Predator (alien)
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The Predators, (known as the Yautja in their native tongue non-canon sources) are a fictional species featured in the movies Predator, Predator 2, Alien vs. Predator, and the soon-to-come Alien vs. Predator 2. The creature originated as the antagonist in the science fiction/action/thriller film Predator (film) as an alien monster who hunted down military commandos for sport. The creatures are most widely known for their distinctive cloaking device, which allows them to become virtually invisible.
The Predators are depicted as an extraterrestrial race whose civilization seems to revolve around the concept of hunting for sport. They are depicted as excellent hunters who travel from world to world in search of any formidable prey for no other reason than the challenge and thrill of the hunt. They then stalk and kill their prey using an arsenal of highly advanced weaponry and devices, combining highly advanced devices such as energy weapons and invisibility cloaking devices with simplistic tools such as blades and spears. The Predators collect their defeated opponents' skulls and spines as trophies. They have a long and involved history with many species they hunt, including humans and other Xenomorph animals.
While in the title movies and a few select "VS" cross-overs the Predators are normally the villain of the story, Predators are often portrayed as anti-heroes in the Aliens Versus Predator-based comic books, novels, and video games. In such instances, the Predators sometimes had occasional alliances with the human protagonists of the story in order to eliminate certain threats, such as a Xenomorph infestation.
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[edit] Biology and culture
[edit] Physiology
Physically, the Predators are extremely resilient; they can endure extreme physical trauma that would severely injure humans with only mild irritation or inconvenience; being only slightly wounded by powerful arms fire and being completely resilient to small arms fire. Predators also have effective regenerative powers, as they are able to heal from injuries relatively quickly. They also possess great physical strength in comparison to humans, giving them the ability to do things such as lift massive logs, break down walls, and throw humans like rag dolls. For creatures their size, they are remarkably agile and athletic; seen jumping vast distances, and surviving jumps and drops from high altitudes. They also seem to possess great stamina, able to cover great distances and perform continuous high-volume activity, without needing to rest often. Predators are also extremely tall, estimated to be 7-8 feet tall (2.30 m approx.).
Though they resemble humans with their humanoid body build, many features of their anatomy differ markedly from that of humans. Most notably they have four mandibles surrounding their mouths, giving them an appearance similar to that of a crab, though Michael Harrigan (Danny Glover) in the film Predator 2 noted its resemblance to other anatomy, calling it "Pussy-Face". These mandibles appear to be involved in the production of audible clicks and chirps used in communication. Other features that distinguish the Predators are a scaly skin somewhat akin to that of terrestrial reptiles, and the possession of what appear to be buoyant, spiky "dreadlocks" around their heads. In Aliens vs. Predator, a decorated Predator is seen with spiky "facial hair" on the chin and around the sides of its face. Aside from their exterior, Predators also have notably luminescent green blood. Judging from the manner in which they treated their wounds, as evidenced in Predator 2, a special medical paste (made out of porcelain, pieces of a mirror, and an unnamed liquid) was created and then applied to a freshly severed forearm. It appeared to cauterize the wound and stimulate the rapid regrowth of a layer of skin.
One detail of the Predator anatomy was seen only once in the second film when the Predator was tending to its wounds in a bathroom: Close inspection of the creature's mouth reveals the mandibles, the outer teeth and inside the mouth opening, two small very sharp-looking teeth move up and down from the bottom. The teeth looked to be similar in shape to shark teeth but were dark in colour rather than white or ivory coloured. This is the only known appearance of the inner teeth but it would suggest that if mandibles were intended to injure the prey, the outer fang like teeth to grab and hold the flesh and the inner teeth to slice it into pieces small enough to swallow.
Predator vision lies in the far infra-red region of the electromagnetic spectrum, thermal vision; this is enhanced by the masks the Predators wear. When this mask is removed, the Predator experiences much-reduced quality of vision, manifested in a reduced ability to discern contrasts in temperatures. When a Predator is wearing its facial mask, the mask has the capability to filter out any ambient temperatures that are not coming from another creature’s body heat, thus making it easier for a Predator to see its prey. When the mask is taken off however, the Predator sees all sources of heat, not just body heat, and it therefore is harder for it to see its prey.
In Predator 2, after Michael Harrigan removed the Predator's mask, it is seen using a breathing apparatus. Specifically what this apparatus was used for is unknown. Either Predators do not survive by breathing the air readily available on Earth, but are able to hold their breath for long durations of time and sometimes prefer not to breathe while in battle or this particular Predator suffered from a respiratory disease. A possible theory was that the gunshot wounds experienced from Harrigan's shotgun had complicated the Predator’s breathing, which caused the need for the apparatus.
