Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, is the protagonist in the Alien movie series. The character was heralded as a seminal role for challenging gender stereotypes, particularly in the science fiction genre, and remains Weaver's most famous role to date.

In 2003, Ripley was selected by the American Film Institute as the 8th greatest hero in American cinema history. (See AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains)