Ancient Citizens

"There you are. I suppose you've met the owners of these premises? There's so much we could learn from them, just by walking those galleries..."

―Synthetic Marlow , regarding the Ancient Citizens

Ancient Citizens
Physical Description
Height	+12' (+365 cm)
Distinctions	Lack of legs Jawless heads Grown from Xeno City
Other Information
Homeworld	Lethe
Other names	Ancients

The Ancient Citizens were a mysterious alien race discovered on Lethe, deep underground in Xeno City.

Characteristics

Little is known about the mysterious Ancients. They're supposedly grown from the city walls and are one living organism with the biomechanical city. Based on the skeletal remains found in the city, the Ancients were humanoid in appearance, and massive in size, with encrusted bodies, elongated heads, and two thin arms. They lacked fully developed jaws and legs and had large pelvis bones. Many tubes were fusing into their bodies with one tube running across their chests and into their jawless mouths.

History

The actual origin, history, and role of these creatures is unknown. Thought just a speculation, at some point in history long before the human settlement on Lethe, the Ancients either bred the Xenomorphs for specific purposes, or their moon fell victim to a rival species and the Xeno City succumbed to the infestation of Xenomorphs who adapted to their morphology.

One of the Citizens of the Xeno City was subdued by a large facehugger variant, impregnated with a chestburster and was killed when the creature erupted from its chest. It's unknown what events unfolded following Titan's birth, all other Citizens of the Xeno City died out.

Discovery

Almost a millennia later, the Xeno City was uncovered by miners and was researched by Marlow who became obsessed with the mysterious biomechanical city and its long-deceased inhabitants.

"So... This used to live in that city?"
"Probably... See it's chest? This was a host for one of those creatures."

― Stern and Maeko upon finding deceased Ancient Citizen

In 2198, a group of Colonial Marines went into the Xeno City in search of Harper's daughter Cassandra. During their search, they came across many fossilized skeletal remains of the Ancients on the city walls and pillars. The group found Cassandra when out of nowhere they were attacked by a massive Xenomorph that was born from one of the Ancient Citizens. Titan killed Stern and Martinez before charging at Maeko and Cassandra. With the help of Harper, Maeko, and Cassandra managed to escape the massive Xenomorph and the Xeno City. The following nuclear blasts most likely destroyed the City along with the remains of the Ancients.

Behind the scenes

According to the concept artist Richard Masa, Ancient Citizens are an homage to the Pilot from Alien (1979) meant to evoke the same feel of the original's mystique whilst coexisting with The Engineers. They're supposed to symbolize "a kind of majestic organism and at the same time a kind of slavery to the ancient alien society".

Appearances

• Aliens: Dark Descent (corpses)

Gallery

Screenshots

Concepts

Close up

Ancient Citizens by Benjamin Odonne

3D concept sculpt by Richard Masa

Size comparison