[edit] Homeworld
Nearly no information is given about the Predator homeworld in the films. A hint about the Predator homeworld provided by both Predator films is that the Predators only hunt on Earth during the hottest years (this is remarked upon by one of the human characters in the first film). This would suggest a homeworld much warmer than the current climate of the Earth. Aside from this no information is even hinted at their homeworld in the movies.
[edit] Social information/Honour
In the Predator movies, the Predator society is not depicted. It is kept a mystery, but it is hinted that their entire society revolves around hunting for pleasure. In Predator 2, it shows that they have hunted humans and Xenomorphs, among other species.
In the movies, the Predators are displayed as not having an honour system, but rather they have a sense of sportsmanship and rules of hunts. Not to be confused with honour, Predators will not usually kill any opponent which is not a threat, such as the unarmed and weak. In Predator 2, one Predator aims his plasma cannon at the head of a child that has a gun, but relents when a scan identifies the gun as a toy. Later, the same Predator scans a female victim, and upon discovering a fetus within her, spares her life. Predators generally only consider a human worthy prey when the human is carrying a gun or a bladed weapon, as when the Predator in Los Angeles slaughtered a subway full of armed commuters and gang members, but they are still able to identify when the weapon is no threat. This was due to them being poor sport rather than a sense of ethics.
After slaying the protagonist Predator, in Predator 2, Michael encounters several more Predators. He expects that they will kill him, but instead carry away the body of their fallen comrade. One Predator stays behind to give Michael a pistol from 1712. It is most likely that Michael had proved himself to the Predators and was rewarded for his fighting.
[edit] Armour
[edit] Mask
The Predators are a highly technologically advanced species, evident by their capacity for interstellar travel and vast array of weapons and equipment. One example of this technology is the mask that they routinely wear. This provides them with a breathable mixture of gases, multiple vision modes and some diagnostic capabilities, as well as serving as protection for their heads. Various mask types are used by the Predators; the variation in design seems to result from individual preference rather than necessity.
The Predator's mask has many different vision modes available to its user. The most notable of these is an enhanced thermal vision that greatly increases the contrast between objects from the Predator's natural sight (See Vision), as seen in the first movie when the Predator removes its mask. In the second movie, the Predator switches between multiple spectral modes when it finds itself under attack from opponents who are wearing thermal camouflage. In Aliens vs. Predator, the Predator again has multiple vision modes, the two it uses primarily are the thermal vision for tracking humans and an "alien vision" it uses to detect Xenomorphs (In the film Aliens it was established that Xenomorphs are not visible using thermal vision). Additional vision modes are available to determine the health condition of targets, as seen in the film Alien vs. Predator when a Predator uses a vision mode on an old man and decides the man is too sickly to be worthy prey. The mask also includes a laser target designator for the shoulder mounted Plasmacaster, and is also capable of magnifying things, so the predator can see over great distances.
In the Aliens vs. Predator PC games, the Predator has four vision modes, regular vision (to fit in with the first-person shooter genre), thermal (spotting regular beings like humans), electric (gives a red background, used spotting Xenomorphs by their white outline), and Predator vision (gives a bright green background, helps spot other Predators by a white body, and other Predator-related technology such as smart discs).
[edit] Cloaking device
Other equipment includes a cloaking device to provide active camouflage, bending light around the wearer and projecting a semi-transparent image in front of the Predator making them virtually invisible. The technology is also used for their ships to hide them when moving within enemy territories. However, this is rendered inoperable when exposed to water. Also, this cloaking device is rendered somewhat ineffective when facing Xenomorphs, as the Xenommorphs seem to be able to see Predators despite being cloaked invisible, as seen in Alien vs. Predator when a camouflaged predator is impaled through the chest by a Xenomorphs tail. Predators usually hunt in hot weather, so when seen in active camouflage the human may think it is heat or his imagination.
[edit] Weapons
Predator weaponry includes but is not limited to, Smartdiscs, throwing blades, Combi Stick (part axe, part spear), Netgun (for immobilizing and/or killing prey), Wrist blades (for hand-to-hand combat), a shoulder-mounted and a hand held Plasmacaster (energy projection weapon). It is likely that the difference in weapons between the various movies and games is more an indication of preference than anything else. It's never been officially stated that they have specific reasons for using certain weapons.
[edit] Plasmacaster
The Plasmacaster (also known as the "tri-cannon" and sometimes "shoulder cannon"), is a shoulder-mounted cannon with a targeting system tied directly to the Predator's helmet. A three dot laser sight is used to show the Predator where the shot will go. The Plasmacaster will automatically lock on. It fires a bright blue pulse of energy in a straight line, and the shot can burn through flesh, wood, and metal. The predator can control how much power is used in each shot from the caster. In the movies, the Predator was able to fire the Plasmacaster while using his cloaking shield generator.
