Wouldn't Fiorina be relatively ideal for mass colonization?

[Local Trouble]

IIRC, the planet had suitable gravity, atmosphere and temperature for human habitation without any terraforming whatesover.  Why then would Colonial Administration NOT settle the entire planet?  Yes, I realize that it looks unpleasant, but when you actually stop to consider what MOST planets in the universe are like, Fiorina seems nearly perfect for humans.

[SM]

There were at least 5000 people there originally.

And maybe the cold temperatures and high winds were as good as it got after terraforming, and there's much nicer places to live than the arse end of the totem pole.

[HuDaFuK]

I got the impression it was pretty inhospitable at night - the film takes place largely over the course of one (very long) night, and note how no one ever talks about going outside to get away from the Alien.

Besides, why would you put so many prisoners on a nice planet that's ripe for families and their kids? It must a sh*thole.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

My guess would be the lice.

[OpenMaw]

I got the impression it was pretty inhospitable at night - the film takes place largely over the course of one (very long) night, and note how no one ever talks about going outside to get away from the Alien.

They actually do discuss the idea. Morse says "What about outside" and 85 immediately shoots it down due to just how inhospitable it is.

There's only so much the atmosphere processors can do before it just becomes magic. I can buy the notion that it can thicken the atmosphere, convert toxic elements in the air into a breathable mixture, and so on, but I can't buy that it would make a garden of eden of any world it was used on. LV-426 was still a pretty dreary looking rock in Aliens, the wind and perpetual rain.

[Local Trouble]

And maybe the cold temperatures and high winds were as good as it got after terraforming, and there's much nicer places to live than the arse end of the totem pole.

Was Fiorina terraformed?  That fact that it had indigenous life indicates to me that it wasn't.

They actually do discuss the idea. Morse says "What about outside" and 85 immediately shoots it down due to just how inhospitable it is.

I remember, but it was warm enough for Clemens to take a stroll along the beach without a spacesuit so that right there indicates that the surface temperature was tolerable at least some of the time.  Even if it's as dreary as Antartica, that still makes it more Earthlike and human-friendly than most planets we're ever likely to encounter.

[SM]

Was Fiorina terraformed?  That fact that it had indigenous life indicates to me that it wasn't.

I should've emphasised 'after' in my post as I meant to suggest that this could be the after picture rather than before.

[HuDaFuK]

I remember, but it was warm enough for Clemens to take a stroll along the beach without a spacesuit so that right there indicates that the surface temperature was tolerable at least some of the time.  Even if it's as dreary as Antartica, that still makes it more Earthlike and human-friendly than most planets we're ever likely to encounter.

During the day, yeah, it's clearly possible to go outside. But given how long the inhospitable nights are (the length of, what, a couple of days on Earth?), it doesn't exactly seem like a prime candidate for settling families.

[SM]

Rotation is about 9 Earth days.

And it's -40C at night.

[The Necronoir]

When you look at all the evidence from Aliens / Alien 3, there are significant factors against FIORINA 161 being a viable site for mass habitation, besides the weather:

1) There are other candidates.
One of the suits in Aliens refers to there being 'over 300 surveyed worlds' during this period. When you take into account the fact that a full survey is only likely to take place on a world which has the potential to support human life or offer significant dollar return, the number of total planets known and catalogued is probably much greater (gas giants, ice dwarfs etc). Even if only one or two percent of those worlds were ultimately viable, that's still going to multiply the population capacity be several earths (and we can safely assume that Mars, possibly Venus, and several of the larger satellites in our own solar system have already been fully colonised).

2) Distance and sustainability.
Being on the Outer Rim - which Ripley describes as the 'ass-end of space' - and still entirely reliant upon a resupply ship every sixth months is the real killer. The mineral wealth of the planet must have been sufficient to offset the original colonisation / terraforming, but with those resources presumably spent, the cost of maintaining a larger population on a world unable to fulfil some measure of its own consumption would be prohibitive. This is compounded by the presence of indefinitely habitable space-stations like Gateway which, even if they can't provide their own resources, can at least be placed close to planetoids that can supply them.

The real question should be, what does LV-426 offer that makes the 'substantial dollar value' invested in it worthwhile, considering it has similar - though lesser - disadvantages...

[HuDaFuK]

The real question should be, what does LV426 offer that makes the 'substantial dollar value' invested in it worthwhile, considering it has similar - though lesser - disadvantages...

That's actually a very good question. It doesn't sound like it's a testbed for atmosphere processing, because based on what Van Leuwen says to Ripley at the inquest it sounds like they've done it before. But there doesn't seem to be anything there of value. It can't be on a major trade route because they mention how remote they are (and there's no one around to investigate when something goes wrong). Hell, they're even still surveying the surface, 20 years after the colony was established. So why splash all the cash there?

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

The real question should be, what does LV-426 offer that makes the 'substantial dollar value' invested in it worthwhile, considering it has similar - though lesser - disadvantages...

My guess would be a plot.


But seriously, the long term prospect for LV-426 was mining.

[Local Trouble]

When you look at all the evidence from Aliens / Alien 3, there are significant factors against FIORINA 161 being a viable site for mass habitation, besides the weather:

#1 is valid since the technology of the time would make lots of planets habitable.  The fact that Fiorina is naturally habitable makes it an extremely rare gem by our current standards, but that's not necessarily the case in the time of Alien 3.

#2 doesn't really fly since LV-426 is supposedly even further away from Earth than Fiorina is.  I would assume that the colonists make use of hydroponics to sustain their community without the need for re-supplies.

But seriously, the long term prospect for LV-426 was mining.

It was cut from the movie, but in the script Burke told Ripley that the company co-financed the colony for mineral rights.  The question I keep asking, however, is what sort of mineral would justify the expense of such an operation 40 light years away?

Our own solar system would provide vastly more mineral resources than we should ever need.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

But seriously, the long term prospect for LV-426 was mining.

It was cut from the movie, but in the script Burke told Ripley that the company co-financed the colony for mineral rights.  The question I keep asking, however, is what sort of mineral would justify the expense of such an operation 57 light years away?

Our own solar system would provide vastly more mineral resources that we should ever need.

There are still a few hints in the movie that gives us a clue as to the purpose of Hadley's Hope. The mentioning of seismic survey charges and the prospectors roaming the surface of LV-426 for example.

With regards to the mineral, it's probably some form of "Unobtainium" (it's a Cameron movie after all) or extremely rare earth elements such as Dysprosium.

During the 19th century people would often trek thousands of miles into the wild unknown on foot or horseback during the gold-rushes. Most likely the same thing here just on a different scale.

[Local Trouble]

Yeah, as a pretty astute guy himself, Cameron probably had similar thoughts when he wrote Avatar.  I assume there must be something pretty valuable on Thedus too.

Whatever they're mining way out there, it must have some pretty useful applications beyond just looking sparkly.

There are still a few hints in the movie that gives us a clue as to the purpose of Hadley's Hope. The mentioning of seismic survey charges and the prospectors roaming the surface of LV-426 for example.

Lydecker referred to Newt's parents as "wildcatters," so yeah.