Things to consider: If a tugship in itself was capable of partially decyphering an alien language, then surely the WY super computers could do much better.
Ripley tells us, "It looks like a warning."
Remember, in the Alien universe information is sent instantaneously (or much faster than should be allowed) through the Network. As soon as the probe sent the information back, WY would start translating the message. And by the time the Nostromo crew was involved, they would already know what the message meant.
Hence if the message said, "stay the hell away, there are bitey things here that will kill you," then WY would want to see just how dangerous these bitey things are.
The derelict is made by a totally unrelated alien species to the xenomorph. Unless the transmission went into detail what the aliens looked like, they couldn't have know it would be THE ALIEN. Just an alien. Its a warning. Not a nature documentary giving the physicals of the alien creature. (I forget how long it repeats itself, but I seem to remember it being a short cycle, given human language, you dont get very descriptive in thirty second messages).
Its also assumption that Ash is a specialized android. For all we know WY could've hacked him to suit the Nostromo mission. He could've been just a standard android doing standard jobs before WY reprogrammed him. It would explain him going completely batshit at the end of the film. WY might've used him simply because a reprogrammed droid is still better than a human with a conscious who might betray their intentions, or get eaten before the speciman was secured.
Also, all we know about the end of AvP2, if you count the pos as canon, is the fact that the government knew about the Alien and the preds, and that Yutani knew about the preds.
We don't know Lex's story, or even if she made it back alive. Don't know Weyland corporations involvement in it. All we do know is Yutani got predator tech.
I also think since the Nostromo is WY property, and Thedus is probably in the network, WY just rerouted it from a distance by "hacking" it.
Its also funny that for the longest time I didn't understand that Special Order 937 happened at the BEGGINING of the film. I thought it was a communication from WY after Ash had been going back and forth with the company and that Ash had finally convinced the company it was worth picking up.
Always thought the Nostromo being rerouted was happening at that moment. That soon it'd land at a company base somewhere.
It wasn't until I found gamegossip I learned otherwise.
Remember, WY set up the colony thirty seven years after the original film. The colony was there for twenty before the events of aliens. That doesn't seem very hurried to me.
Burke was looking on his own imo. If he wasn't, I imagine the company involvement in Acheron would be much higher. When people with money want something, they usually get it.
As SM said, once WY had a full appreciation for the xeno, they went balls to the wall to try and obtain it.
Expendable doesn't mean the crew HAS to die. Just that their lives are secondary to the companies whims.
