Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
removed a "this troper", no notifier available to send.
Changed line(s) 639 (click to see context) from:
* A minor one, but it bugs this troper on recent rewatch: Clemens' backstory. He mentions he was a bright young doctor addicted to morphine, and after a 36-hour shift, returned home only to be called back after an industrial accident, causing the deaths of several people after he gave them excessive doses of analgesics. The question is: was this because he already was high as a kite, or simply because he was extremely tired after a day and a half of continuous work (which has effects similar to heavy alcohol intoxication) and the company simply threw him under the bus to cover their practices of overworking their doctors?
to:
* A minor one, but it bugs this troper on recent rewatch: Regarding Clemens' backstory. backstory: He mentions he was a bright young doctor addicted to morphine, and after a 36-hour shift, returned home only to be called back after an industrial accident, causing the deaths of several people after he gave them excessive doses of analgesics. The question is: was this because he already was high as a kite, or simply because he was extremely tired after a day and a half of continuous work (which has effects similar to heavy alcohol intoxication) and the company simply threw him under the bus to cover their practices of overworking their doctors?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 639 (click to see context) from:
* A minor one, but it bugs this troper on recent rewatch: Celemns' backstory. He mentions he was a bright young doctor addicted to morphine, and after a 36-hour shift, returned home only to be called back after an industrial accident, causing the deaths of several people after he gave them excessive doses of analgesics. The question is: was this because he already was high as a kite, or simply because he was extremely tired after a day and a half of continuous work (which has effects similar to heavy alcohol intoxication) and the company simply threw him under the bus to cover their practices of overworking their doctors?
to:
* A minor one, but it bugs this troper on recent rewatch: Celemns' Clemens' backstory. He mentions he was a bright young doctor addicted to morphine, and after a 36-hour shift, returned home only to be called back after an industrial accident, causing the deaths of several people after he gave them excessive doses of analgesics. The question is: was this because he already was high as a kite, or simply because he was extremely tired after a day and a half of continuous work (which has effects similar to heavy alcohol intoxication) and the company simply threw him under the bus to cover their practices of overworking their doctors?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* A minor one, but it bugs this troper on recent rewatch: Celemns' backstory. He mentions he was a bright young doctor addicted to morphine, and after a 36-hour shift, returned home only to be called back after an industrial accident, causing the deaths of several people after he gave them excessive doses of analgesics. The question is: was this because he already was high as a kite, or simply because he was extremely tired after a day and a half of continuous work (which has effects similar to heavy alcohol intoxication) and the company simply threw him under the bus to cover their practices of overworking their doctors?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Questions should be about the films themselves, not the people who watch them.
Deleted line(s) 132,133 (click to see context) :
* Once again: Not an issue with the films themselves, but rather fandom. Why do some people have issues with xenos gestating inside non-human animals like a dog or an ox? From a biological standpoint, as a bioweapon, they should be simply able to gestate within any organism that is sufficiently developed and large.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* Once again: Not an issue with the films themselves, but rather fandom. Why do some people have issues with xenos gestating inside non-human animals like a dog or an ox? From a biological standpoint, as a bioweapon, they should be simply able to gestate within any organism that is sufficiently developed and large.
Added DiffLines:
* How much time passes between Aaron sending a message from Fiorina with Ripley's CAT scan and the arrival of the Weyland-Yutani team? Did they know beforehand that Ripley was carrying a chestburster and had the team sent following Sulaco, or what? Because it seems there's a very short time between the two - and assembling the proper team (including Michael Bishop) and sending it to the proper location definitely takes time.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* The first movie takes place in 2122, the last one no earlier than 2379 (depends on how long Ripley & Co. were in hypersleep before crashing on Fiorina 161). Still, the technology in ''Resurrection'' looks no different than the one in 2122, and for that matter, the one we use in 2022 (the guard on Auriga uses a metal detector that would look slightly dated on an airport nowadays). It's extremely implausible that the utilitarian technology hasn't evolved significantly in a quarter of a ''millennium'' - while it's hard to guess how would it evolve (are there any films from the eighties or so taking place in the early XXI century that predicted the ubiquity of smartphones?...), why they didn't even try? (With the exception of the third movie, where the modern technology simply broke down over time in an isolated former penal colony with limited outside contact - which actually was a quite clever way to bypass this problem).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Corrected some spelling and wrote a response
Changed line(s) 101,102 (click to see context) from:
** Thing is, so far every instance of a xenomorph infestation in the movies have involved circumstances that limited their effectiveness as WMDs. Think about this: Thing is, so far every instance of a xenomorph infestation in the movies have involved circumstances that limited their effectiveness as WMDs. Think about this: there is a planet that you want to attck, you take a few dozen eggs with you and quitely leave them in some inaccesible jungle area as far away from populated areas as possible. In a few weeks the xenomorphs and their queen will build a hive, start spreading throught the local fauna, and once grow into enough numbers new queens will migrate into new biomes (imagine if they can prosper in the ocean!). Sooner or later they will start coming in contact with urban areas and authorities will become aware of the threat... but by that time, unlike a few dozens (at most) of xenos stuck on the same place, you have millions upon millions of those creatures swarming pretty much everywhere. By then, you'd have to start nuking the hell out of your own planet if you want to have at least a chance to defeat the infestation.
to:
**** A vaccine would be a more useful defense against Anthrax. Putting your whole population into hazmat suits 24/7 has its own problems.
**Thing is, so far every instance of a xenomorph infestation in the movies have involved circumstances that limited their effectiveness as WMDs. Think about this: Thing is, so far every instance of a xenomorph infestation in the movies have involved circumstances that limited their effectiveness as WMDs. [=WMDs=]. Think about this: there is a planet that you want to attck, attack, you take a few dozen eggs with you and quitely quietly leave them in some inaccesible inaccessible jungle area as far away from populated areas as possible. In a few weeks the xenomorphs and their queen will build a hive, start spreading throught throghout the local fauna, and once grow into enough numbers new queens will migrate into new biomes (imagine if they can prosper in the ocean!). Sooner or later they will start coming in contact with urban areas and authorities will become aware of the threat... but by that time, unlike a few dozens (at most) of xenos stuck on the same place, you have millions upon millions of those creatures swarming pretty much everywhere. By then, you'd have to start nuking the hell out of your own planet if you want to have at least a chance to defeat the infestation.
*** Most of the planets in the movies haven't had much in the way of "jungle areas" to plant such an infestation, but assuming there are planets out there with this much native life this is possibly a viable strategy.
**
*** Most of the planets in the movies haven't had much in the way of "jungle areas" to plant such an infestation, but assuming there are planets out there with this much native life this is possibly a viable strategy.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 101 (click to see context) from:
to:
** Thing is, so far every instance of a xenomorph infestation in the movies have involved circumstances that limited their effectiveness as WMDs. Think about this: Thing is, so far every instance of a xenomorph infestation in the movies have involved circumstances that limited their effectiveness as WMDs. Think about this: there is a planet that you want to attck, you take a few dozen eggs with you and quitely leave them in some inaccesible jungle area as far away from populated areas as possible. In a few weeks the xenomorphs and their queen will build a hive, start spreading throught the local fauna, and once grow into enough numbers new queens will migrate into new biomes (imagine if they can prosper in the ocean!). Sooner or later they will start coming in contact with urban areas and authorities will become aware of the threat... but by that time, unlike a few dozens (at most) of xenos stuck on the same place, you have millions upon millions of those creatures swarming pretty much everywhere. By then, you'd have to start nuking the hell out of your own planet if you want to have at least a chance to defeat the infestation.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 627 (click to see context) from:
to:
** The prison is "half-decommissioned." The prisoners who elected to stay were all lifers, so the only place they had to go was to a different prison, and they were content where they were. One Warden/Administrator, one Vice Warden/Executive Administrator, and one Medical Officer were attached to keep an eye on them, and the prisoners function as a custodial crew keeping the complex in something resembling order in case the Company decides to reactivate it. The complex was originally a mine, which was shut down when richer sources with more accessability were discovered, at which point it was turned into a prison, then the prison was shut down (except for the remainders). That the population is so low and there are only three (technically two) staff and the Company originally shut the whole thing down twice to ''save'' money, removing all the guns means removing all the people trained to use the guns, prison guards and such. Most of this is from the novelization, which gives Andrews the line that these particular criminals are so vicious that, if there were real weapons about, they wouldn't be able to keep order with an entire army of armed guards. The novelization also explains that there simply isn't a need to keep the prisoners in line with force or threat of force, the Company controls all communication and transportation off the planet, and if the periodic supply ship arrives to find the inmates running the prison, they'll just keep the supplies and move on to their next destination, leaving the prisoners to eventually die from lack of things the shut-down complex doesn't provide.
