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| “ | You're one ugly motherf--ker. | „ |
| ~ Almost everyone who faces the Predators. |
The Yautja, known more popularly as the Predators, are an alien race and the main antagonists of the Predator film series. They also appear as anti-heroes in the Aliens vs. Predator franchise.
The Predators as a dangerous race are great hunters, with trophies from many species across the galaxy. They are attracted to war zones, as those hunted there would make for the more difficult trophies to acquire, as well as the ones with the most honor attached. Trophies can consist of skins or skulls with the spinal column still attached. They often wear masks, and their faces resemble large crustaceans. Their equipment consists of invisibility technology, as well an array of weapons, including powerful shoulder cannons. They also wear small but powerful bombs on their wrists in case of defeat.
Despite the Predators' ruthless and aggressive behavior when they hunt their prey down, they all have a great sense of honor and fight with it. They never kill innocent, sick, pregnant, or unarmed people, and they show great respect towards those who have defeated their own kind.
History and Culture
Predator culture revolves around the hunting and stalking of dangerous lifeforms. After making a kill, Predators typically skin or decapitate the carcass, converting it into a trophy. Failure in a hunt results in the Predator involved committing an honorable suicide. It is often alluded to that the reason each Predator's hunt is not for sustenance or elimination of threats, but as entertainment or rite of passage, as they will only attack life-forms that have the ability to provide them with a challenge. For that, they will travel huge distances – even across entire galaxies – in order to find and face opponents they consider a worthy challenge that would be hunted on the spot or transported them to a hunting ground of their choice. In Predators, they also shown established a planet with controlled environment in which preys from different corners of the galaxy gathered to see how well they adapt with each other to further provide challenge, including hazardous plant lives for their prey to use in their advangates. Not surprisingly, this led to them making contact with various lifeforms including humans, Space Jockeys (also known as Engineers, a race of white-skinned extraterrestrial humanoid who allegedly created Xenomorph race), and Xenomorphs. The contact with Space Jockeys is confirmed in the Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem movie's DVD commentary.
Predators possesses a level of technology advancement far in excess of anything available to humans. For either combat or hunting, they are armed with array of weaponries, ranging from highly advanced plasma cannons and stealth camouflage to more ancient weapons such as blades, spears, and nets. When hunting, they would switch to more traditional weapons for more honorable fights. While they are social race, most Predators hunt alone. Should they deployed in a group, the said group would always comprised of 3 members. The small numbers in a hunt mostly to hone their skills on the field. Aside hi-tech weaponry, Predators also possess a pack of spined, quadrupedal beasts used as flushing dogs as shown in case of "Super Predators" clan. Creature designer Gregory Nicotero used hyenas as a basis for the creature's physique, while the spines were added later by Chris Olivia.
The Predator society comprised of multiple Clans with Council of Ancients as the prime ruling authority of their race, comprised of the most skillful and exalted of the Clans. Predators movie introduces two different clans that are engaged in a long lasting blood feud, which are "Jungle Hunter Clan" and "Super Predator Clan" where the latter arguably marked as Bad Blood judging from their dirty hunting style compared to their more honorable rival. In the recently released The Predator, two more Predator Clans are introduced: One which the Fugitive Predator happened to the member of and another is Ultimate Predator's. As with "Jungle Hunter Clan" and "Super Predator Clan", these two clans seemed to have sort of rivalry against each other for quite some time. The status of both Clans in the said movie appeared to be debatable due to their questionable ways: A member of Fugitive Predator's Clan, the Fugitive Predator himself, shown to carry out a mission where he must deliver hi-tech armor called Predator Killer manufactured by his kind to humanity so they could fend of an oncoming invasion in spite of obvious risk of exile, whereas Ultimate Predator Clan have records of performing gene therapy to create super soldiers out of their members with use of DNA taken from most formidable life-forms in the galaxy (humans included).
