Alternate versions

The Indian Censor Board (CBFC)...

• Deleted the scene Heroine operation doing by scientist and removing small species from her worm.
• Deleted the scene Doctor checked a woman and man coming to the room.
• Deleted the scene Bomb blast in space ship.
• Deleted the scene a man are seating on wheel chair and man are talking to woman.
• Deleted the scene five six soldiers are sleeping on stretcher and scientist operating them. There scientists are standing in room in a glass chamber man and species together.
• Deleted the scene man and woman fighting.
• Deleted the scene woman is massage by man.
• Deleted the scene a scientist operating an spices and teasing in
• Deleted the scene two women are discussing.
• Deleted the scene hero and villain are fighting, species are fighting.
• Deleted the scene species are killing a man.
• Deleted the scene soldiers are collecting the weapons.
• Deleted the scene seating on wheelchair man firing on species.
• Deleted the scene species are killing two man. Commander throws hand grenade in space ship and blast ship.
• Deleted the scene a woman are firing on species.
• Deleted the scene heroine firing to glass chambers and kills her friend.
• Deleted the scene heroine and soldiers are coming in the room, all mans are dead.
• Deleted the scene heroine and soldiers are trap to species.
• Deleted the scene species attack on face of the heroine.
• Deleted the scene species attacks on soldier another soldiers fires on species and it.
• Deleted the scene two women are discussing.
• Deleted the scene two women are discussing.
• Deleted the scene two women are discussing.
• Deleted the scene heroine hits to villain.
• Deleted the scene heroine are sleeping on species.
• Deleted the scene heroine and species are together.
• Deleted the scene two mans are walking and man injured by bullet.
• Deleted the scene man are falling down
• Deleted the scene species loving the heroine, born species kills Soldier.
• Deleted the scene species shut the door with women soldier.
• Deleted the scene species attacking women another soldier divert its attention.
• Deleted the scene species killed a man, and try to kill women.
• Deleted the scene heroine attract species and brakes the glass to kill species...

...for a U/A certificate for TV viewing.

The ABC television broadcast trims down most of the violence. The headburster, Elgyn's death, the gym shoot-out, General Perez' death, the soldiers escape pod sequence, and the chestburster facility scene. Nudity also cut.

In the theatrical release, H.R. Giger is not credited for his part in the design of the Aliens. The video release has his name in the closing credits.

The USA Network version is not as heavily edited for violence and language as other broadcasts. Only the most extremely violent scenes appear to have been edited by mere seconds.

In the Special Edition as part of the Alien Quadrilogy DVD Set, Ripley tells Call about Newt.

In the Special Edition for the Alien Quadrilogy DVD, after landing on Earth Ripley and Call talk to each other in front of a landscape of a futuristic Paris, France.

The R2 Special Edition (available on the Alien Quadrology Boxset as well as separately) contains 7 extra minutes of altered and/or extended scenes. As a result, there is a little more character development, but the music has also been re-edited (a bit poorly) in some scenes. Here follows a short description:

• The main titles (the distorted shots of the 7 early Ripley clones in the theatrical cut) have been replaced by an alternate opening, which starts with a close-up of a growling alien mouth. As the camera pulls back, it is revealed to be the beak of a fly, that is subsequently squashed by a thumb of a soldier. The soldier uses a straw to blow the fly's blood against a window, which shows that he is actually sitting in a nacell of the Auriga spaceship. The rest of the shot shows the Auriga slowly flying away from camera.
• Directly after the chestburster has been surgically removed from Ripley 8, she wakes up from her narcosis, grips the surgeon's arm and breaks it.
• In the scene where Ripley is shown drawings of a glove and fruit, directly after Genral Perez, Wren and Gediman leave, the doctor shows Ripley a drawing of a young, blond girl, which seems to trigger an emotional memory in her.
• During the meal scene, Ripley repeats Gediman's 'Fiori 16', and he asks her what she remembers. Dr. Wren can also tells some more about the Weyland-Yutani company ("bought up by Wall-Mart")
• The 'Betty introduction scene has been completely re-edited and extended. The scene now starts with the Betty flying towards the Auriga, Elgyn giving the clearance code over the radio (E-A-T-M-E), but now he flirts some more with Hillard, and warns Call and Vriess over the intercom to get ready. Next, Call and Vriess are shown working on the cargo, followed by some extended dialogue in which Vriess tells Call an obscene joke. This is followed by the scene in which Christie gets his hidden weapons (which came first in the original cut). Next is Johner's 'target practice', Vriess then throws a tool to his head, Call calls him names, but Johner simply replies by asking for his knife. When Vriess comments on his alcoholism, Johner demands his knife back, Call breaks it, Johner threatens her, and there is an extra line from Vriess that he and Call deserve better company.
• During the deal between Elgyn and Perez, Elgyn has some more 'flattering' remarks about Call, thinking Vriess has an eye on her. After Elgyn asks Perez for three days bed and board, Perez agrees under a few conditions (no trespassing in restricted areas, no trouble, no fighting).
• After Purvis shouts "What's in-f###ing-side me?!?", Wren answers: "A parasite! A foreign element!" After Call says that Purvis can be frozen and operated later, she has another run-in with Johner, followed by Christie agreeing that Purvis comes, but saying he will shoot him if he starts acting funny.
• Just before everyone takes a dive through the flooded kitchen, Christie and DiStephano have a short conversation on Christie's weapons ('the disposable kind'), and Call reminds everyone to take a deep breath.
• In the chapel, just after Purvis' fake chestburst, there is an extended line from Call, stating she recalibrated ground level, sending the ship into an uninhabited quadrant of Earth, before she mentions time of impact. After Ripley asks if she's the new a##hole model, she replies she couldn't let humanity annihilate itself. Ripley comments that she once tried to save people as well; she remembers a girl that had bad dreams, but she died despite her help, and now she can't even remember her name. After DiStephano enters to take them with him, Ripley asks Call if she dreams, which Call does thanks to neural processors; Ripley says she dreams about the aliens every night, and that she used to be afraid, but not anymore, since it is always worse when she wakes up.
• After Johner kissed Vriess for getting them safely through Earth's atmosphere, there is an alternate ending with the Betty landing on Earth. Call warns Ripley for the military that will come looking for her soon. She says someone can get pretty lost on Earth, and asks Ripley what to do. Ripley replies that she doesn't know, since she is a stranger there herself. The camera then goes up, to reveal a post-apocalyptical Paris.