Added DiffLines:
** The idea at the time was that double-Y chromosomes were at least partially responsible for extremely violent criminals, which has since been disproven. And see above: part of the reason the facility is so sparsely-populated and run down is that it ''was'' too expensive to be feasible. Twice. The prisoners who are there are the ones who elected to stay instead of be taken to a different, presumably cheaper-to-operate prison. Which is probably still a dedicated penal colony, mind you.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 618 (click to see context) from:
to:
** Still leaves you with real problems in terms keeping the character around. Either convince the actress to come back and try to explain why she aged five years in cryogenic suspension, recast her with another child actress and good luck finding one that can convincingly play the same character and have the same bond with Ripley and Hicks, or kill her off and piss off everyone who liked her and the mother-daughter relationship. The second great mistake of ''Alien 3'' is having it be an ImmediateSequel, when that automatically introduces narrative problems that have no good answers (see "where did the eggs come from?" for another of those problems). The first great mistake was setting a release date before having a director, script, writer, or even concept, as that influenced every other decision.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 551 (click to see context) from:
to:
** Maybe it could make sense that they could reason that out, then. If they can "see" electricity, then maybe they have noted that areas containing humans exhibit higher power draw, and that much of that power is focused in fixtures on walls and ceilings, and that humans in areas without that power draw in those fixtures are a lot less effective at defending themselves and easier to sneak up on. Thus, they now have the knowledge that cutting the power to an area that contains humans they want to attack will put the humans at a disadvantage.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 556 (click to see context) from:
* Why the motion trackers are operating only in two dimensions? A three-dimensional tracker would instantly show that an attack will come from above...
to:
* Why do the motion trackers are operating operate only in two dimensions? A three-dimensional tracker would instantly show that an attack will come from above...above...
** One of the themes of the movie is that the technology of the Marines makes them overconfident, so of course the motion trackers have a flaw that nobody suspected would be important before encountering the aliens. In-universe, the people who designed the trackers probably didn't think a 3D capability would useful enough to be worth the extra cost.
** One of the themes of the movie is that the technology of the Marines makes them overconfident, so of course the motion trackers have a flaw that nobody suspected would be important before encountering the aliens. In-universe, the people who designed the trackers probably didn't think a 3D capability would useful enough to be worth the extra cost.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* Why the motion trackers are operating only in two dimensions? A three-dimensional tracker would instantly show that an attack will come from above...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 73 (click to see context) from:
to:
** In the second film, there are numerous signals from the colonists' tags in the nest area, but as the Marines enter the nest, there are actually few ''bodies'' seen. Makes one wonder what exactly was that stuff the nest was made from...
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
What is "oto" supposed to mean?
Changed line(s) 542,543 (click to see context) from:
** The full-size prop vehicle used in the movie is actually an airplane tug dressed up with stuff like false turrets and a sliding side door to make it look like an APC. They have to be low in order to fit under the nose and wings of aircraft and of course they're only ever used on pavement. On the plus side they have a lot of power oto be able to pull airliners around. In universe, maybe this is the urban version of the APC, which would be another example of how the marines were equipped for the wrong type of mission. That said, during the escape from the processing station Ripley runs it over pretty rough terrain for a good distance before she breaks an axle, so maybe it's just that tough.
to:
** The full-size prop vehicle used in the movie is actually an airplane tug dressed up with stuff like false turrets and a sliding side door to make it look like an APC. They have to be low in order to fit under the nose and wings of aircraft and of course they're only ever used on pavement. On the plus side they have a lot of power oto to be able to pull airliners around. In universe, maybe this is the urban version of the APC, which would be another example of how the marines were equipped for the wrong type of mission. That said, during the escape from the processing station Ripley runs it over pretty rough terrain for a good distance before she breaks an axle, so maybe it's just that tough.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 542,543 (click to see context) from:
** The full-size prop vehicle used in the movie is actually an airplane tug dressed up with stuff like false turrets and a sliding side door to make it look like an APC. They have to be low in order to fit under the nose and wings of aircraft and of course they're only ever used on pavement. On the plus side they have a lot of power to be able to pull airliners around. In universe, maybe this is the urban version of the APC, which would be another example of how the marines were equipped for the wrong type of mission. That said, during the escape from the processing station Ripley runs it over pretty rough terrain for a good distance before she breaks an axle, so maybe it's just that tough.
to:
** The full-size prop vehicle used in the movie is actually an airplane tug dressed up with stuff like false turrets and a sliding side door to make it look like an APC. They have to be low in order to fit under the nose and wings of aircraft and of course they're only ever used on pavement. On the plus side they have a lot of power to oto be able to pull airliners around. In universe, maybe this is the urban version of the APC, which would be another example of how the marines were equipped for the wrong type of mission. That said, during the escape from the processing station Ripley runs it over pretty rough terrain for a good distance before she breaks an axle, so maybe it's just that tough.
