Monday, January 10, 2011

Q&A: Sigourney Weaver on Why Aliens Rule

Illustration: Kevin Wada
Illustration: Kevin Wada

From Wired:

Three decades ago Sigourney Weaver blew an alien out of an airlock. She’s been a voice of authority on cargo loaders, hypersleep, and xenomorph dismemberment ever since. She has even moved from planet LV-426 to Pandora and added Na’vi body transference to her résumé. Who better to offer insight and bust some myths about extraterrestrials? 
Would aliens ever really say “Take me to your leader”? I don’t think they’re interested in communicating with us. Where did that even come from? 
Are aliens superior to the human race? The impression I get is that humans—because we have no real strength or skill—are very caught up in technology to make ourselves more powerful, whereas aliens have inherent talents that they use to overwhelm us. 
What about aliens with superior tech? Aliens don’t make the mistake of relying too much on technology. They have other interests. That’s not true in the whole body of science fiction. There are many aliens who end up losing because their brains are too big. 
Would xenomorphs survive on Pandora? It would depend on whether they could reproduce in a Na’vi body. The “alien” goes to Pandora! I’ve never even thought of it. 
Which is more deadly, corporate greed or acid blood? I would say, definitely, that the worldview of corporate greed—sacrificing everything for shareholder interests or an edge in competition—has become more prevalent since we made the first Alien. You only have to read the papers to see profits put ahead of humans and other species on the planet. Corporations are much more dangerous than the individual alien."

The interview's not all that great, honestly, but Sigourney Weaver is one of the biggest badasses going, and the picture is fantastic, so I couldn't resist. Oh, and aliens do, of course, rule.

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