What was the name of the spaceship in "Aliens"?

When "Aliens" hit theaters in 1986, James Cameron took everything terrifying about the original "Alien" and multiplied it. Sigourney Weaver's return as Ellen Ripley earned her an Oscar nomination, while a new military spacecraft carried her and a squad of Marines toward their date with xenomorph destiny. But what was this iconic vessel's name?

Click below to answer.

Or scroll past the quiz to reveal the answer!

Reveal answer and learn more:

▼

The answer is: USS Sulaco

In "Aliens," the USS Sulaco sliced through space like a knife – which was exactly the point. Production designer Syd Mead crafted the ship's blade-like profile to embody military efficiency, a far cry from the industrial clunker Nostromo from the first film.

The name itself comes from Joseph Conrad's "Nostromo," where Sulaco is a fictional port town. Cameron, a Conrad fan, maintained the literary connection after the first film borrowed "Nostromo" from the same novel. It's a delicious bit of symmetry, considering both stories deal with corporations exploiting distant corners of the world (or in this case, galaxy).

Unlike the commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, the Sulaco was a Conestoga-class military transport, designed to deliver Colonial Marines to wherever humanity needed a heavy dose of firepower. The ship's sparse, utilitarian design reflected its mission – no creature comforts here, just gun racks and cryo tubes.

The Sulaco's internal layout became a character itself during the film's third act. Those familiar service tunnels where Ripley pursued the alien queen weren't just set dressing – they established the ship as a maze-like battleground where every shadow could hide death. The vessel's cold, military precision made the perfect backdrop for a showdown between two mothers protecting their families: Ripley defending Newt, and the alien queen guarding her eggs.

Some fans have noted that the Sulaco's designation as a "USS" vessel suggests the American military somehow survived into the 22nd century. Cameron never addressed this directly, though the film's allegory about Vietnam-era military hubris probably benefited from the familiar abbreviation.

The Sulaco met its end in "Alien 3," but like the Nostromo before it, this ship transcended its role as mere transportation to become a crucial part of the franchise's DNA. In a series about the horrors lurking in deep space, the Sulaco represented humanity's arrogant belief that enough guns and armor could keep the darkness at bay. The ship's fate proved otherwise.