The 1979 film begins with a cargo journey interrupted by a nearby world.
The crew in Alien is transporting extraterrestrial ore toward Earth when signals from a nearby planet interrupt the journey. They appear to be calls for help, prompting a diversion from the commercial mission. Primary source: official synopsis and credits.
The investigation leads to a ruined spacecraft containing living objects shaped like eggs. That discovery changes the nature of the trip: a cargo crew has entered a situation involving an unfamiliar organism. Primary source: official synopsis and credits.
Ridley Scott directs from a screenplay credited to Dan O’Bannon. The cast includes Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. Primary source: official synopsis and credits.
20th Century Studios dates the film’s release to May 25, 1979, and lists a 115-minute running time. Its official synopsis establishes the interrupted route and discovery as the beginning of the threat, with the commercial expedition providing the reason these people are together in space. Primary source: official synopsis and credits.