Changed line(s) 598 (click to see context) from:
to:
** While [[VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines Aliens: Colonial Marines]] is a controversial game (to say the least), it is, however, acknowledged as canon. The Stasis Interrupted DLC reveals that the Sulaco was intercepted by Weyland Yutani while returning from LV-426, and was converted into a lab ship for studying the xenomorphs. The eggs were bought onboard by Wey-Yu, along with some unfortunate colonists.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** The pipe is perhaps too large for a full-grown xenomorph, but not too large for a juvenile or for facehuggers. Welding it shut is probably therefore a good idea.
** 180 meters at 40 minutes translates to a crawl of 4.5 meters per minute, or about 8 cm/s. That's not really too bad for "commando crawling" on knees, belly, and elbows through what looks to be about a 1m wide pipe. It's not wide enough for Bishop to extend his arms or legs at all. Also, Bishop's estimates on how long it would take were apparently on the conservative side, since he tells Ripley they still have 26 minutes after he lands the dropship.
** 180 meters at 40 minutes translates to a crawl of 4.5 meters per minute, or about 8 cm/s. That's not really too bad for "commando crawling" on knees, belly, and elbows through what looks to be about a 1m wide pipe. It's not wide enough for Bishop to extend his arms or legs at all. Also, Bishop's estimates on how long it would take were apparently on the conservative side, since he tells Ripley they still have 26 minutes after he lands the dropship.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* When Bishop goes out to get the second dropship, Vasquez is seen welding the pipe behind him. Why? A somewhat slim-built Bishop fit in that pipe well and could crawl inside, but a Xeno was significantly larger, so it couldn't get in the pipe follow Bishop and stop him. Plus it is said he needs 40 minutes to crawl 180 meters to the transmitter. Why so long? That's surprisingly slow crawl for an android that does not get claustrophobic and does not get tired.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* It is said that Fiorina 161 is a prison exclusively for Y-Y chromosomed persons, which means the supermale syndrome (a male with an additional Y chromosome). The point is, a supermale syndrome is a rather rare occurrence (unless a lot of cell division fuckups occurs in a population), and more, the men with supermale syndrome are usually taller and slow learners (with the same intelligence - it just takes more time to learn) than their ordinary peers, but there is no relation between an additional Y and excessive propensity to violence. So, why would one build an expensive to maintain offworld prison for people who could simply be kept in a regular one?
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
*** That assumes the W-Y bosses are far-sighted enough to see that the aliens might get out of control and that they might need such a technique for a victim that they actually want to save. That's not really consistent with their track record. ''Alien Resurrection'' shows that the ''Auriga'' researchers had such a technique by the time of that movie, but that's 200 years after the rest of the movie series, W-Y was dead and gone, and it's implied that it was fairly tricky surgery with many failed attempts.
Changed line(s) 117,118 (click to see context) from:
** Some of the newer expanded universe material, like the Free Legion ''Alien'' RPG, says that it it's not in fact an embryonic chestburster that the facehugger implants, but bacteria that then mutates the host's own internal organs into the chestburster form. Cause of death is said to be "a combination of massive tissue damage, blood loss, and organ transformation."
to:
** Some of the newer expanded universe material, like the Free Legion League ''Alien'' RPG, says that it it's not in fact an embryonic chestburster that the facehugger implants, but bacteria that then mutates the host's own internal organs into the chestburster form. Cause of death is said to be "a combination of massive tissue damage, blood loss, and organ transformation."
"
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
*** Even so, you'd think the W-Y bosses would want to find ''some'' way of extracting a chestburster without killing the host, if only as a precaution in case one of '''them''' ever got facehugged. Xeno infestations have a proven track record for getting out of their would-be handlers' control, after all.
