The look of the alien or "xenomorph" in the first movie was designed by legendary horror master H.R. Giger, but it was essentially a person in a suit. In "Aliens," the alien queen was a giant animatronic robot that stood 14-feet tall. The mechanical monster was animated with cables and hydraulics, and required a crane for support. Two puppeteers inside the device operated its arms and 16 moved the rest of it.