When hunting humans, Predators normally avoid certain individuals such as children and some adults if they are unarmed, though they will spare armed ones if they happen to be pregnant or sickly. A human who has managed to kill a Predator in single combat or has fought alongside one is usually spared by the deceased hunter's comrades of his kind and given a gift (often a rare or exotic weapon) as a sign of respect. An example of latter case is seen in the comic Predator: 1718, where a predator called Greyback aka. Golden Angel join forces with pirate captain Raphael Adolini after his hunt on the captain's crew went wrong with Adolini's crew turned against their leader. In the ensuing fight, the dying Adolini gave his flintlock gun to the Predator before succumbing to his wounds. Out of the respect on his human ally, Greyback buried the captain and left him a gift in form of his sword on his grave. Similarly, in Paul W.S. Anderson's Alien vs. Predator, the main protagonist Alexa Woods was given an ornate combistick spear by the leader of hunting party after impressed by her and Scarface's teamwork in stopping another Xenomorph outbreak at Antartica.
Predators feature prominently in the folklore of certain cultures as well as leaving significant impact on human civilazation through their space travels; some Latin American people refer to the species as, "El Demonio que hace trofeos de los hombres" (Spanish for "The Demon who makes trophies of men"), while Jamaican superstition identifies Predators as demons from the spirit world. In Paul W.S. Anderson's Alien vs. Predator, on the other hand, they made contact with early human civilizations such as the ancient Egyptians, the Khmer Empire of Cambodia, and the Aztecs of Mesoamerica, as well as a fictitious culture inhabiting what is now modern day Bouvetøya. Upon arriving on Earth, the Predators were worshiped as gods by humans, and they taught many of the civilizations how to build pyramids (an explanation as to why many of these different ancient societies had distinctly similar cultures and architecture), but in return, expected sacrifices of humans for use as hosts for huntable Aliens. The Predators returned to Bouvetøya every century to consummate the bargain, until at one point in the ritual, the Aliens spread out of control, resulting in the Predators detonating a bomb that obliterated the entire civilization over night. Relations with humans and the Predators deteriorated from that time on; the Predators then viewed humans as little more than another quarry to hunt.
Out of formidable preys that Predators have encountered, Xenomorphs are regarded as ultimate prey due to impressive challenge they pose to their kind. As such, the Predators apparently kept at least one Xenomorph Queen in captivity within their motherships in order to maintain a supply of eggs. In fact, these creatures were used for ritualistic hunt, as Predators had designed multiple pyramids specifically design as controlled environment for xenomorphs to grow during the hunt. The pyramid also contain plasmacasters as ultimate prize for those who survive in participating in ritualistic Xenomorph Hunt. A learner's first successful Alien hunt is completed with the marking of his helmet and forehead with the blood of his kill.
Language
The script of the Predators is expressed in the films and other media through written patterns of dashes. These written symbols appear on the creatures' gauntlet displays, their helmets, architecture, and many other surfaces. The most common vocalizations of the Predators consists of a series of clicks, roars, snarls, and growls. Predators will mimic human language on occasion, and have been stated or shown to be able to understand and speak human languages. Author Steve Perry designed a constructed language set for the Aliens vs. Predator novel series.
Technology
Predator technology is distinctive in many respects, not the least of which is its ornate, tribal appearance masking deadly, sophisticated weaponry. It is shown in Predator 2 that at least one Predator weapon uses a metal that does not correspond to any element on the periodic table, and some weapons have been shown to be completely resistant to the effects of acidic blood belonging to Xenomorphs. In addition, several of these tools make use of thermal imaging to track prey.
The Predator's mask also houses a viewing system that fine tunes the creature's infrared vision by filtering out ambient heat, and also allows it to view in different Spectrum completely. The Predator's technology is advanced enough that the mask enables it to see in specific levels of X-ray and identify diseases and cancers, as well as picking up on pulse and heartbeat signals to track targets, as seen in Alien vs. Predator and Predators, respectively. The Predator also makes use of a light-bending cloaking device. A flashback sequence in Alien vs. Predator indicates that some aspects of their technology have been in use for millennia.
