Aliens: Bug Hunt - Aliens Anthology Announced!

Started by alienscollection.com, May 10, 2016, 08:21:28 PM

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Aliens: Bug Hunt - Aliens Anthology Announced! (Read 108,210 times)

Xenomrph

Quote from: Local Trouble on May 16, 2016, 11:58:41 PM
What about Ash?  Does he make mistakes?
The 120-A2s always were a little twitchy.

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 17, 2016, 02:16:21 AM
Gasp... LV-426 is made of... wait for it... Trimonite!  :o
This got me thinking, I don't know if I ever really considered what the colonists on LV-426 actually did, aside from live and reproduce and occasionally go out exploring in big off-road tractors. Like, if they were mining for stuff, where were they storing it? Were they smelting it on-site, or shipping it offworld? And if they were mining, where was all the mining equipment? The closest thing we get is the "seismic charges" mentioned in-dialogue.
Does that mean there were regular transports to and from LV-426? I know the Fire & Stone comic introduced the Onager, a freight lifter built for going into orbit. Just going off the movie, though, the Marines don't even entertain the possibility that the colonists had a way to get off the planet's surface or even get into low orbit, which implies that they never needed to in their day to day jobs.

HuDaFuK

Quote from: Local Trouble on May 16, 2016, 10:46:10 PMAlso, the company presumably terraformed LV-426 for its mineral wealth.

I've always thought it was because they want to make it an inhabited world, for whatever reason. You could probably mine it more or less just as effectively without going to the vast expense of terraforming the atmosphere, and anyway it's already breathable in Aliens and there doesn't seem to be any mining going on.

I figured W-Y had a long-term colonisation plan in mind.

SM

The Company co-financed Hadley with the ECA as an advance on mineral rights going by the script and novel.

Local Trouble

Local Trouble

#78
And Newt's parents were wildcatters (a slang term for prospectors, in case you're not already aware).

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 17, 2016, 02:16:21 AM
Gasp... LV-426 is made of... wait for it... Trimonite!  :o

Ah, so the rare and exotic substance I've been looking for has been a "thing" in the EU all this time?

http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Trimonite

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 04:31:49 AMThis got me thinking, I don't know if I ever really considered what the colonists on LV-426 actually did, aside from live and reproduce and occasionally go out exploring in big off-road tractors. Like, if they were mining for stuff, where were they storing it? Were they smelting it on-site, or shipping it offworld? And if they were mining, where was all the mining equipment? The closest thing we get is the "seismic charges" mentioned in-dialogue.

My guess is that they had mines scattered all over the planet along with any mining equipment.  Are you under the impression that we should have seen them in the middle of the colony?

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 04:31:49 AMDoes that mean there were regular transports to and from LV-426? I know the Fire & Stone comic introduced the Onager, a freight lifter built for going into orbit. Just going off the movie, though, the Marines don't even entertain the possibility that the colonists had a way to get off the planet's surface or even get into low orbit, which implies that they never needed to in their day to day jobs.

Define "regular."

Nostromo, as an example, was hauling 20 million tons of ore.  How often do you think a colony of 158 could extract that much?

And I see no reason why the colony would need its own ship if it had periodic visits by company freighters.

Corporal Hicks

The Onager in Fire and Stone could imply they have already made some hand-offs. Or it might just have been there, not used but ready to transport minerals when the time came.

Xenomrph

Quote from: Local Trouble on May 17, 2016, 12:32:31 PM
Ah, so the rare and exotic substance I've been looking for has been a "thing" in the EU all this time?

http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Trimonite
Not really, there's a difference between density and hardness. :P
Diamond is very hard, but it's because of the lattice structure of its molecules giving it structural stability, not because the molecules are packed so tightly together.

Quote
My guess is that they had mines scattered all over the planet along with any mining equipment.  Are you under the impression that we should have seen them in the middle of the colony?
Well I mean, I figured we'd see mining-related equipment near the colony. The vehicles and stuff we see in and around Hadley's Hope are just really generic and don't give much of a hint as to what the colony did other than be a terraforming proof-of-concept. :P

QuoteNostromo, as an example, was hauling 20 million tons of ore.  How often do you think a colony of 158 could extract that much?
It would take forever. As in, "there has to be a more efficient way". Which kind of makes you wonder if they had massive strip-mining equipment at mines we don't see.

