The story begins 57 years after the events of the first film. Ripley, the sole survivor of the Nostromo, is found drifting in space in a stasis pod and is rescued by a salvage team. She is taken to a space station orbiting Earth, where she learns that the planet LV-426, where her crew first encountered the alien creature, has been colonized by humans. Ripley’s warnings about the alien threat are initially dismissed by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which is more interested in the potential for profit.

However, when contact with the colony on LV-426 is lost, the company sends a team of Colonial Marines, accompanied by Ripley as an advisor, to investigate. The team includes Corporal Dwayne Hicks (Michael Biehn), the android Bishop (Lance Henriksen), the unscrupulous company representative Carter Burke (Paul Reiser), and several other marines.

Upon arriving at LV-426, the marines find the colony seemingly deserted, with signs of a violent struggle. They soon discover Newt (Carrie Henn), a young girl who is the sole survivor of the alien attacks. Newt has been hiding in the ventilation system, using her resourcefulness to stay alive. Ripley forms a maternal bond with Newt, driven by the memory of her own lost daughter.

As the marines delve deeper into the colony, they encounter the terrifying xenomorphs, which have overrun the facility. The marines are quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number and ferocity of the aliens. In a series of intense and claustrophobic battles, many of the marines are killed, and it becomes clear that they are outmatched by the alien hive, led by a massive Queen.