Did you know that the Predator shares Optimus Prime’s voice? And other geek facts
The last person you’d expect to star in a Predator film is Jacob Tremblay (yes, that little boy in Room, Shut In, and Wonder), but he’s in the latest instalment in the series – The Predator! He plays language savant Rory McKenna, who is instrumental in defeating the Predators thanks to that ability. It’s strange though, since you’d expect someone with more… physical abilities to be critical in the fight against the Predators.
And you read that right – there’s not just one Predator out there in the universe. There are many Predators – enough to take over Earth, if they should so choose. Here are six fun (okay some are morbid) facts that you never knew about the Predator. After you’ve become an expert on Predators, you can start quizzing your friends about them, too!
1. The Predators are actually an alien race that influenced mankind’s development
While we often see them referred to singularly (the movies usually revolve around one Predator that’s out to massacre a helpless group of humans), the Predators are actually an alien species that reproduces (we’ll get to that), eats, and have an actual functioning civilisation. They’re drawn to warmer climates (which explains why Predator ships keep landing on our planet – they’re probably drawn by Singapore’s bestial humidity) and exist on several planets.
In fact, the Predators have landed on Earth many, many times. As revealed in Alien vs Predator, the Predators landed on our planet during the days of early human civilisation and were worshipped as gods. It’s been heavily implied that the Predators were responsible for how the Ancient Egyptians, the Aztecs and the Khmer Empire turned out.
2. There is a scientific name for the Predator species
One of the first few concept art sketches for the Predator. Credit: Wikipedia
And that name is Yautja.
Sometimes it’s His-Qu-Ten.
Other times, it’s Hish.
Although the Predators have a name for their own species, that name is rarely seen in the movies. However, the novels, video games, and comic books have shown that the Predators call their own race a particular name – just that the name differs from story to story. That’s partly because…
3. There may be two different species of Predators
Predators. Credit: Villains Wiki
Predators revealed to us that there were the regular Predators we always see in films – and there’s an even more powerful species of Predator, informally known as the Black Super Predators. They are the same species in the sense that they could both mate and reproduce, but one is far more powerful than the other. In the words of Noland (Laurence Fishbourne) from Predators, it’s “kinda like the difference between dogs and wolves.”
And we’ve been facing the “dog” version of the Predators all this while… when there’s been a “wolf” version (the Black Super Predator).
It also means there may be even more deadly species of Predators in the universe.
4. The Predators were designed by the same person who worked on Aliens, Terminator, and Jurassic Park
Stan Winston. Credit: First Showing
Here’s a bit of movie trivia. Ever noticed how the Aliens, Terminator, Predator, and Jurassic Park franchises all have the same sort of baseline aesthetic? The creatures are always feral, monstrous things which feel like they could actually exist. That’s because they’re based on real-life predators in the animal kingdom, and the Predators are the brainchild of Stan Winston.
He had already worked on Aliens and Terminator before he was brought on board to design the titular Predators of the Predator series. After that, he went on to work on real (sort of) animals – the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park.
Sadly, Stan Winston passed on in 2008. But we will always remember him in our nightmares.
5. The Predator’s voice is the same as Optimus Prime’s voice
Both Optimus Prime and the Predator are voiced by the same person – Peter Cullen! If they sound nothing alike, that’s because he created the voice of the Predator based on… an upside down horse shoe crab dying on the beach. You see, when Peter Cullen was first shown an image of the Predator, that was the first thing that came to mind (from a childhood memory, no less) (Peter Cullen has really awful childhood memories, if you think about it). Nevertheless, it’s become as iconic as Optimus Prime’s voice.
In any case, you wouldn’t want to be fighting Optimus Prime or a Predator. Both of them are formidable fighters.
6. Female Predators have the similar reproductive organs as female humans
Big Mama, a female Predator. Credit: Xenopedia – The Alien vs. Predator Wiki
To be extremely clear about this – we don’t really know whether male Predators have the same organs as male humans. What we do know, from a comic book, is that female Predators have milk glands and feed their infants in pretty much the same way that humans do. Female Predators are rarely, if ever, seen, and the most famous one is probably Big Mama (which kind of implies that she has, you know, produced children).
All of the other Predators we’ve seen are male though.
The Predator. Credit: Golden Village Cinemas
The Predators return in The Predator, which sees the eponymous alien species returning. If they weren’t terrible enough the first time, they’re even deadlier now – because they’ve genetically altered themselves to become smarter, stronger, and better hunters. It’s down to Rory (Jacob Tremblay), a Science teacher, and a group of former soldiers to save humanity from becoming prey. Who will survive the latest incursion of The Predators?
Our money’s on Rory.
Credits: Wikipedia, Villains Wiki, First Showing, Xenopedia – The Alien vs Predator Wiki, Golden Village Cinemas
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