timdiggerm said:
It's been stated, I believe by Scott himself, that "The Space Jockey" in Alien is just a space suit, not an actual fossilized body.
This is another thing that gives me feelings of slight trepidation. I always loved not knowing exactly what I was looking at when seeing the space jockey in Alien. Being uncertain about its physiology, of where the chair ended and the organism began, really made the space jockey seem alien in the truest sense of the word--it was something that was completely foreign to our technology and comprehension (I believe Giger himself would agree this was the intent, his art being focused on the seamless melding of the organic with the artificial).
Having the technology (not to mention the origin) surrounding the space jockey explained ruins that sense of mystery and wonder which Alien so expertly created.