Paul Van Leuwen

"There have been people there for over twenty years, and they never complained about any hostile organism."

―Van Leuwen (from Aliens)

Paul Van Leuwen
Biographical Information
Nationality	American
Rank	Chairman
Affiliation	Interstellar Commerce Commission
Status	Alive as of 2183
Physical Description
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Hair color	Dark brown (graying)
Eye color	Blue
Other Information
Notable facts	Revoked Ellen Ripley's flight license.
Portrayed by	Paul Maxwell William Roberts

Paul Van Leuwen was the chairman of the Interstellar Commerce Commission tribunal held in 2179 that reviewed the destruction of the USCSS Nostromo 57 years previously. Van Leuwen came to consider Ellen Ripley's judgement in the ship's destruction "questionable" and subsequently suspended her flight status.

Biography

Nostromo inquiry

"The analysis team, which went over the lifeboat centimeter by centimeter, found no physical evidence of the creature you describe."

―Van Leuwen challenging Ellen Ripley's claims (from Aliens)

As of 2179, Paul Van Leuwen headed up the executive board of the Interstellar Commerce Commission, serving as Chairman. In that year, Van Leuwen and the ICC board interviewed former USCSS Nostromo crewmember Ripley aboard Gateway Station in order to ascertain what had caused her to destroy the Nostromo by self-destruct. After hearing Ripley's testimony for several hours, and despite acknowledging that the Nostromo had indeed set down on the moon LV-426, Van Leuwen ultimately dismissed her assertions that a hostile organism had been responsible for her actions, citing the fact that no trace of the creature could be found anywhere on the shuttlecraft Narcissus, on which Ripley had escaped the Nostromo. Despite the huge loss of investment the destruction of the Nostromo represented, Van Leuwen decided not to press criminal charges against Ripley. However, owing to her erratic behavior during the tribunal, he revoked her flight status and committed her to several months of psychiatric evaluations.

Following the tribunal, Van Leuwen casually explained to Ripley that another reason he had rejected her claims was that the colony of Hadley's Hope had been set up on LV–426 for more than twenty years, and that the colonists there had not discovered anything like the creature Ripley described.

Hadley's Hope inquiry

In 2180, following a Xenomorph outbreak at Hadley's Hope, Van Leuwen launched another inquiry into the colony's loss. His work frequently took him to Anchorpoint Station as the investigations proceeded; they were ongoing as of 2183.

Appearances

• Aliens/novel
• Alien: River of Pain/audio drama
• Alien: The Cold Forge (mentioned only)
• Alien: The Roleplaying Game