There are also many different types of Plasmacasters, ranging from ones that fire yellow, lower powered sparkles of light (as seen in Predator 2), Plasmacasters with laser systems built in (as seen in Predator 2), and they come in at least three different sizes (As seen in Alien vs. Predator).
[edit] Wrist blades
Wrist blades are retractable twin blades built into the gauntlet mounted on the Predators forearm which consist of a series of backward-pointing barbs. They are primarily used as a stabbing weapon, but also make effective slashing weapons. The blades can be rotated to face away from the user, making a backward slash more effective. A stab from the backwards-facing blades is frequently used as a killing blow. In Aliens vs. Predator, the gauntlet in which the Wrist blades are built into could shoot the Wrist Blades out of the gauntlet at a foe. In the computer game Aliens Versus Predator 2, a medical report of a scientist attempting to study a Predator indicated that the gauntlets in which the wrist blades were mounted was grafted to the Predator's arms and attempts at surgical removal produced cardiac arrest in the Predator being studied. The researcher further goes on to speculate that the cardiac arrest may be the result of an anti-tampering mechanism and comments, "What kind of society would rather have its warriors die than be disarmed?"
[edit] Combi Stick
In the movies the Combi Stick closely resembles a spear. It has the ability to cut through many materials such as body armour, steel, and quite obviously, human prey. The Combi Sticks are also telescopic, meaning that they have the ability to shrink their size down to a more convenient size for transport when they are not in use.
[edit] Smartdisc
The Smartdisc (also known as throwing disc or “disc”) is an extremely sharp circular weapon that is thrown like a discus and returns to the user like a boomerang. This presumably indicates that they have some sort of internal propulsion system. It is extremely powerful, as it is seen as capable of cutting through half a dozen cattle carcasses then a grown man in Predator 2 without even any effort. It is capable of cutting through the predator net, as shown in Predator 2.
It is stated in the video game Aliens versus Predator: Extinction that the disc is mentally controlled by the Predator, with Predators who train their mental capacity are able to do this. Also In the first-person-shooter Aliens vs. Predator games, the Disc had a homing device when used in conjunction with an appropriate vision mode, and could retract it at will. Whether these are the cases in the movies has never been stated.
[edit] Netgun
There are apparently two versions of the Predator Netgun. The first is seen in Predator 2, where it is a gun-like weapon that, after being removed from its holster mounted on the Predators leg, fires a man-sized net at its target, who is violently thrown up against the nearest surface such as a wall, and pinned against it, trapped. The net then also seems to begin to constrict itself and cut apart the trapped individual inside.
A second version of the Netgun was seen in the movie Alien vs. Predator, where it is seen to be not a hand held gun, but rather a smaller version mounted on the Predators wrist gauntlet.
In the PC game Aliens Versus Predator 2, the Net only traps the victim for the sake of balancing gameplay. As a result, the victims must cut their way out with either a knife (when playing as a human), or claws (when playing as a Predator or Alien).
[edit] Self-destruct device
Each Predator carries a self-destruct device mounted on their wrist computer. Once activated, this device starts off a countdown, red LEDs in the Predator's gauntlet serving as a warning. After a short delay, the device sets off a large-scale explosion, and is normally used as a final resort when a Predator's defeat is guaranteed. The self-destruct device appears to be nuclear or anti-matter based in nature, capable of destroying everything within 300 city blocks, perhaps in an attempt to destroy the victorious elements while committing honourable suicide.
[edit] Medicomp
The medicomp is actually not a weapon. It is a small case that contains various medical equipments should the Predator ever be injured. One of the medical gadgets in it is like a spike with a handle and has a material like plasma in it. It also contains a burner and a vial of liquid that when mixed with other materials (in Predator 2, Predator uses broken glass and wall-tile fragments), creates a compound similar to rubbing alcohol. It can be used to heal almost any mortal or minor injury or wound a Predator may have.
[edit] Other Weapons
Other Weapons briefly seen in the Predator films are.
- A "Spear Gun" which fires a small metal blade at a high velocity. The blade is said too look like a "Spear Tip". This weapon was briefly seen in the film. The Spear gun shots the spear at such a high velocity,it completely elimates the need for leading Predator 2, and is available in the Aliens versus Predator PC games.
- A projectile weapon seen in Predator 2 which fires a small missile off the Predators left wrist gauntlet.
- A Shuriken as seen in Alien vs. Predator, which behaves much like the Smartdisc.
- A Barbed Wire as seen in as seen in Alien vs. Predator which is used to choke its victims.
