The Ripley character from the previous films does not appear in the fourth installment. The character was created when it was decided that a third sequel to Alien would be produced and Sigourney Weaver expressed interest in the project. Due to the fact that her character had died in Alien³ and the facility has been closed down after Ripley was landed in the lava, an alternate method had to be employed to enable her to return to the film franchise. It was then decided that she would portray a clone copy of the original Ellen Ripley.The clones of Ellen Ripley were created by the military for the purpose of experimentation with the Alien. The protagonist clone, Ellen Ripley 8, has traces of Alien genes inside of her that give her superior strength, endurance, caustic blood and the ability to sense and communicate with the creatures. Due to some form of "genetic memory" derived from the Aliens the Ripley clone can learn at an extremely rapid rate and recall some of the original Ripley's memories and personality. The clone is not an exact mental duplicate as she is more violent, fatalistic and sadistic than the original. She also has a mild empathy for the Aliens and antipathy for humans.After the Alien was recovered successfully from the clone host, Dr. Jonathan Gediman, one of the scientists on the project, asked permission to keep her alive so she could be studied. The project leader Dr. Mason Wren agreed, though he asserted the main focus of the project would remain on the Alien. The Ellen Ripley clone, otherwise referred to as "8", was allowed to live and became involved in the further events in Alien Resurrection when the Aliens escaped from their prisons and wrought havoc on the USM Auriga.Ripley 8 discovered the seven experimental and deformed clone Ripleys in a military lab. At the pleading of the last surviving one (Ripley 7) she incinerated the lab and all the clones with a flamethrower.The Ellen Ripley clone survives the events of Alien Resurrection and presumably lands on Earth after the finale, to an unknown future.