Just had a brainwave that would allow to bipass retconning and doing an alternative "what if" in a real way.
It might seem nuts at first but here it goes:
What if NB's story follows Ripley 8.
She learns about the Engineers and gets her hands on their technology, let's just say a ship.
She learns that the technology contains the ability to time travel (I know this is sounding fan fictiony, but it's plausible I think, also will link The ENgineers tech more into the "Alien" universe).
She travels back to a point between ALIENS and A3 and intercepts herself, Hicks and Newt - (it's the point where everything got irretrievably out of hand for both her and the franchise? She can save Newt now I suppose!)
This then changes the events leading to A3 so that never happens.
Now the company somehow now intercept and capture the 4 of them!
They take the Queen from original Ripley, return Newt to family on Earth and imprison original Ripley and Hicks (this will account for the aging of both actors).
Time passes - the company set up an ALIEN weapons installation (seen in the concept art).
Older Newt, traumatised by the events of Aliens but also infinitely enraged by the actions of the company is involved in an anti company guerrilla group (hey this keeps with Blomkamp's previous work).
This group rescues original Ripley and Hicks from prison (who have by now aged appropriately)
They try to take down the companies weapon installation.