Added DiffLines:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 352 (click to see context) from:
to:
** Or the hatchets could be intended for breaking open stubborn supply crates that don't yield to a prybar.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 343 (click to see context) from:
to:
** Or the acid, being a liquid, boiled away in the vacuum before it could do enough damage to the spear's surface.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 509 (click to see context) from:
to:
** We actually know the dates from ''[[Literature/AlienOutOfTheShadows River of Pain]]'' (which derives them from some dates given in ''Aliens'') - it was a little over a month (though the dates vary by a couple of days depending on whether you go by the book or the audio adaptation - the audio sets events slightly later). Russ Jorden is infected on June 21/24, by June 26/29 Hadley's Hope is virtually wiped out and Newt escapes into the vents. On July 27, the Sulaco arrives.
Changed line(s) 552 (click to see context) from:
* Glad the bull was cut from the final version of this film, because it doesn't make any sense. For example, wouldn't a Xenomorph born from a bull inherit the bull's mass, not to mention it's horns? Why did the writers think it was a good idea in the first place?
to:
* Glad the bull was cut from the final version of this film, because it doesn't make any sense. For example, wouldn't a Xenomorph born from a bull inherit the bull's mass, not to mention it's its horns? Why did the writers think it was a good idea in the first place?
Changed line(s) 555 (click to see context) from:
to:
** The "rule" that the Alien inherits characteristics from its host is introduced for the first time in this movie, and strictly speaking the only new detail we learn is "If the host was a quadruped, the Alien is a quadruped". It was only later ExpandedUniverse stories that would invent the idea that the specific species could have a greater influence on the Alien's shape. They couldn't follow a rule that hadn't been invented yet.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
**** The ''Nostromo'' did have standing orders to investigate distress signals and signs of unknown alien life. The secret order for this particular mission was not a regular standing order, however. It was eyes only for the science officer that including diverting the ''Nostromo'' to this particular planet. If "Crew expendable" were a regular standing order for all of the Company ships then it would have been a PR disaster for the Company.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 354 (click to see context) from:
to:
** I haven't listened to the director's commentary, but I do remember there's a deleted scene where Ripley and some other crew member mention that Ash hasn't had sex with anyone and it's odd that he's never shown any interest in sex.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 246,247 (click to see context) from:
** Considering the ColonyDrop scenario proposed above, maybe you don't ''want'' the self-destruct to be easily aborted. If the ship is out of control and careening towards a planet, there's every chance that parts of the ship are already exploding for whatever reason. In that scenario, a self-destruct might be ''unintentionally' aborted by some random piece of ceiling falling on the button. Having a deliberately complex abort sequence helps ensure that there are actual humans still onboard who have actually decided to abort the self-destruct (hopefully because the ship has been steered out of the way so it won't hit anything).
to:
** Considering the ColonyDrop scenario proposed above, maybe you don't ''want'' the self-destruct to be easily aborted. If the ship is out of control and careening towards a planet, there's every chance that parts of the ship are already exploding for whatever reason. In that scenario, a self-destruct might be ''unintentionally' ''unintentionally'' aborted by some random piece of ceiling falling on the button. Having a deliberately complex abort sequence helps ensure that there are actual humans still onboard who have actually decided to abort the self-destruct (hopefully because the ship has been steered out of the way so it won't hit anything).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 246 (click to see context) from:
to:
** Considering the ColonyDrop scenario proposed above, maybe you don't ''want'' the self-destruct to be easily aborted. If the ship is out of control and careening towards a planet, there's every chance that parts of the ship are already exploding for whatever reason. In that scenario, a self-destruct might be ''unintentionally' aborted by some random piece of ceiling falling on the button. Having a deliberately complex abort sequence helps ensure that there are actual humans still onboard who have actually decided to abort the self-destruct (hopefully because the ship has been steered out of the way so it won't hit anything).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
*** Maybe Mother actually has a Rosetta Stone of some kind. The company has plenty of ships, right? So maybe some previous ship found the remnants of some other wrecked Space Jockey ship (without any xenomorphs onboard) and the company spent a few years researching it and they parsed together some of the language. And then they programmed all their ships' computers to understand it in case they ever found some more Space Jockey stuff.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** If there's ''any'' chance that the alien hops from the Nostromo and kills all the people on whatever other ship is sent to investigate, Ripley doesn't want to take that chance. Considering how the company ''already'' put everyone in mortal danger and officially declared them "expendable", it's quite plausible that the first round of investigators will also be considered "expendable" and the company won't bother giving them enough gear/guns/armor to be properly protected from the alien. Blowing up the ship is the best way to make sure that nobody else will ever get killed by this thing.
