Semiotic Standard

The Semiotic Standard, created on April 16, 2078, was a standardized set of universal, informational, and color-coded symbols, sometimes backlit and accompanied by an audible tone, for all commercial trans-stellar utility lifter and heavy element transport spacecraft that helped crew members and passengers safely and effectively navigate their way though a vessel.

Overview[]

In an effort to help crew and passengers safely and effectively navigate their way through commercial trans-stellar utility lifter and heavy element transport spacecrafts, the Semiotic Standard, developed in 2078, originally comprised of 31 universal, informational, and color-coded symbols to be displayed on, above, or beside objects, pressure doors, and passageways. Additionally, each symbol placed above a pressure door would be backlit and flash with an associated tone, as a visual and audible cue.

While each symbol was designed to effectively communicate information about the type of compartment one was about to enter and what materials might be contained within, each color used also corresponded to a specific condition. Red indicated an alert or warning, white and grey indicated technology like life support systems and conditions related to pressure and temperature, black indicated vacuum hazard or death, yellow indicated a harmful active molecular, atomic, or chemical processes such as exhaust, radiation, and radioactivity, blue indicated a lowered thermal condition, and green indicated non-human but organic biological substances like coffee, and locations like food storage, the galley, or the Autodoc. Cobb also noted that "All symbols should be outlined in white when they appear on dark or colored backgrounds" for maximum visibility.

Behind the scenes[]

The Semiotic Standard For All Commercial Trans-Stellar Utility Lifter and Heavy Implement Transports was originally designed by artist Ron Cobb for the 1979 film Alien where its unique, square shaped pictograms can be seen throughout the film's primary setting, the USCSS Nostromo. Soon after, Cobb redesigned the Semiotic Standard for the 1986 film Aliens, where the hexagonal shaped symbols can be seen throughout the film's primary setting, Hadley's Hope. Later iterations of Cobb's Semiotic Standard would go on the be etched across the walls and pressure doors of other notable space stations and spacecrafts such as the USCSS Prometheus, the USCSS Torrens, Sevastopol Station, and the USCSS Covenant, as well as various other locations throughout the expanded universe.

Trivia[]

USCSS Prometheus concept art semiotic standard — The Semiotic Standard as seen in concept art of the USCSS *Prometheus* by Ben Proctor.

In the novelization of the 1979 film Alien, it was mentioned that "They stopped outside of a massive door well marked with warning symbols and words," referring to the Semiotic Standard.
While Prometheus Senior Concept Artist Ben Proctor included Cobb's Semiotic Standard in his concept art of the titular ship's interior, the 2012 film included an additional, unique set of standardized, color-coded symbols of its own.
In the 2012 film, the crew of the Prometheus explored a structure of unknown origin on LV-223. While the skull carved into its apex went unnoticed, the structure itself was ultimately determined to be an extraterrestrial military installation. Similar to the Semiotic Standard's universal set of symbols, the skull, also a universal symbol, was meant to communicate danger or even death, given the aggressively transformative contents contained within.
While the 2014 video game Alien: Isolation included Cobb's Semiotic Standard, an additional, updated set of symbols, matching the design and colors associated with the original set, were created by Creative Assembly's lead UI artist, Jon McKellan, specifically for the game and can be seen throughout the USCSSS Torrens and Sevastopol Station.
Additionally, icons for the 50 PlayStation trophies and Xbox achievements that can be earned in the 2014 video game are each associated with an original, or newly designed, symbol from Cobb's Semiotic Standard. While not every newly created icon seen throughout the game appeared in the trophy/achievement list, there were also a number of icons in the trophy/achievement list did not appear in the game either.
While four of the six Alien 40th anniversary short films released in 2019 included Cobb's Semiotic Standard, the limited number of symbols used had been incorrectly placed in almost every appearance.
In the 2021 board game Alien: Fate of the Nostromo, icons from the Semiotic Standard can be found in the upper left corner of each objective card to determine where on the board the objective takes place.
In the 2023 novel Aliens: Bishop, the Chinese military's flagship vessel, Xinjiang, had "Chinese ideograms stamped on the metal, in yellow" above all its interior, five meter wide double doors. Similar to the color-coded symbols of the Semiotic Standard that were also placed above bulkhead doors and passageway entrances, "Chinese ideograms" are Chinese characters or symbols that represent an idea or object.