Honor Code
- Hunting Worthy Game: Make sure the prey is considered game where it must fill the following criteria: Can defend itself and/or is able to kill the hunter himself, of age (killing children and the elderly is considered the height of bad manners), not linked to other lives (so that removing the prey will not doom another, e.g. pregnant women), and not weakened by diseases.
- Failing in the Hunt: Should you fail in your quest, take your own life instead of live in shame. However, some cowards prefer to live in obscurity rather than die. This is considered to be dishonorable and suicide is then "assisted" by an Arbitrator.
- Claiming the Kill of Another Hunter: Stealing the trophy belonged to your fellow hunter, living or dead, is considered to be a great insult.
- Murder of Another Yautja: Killing another member of your kind intentionally (with exception for self-defense and killing a foe in a wrestling match to settle a dispute) is the worst crime.
- Never harm the innocent: Those who have done no harm should have no harm done to them. (It can be inferred that this rule must pertain only to harming other Yautja in their society, since they hunt and kill members of many species one could call "innocent". It can also be inferred that Bad Blood Predators would ignore this rule either in part or in whole.)
- Hunting for Food: When hunting for food, take only the weak. This is to purify the species' line.
- Wounded Game: When coming upon game wounded by another hunter, and the prey is dying without sport, show honor to another's kill. If the game still shows sport, it is to be a joint trophy.
- Joining Another Hunt: Do not join another's Hunt, or Hunt in their territory, without their permission. All trophies taken in this manner are stolen trophies, and shall be dealt with by the rightful owner.
- Mercy: Those who defeat you in a fair Hunt, or who are the victors in more dangerous hunts (such as a battle with the Alien Queen), and show you mercy are to be considered our equals. You must either kill them and yourself or bestow them with a reward.
- Code Violations: Those who break the code are renegades, and no longer considered to be a Yautja. They are to be destroyed when encountered.
- Never Harm the Ill or Offspring: Do not harm the ill or those who pregnant with infants. Best spare either unless they pose a threat (only apply for the former).
- When in a duel with an enemy, you must reveal yourself: In the novelization of first AVP movie, Lex Woods was about to be killed by a cloaked predator, however before it prepared to deliver the final blow, it de-activated it's cloak. According to the book, it is "hunting ethic" to reveal yourself to your enemy at the climax of a fight.
Biography
Film Series
Predator
The unmasked Jungle Hunter.
In the first film, a Predator dubbed the Jungle Hunter was the titular main antagonist and sent to a Central American country in the throes of civil war. It killed and skinned a Special Forces team in the area and witnessed another destroy a guerrilla camp while sustaining zero casualties. The Predator hunted them down one by one until only their leader Dutch was left. The Predator viewed him as a more worthy adversary than the rest and engaged in single combat with him. However, Dutch caught the Predator in a trap he had previously laid. Knowing it was defeated, the Predator set its bomb and blew itself up.
Predator 2
| “ |
Harrigan: You're one ugly mother- |
„ |
| ~ City Hunter interrupting Harrigan's line. |
In the second film, a group of Predators landed near Los Angeles, which was being torn apart in a war between Colombian and Jamaican drug dealers. One of which (known as the City Hunter), (who acted as the titular main antagonist throughout the film) was sent out to gather trophies, and it hunted among the drug dealers and police alike. It made the mistake of killing Det. Harrigan's partner, who sought vengeance. He engaged in combat with the City Hunter, and the wounded alien fled to its ship, where they fought a final battle. Harrigan killed the Predator, after which its brethren deactivated their cloaking devices and approached him. The group's senior member handed him an American Civil War-era pistol in recognition of his victory, and the Predators departed soon after.