Quote from: SM on May 17, 2016, 09:44:36 AM
The Company co-financed Hadley with the ECA as an advance on mineral rights going by the script and novel.
I figured the novel gave more detail, it's been forever since I read it.
I checked the script online real quick before I posted and didn't see any mention of the colony's function, although to be fair I only read from Ripley's inquest scene to Russ Jorden getting facehugged.

Local Trouble

Local Trouble

#81
Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 03:21:35 PM
Quote from: Local Trouble on May 17, 2016, 12:32:31 PM
Ah, so the rare and exotic substance I've been looking for has been a "thing" in the EU all this time?

http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Trimonite
Not really, there's a difference between density and hardness. :P
Diamond is very hard, but it's because of the lattice structure of its molecules giving it structural stability, not because the molecules are packed so tightly together.

The super dense mineral on LV-426 doesn't have to be Trimonite, nor does the entire planet have to be composed of it.  Maybe there are scattered deposits of whatever you want to call it near the surface and the core itself is a concentrated sphere of this super dense substance.  Trimonite, to me, is simply an example of why the company bothers with extrasolar mining operations.

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 03:21:35 PM
Quote
My guess is that they had mines scattered all over the planet along with any mining equipment.  Are you under the impression that we should have seen them in the middle of the colony?
Well I mean, I figured we'd see mining-related equipment near the colony. The vehicles and stuff we see in and around Hadley's Hope are just really generic and don't give much of a hint as to what the colony did other than be a terraforming proof-of-concept. :P

Once the mineral deposits are located by prospectors like the Jordens and the necessary equipment is installed by whomever the company pays to do that sort of thing, maybe the mines themselves are completely automated (just like the Nostromo's refinery and the atmosphere processor).

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 03:21:35 PM
QuoteNostromo, as an example, was hauling 20 million tons of ore.  How often do you think a colony of 158 could extract that much?
It would take forever. As in, "there has to be a more efficient way". Which kind of makes you wonder if they had massive strip-mining equipment at mines we don't see.

Which is why automated mines make sense to me.

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 03:21:35 PM
Quote from: SM on May 17, 2016, 09:44:36 AM
The Company co-financed Hadley with the ECA as an advance on mineral rights going by the script and novel.
I figured the novel gave more detail, it's been forever since I read it.
I checked the script online real quick before I posted and didn't see any mention of the colony's function, although to be fair I only read from Ripley's inquest scene to Russ Jorden getting facehugged.

Now that you know that, can you make it all fit?

Xenomrph

QuoteThe super dense mineral on LV-426 doesn't have to be Trimonite, nor does the entire planet have to be composed of it.  Maybe there are scattered deposits of whatever you want to call it near the surface and the core itself is a concentrated sphere of this super dense substance.
That makes even less sense - the less of the planet is made of the mystery material, the exponentially (reads: impossibly) denser it needs to be to account for the overall density.

Answer me this: why are you so adamant that Lambert's number be right? Just because she said it?

QuoteNow that you know that, can you make it all fit?
I already did: LV-426 is 12,000km, per visual evidence, common scientific knowledge, and basic common sense. :)

Local Trouble

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 03:55:17 PM
QuoteThe super dense mineral on LV-426 doesn't have to be Trimonite, nor does the entire planet have to be composed of it.  Maybe there are scattered deposits of whatever you want to call it near the surface and the core itself is a concentrated sphere of this super dense substance.

That makes even less sense - the less of the planet is made of the mystery material, the exponentially (reads: impossibly) denser it needs to be to account for the overall density.

Answer me this: why are you so adamant that Lambert's number be right? Just because she said it?

Yes.  She had the data in front of her face.

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 03:55:17 PM
QuoteNow that you know that, can you make it all fit?
I already did: LV-426 is 12,000km, per visual evidence, common scientific knowledge, and basic common sense. :)

Common scientific knowledge also tells us that Endor got destroyed when the second Death Star exploded over it.

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#84
QuoteYes.  She had the data in front of her face.
And she mis-read it and dropped a zero. I work with numbers every day, I see people do it all the time. It's called "human error".
Surely you can come up with a better reason?

QuoteCommon scientific knowledge also tells us that Endor got destroyed when the second Death Star exploded over it.
That's hardly comparable, and the Star Wars EU even addressed it specifically.
Likewise, LV-426's size got addressed too: Lambert mis-spoke.

Again, surely you've got a better reason?

