample without telling them. On the TV behind Ripley are files shown oneach member of the Nostromo crew, and we get the reveal thatLambert (Veronica Cartwright) was a “Despin Convert” from birthand transitioned from male to femalewith “no indication of suppressed traumas related to gender alteration.” This could be seen as just a small throwaway detail. But, it reveals so much about the attitudes of the filmmakers and how transgender people were treated in that time period.
It’s fascinating to see a transgender character added to a story in 1986, especially when it is dealt with in such a respectful manner.Unfortunately, the cinema of this periodwas in no way kind to trans characters, often making them the villain of the story. (Look no further than the slasherSleepaway Camp, released just three years beforeAliens). If this happened now, even such a small detail would sadly most likely cause huge controversy. ButAlienand its successor are such unisex films; they just don’t give misogynistic or transphobic people an opportunity to get up in arms.
Even the script forAlienwas written so that the names were unisex, aswriterDan O’Bannonstated, so anyone could be cast. Ripley is not the hero simply because she is a woman. Ripley is the hero because she has the correct traits that help her to survive and keep her fighting. To look at a potential meta reason, Ripley being the hero also adds fascinating suspense for the audience to not be sure who the main character is on the first watch, as most of Sigourney Weaver’s fellow cast members would have been considered larger Hollywood names at the time, such asJohn Hurtwho plays Kane.
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“I am your mother!”
Later on, in Cameron’sAliens, apart from the previously mentioned Lambert trans reveal, the space marines include Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein). This shows how, in a space horror where you are trying not to be killed by an alien,we exist more as a singular species than to be divided into genders and sex. AsGoldstein herself explained in an interview, her character, Vasquez, would be chosen to “take point” on missions because her character was the most “loco.” That made her the best person for the job and “whether it’s a man or a woman it doesn’t really matter” when survival is at stake. Once again, it is a character’s traits, not their gender or sex, that allow them to lead, which is one of the reasons the Alien franchise is so universally beloved to this day. Now, when talking about Vasquez, it has to be mentioned that the character represents a whole other representation issue.Vasquez is clearlya Latinx characterbut is played by white actor Jenette Goldstein.So,Aliensreally is a two-step forward, one-step back type of situation.
There Are Still Issues With Lambert’s Transgender Reveal In ‘Aliens’
Whilst it is incredible that a trans character was even included respectfully inAliens,there are still some issues here that allude to the overall sad context of the timein whichAlienswas produced. It’s not proper representation when you have a transgender woman played by someone by a cisgender actor. (An issue that is in no way exclusive toAliens.) Whilst this is by no means Veronica Cartwright’s fault, as it does not appear thatRidley Scott ever intended for Lambert to be transwhile making the first movie, it does reveal how the nature of this character detail exposes Hollywood’s overall attitude towards trans actors and characters during this time. Lambert being trans is a tiny detail that, as previously mentioned, would never be spotted on the first few watches and was added after the fact. It alludes to an attitude wherefilmmakers wanted to be diverse, but could not give actual attention to certain minorities, such as the transgender community.
Overall, Lambert’s transgender identity shows that today’s filmmakers have not “gone woke,” as some have argued. Diversity has always been something at the forefront of creative minds.James Cameron and Ridley Scott always wanted to tell unisex stories.However, whilst individual filmmakers may have tried to be inclusive in the past, it should not be forgotten how much suffering the trans community and other minorities have had to go through for society to get to the point we are now.
Aliensis available now on Disney+.
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