"You know because I'm the best pilot who's ever worked for Kelland."
Lachance (from Alien: Out of the Shadows)

Lachance, nicknamed "No-Chance",[2] was the pilot of the deep space mining vessel DSMO Marion. He was serving on the ship above LV-178 in 2159 when the miners on the planet below stumbled upon a large number of Xenomorphs deep underground in the mines. The incident eventually led to the destruction of the Marion and the loss of all but one of its crew.

Lachance survived the expedition to the mine on LV-178, only to be killed by the Xenomorph that remained on the Marion upon his return to the ship.


Disaster on the Marion

As the Marion's pilot, Lachance spent most of his time on the ship's bridge and was at his post when the shuttles Samson and Delilah took off from LV-178 with Xenomorphs on board. After the collision with the Delilah, Lachance did his best to stabilize the Marion's orbit, but with many of the ship's positioning thrusters destroyed in the crash he was unable to correct its path.

When Ripley arrived on the Marion and the survivors realized they would have to descend to LV-178 as part of their escape plans, Lachance remained on the bridge with Baxter when the Samson was opened and the Xenomorphs on board were dealt with — as by far the best pilot amongst the remaining survivors, he was too valuable to risk in a confrontation with the Xenomorphs. Although one of the creatures escaped onto the Marion, Lachance and Baxter remained safe on the bridge and the Alien instead disappeared into one of the ship's cargo holds.

On LV-178

"No sign of what killed them."
"I think we can rule out heart attack."
Kasyanov and Lachance, upon discovering a dead miner (from Alien: Out of the Shadows)

Lachance piloted the Samson down to the mine on LV-178 and entered the complex with the others, soon discovering the derelict spacecraft buried deep underground. When Baxter accidentally fired his plasma torch and caused a cascade of molten rock, Lachance quickly sprung into action when a piece of the rock hit Hoop on the leg, digging the red-hot material out with his knife and sparing him more serious injury. Despite repeated conflict with the Xenomorphs in the mine, Lachance made it back to the surface uninjured, the only member of the group to do so.

Back to the Marion

"Hold onto your panties, ladies, we're going in!"
Lachance, preparing to dock manually with the Marion (from Alien: Out of the Shadows)

Lachance piloted the Samson back to the Marion, and was forced to dock without computer assistance when Ripley pointed out that Ash may well have infected the ship's autopilot systems. Lachance completed the risky maneuver successfully, despite the Marion's dangerously decaying orbit, and the survivors re-boarded the ship. Almost immediately they were set upon by the remaining Xenomorph, which Ash had released from the cargo hold in which it had been hiding. Lachance attempted to kill the creature with a charge thumper but missed, hitting Kasyanov instead, and was himself killed when the Alien threw him against a nearby wall and plunged its inner jaw into his neck, almost severing his head from his body.

Personality and Traits

"We're getting out of this. Right, Hoop?"
"What do you expect me to say to that?"
"That we're getting out of this."
"OK, Lachance. We're getting out of this."
"That's a relief. For a minute there I thought we were fucked."
Lachance and Hoop, discussing their chances (from Alien: Out of the Shadows)

Lachance was dry and witty, and had a tendency to try and find humor in the increasingly bleak situation he and the other survivors found themselves in above and below LV-178. As such, his sarcasm often helped to lighten the mood. Despite this humor, Lachance was a notorious pessimist, a fact that earned him his nickname "No-Chance".[2] Lachance was an ace pilot, describing himself as "the best pilot who's ever worked for Kelland". Notably, after fleeing the surface of LV-178 he was able to dock the Samson with the Marion without any form of computer assistance, despite the latter's erratic and unstable orbit, a feat he had previously only accomplished in simulations.


For the expedition into the mine on LV-178, Lachance armed himself with a charge thumper.


  • Lachance's nickname "No-Chance" is somewhat ironic, because his name is derived from the Old French word cheaunce, meaning "chance", which was a nickname often given to especially lucky people.



  1. Tim Lebbon. Alien: Out of the Shadows, p. 301 (2014), Titan Books.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tim Lebbon. Alien: Out of the Shadows, p. 19 (2014), Titan Books.