Lambert's space suit design

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Lambert's space suit design

During his long journey back to Earth, the crew of cargo ship Nostromo picks up a distress message. The Nostromo changes course and lands on the planet where the signal originates. Three members of the crew, Kane, Lambert and Dallas, put on their spacesuits and go explore the surrounding...

Until its final version before the start of the production, the Alien script does not mention spacesuits, for the walk outside the spaceship on the planet, but simply "gloves, boots and jackets."

Under Ridley Scott this sequence has constantly evolved during the preproduction of the film to be ever more impressive. The walk on the planet has become a real spacewalk requiring pressure suits.

It's John Mollo, who won an an Academy Award for the costumes of Star Wars, that have the task of creating these spacesuits. This preliminary design, is quite simple, as every detail of this sequence, costume design would evolve into a more rich and complex.

The drawing below was made by John Mollo in his own script on which he used to put some of his ideas during the working meetings with Ridley Scott.

The japanese influence is here very obvious. The costumes are becoming very large. We are indeed very close to the final version.

Writer: AG