Narcissus Shuttle: Nostromo Lifeboat Specs & Detours
The Narcissus was the emergency shuttlecraft and lifeboat assigned to the commercial towing vessel USCSS Nostromo. In the year 2122, the shuttle became the final refuge of Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley during the destruction of the ship. Though small in scale compared to its parent vessel, the Narcissus was robust enough to keep Ripley alive in stasis for 57 years.
The "Narcissus" Shuttle
The Narcissus, registration number 1809-E1, was a modified Lock-Mart Industries Starcub Light Intrasystem Shuttle. It served as one of two lifeboats attached to the Nostromo, located under the port nacelle in a docking module. The second shuttle was nonoperational, meaning only three people could leave the ship on the Narcissus. Designed for short-range transport and emergency evacuation, the Narcissus featured a compact internal cabin and limited long-duration capacity. When not deployed, it remained secured in a mechanical clamp system that allowed it to drop and thrust away from the host vessel in either direction. The shuttle continued the Conradian naming tradition seen throughout the series, sharing literary roots with the Nostromo and later the Sulaco.
Specifications
The Narcissus measured approximately 21.3 meters in length, 16.2 meters in width, and 7 meters in height, with a total mass of 48 tons. The single cabin provided roughly 108 cubic meters of internal space, including lockers and storage compartments. Power was supplied by a 9 GW microfusion reactor, while propulsion came from twin Newington A-24 rocket motors that used water as reaction mass. For interstellar travel, the shuttle was equipped with a Romberg 100C tachyon shunt capable of low faster-than-light speeds. When fully fueled, its operational range reached approximately 13 parsecs. Two stasis capsules allowed limited long-duration survival, although extended interstellar drift was not its primary design purpose. As mentioned by the crew of the Nostromo, the shuttle could not take four people, and the third would have to sit idly while two people were in stasis.
Escaping The Nostromo
After the Xenomorph eliminated most of the Nostromo's crew, Ripley initiated the ship's self-destruct sequence. She boarded the Narcissus with the ship's cat, Jones, moments before the Nostromo exploded. Ripley recorded a final report, noting that the rest of the crew were dead and that she intended to reach the frontier within several weeks. The shuttle cleared the blast radius and proceeded on autopilot, while Ripley prepared to enter stasis. The Narcissus was not the sole remnant of the Nostromo's explosion, the "black box" data recorder was jettisoned as well and ended up in the hands of Amanda Ripley in Alien: Isolation.
Alien Onboard
Unknown to Ripley, the Xenomorph had concealed itself within the shuttle prior to launch. As Ripley prepared to enter hypersleep, the creature revealed itself inside the confined cabin. Ripley opened the airlock and used a harpoon gun to expel the Xenomorph into space. The harpoon lodged in the airlock assembly, and the creature was subsequently incinerated in the shuttle's engine exhaust. After neutralizing the threat, Ripley entered stasis with Jones the cat.
Drifting Through The Core Systems
Ripley hoped that the Network would pick her up, with a little luck. However, the Narcissus drifted in space for decades, moving straight through the Core Systems. Over the course of fifty-seven years, it passed through heavily trafficked regions of space undetected. Its survival was attributed largely to chance and the fact that humans started to explore space more during the six decades. The systems of the Narcissus were kept idle, including its engines, which had already accelerated to gain enough speed.
Detour To Renaissance Station
Alien: Romulus featured a small cameo of the Narcissus shuttle during the Xenomorph outbreak on the Renaissance Station. In the year 2142 (20 years after Alien), the Nostromo Xenomorph (nicknamed "Big Chap") was revealed to be alive in a cocoon drifting in space. It was picked up by Weyland-Yutani and brought to the Renaissance Station's Romulus lab for research. The Xenomorph killed everyone on the station and left in a damaged state. The crew of the Corbelan IV came to the station and fought the Xenomorph infestation, while the Narcissus shuttle was seen in the background of one of the docking bays. When the Renaissance Station was destroyed in an asteroid field, the Narcissus shuttle was seen leaving the station, supposedly continuing its drift for another 37 years. Of course, this could have been another shuttle with the same type, but director Fede Alvarez confirmed it was Ripley's shuttle, which was in the same region of space as the Big Chap.
Detour To LV-178
The Narcissus took another lesser-known detour between Alien and Aliens, as depicted in Alien: Out of the Shadows. Roughly 37 years after Alien (and 20 before Aliens), the Narcissus reached LV-178 with Ash's AI consciousness embedded in the shuttle's systems. Hibernating Xenomorphs discovered in the planet's mines triggered another outbreak. On LV-178, Ripley further proved her growing skill against the Xenomorphs, reinforcing her reputation as both survivor and fighter. She ultimately prevailed, destroying what remained of Ash's brain, but lost all memory of the incident and returned to hypersleep, as if the conveniently shoehorned episode never happened.
Picked Up By A Salvage Ship
Fifty-seven years after the Nostromo's destruction, a three-man deep-space salvage crew discovered the Narcissus. The shuttle was recovered intact, with Ripley and Jones still alive in hypersleep. The salvage crew was hoping to claim the vessel for themselves, but because Ripley survived, they had no salvage rights over Weyland-Yutani. Ripley was transported to Gateway Station, where she was revived and debriefed. The recovery marked the formal reintroduction of the Nostromo incident into corporate and colonial records.
Investigation By Weyland-Yutani
Following recovery, the shuttle was studied extensively by Weyland-Yutani and colonial authorities. The corporation sought evidence to explain the Nostromo's destruction and to evaluate Ripley's claims regarding the Xenomorph organism. No physical trace of the creature was found within the shuttle. The lack of evidence contributed to skepticism during the tribunal that investigated Ripley's actions. Testimony and data recovered from the Narcissus were later used in proceedings that affected Ripley's career and status. In the end, the shuttle was most likely sold as scrap.
Other Shuttles of the Same Type
The Narcissus was not unique in design. It was one of two Starcub Light Intrasystem Shuttles assigned to the Nostromo. Its counterpart, the Salmacis, which was broken, was mounted on the opposite side of the vessel. Similar shuttlecraft appeared in expanded media and background material, including a shuttle on the USCSS Ferarco in Aliens vs. Predator: Classic. A lone Xenomorph escaped on this shuttle to the Gateway Station in the year 2189, wreaking havoc and possibly even reaching Earth on board another escape pod.
Behind The Scenes
Early drafts of the screenplay referred to the escape vehicle simply as a lifeboat. Later revisions introduced the name "Narcissus". Concept artist Ron Cobb produced early designs for the shuttle. For filming, multiple scale models were constructed. A full-scale section of the rear hull was suspended vertically to film the engine incineration sequence, with a stunt performer in the Alien costume maneuvering beneath it. When production began on Aliens, the original model was unavailable. A new miniature had to be constructed based on limited reference photography. The interior was also recreated for the salvage sequence that opened the sequel. The shuttle's interior set was built on a redressed Nostromo bridge set to conserve budget and production time.
Conclusion
The Narcissus served as more than a secondary craft attached to the Nostromo. It became the final battleground of the original Xenomorph encounter and the vessel that carried Ellen Ripley across nearly six decades of deep space. The two detours it took between Alien and Aliens were somewhat unbelievable, but are considered to be part of the official canon.
Tag Categories: Alien Universe Ships
