Colette Ferro

Colette Ferro

Colette Ferro was a Corporal and dropship pilot in the United States Colonial Marine Corp. In 2179 she was the pilot assigned to the USS Sulaco when it was dispatched on a rescue mission to the Weyland-Yutani owned terraforming colony, "Hadley's Hope" on Acheron LV-426. Ferro was killed during that mission by a Xenomorph, which then caused her dropship to crash and be destroyed.

Biography

Colette being attacked by an Alien

Upon arrival at LV-426, the Sulaco landed a platoon of marines and an APC by dropship at the colony. Ferro piloted the dropship; after the marines deployed she backed away and 'stayed on station'. During this drop she delivered the classic line, "In the pipe, five by five." (indicating the dropship was on-course), along with "Hold on, we're in for some chop".

The search for the missing colonists ended in a devastating ambush underneath the atmosphere processing station, and from that ambush Ripley rescued Corporal Hicks, Private Hudson, Private Vasquez, Lieutenant Gorman and the civilian Burke, along with a child colonist they found 'Newt'. After the rescue and APC destruction, Cpl Hicks called for extraction from Ferro who dusted off from her holding station. However, unbeknownest to Ferro, her co-pilot Daniel Spunkmeyer had been killed by an Alien warrior immediately prior to the dustoff. As she flew towards the stranded platoon the Alien entered the cockpit and attacked her. Although she immediately went for her sidearm, she was not fast enough and was killed by the Alien, causing the dropship to crash - almost hitting the platoon.

Personality & Traits

Ferro was a cool customer, showing her emotional intelligence and deep ties to her teammates early on as she assessed and asked about the new arrival - the consultant Ripley. She seemed to have a particularly close connection to Private Vasquez.

Equipment

In addition to her pilot helmet and sunglasses, Ferro kept an VP-70 Automatic Pistol with her for protection, and wore a flight helmet with 'Fly the friendly skies' playfully written on it. The dropship she piloted carried (according the Private Hudson) independently targeted particle-beam phalanx, tactical smart-missiles, and 'sonic electronic ballbreakers', and so was heavily armed.

Behind the Scenes

• Ferro is similar to Carol "Foe Hammer" Rawley from Halo: Combat Evolved in many ways, including that they both piloted dropships and they died trying to pick up the main characters.

• Ferro is also the direct inspiration for many other female pilots in video games including Starcraft, Gears of War, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Trivia

• "Fly the Friendly Skies" was a slogan of United Airlines in the 80s, when Aliens was made.
• It is unknown if she was instantly killed by the xenomorph or if she was injured and died in the crash.
• When Ferro is reaching down to grab her pistol, you can see briefly that she has a rabbit's foot attached to her uniform.

Appearances

• Aliens
• Aliens: Newt's Tale (Voice Only)
• Aliens: Nightmare Asylum (Mention Only)