A type of Facehugger was artificially created by researchers aboard the Weyland-Yutani Corporation space station Renaissance. The variant was distinguished from the typical Xenomorph Facehugger by a number of unique features, including barbs on its fingers. In 2142, several specimens were encountered on the Renaissance by a group of scavengers from Jackson's Star.
Appearance[]
These facehuggers almost resembled their template, possessing eight finger-like limbs and appendages such as the tail and proboscis in the same parts of its body as the latter. That said, they sported some noticable differences, they possessed a different color scheme, being different shades of brown as opposed to being beige and tan that is seen in regular facehuggers.
Their bone structure and segments seemed to be distorted despite sharing the same shape, the legs are visibly thicker with each digit ended with sharp barbs that made the creatures more difficult to remove without tearing the host's scalp. The tail was smoother in texture and was not as segemented or otherwise as textured as the tail on a regular faceugger.
Creation[]
Instead of gestating within an Ovomorph, Renaissance's facehuggers were artificially bred via the research station's "genetic printer" which was operated by its state-of-the-art computer. While the mechanics of such computer remained to be revealed, it's likely a form of experimental cloning technique.
Characteristics[]
Renaissance's facehuggers inherited many of their template's attributes, such as exceptional strength for its size and incredible agility that was sufficient to chase and subdue potential hosts.
The aforementioned barbs on its digits made it more challenging to remove the creature from a host without lacerating them.
The facehuggers also proved to be persistent and cunning in chasing potential hosts, moving around or breaking through obstacles such as a glass door in their path while chasing them alone or in droves. They also hunted for hosts throughout the station, following where the survivors went.
While it is currently unknown about the exact sensory capabilities of regular facehuggers, these variants were stated to be attracted to heat, noise and sweat. This made them blind to anyone who would be able to remain calm and match their body heat to their ambient surroundings.
Subduing a host[]
As with regular facehuggers, Renaissances facehuggers utilized their strong digits to grip a host and then used their tail in conjunction of presumably a paralytic chemical in order to subdue a host and implant them with a mutagenic substance that would become a chestburster.
Since only one instance of a Renaissance facehugger subduing a host has been observed, it is unknown if they actually do render the host unconscious with a paralytic or simply through strangulation as Rain Carradine had stated that the facehugger on Navarro was choking her, however during this incident the facehugger was under threat of being removed.
Implantation Process[]
The facehugger uses the same methods of implantion as its other variants: The use of a proboscis which is inserted into the host's mouth to both provide oxygen and administer what is described as Plagiarus praepotens which formed a chestburster embryo in conjunction of the host's DNA. The implantation speed seemed to be faster than a regular facehugger, yet not as fast as David 8's iteration from Planet 4.
Removal[]
The procedure to remove Renaissance's facehuggers once attached to a host was no less difficult than their mainstream counterpart. Even the combined efforts of Bjorn, Tyler and Navarro failed to remove it through strength alone. However, it is unknown if they would have succeeded if they had continued their efforts, as they stopped trying to remove it when the facehugger continued to constrict its tail.
Other methods proved to be more successful at removing the facehugger, which required the use of a cryogenic fuel to freeze the root of the facehugger's tail so that it would be inert and unable to constrict its tail.
While Bjorn and Tyler managed to remove the facehugger from her face, the synthetic science officer Rook estimated a 60% chance of it having successfully impregnated her due to it being attached long enough to do so. As calculated by Rook, Navarro was eventually killed upon the maturation of chestburster inside her.
Trivia[]
- The facehuggers in Alien: Romulus were mentioned by Fede Alvarez to have a good reason for the change in appearance. The reason being that they are an artificial recreation that is being created by a "genetic printer". This can be glimpsed in the final trailer.
- The facehugger's appearances bares a resemblences to the Royal Facehugger, due to its colouration, the main difference being the lack of webbed digits.
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