There are few horror movie monsters more frightening than the Xenomorph, especially the Xenomorph Queen, yet in one Alien story, the qualities that made the Queen so terrifying just became pathetic and sad–a final fate that is seemingly destined for every Xenomorph Queen, and one that the movies totally ignored.

The idea of a Queen Xenomorph was introduced in the 1986 film, Aliens. This sequel to the 1979 classic turned the Xenomorph from a mysterious beast that was born of death and resided in the darkest corners of the universe into a parasitic hive system not too dissimilar from wasps or ants. And, like any hive-system, the Xenomorphs needed a Queen to lay the eggs and direct the drones. This revolutionary idea changed the face of the franchise forever, as it made the Xenomorphs more tangible–understandable, even–rather than this shocking example of incomprehensible cosmic horror. In other words, after the Queen was introduced,...