Predators
- Main article: Berserker Predator
In Predators (which deliberately distances itself from the prior Aliens vs Predator movies), it's revealed that there are two warring Predator tribes, with one group using quadrupedal hunting beasts and elaborate traps to hunt. These Predators capture and drop a group of elite killers from different locations from Earth onto a forested planet used as a game preserve. After numerous battles resulting in the deaths of two Predators and all but two of the captured humans, the last Predator manages to kill another member of its kind from a rival tribe but is defeated in combat by the human survivors.
The Predator
| “ | You are one beautiful mother----er. | „ |
| ~ Casey Bracket to the stunned Predator. |
AVP Film Series
Alien vs. Predator
In 2004, a Predator ship arrived in Earth orbit to draw humans to an ancient Predator training ground on Bouvetøya, an island one thousand miles north of Antarctica. A buried pyramid which gave off a "heat bloom" attracted humans led by Charles Bishop Weyland, who unknowingly activated a Xenomorph production line. Three Predator hunters initiates entered the structure, killing all humans in their way with the intention of hunting the newborn Xenomorph warriors. Two Predators died in the ensuing battle, while the third (credited as Scar in the credits) allied itself with the lone surviving human, Alexa Woods to battled the escaped Queen Alien. The Queen was defeated, but not before she fatally wounded Scar.
The Predator ship hovering above the battleground uncloaked and the crew retrieved the fallen Scar. A Predator elder gives Alexa a spear as a sign of respect and then departs. Once the Predator ship was in orbit, it was revealed that a Chestburster was in Scar 's corpse, though this specimen had Predator mandibles.
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Set immediately after the previous film, the Predalien hybrid on board the Predator scout ship, which just separated from the mothership from the last film, has grown to full adult size and sets about killing the Predators on-board the ship, causing it to crash in Gunnison, Colorado. The last survivor activates a distress beacon with a video of the Predalien, which is received by a veteran Predator, who sets off towards Earth to "clean up" the infestation.
When it arrives, the Predator tracks the Aliens into a section of the sewer below town. He removes evidence of their presence as he goes by using a corrosive blue liquid. It uses a laser net to try to contain the creatures, but the Aliens still manage to escape into the town above. The Predator fashions a plasma pistol from its remaining plasma caster, the other being damaged while it hunted Aliens all across town (accidentally cutting the power to the town in the process) during a confrontation with human survivors.
Later on, the Predator reencounters the same human survivors in the Alien Hive and loses his plasma pistol. The Predator then fights the Predalien singlehandedly, and the two mortally wound one another just as the United States military drops a tactical nuclear bomb on the town, incinerating both combatants as well as the few remaining humans in the city. The United States Army then takes the salvaged plasma pistol to Ms Yutani
In Other Media
Mortal Kombat X
The Predator has been appeared as a DLC character in the video game; Mortal Kombat X. Predators (a.k.a. Yautja) hail from the Predator film series, along with the shared Alien vs. Predator universe. The Predator is playable in Mortal Kombat X alongside the Xenomorph DLC.
- Main article: Jungle Hunter
Family Guy
Krames vs. Predator pits Dustin Hoffman's character from Kramer vs. Kramer against a Predator in a parody of the 2004 crossover film Alien vs. Predator in the episode "8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenager Daughter". In a cutaway gag in the episode "Brian Writes a Bestseller", a guy in a coma dreams of writing a script of Batman vs. Predator. In the episode "Big Fat", a Predator stalks Peter, Joe and Quagmire. He also appeared in "Family Guy: The Quest For Stuff".
My Gym Partner's a Monkey
The Predator appears in the 2008 My Gym Partner's a Monkey episode, "Hygiene Hijinks". Mr. Hornbill teaches his class that lathering oneself in mud, will make one invisible to a nocturnal predator's infrared vision. For a brief, one second long gag, The Predator, (voiced by Tom Kenny), is shown, sitting at a desk, like a student. The Predator shrugs, saying "It's true." as these same rules apply to the species from the original Predator franchise.
Known Predators
- Jungle Hunter
- City Hunter
- Super Predators' clan members:
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