Jones (fictional cat): Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
SquintySpice (talk | contribs) m fixed missing space Tags: Reverted Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
No edit summary Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit Advanced mobile edit |
||
| (14 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown) | |||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} |
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2023}} |
||
{{Infobox character |
{{Infobox character |
||
| name = |
| name = Jones |
||
| series = [[Alien (franchise)|Alien]] |
| series = [[Alien (franchise)|Alien]] |
||
| image = Jones and Ellen Ripley.webp |
| image = Jones and Ellen Ripley.webp |
||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
| occupation = [[Ship's cat]] |
| occupation = [[Ship's cat]] |
||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Jones''', commonly known as '''Jonesy''', is a fictional ginger [[American Shorthair]] cat from the [[Alien (franchise)|''Alien'' franchise]]. He is the [[ship's cat]] on the ''Nostromo'', the setting of the first film of the franchise. |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
In ''Alien'', |
In ''Alien'', Jones was portrayed by four lookalike cat actors.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McIntee |first=David |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/63202559 |title=Beautiful monsters : the unofficial and unauthorised guide to the alien and predator films |date=2005 |publisher=Telos Publishing |isbn=1-903889-94-4 |location=Tolworth, Surrey |oclc=63202559 |access-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331135108/https://search.worldcat.org/title/63202559 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
||
== Character biography == |
== Character biography == |
||
=== In |
=== In ''Alien'' === |
||
{{main|Alien (film)}} |
{{main|Alien (film)}} |
||
Owing to |
Owing to Jones's small size, he comfortably shared a hypersleep capsule with one of the crew members during the ''Nostromo''<nowiki/>'s long journeys. When the [[Xenomorph|Alien]] began stalking the ship's occupants, Jones was apparently of little interest to the creature (most likely because his biology made him unsuitable for reproduction) and he survived the incident unscathed. However, he was indirectly responsible for the death of Brett; when the latter pursued Jones through the ship's cargo hold, seeking to catch him so that he would not be accidentally picked up on the motion trackers being used by the crew to hunt the Alien, the cat inadvertently lured him into a room where the Alien was hiding. Jones watched on as the Alien dragged Brett's body into the air shafts. |
||
[[Ellen Ripley]] later found |
[[Ellen Ripley]] later found Jones and put him in a carry case. At one point, Ripley was forced to abandon Jones to the Alien, but, while the Xenomorph was notably distracted by the cat, it did not attack it. Jones was later recovered and put in hypersleep aboard the ''Narcissus'' after escaping with Ripley. |
||
=== In ''Alien: Out of the Shadows'' === |
|||
{{main|Alien: Out of the Shadows}} |
|||
When the ''Narcissus'' docked with the ''Marion'', Jonesy and Ripley were roused from hypersleep by Hoop and the rest of the crew and found themselves in the midst of another Xenomorph incident. When the human survivors were forced to descend to LV-178 below in order to recover a replacement fuel cell for the ''Narcissus'', Jonesy stayed aboard the shuttle, safely locked inside with an adequate supply of food left for him by Ripley. When Ripley returned and was put back into hypersleep by Hoop, Jonesy once again curled up inside his cryotube to sleep for the rest of their return journey to Earth. |
|||
=== In ''Aliens'' === |
=== In ''Aliens'' === |
||
{{main|Aliens (film)}} |
{{main|Aliens (film)}} |
||
Jones is rescued along with Ripley, but remains behind when she travels with the Marines to investigate the colony. He plays no further part in the story. |
|||
=== In books === |
|||
[[Anne Billson]]'s compilation ''Cats on Film'' includes her short story ''My Day by Jones: A Cat's Eye View of an Alien''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Read Alien, retold from the cat’s perspective |author=Lauren Davis |url=https://gizmodo.com/read-alien-retold-from-the-cats-perspective-5880158 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |date=January 28, 2012}}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | Jones is also the protagonist of a book adaptation of ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' titled ''Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=2018-05-02 |title=Upcoming Book ‘Jonesy’ Tells the Story of ‘Alien’ Through the Eyes of Ripley’s Cat |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/books/3496770/upcoming-book-jonesy-tells-story-alien-eyes-ripleys-cat/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=[[Bloody Disgusting!]] |language=en-US |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228005854/https://bloody-disgusting.com/books/3496770/upcoming-book-jonesy-tells-story-alien-eyes-ripleys-cat/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Jonesy, the Cat from ALIEN, is Getting His Own Book |url=https://nerdist.com/article/alien-cat-jonesy-book-t-shirt/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Nerdist |language=en-US |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228011401/https://nerdist.com/article/alien-cat-jonesy-book-t-shirt/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Matheson |first=Anna |date=2018-10-21 |title=Jonesy, the cat from 'Alien', is getting his own spin-off |url=https://www.nme.com/news/cat-alien-getting-spin-off-jonesy-2392038 |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=NME |language=en-GB |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228021823/https://www.nme.com/news/cat-alien-getting-spin-off-jonesy-2392038 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2018-10-17 |title=Jonesy From Alien Now Has His Own Illustrated Book, and We've Got Your First Look |url=https://gizmodo.com/jonesy-from-alien-now-has-his-own-illustrated-book-and-1829767723 |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228022607/https://gizmodo.com/jonesy-from-alien-now-has-his-own-illustrated-book-and-1829767723 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
||
Jones is mentioned in [[Alien: Out of the Shadows]] but is kept safely out of harm's way. |
|||
=== In ''Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo'' === |
|||
Jonesy is also the protagonist of a book adaptation of ''[[Alien (film)|Alien]]'' titled ''Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo''.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> |
|||
== Reception == |
== Reception == |
||
Jones has been described as "one of the most beloved cats in horror cinema"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flowers |first=Maisy |date=2020-05-28 |title=Alien: Jones The Cat’s Importance & Meaning Explained |url=https://screenrant.com/alien-jones-cat-importance-meaning-explained/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228012139/https://screenrant.com/alien-jones-cat-importance-meaning-explained/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and "one of the most famous felines of the screen"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Teti |first=Julia |date=2019-03-31 |title=The Most Dangerous Feline in Space |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/jones-alien/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Film School Rejects |language=en-US |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228020747/https://filmschoolrejects.com/jones-alien/ |url-status=live }}</ref> by ''Screen Rant'' and ''Film School Rejects'' respectively. |
|||
Jones has been called "the true hero of ''Alien''" due to his characterization as a survivor who teaches the human characters of the film valuable lessons. He is also appreciated by fans due to the fact that he is the only significant character in the franchise that has lived a full and long life, having survived facing the Alien on multiple occasions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrew Todd |date=2017-05-02 |title=Jones The Cat, ALIEN’s True Hero |url=https://storyissues.com/2017/05/02/jones-the-cat-aliens-true-hero/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Story Issues |language=en-US |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228042826/https://storyissues.com/2017/05/02/jones-the-cat-aliens-true-hero/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
|||
[[Business Insider|''Insider'']] listed Jones as one of the top 15 best movie cats of all time, calling him a "survivor".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Meghan |title=RANKED: 15 of the best movie cats of all time |url=https://www.insider.com/ranking-of-the-best-movie-cats-2019-5 |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=March 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331135029/https://www.businessinsider.com/ranking-of-the-best-movie-cats-2019-5 |url-status=live }}</ref> The website [[Collider (website)|''Collider'']] has also listed him as one of the best cats in cinema, as well as one of the best animal sidekicks in horror.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farley |first=Lloyd |date=2022-09-29 |title=Best Cats in Movies & TV: From Salem to Snowball |url=https://collider.com/best-cats-in-movies-tv-simpsons-keanu/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Collider |language=en-US |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228044528/https://collider.com/best-cats-in-movies-tv-simpsons-keanu/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Neave |first=Grace |date=2022-10-18 |title=Horror's Most Loyal Animal Sidekicks: From Jones to D'Artagnan |url=https://collider.com/best-horror-animal-sidekicks-stranger-things-alien/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Collider |language=en-US |archive-date=December 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228044528/https://collider.com/best-horror-animal-sidekicks-stranger-things-alien/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
|||
== References == |
== References == |
||
Latest revision as of 04:39, 21 October 2024
| Jones | |
|---|---|
| Alien character | |
 Jones in the arms of Ellen Ripley | |
| First appearance | Alien (1979) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Cat |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Ship's cat |
Jones, commonly known as Jonesy, is a fictional ginger American Shorthair cat from the Alien franchise. He is the ship's cat on the Nostromo, the setting of the first film of the franchise.
