From: rabjab@golem.ucsd.edu (Jeff Bytof)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies
Subject: Re: Do the Aliens come from EARTH?
Date: 20 Aug 92 13:57:59 GMT
Organization: sio
NNTP-Posting-Host: lutherlab.ucsd.edu


>>
>>My belief is that even the explaination we are given - getting the
>>Alien for the bioweapons division - is part truth: they are 
>>retrieving the weapon to examine it.  It may have been genetically
>>programmed with a capability to alter its genetic makeup to suit the
>>host - something hinted at in Alien^3.  The Company may have been 
>>surprised that a ship from the other civilization had left home base,
>>and was curious to see why.  Was it enroute to Earth for a counter-attack,
>>assuming they figured out was  Earth that screwed them?

>^^^ But why is there no mention of contact with other spicies in _Alien_?

The apparent pilot of the derelict ship found on LV-426 IS of the
other species. Given the fact that the orders were explicit to examine "all
systematized transmissions of intelligent origin" it is a wonder that
not much at all is made of the discovery of a ship and dead pilot of
"intelligent origin."  That leads me to believe that the story 
weavers of Alien have chosen to cloud that aspect, and bring it to
flower later.  Why they didn't do it in Alien^3 is beyond me.

>>
>>Because the Company had done the dirty deed, they could not visit the
>>actual scene of the crime (the home planet of the other race) for
>                            ^^^ What other race?

As described above, the home planet of the "Elephant", pilot of the
"Flying U".

>>a long time.  The Nostromo was a convenient probe to use to check on
> ^^^^^^^^ WHY?

After you blow up a Pan-Am over Lockerbee, you don't send out a 
bunch of terrorists right away to look over the wreckage.

>>a minor deviation from the Company's plan without getting much
>>attention.

>   Except that the crashed ship of LV-426 had been there for a long,
>long time.
>   Your story isn't even hinted at in _Alien_ or _Aliens_ (can't
>comment on _Alien^3_ yet).  There is no hint of contact with another
>alien spicies in _Alien_ before the encounter on LV-426.

The novel quotes Lambert as stating that she thought the transmitter
had been going "for years...Maybe decades or longer".  Completely
subjective.  I have forgotten the exact wording from the film, but
I'll try to watch it again tonight.

There's a dual cover-up here:  the Company is definitely not
going to come out and say "we have discovered an intelligent 
species", if their intent or action is or was to commit Xenocide.
Burke probably was so far down that he knew absolutely nothing.
Van Leuwen probably didn't know anything, either.  "It's something
we haven't seen yet".  

The makers of the Alien series have given themselves sufficient 
latitude to "come up with just about any story they want."
I am only theorizing, however, that those aspects which could
certainly have been very important in the plot development (the
existence of the Elephant and Flying U, and the curious lack of interest of
its implications) are awaiting future expression.  Given what
we know about the company, sneaking in stuff through quarentine
would be small potatoes.  I think it's up to much more
devious mischief: Xenocide in the name of profit.  

>>:
Jeff Bytof
rabjab@golem.ucsd.edu


>-- 
>Darren Forbes  | "Wooden mice know what's nice;    |
>dmf@uk.ac.aber |  sawdust cheese and maple spice." | 
>dmf@aber.ac.uk |           - The Bones Of The Moon |
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies