Dark Horse Announces "Predator: Life and Death" (FaS-style Crossover)

[SM]

Yeah two a clearly visible in Alien, but it's not that much of an issue since the problem of having too many passengers remains a problem for the most part.

[The Alien Predator]

That's correct, there were lots of them to begin with so the extra pod doesn't make too much of a difference.

[Perfect-Organism]

The Nostromo was a bit of a Titanic.  Not enough life-boats (or at least cryo-tubes) for everyone.  The Alien Vault actually indicates that there were 2 shuttles.  The Narcissus and the Salmacis.

[Xenomrph]

The Nostromo was a bit of a Titanic.  Not enough life-boats (or at least cryo-tubes) for everyone.  The Alien Vault actually indicates that there were 2 shuttles.  The Narcissus and the Salmacis.

Yep, and assuming the Salmacis had the same number of cryotubes as the Narcissus, it would still be short 3 cryotubes.

If I remember right the Tech Manual clarifies that the Narcissus could be used as an emergency lifeboat in a pinch, but that its main function was as a short-range shuttle.

[HuDaFuK]

They needed Ripley's shuttle to escape, so she can't be cleanly lifted out.

I'm sure they could've come up with another solution that didn't involve awkwardly shoe-horning Ripley into the story and requiring cringe-worthy "mind-wipes" to stop it spoiling continuity with the films.

Seriously, I hated that they put her in it. It really hurt what otherwise could've been a really good read.

[SM]

Having Ash's AI still out there trying to fulfil his special order worked fine, and I didn't find the mind wipe that bad.  It was telegraphed before you even start reading, and looking at the MedPod and Visor technology in Prometheus it's not like its unprecedented.  Particularly since Lebbon gave it a realistic context.

The only problem arises beyond the book and why Ripley didn't use it after she got back to Gateway to treat her nightmares.

[Corporal Hicks]

Presumably Ripley wouldn't be aware of the option if it was via technology developed while she was asleep. It does beg the question of why a psychiatrist wouldn't recommend it though. Maggs talked about it being used to treat PTSD in the audio drama but I can't remember if Lebbon rationalized it the same way in the novel?

In the original Aliens Book 1, they wipe Newt's memory and it doesn't particularly hold that well (I know it's not the same technology). I suppose it might have a low success rate. That might be one way to explain it.

[HuDaFuK]

I really liked that Ash's consciousness was in it, although I was disappointed he didn't play a more active role in the story.

To me, the Ripley mind-wipe thing was just a cheesy get-out clause. As you say, there are other times when it could've been used in the series (Aliens, Alien Resurrection; "Why does it have memories?!") and the fact it was never even suggested makes its use on some run-down mining vessel operating in the arse-end of nowhere seem even more convenient and dubious.

[Corporal Hicks]

I'm not sure Lebbon could have gotten out of that inbetweenquel any better though. Maybe Ripley suffers a bad head wound but that would have been contrived.

[HuDaFuK]

No, hence why I wish it hadn't had Ripley in at all. Or had at least kept her comatose in stasis throughout and left Ash to do his thing.

[Corporal Hicks]

I think the point was that Fox was more interested in an undiscovered Ripley adventure than anything else.

[SM]

Kasyanov mentions PTSD treatment in the book.

[Ultramorph]

Dark Horse has a preview of issue #4 up on their site. Beware of spoilers.
http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/Previews/29-809?page=0

[happypred]

Wow...why would they include that spoiler in a preview...

[Ultramorph]

Wow...why would they include that spoiler in a preview...

It's funny because I pretty much guessed that stuff would happen based on the preview of Prometheus #1 from a week or so ago. I wonder what else happens in the issue?