Like it's not even like the 12,000 number is a fan construct, it comes from a canon source and specifically addresses an error in the movie. Blindly accepting the movie's number "just cuz" is like the pinnacle of fanboyism and cognitive dissonance.

Local Trouble

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 04:03:35 PM
QuoteYes.  She had the data in front of her face.

And she mis-read it and dropped a zero. I work with numbers every day, I see people do it all the time. It's called "human error".
Surely you can come up with a better reason?

What does SM say about it?

Quote from: Xenomrph on May 17, 2016, 04:03:35 PM
QuoteCommon scientific knowledge also tells us that Endor got destroyed when the second Death Star exploded over it.
That's hardly comparable, and the Star Wars EU even addressed it specifically.
Likewise, LV-426's size got addressed too: Lambert mis-spoke.

Again, surely you've got a better reason?

Like it's not even like the 12,000 number is a fan construct, it comes from a canon source and specifically addresses an error in the movie. Blindly accepting the movie's number "just cuz" is like the pinnacle of fanboyism and cognitive dissonance.

I don't recall the SW EU ever addressing the inevitable physical consequences of the DS2's explosion over Endor.

426Buddy

I like the decimal moving idea, its just easy and believable.

Much easier than trying to defy science with bullcraponium. The idea of the planet actually being that small is dumb, just move the decimal like the Tech Manual did.

Perfect-Organism

What's great about the Aliens series is that it tries to stick to science.  I mean it is still science fiction so there are some deviations, but for the most part, me don't have things like magic, time travel, the force, or the schwartz.  So wherever it is possible to stick to reality, I think it is preferable.  I would suggest that in future printings, a more realistic number for the planet's diameter is used, unless there is a hidden reason for the number being the way it is.

Xenomrph

Xenomrph

#88
QuoteWhat does SM say about it?
I already know what SM says (he said it a couple pages ago), I'm asking you. :)

QuoteI don't recall the SW EU ever addressing the inevitable physical consequences of the DS2's explosion over Endor.
Yep, the Rebel fleet anticipated the debris raining down on Endor so they intercepted it in orbit before it could do any damage.

There's a particularly funny comic about an Imperial veteran several decades after Endor, sitting in a bar and telling his story of how the vicious, savage Ewoks methodically dismantled his stormtrooper squad, and he ends his story with "the only thing that lets me sleep at night is the knowledge that the Ewoks all burned in hell when the Death Star's debris rained down on their forest", and another bar patron chimes in and says, "Uhh the Rebel fleet intercepted all of the debris, the Ewoks are fine, dude." And the Imperial veteran has this thousand-yard stare on his face. It's pretty great.

The DS2 debris interception gets mentioned in a couple other EU sources, too.

Quote from: 420Buddy on May 17, 2016, 05:54:25 PM
I like the decimal moving idea, its just easy and believable.

Much easier than trying to defy science with bullcraponium. The idea of the planet actually being that small is dumb, just move the decimal like the Tech Manual did.
Thank you. :)

Quote from: Perfect-Organism on May 17, 2016, 05:59:28 PM
What's great about the Aliens series is that it tries to stick to science.  I mean it is still science fiction so there are some deviations, but for the most part, me don't have things like magic, time travel, the force, or the schwartz.  So wherever it is possible to stick to reality, I think it is preferable.  I would suggest that in future printings, a more realistic number for the planet's diameter is used, unless there is a hidden reason for the number being the way it is.
Don't get me wrong, there's potential for interesting stuff if the planet actually IS an Engineer construct and that's why it's impossibly dense, it's just that no source has even hinted at that. Like, an impossibly dense dwarf planet would be the astronomy find of the millennium, science probes would have picked up on it immediately and you've have science teams swarming all over the place just for its physical properties alone. Like, screw finding alien life, the planet itself would be more scientifically important. We're talking Solaris-level scientific importance and response, not just sending 150 colonists there to toil around in the dirt.

I really wish the WY Report had used some critical thinking and independent thought rather than slavish, dogmatic adherence to "the source material", because not only did it goof up LV-426's size, but it similarly goofed up LV-223 while it was at it (1400km diameter, lol). And LV-223 can't even be blamed on "the source material", since the WY Report was fabricating the number from whole cloth.
At least with the WY Report it can easily be chalked up to a typo "in universe".

SM

No hidden reason.  Just the source material.

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