Why is the alien fascinated by flares?

[SM]

If it used echo-location it couldn't see flares through closed doors of sufficient thickness

Also it would hum roger waters songs every time a flare was thrown.

Well, being as light is a form of electromagnetism, seeing electromagnetism like a shark would solve the problem, no?

Why not just go with what's on film and have it see light?

[tavianini19]

I think the reason that everyone tries to come up with different ways for it to see is because it has no visible eyes. But that doesn't mean it doesn't actually have some kind of ocular organ. The original alien had a transparent skull, with very obvious eye sockets. It could easily just have very small but sensitive eyes that blend in with the rest of it's head very well.

[Xhan]

Possibly.

The only thing we know for sure is a:

they hear in a quadraphonic set up,

they can see for sure in the same range we do,

they can see in a range of unknown bandwidth we can't (avp, alien, alien3, a:r)

and that echolocation and pheromones would be secondary sets at best, if at all, because neither works in closed environments and contrary to popular belief, pheromones are shit for hunting, only useful for determining on site states of being,

and they have some kind of means of tracking stuff at long distances through very very shielded materials, as long as it isn't small girls.

http://gamegossip.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21653

[esz]

I personally don't need an explanation; I like the mystery of the alien. But... it could just hear the hiss of the flare and be curious about it.

[Sagit]

The Alien is curious. It would've been cool to see more examples of it being curious about its environment here and there.

It has been there for what..? A two-three weeks. I'm pretty sure it has seen everything there is to see (we visit the entire Sevastopol during one day or so). About the unhealthy interest in flares:

Spoiler

we know there are a few xenos on the station. Maybe we don't encounter the same one everytime. I wish it was not the case - I really didn't like the whole "hive purge" idea and multiple xenos running away into the station. Maybe some of them don't know what the flare is.

[close]

[Valaquen]

Seriously, why does it find flares so interesting, I mean, it doesn't even have eyes! Does this confirm it sees electromagnetism? Even so, why does it care about a stupid flare?

Probably a nod to the unfilmed scene of the Alien being attracted to an alarm light in the original film.

[Aliens Dude]

If it used echo-location it couldn't see flares through closed doors of sufficient thickness

Also it would hum roger waters songs every time a flare was thrown.

Well, being as light is a form of electromagnetism, seeing electromagnetism like a shark would solve the problem, no?

Why not just go with what's on film and have it see light?

Because it doesn't have eyes?

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

Do you see?

DO YOU SEE!!

[C91_SJ]

Seriously, why does it find flares so interesting, I mean, it doesn't even have eyes! Does this confirm it sees electromagnetism? Even so, why does it care about a stupid flare?

Probably a nod to the unfilmed scene of the Alien being attracted to an alarm light in the original film.

That was exactly my thought when I saw it the first time!

[shakermakerman]

Deep.

[tavianini19]

Do you see?

DO YOU SEE!!

My point exactly.

[SM]

and they have some kind of means of tracking stuff at long distances through very very shielded materials, as long as it isn't small girls.

Prime real estate under a big fan.  I'm sure of it.

[Xhan]

Also teddy bear baffling camo

[razeak]

Pffft....im fascinated by flares. You guys would own me if I was stalking you.

[szkoki]

The Alien is curious. It would've been cool to see more examples of it being curious about its environment here and there.

it would have been much more cooler to see someone gets raped by it