How on Earth did this happen? We neglected to add Ellen Ripley to the annals of the Honorary Oakley. She certainly fits all of the criteria for being here, she’s kick ass, she’s a woman and she’s got loads of great characteristics. We’ll concentrate on the true Ripley here, the character portrayed in the movies ALIEN and ALIENS, we’ll forget the butchering the character took in the movies following that era because quite frankly they were a bit of a joke. We’re looking at Ripley, the real deal.

Ripley: A Quick Bio. Name: Ellen Ripley Date of Birth: January 7th 2092 Children: Amanda Ripley Maclaren (Born 24th June 2111 Rank: Warrant Officer / Flight Officer (Start Date: 2122)

Nostromo… In 2122 Ripley working on the USCSS Nostromo, an ore transport ship that was bringing ore back to Earth from Thedus (an ore rich planet). Ripley was Warrant Officer onboard and under the employ of Weyland Yutani Corporation. The Nostromo was going to end up being one of Ripley’s living nightmares as it is sent to planet LV-426 to check on a distress call. Members of the crew go outside to check on it only for them to return onboard (without Ripley’s permission), one of them sporting an alien parasite. The parasite grows and eventually wipes out the crew; all save for Ripley and Jones the cat, who escapes miraculously after Ripley Jettisons the Alien creature out of the ship.

Ripley is a Man Man…
The character of Ripley was not intended for a woman, it was written with a man in mind, but Ridley Scott had other ideas and he created an iconic female hero that Ripley is known as today. Had the character of Ripley been played by a man the overarching story of the ALIEN saga would have been detrimentally changed forever, but none of us would know obviously. Still elements that made ALIEN and ALIENS so strong on an emotional level would have been lost if the character had been portrayed as a man. The theme of mother / daughter plays a large part of the film ALIENS as Ripley deals with the loss of her own child to old age and the emergence of the Newt character in need of a carer figure.

Wakey Wakey Sleep Girl….
After the destruction of the Nostromo by Ripley’s hand at the end of the ALIEN movie Ripley places herself and Jones the cat in hyper sleep thinking she’ll be picked up by passing traffic, however she finds her escape ship missing the traffic she’d hope would find her and takes a 57 year trip until a salvage team find the craft and bring it back to Gateway Station. Although she went to sleep in the year 2122, Ripley awakens to find it’s now the year 2179, her only child; Amanda Ripley had died 2 years previous in 2177 at the age of just 67.

Close Your Eyes Baby…
Ellen Ripley is a brilliant, strong, female character in ALIEN and ALIENS and that is why we celebrate her for the Month of October 2005. Her strength of character and will are just what the ladies of the Honorary Oakley are about, she’s timeless in her courage and commitment. Ellen Ripley… We Salute you! That is why Ellen Ripley is he Honorary Oakley for the Month of October 2005.