The origin of the Derelict and the Engineer who piloted it remain unknown. From what is seen aboard the Derelict in Alien, it would appear that it crashed after the Engineer piloting it was impregnated by a Facehugger The Atmosphere Processor explosion, which occurred near the central colony complex, probably did not destroy the Derelict. The Jorden family are said to have headed out past 'the Illium Range', supposedly a mountain range, which may have protected the Derelict from the explosion.