Predalien
From AvP Online Encyclopedia
Since the earliest Aliens vs Predator comics, the idea to combine the two into one super-Alien has been in people's minds. AvP: Duel was the first piece of media to actually feature the hybrid. With the advent of Alien3 and the creation of the DNA Reflex Theory, the likelihood of a Predator and Alien hybrid, commonly called a Predalien, became more and more possible if another feature film came along. With the release of Alien vs Predator and then AvP - Requiem, the Predalien became a canonical creature.
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Canonical Information
Though it was always expected, the Predalien in Paul W.S Anderson's Alien vs Predator movie didn't make its appearance until the final scene of the movie. While on a ritual hunt, a Predator known as Scar was face-hugged after branding himself with the blood of his first Alien kill. During that brief moment of vulnerability, a Facehugger latched onto his face. Although he completed his trial and was eventually killed by the Alien Queen, the embryo inside him survived.
While his body laid to rest on an altar in the Predator ship and the Predators busied themselves for another hunt, the Predalien emerged ( Alien vs Predator). Escaping into the depths of the ship the Predalien molts and grows. It gets a little ambiguous here due to the editing of the movie, but in the uncut version the PredAlien actually sneaks onto a Predator Scout ship that disengages from the Mothership as it passes Jupiter. After it has fully grown, the Predalien attacks the Predator crew and during the fight, the Scout ship is damaged and crashes onto Earth.
Along with several other Facehuggers, the Predalien escapes into the forest surrounding Gunnison, where they attempt to set up a hive in the sewer system. When a Warrior attempts to kill a homeless women, the PredAlien asserts herself and smacks the Warrior away preventing it from killing a potential host. the PredAlien then displays her new reproductive system. After an investigative Predator intrudes in the sewers, a fight ensues and the Predalien and her fellow Aliens escape.
- continue description of AvPR*
Appearance
As a hybrid of an Alien and a Predator, the Predalien has physical features reminiscent of a Predator. The most obvious of these features are the dreadlocks and mandibles. Although the practical purpose of the dreadlocks is unknown - from a design standpoint, the idea was to use the dreadlocks as a way to make it more obvious to the general audience that this was a crossbreed - they have a more Alien appearance to them. Rather than being fleshy tubes like on a Predator, they appear to be more segmented and ridged, somewhat like an Alien tail and Chet's cowl.
The mandibles however serve a practical purpose. They are used for similar reasons such as the eight finger-like digits on a Facehugger. The Predalien clamps down on it's victims head and uses the mandibles to hold the host's head secure. It has an enlarged tongue/internal mouth - also with mandibles - which is possibly an evolutionary advantage because it allows the Predalien to go deeper within a victim to implant the embryo.
From the front, the Predalien would seem to show more Predator attributes than Alien. It has a more muscular physique than any other Alien previously encountered. It would appear that the Predalien actually possesses pecks as well as muscular biceps. The skin tones also varies. The chest, shoulder and thigh areas all have a Predator style skin tone - yellows, mottled black spots and etc while the back seems more Alien like. The back of the Predalien is black and features the dorsal tubing that are found on the LV426 variety of Aliens. The bottom of the leg has a more biomechanical appearance than the Predator bred Xenomorphs encountered in Antarctica and Gunnison.
Another interesting feature of the Predalien is it's transparent cowl. This is a feature that wouldn't be encountered again until the Nostromo incident. However, unlike the Alien encountered then, only a small portion of the Predalien's cowl is transparent as opposed to the whole head. Underneath the cowl you can see Predator skull - just like a human skull could be seen in the aforementioned Alien. The exact reasoning behind these skulls or transparency is unknown but some theorize it is to do with age.
Also of interest is it's Queen-like carapace. According to the directors Brothers Strause, the reasoning behind this was because Chet is a young Queen but they have contradicting themselves before by saying the new reproductive cycle is exclusive to Predaliens. It maybe extra protection due to the fact that the Predaliens, or the only one encountered so far, can actually breed and as such are in need of the extra protection of a more protective carapace.
Reproduction
The Predalien encountered in Gunnison showcased a method of reproduction as rare as the egg morphing method. The Predalien is capable of impregnating hosts without any eggs or facehuggers. The Predalien itself is essentially one giant facehugger. Using its mandibles, it clamps down onto a hosts face and uses an abnormally long tongue - at least for an Alien - to deposit embryos into the host.
However, the only witnessed results of this method of impregnation have been via pregnant women. Instead of being laid in the chest and bursting their way out, it results in a cluster of chest-bursters being grown in the stomach, or quite possibly the womb. Given the various theories that ADI came up with, it's quite possible that the Alien embryos replaced the human babies. The prenatal matter might be used to expedite the growth of the Aliens. Another curious thing about this variation on Alien procreation is the speed in which the embryos grow. Though the exact time frame is unknown, it's safe to say that it happened within a ten minute period.
Now the reasoning behind this variation on the existing life cycle is unknown. It's never actually discovered the reasoning behind the change in the reproductive method but there are a few theories. One is that the variation was caused by a Predator being the host. Some consider the Predator to have stronger DNA which resulted in more mutation in the Alien. It is believed that the change could have been influenced by the Predator's own reproductive method. Source - Alien Experience Interview
Another possible theory is that the Predalien is actually in an intermittent stage between Drone and Queen. Since the Predalien displays a similar crest to the Queen, it is quite possible that Chet is actually a Praetorian but due to being hosted by a Predator, its appearance is very different to those seen.(EU) If this is the case, the reproductive method as used by the Predalien would be temporary, lasting only until she had grown to maturity and was capable of producing and laying her own eggs. Source - AvPGalaxy Forums
DNA Assimilation
Design
Expanded Universe
Comic Appearances
The Predalien made it's debut
AvP Duel
When a Marine ship picks up a distress signal from a downed Predator ship, they're led to Ryushi, a rock of a planet. An investigation of the crashed Predator ship finds the marines rescuing a lone Predator survivor. Finding themselves in the middle of the Aliens and Predators, the marines bail out and escape in their ATV. After sometime the Predator begins to convulse and gives birth of an Alien.
Before they get the chance to kill the newly born Predalien, a Predator attack allows the hybrid chest-burster to escape. The marines soon find refuge in the ruins of the old ranching colony. Sometime after sun down, the Predalien attacks, decimating the Marine squad. Only with the help of an intervening Predator allows for the destruction of the hybrid.
Even in the heat of battle, the marines were able to tell that the creature was a blend of the Predators, or XTs as they referred to them, and the Aliens. Even during the chestburster stage, the Predalien was showing certain physical traits that it inherited from the Predator host. The chestburster had swept back spikes, somewhat akin to the dreadlocks but they swept back over the head. These spikes were also present in the adult stage in which they formed the standard head shape that are associated with the Xenomorphs.
Another characteristic of the Predator that the newborn stage showed was mandibles. However, in the chestburster stage the mandibles were more like blades attached to its face. In the adult form, the mandibles resembled something more akin to Predator mandibles. The hybrid also appeared to be larger and more armored than the standard warriors.
Other Comic Appearances
Game Appearances
Aliens vs Predator 1(Game)
Hidden deep in the vaults of Area 52 with pens of Aliens to experiment with, Weyland-Yutani came upon a number of injured Predators.
