Elllen Ripley, the sole survivor from the original "Alien", is awakened after 57 years of drifting through space. Her experiences with the deadly creatures are disbelieved by Company executives who inform her that the aliens' planet is now inhabited and colonized by humans. But contact has been lost with the colonists, and Ripley is convinced to return to the planet with a squad of marines, an android, and a Company executive with a mission of his own. Once there, no survivors can be found except for Newt, a little girl who awakens motherly instincts in Ripley just in time for the acid-blooded aliens to attack in what quickly becomes a one-sided battle for sheer survival.