In Alien, Jones was portrayed by four lookalike cat actors.[1]
Character biography
[edit]In Alien
[edit]Owing to Jones's small size, he comfortably shared a hypersleep capsule with one of the crew members during the Nostromo's long journeys. When the Alien began stalking the ship's occupants, Jones was apparently of little interest to the creature (most likely because his biology made him unsuitable for reproduction) and he survived the incident unscathed. However, he was indirectly responsible for the death of Brett; when the latter pursued Jones through the ship's cargo hold, seeking to catch him so that he would not be accidentally picked up on the motion trackers being used by the crew to hunt the Alien, the cat inadvertently lured him into a room where the Alien was hiding. Jones watched on as the Alien dragged Brett's body into the air shafts.
Ellen Ripley later found Jones and put him in a carry case. At one point, Ripley was forced to abandon Jones to the Alien, but, while the Xenomorph was notably distracted by the cat, it did not attack it. Jones was later recovered and put in hypersleep aboard the Narcissus after escaping with Ripley.
In Aliens
[edit]Jones is rescued along with Ripley, but remains behind when she travels with the Marines to investigate the colony. He plays no further part in the story.
In books
[edit]Anne Billson's compilation Cats on Film includes her short story My Day by Jones: A Cat's Eye View of an Alien.[2]
Jones is also the protagonist of a book adaptation of Alien titled Jonesy: Nine Lives on the Nostromo.[3][4][5][6]
Jones is mentioned in Alien: Out of the Shadows but is kept safely out of harm's way.
Reception
[edit]Jones has been described as "one of the most beloved cats in horror cinema"[7] and "one of the most famous felines of the screen"[8] by Screen Rant and Film School Rejects respectively.
Jones has been called "the true hero of Alien" due to his characterization as a survivor who teaches the human characters of the film valuable lessons. He is also appreciated by fans due to the fact that he is the only significant character in the franchise that has lived a full and long life, having survived facing the Alien on multiple occasions.[9]
Insider listed Jones as one of the top 15 best movie cats of all time, calling him a "survivor".[10] The website Collider has also listed him as one of the best cats in cinema, as well as one of the best animal sidekicks in horror.[11][12]
References
[edit]- ^ McIntee, David (2005). Beautiful monsters : the unofficial and unauthorised guide to the alien and predator films. Tolworth, Surrey: Telos Publishing. ISBN 1-903889-94-4. OCLC 63202559. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Lauren Davis (January 28, 2012). "Read Alien, retold from the cat's perspective". Gizmodo. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ Squires, John (May 2, 2018). "Upcoming Book 'Jonesy' Tells the Story of 'Alien' Through the Eyes of Ripley's Cat". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ "Jonesy, the Cat from ALIEN, is Getting His Own Book". Nerdist. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Matheson, Anna (October 21, 2018). "Jonesy, the cat from 'Alien', is getting his own spin-off". NME. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ "Jonesy From Alien Now Has His Own Illustrated Book, and We've Got Your First Look". Gizmodo. October 17, 2018. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Flowers, Maisy (May 28, 2020). "Alien: Jones The Cat's Importance & Meaning Explained". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Teti, Julia (March 31, 2019). "The Most Dangerous Feline in Space". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Andrew Todd (May 2, 2017). "Jones The Cat, ALIEN's True Hero". Story Issues. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Cook, Meghan. "RANKED: 15 of the best movie cats of all time". Insider. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Farley, Lloyd (September 29, 2022). "Best Cats in Movies & TV: From Salem to Snowball". Collider. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
- ^ Neave, Grace (October 18, 2022). "Horror's Most Loyal Animal Sidekicks: From Jones to D'Artagnan". Collider. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
