Colonial Marine lore focuses on the soldiers sent in when distant colonies fall silent. First introduced in Aliens (1986), the United States Colonial Marine Corps blended futuristic firepower with hard-edged infantry tactics, quickly becoming a fan favorite. Over time, films, comics, novels, and games expanded the USCM far beyond the squad aboard the Sulaco, adding detailed history for their weapons, ships, vehicles, and combat doctrine. This section breaks down Pulse Rifles, Smartguns, APCs, Marine teams, notable officers, and key battles, bringing together everything known about the Colonial Marines from both the movies and the Expanded Universe.
The UD-4 Cheyenne was a Colonial Marine dropship used during the LV-426 operation in Aliens, designed for rapid troop deployment and close air support. The craft featured VTOL capability, internal APC transport, and integrated weapons systems for combat landings.
By Janno Vares February 21, 2026 Alien Universe Ships | Colonial Marine Lore
The Type 337 Emergency Escape Vehicle, shortened to EEV, was the United States Colonial Marine Corps standard escape pod. The USS Sulaco carried many Type 337 units, and one EEV caused the opening disaster of Alien 3.
By Janno Vares February 18, 2026 Alien Universe Ships | Alien Universe Vehicles | Colonial Marine Lore
The M56 Smartgun is a heavy automatic support weapon used by the United States Colonial Marine Corps. This article provides an overview of the M56 Smartgun's design, technical characteristics, known variants, and its operators.
By Janno Vares January 12, 2025 Colonial Marine Lore | Alien Universe Weapons
Private Hudson's "Game Over Man" line from Aliens is the most well-known quote from the movie and probably the entire Alien series. In this article, find out the secondary meaning behind the line, and behind the scenes information how the quote was created.
The USS Sulaco is the legendary warship from the Alien universe that was considered to be an unlucky ship already before the events of Aliens. In this article, find out everything about the Sulaco's past and explore the alternate final fates of the ship.
Set halfway between Alien and Aliens, Alien Romulus introduces a prototype Pulse Rifle, the iconic weapon used by the Colonial Marines decades later. In this article, find out how this prototype fits with the history of the Colonial Marines and the M41A Pulse Rifle, as established by the Expanded Universe.
Used by the Colonial Marines across the universe, the M41A Pulse Rifle is probably the most iconic human weapon in the Alien series. We take a look at some of the Pulse Rifle variants that have been used in the movies, games and comic books.
The Colonial Marines vs. Alien Queen fights only happen in the Alien games and comics, where usually a small group of Marines battles a single Alien Queen and defeats her. In the games, the Alien Queens are used as boss fights.
The Colonial Marines are present in many Aliens comics, often serving the role of cannon fodder to be killed off by the Xenomorphs. Here is a list of the best Colonial Marine comics, including stories where they play a more prominent role.
The Colonial Marines use small and mobile units to protect the colonies. These units are the maximum size of a battalion, but usually only a few squads are sent into action. Here is an overview of different Colonial Marine teams, including the one commanded by Lieutenant Gorman in Aliens.
The Colonial Marines don't employ many personnel but use massive ships to travel them across the universe. The ships are fully automated and don't even need any crew to man them while the marines are on a mission. Most of these ships are similar to the USS Sulaco.
Besides their famous APC and Power Loader, the Colonial Marines don't employ many ground-based vehicles. The Colonial Marine Technical Manual has introduced tanks and self-propelled guns, while the comics and Kenner toys have also brought to light a few new vehicles.
In addition to human-friendly synthetics with behavioral inhibitors, several series of combat androids have been produced in the Alien series by different mega-corporations. Here is a list of androids developed for the purpose of expanding the military power of the company.
The Colonial Marine officers are the ones that command the troopers in the field. Unfortunately, most of them get killed and nobody hardly remembers their achievements. Here is a list of notable Colonial Marine officers from the Alien lore, including General Spears and Captain Cruz.
The USCM packs a big arsenal of weapons including nukes, knives, sharp sticks and phased plasma pulse rifles. Here is a list of the best infantry weapons from Aliens and the Alien games, ranked by their firepower and usability against the Xenomorphs and Yautja opponents.
The Predator Killer mech suit in The Predator was not the first instance of weaponized mech suits being used in the Alien vs. Predator universe. We take a look at several different mech suits and power armor from the movies, games and comics and rank them by their awesomeness.
Continuing with the series of top 10 badasses, here we have a list of top 10 badass Colonial Marines from the Alien vs Predator series. They are the grunts who showed courage, killed a lot of enemies and possibly even came out alive in the end.
The Alien comics are known for their great artwork and classic storylines showing us things never seen in the Alien movies before.
In this article, we'll be taking a look at the top 10 Alien books that are a must-read for any fan of the Alien franchise, including old classics and many new stories.
Here is a top 10 list of the best Predator comics in descending order, including some crossover comics like Batman vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator.
The Predator series does not contain many books. Including the Alien vs. Predator series, there are slightly over a dozen Predator books. Here is a ranking of the best ones.
Here is a list of the best Alien games ranked in descending order, including some older classics, and newer ones like Aliens: Fireteam Elite as well.
In this deep lore examination including maps, we explore where exactly in Hadley's Hope colony Bishop's escape tunnel's entrance and exit were.
Explore the Weyland family tree, including Peter Weyland, Charles Bishop Weyland, and other known members of the powerful dynasty.
Explore Alien Universe maps, including galaxy charts, tactical displays, and location schematics from every film, with labeled screenshots and scene-by-scene context.
Explore the UD-4 Cheyenne dropship from Aliens, including its role in the LV-426 mission, troop deployment design, weapons systems, and Colonial Marine specs.