Even though he has had countless onscreen roles including "Top Gun," "SpaceCamp," "Poltergeist III," "Steel Magnolias," and even a quick cameo in "Singles" as the mayor of Seattle, legacy actor Tom Skeritt is probably most remembered for appearing as Dallas in Ridley Scott's "Alien." In a fascinating, tell-all 2019 interview with Av Club, Skeritt recognized just how special his time as the Captain of the Nostromo really was. "As it happens, one of the most memorable things in my career was making 'Alien.' I recognized we were making something extraordinary." 

Ridley Scott's vision for "Alien" and Dan O'Bannon's screenplay brought a level of astonishing scope mixed with a blue collar realism that completely re-invented what science fiction could be. Once artist H.R. Giger came aboard to create the biomechanical design of the Xenomorph, the look and feel of the "Alien" universe was born. Skeritt knew they were making something different,...