When Does "Aliens" (1986) Take Place?
"Aliens" is a science fiction horror film written by James Cameron with David Giler and Walter Hill that released July 18th, 1986. So when is "Aliens" set?
It takes place on the fictional Alien vs. Predator timeline in the year:
We know this because Carter Burke says to Ellen Ripley, "It's just natural side effects of such an unusually long hypersleep, or something like that." and when Ripley asks, "How long? Please.", Burke responds, "57 years." and then, soon after, "That's the thing. You were out there for 57 years." Presumably, Burke means this is the time that has passed since the last time audiences saw Ripley in "ALIEN" (1979), which takes place in 2122 AD.
2179 AD
We know this because Carter Burke says to Ellen Ripley, "It's just natural side effects of such an unusually long hypersleep, or something like that." and when Ripley asks, "How long? Please.", Burke responds, "57 years." and then, soon after, "That's the thing. You were out there for 57 years." Presumably, Burke means this is the time that has passed since the last time audiences saw Ripley in "ALIEN" (1979), which takes place in 2122 AD.
2,122 + 57 = 2,179.
It is a midway chronological film in the Alien vs. Predator timeline (the chronological sixth film to feature an alien xenomorph and the second to feature Ellen Ripley) and can be watched either at its timeline point or entirely separately.
It was adapted to prose in early 1986, as a video game in late 1986 titled "Aliens: The Computer Game", another video game in 1987 also called "Aliens: The Computer Game", a third game in 1987, and a fourth in 1990, it was then loosely adapted to comics in 1992.
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There is a different "extended" cut of the movie with deleted scenes replaced first released on broadcast television in 1989 and then another different cut first released on LaserDisc in 1991.
