Where did Ripley program the Narcissus to go to?

[Vasquez, J]

Why did the Narcissus need to be found by a salvage team? - shouldn't it have just got back to Earth?

It occurred to me that when Ripley escapes the Nostromo at the end of Alien, and blows the xenomorph out of the airlock, she then apparently programs the Narcissus life vessel to go to the middle of no-where.

A salvage team rescues her but she could have 'slipped through the core systems' and was 'very lucky to be alive'.

Was the Narcissus not set up to go back to Earth or did Ripley just randomly expect to wake up as if by magic back at good old gateway station?

[Munkeywrench]

She might have programmed it to head to a shipping lane where she assumed another ship would discover the Narcissus

[SM]

She was headed for Earth, but was a bit off course.  When you're little off course 39 light years from Earth, you're off course by a long way - hence her drifting through the core systems.

(Not factoring in Ash taking over control of the Narcissus or Ripley's better bet being flying to Sevastopol.)

[Vasquez, J]

She might have programmed it to head to a shipping lane where she assumed another ship would discover the Narcissus

with a bit more research I found out in the Aliens extended screen play (narrated by William Hope) that it mentions apparently the ships beacon failed - so it could well be the case that she went into a shipping lane but without a beacon nobody heard her

[SM]

That's debatable considering her radio transmission reached Fiorina at least.

[Highland]

That's debatable considering her radio transmission reached Fiorina at least.

I've never thought of that scene representing that. Interesting. I thought it was just an old log as a nod to the end of Ripley.

[StrangeShape]

Why did the Narcissus need to be found by a salvage team? - shouldn't it have just got back to Earth?

It occurred to me that when Ripley escapes the Nostromo at the end of Alien, and blows the xenomorph out of the airlock, she then apparently programs the Narcissus life vessel to go to the middle of no-where.

A salvage team rescues her but she could have 'slipped through the core systems' and was 'very lucky to be alive'.

Was the Narcissus not set up to go back to Earth or did Ripley just randomly expect to wake up as if by magic back at good old gateway station?

Well she did say with a little luck the network should pick her up. That luck did not happen. So that means she did need help to reach Earth

[SM]

If she was on course she would've made it to Earth.

[StrangeShape]

If she was on course she would've made it to Earth.

Still, she said in order to make it shell need a little luck and that the network would have to pick her up

[SM]

Yes.

[StrangeShape]

Yes.

So that means something else was needed other than programming the course

[SM]

Yeah.  A beacon of some sort.

Or getting picked up on a sensor somewhere.

[StrangeShape]

Burke says she drifted right through the core systems so I guess she did make her destination but didnt have the little luck of anyone picking up on the beacon

[judge death]

Maybe the shuttle just had a short wave/slow speed transmitter? So her message reached fiorina by alien 3 but not in time to get picked up by the core systems and hence drifted past, maybe?

[Drukathi]

Should we request the Aliens retcon?
Another sequel where Ripley gets home safely.