The Nostromo, the Company, and Special Order 937

[Xenomrph]

Simple question: do you believe the Nostromo was intentionally sent to LV426 with SO937 pre-loaded?

[SiL]

Yes.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Yep. Otherwise, why swap out the science officer with Ash (and not tell the crew that he's an android) mere days before departure?

[Xenomrph]

Get this, I'm on another forum where that isn't just a controversial idea, it's downright inconceivable!

[judge death]

Yep. Otherwise, why swap out the science officer with Ash (and not tell the crew that he's an android) mere days before departure?

That plus: why nostromo was sent way further out than normal, no other ship was passing close hence never picking up the beacon signal before nostromo happened to pass by, so far out they dont even get contact with antartica and others.
I think like SM: someone found out about prometheus and probably a sign of a distress call and had nostromo sent there to gather whatever creatures or object that caused prometheus to disappear, once that plan failed, they removed all tracks of their actions hence no one else after heard the signal or knew about this after ripley returned. (isolation explains why the beacon wasnt on when they started to survey lv-426).

[SiL]

Get this, I'm on another forum where that isn't just a controversial idea, it's downright inconceivable!

Right but it's literally the plot of the film. The Nostromo was rerouted to intercept the signal. Ash was placed on board with a special order to ensure the organism's safe return. This is not vague.

[Local Trouble]

Get this, I'm on another forum where that isn't just a controversial idea, it's downright inconceivable!

What do they say about David creating the alien?

[Immortan Jonesy]

Yup. I think they want it to be an inconceivable idea cos of how well it fits with 

[Local Trouble]

It's a slippery slope that Xenomrph should be wary of.

[Xenomrph]

Get this, I'm on another forum where that isn't just a controversial idea, it's downright inconceivable!

What do they say about David creating the alien?

They don't.

So here's some of the pedantry evidence tossed around that the Company didn't send the Nostromo:

1. The Nostromo must have been re-routed by Mother after departure - we know this because the opening text says the destination is Earth, and that destination must have changed after the moment we see that text.

2. Mother must have written SO937, because it says "Nostromo re-routed" (past tense) while the rest of the Special Order isn't in past-tense. Apparently the verb tense matters.

[Stitch]

Get this, I'm on another forum where that isn't just a controversial idea, it's downright inconceivable!

What do they say about David creating the alien?

They don't.

So here's some of the pedantry evidence tossed around that the Company didn't send the Nostromo:

1. The Nostromo must have been re-routed by Mother after departure - we know this because the opening text says the destination is Earth, and that destination must have changed after the moment we see that text.

2. Mother must have written SO937, because it says "Nostromo re-routed" (past tense) while the rest of the Special Order isn't in past-tense. Apparently the verb tense matters.

Mother doesn't give orders, though, she's just the ship's computer. Orders, including special orders, come from whomever is controlling the mission.

Now, SO937 might have been pre-programmed, or it might not. Given the extra content and context that we have now, it's implied that the company deliberately sent the ship there, in which case it was likely pre-programmed.

Taking the film on its own, however, it could be a new order that was given to Ash by the company (via Mother) after the first encounter with the creature. Ash being a new member could be a plant, or could just have been coincidence. Hell, maybe the company was putting androids on board so that they would comply with orders where humans might be morally compromised.

[Local Trouble]

Maybe they're on to something.

[Huggs]

Can Randy can fix it and make it better?

[Local Trouble]

Is there anything that some of that ol' Randy magic can't make better?

[Huggs]

Rumors have been circulating.