[edit] Appearances in film and print
[edit] Movie appearances
- Predator (1987) — Directed by John McTiernan
- Predator 2 (1990) — Directed by Stephen Hopkins
- Alien vs. Predator (2004) — Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson
- Alien vs. Predator: Survival of the Fittest (2007) - Directed by Brothers Strause
[edit] Design of the hunter
The design of the Predator, especially that of their mouthparts, was a suggestion from James Cameron. While flying to Japan with Cameron, Stan Winston, who had been hired to design the Predator, was doing concept art on the flight. Cameron saw what he was drawing and said "I always wanted to see something with mandibles". Winston then included them in his designs.
Stan Winston's studio created all of the physical effects for Predator 1 & 2, creating the body suit for actor Kevin Peter Hall and the mechanical facial effects. They were hired after attempts to create a convincing monster (including Jean-Claude Van Damme wearing a much different body suit) had failed. Arnold Schwarzenegger recommended Winston after his experience working on The Terminator.
[edit] Special effects and creature evolution
The Predator's blood was originally made from a combination of the liquid out of glow sticks mixed with KY jelly. The mixture would dry up quickly, so on set new batches had to be quickly made between takes. The technique is still used.
The interesting and inventive camouflage effect was designed by R/Greenberg Associates, under the direction of Joel Hynek. The idea for the effect came in a dream one of the Thomas brothers (who wrote the film) had in which there was a chrome man who was inside a reflective sphere. The man blended in, perfectly camouflaged, reflecting from all directions and only visible when in motion. It took quite a while before they figured out how to do it, which was basically an image repeated in a pattern of ripples in the shape of the Predator's body. It proved very effective and was a new way of presenting an "invisible man." Before there was digital technology all of the camouflage was done optically using photo-chemical means. This meant that you would never get the same result twice from combining the pieces of film.
After the original movies, Amalgamated Dynamics took over from Stan Winston Studio in creating the props for the Predators in the AVP movie and a number of effects houses worked on the various other effects. The design of the Predator and its attributes including the cloaking technology and self destruct device have changed over the years because of the advances in effects technology and will surely continue to vary in design in coming years.
[edit] Film portrayals
Kevin Peter Hall played the Predator in the first and second movies (though originally Jean-Claude Van Damme was slated to play the creature), having been in many suits before that including Harry and the Hendersons. He was trained in the art of mime and used many tribal dance moves in his performance, such as during the fight between Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Predator at the end of the first movie. In Predator 2 according to a "making of" featurette, Danny Glover suggested the Lakers to be the other Predators because Glover himself was a big fan. Fortunately, Kevin Peter Hall persuaded some of the Lakers to play background Predators because they couldn't find anyone on short notice. Sadly, he died not long after Predator 2 was released in theatres.
In AVP, basketball player Ian Whyte took over as the man in the Predator suit, having been a fan of comics and the Predator movies he came to the role with vigour, knowing what kinds of dramatic poses would be needed for the film.
[edit] Spin-offs
There has been a number of spin-offs in a range of media:
- Novels
- Comic books
- Video games including Predator: Concrete Jungle
[edit] Crossovers
Since Predator, the Predators have appeared in many crossovers (including a large number of intercompany crossovers) in comic books and other media such as novels and video games.
The largest of these crossovers is the Alien vs. Predator franchise, in which the Predators hunt the Xenomorph. This was an idea that came to comic book artist Chris Warner in early 1989 when he had a bathroom break. He and other people at Dark Horse Comics were trying to come up with a good character combo for a new comics series. Dark Horse had been publishing Aliens comic book under license from 20th Century Fox since 1987 and Warner thought:
- "Aliens is Fox, Predator is Fox, why don't we just cross those guys over?"
Immediately Dark Horse head publisher Mike Richardson phoned the head of Fox licensing Pam North with their idea. He was expecting a long negotiating session but her response was said to be immediate:
- "Aliens vs. Predator? Like King Kong vs. Godzilla? Cool! Let's rock 'n' roll!"
The deal that brought the two characters together was credited as "Deal of the Year" by Capital City Distributors, even though it only took a few phone calls (a fact Dark Horse somehow neglected to contradict).
The Aliens vs. Predator, released in 2004 with director Paul W. S. Anderson at the helm, incorporates several elements from the comic books although it had a completely different story from them.
As well as Alien-franchise cross-overs, there have also been many other comic book crossovers with Superman, Judge Dredd, Tarzan and Batman. In the comic Aliens vs. Predator vs. The Terminator they are also shown as a force of balance on a cosmic level, working to stop a flood of Terminator androids from decimating the population of the galaxy.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Predator: Special Edition
- Alien Loves Predator- online comics
- Predator collectibles & kit guide
- Dateline NBC: To catch a predator spoof, featuring the predator
