What Happened to the Beacon from LV-426?

[Liberator]

This is another question about Aliens, specifically the transition between the first movie and the second.  The derelict spaceship on LV-426 had a beacon, which lured in the Nostromo.  What happened to it?  It just occurred to me that the colonists who came there later must have heard it, unless someone shut it off.  Does anyone know if this was ever officially explained?  If not, it begs the questions, who shut it off, and why?

[Kradan]

IIRC  Cameron explained it away by seismic activity on the planet. Basically, in between Alien and Aluens there was a big ass earthquake that damaged beacon inside the Derelict. It's kinda lame explanation but at least there was some thought put in

[Corporal Hicks]

Kradan is correct. Cameron said it was due to the damage the Derelict took due to volcanic activity. Isolation also offers the explanation that the crew of the Anesidora turned it off too.

[paxromana]

And Alan Dean Foster's novelization states that Dallas deactivated it

[BlueMarsalis79]

The crew of the Anesidora deactivated it during the plot of Alien Isolation set after Alien but before Aliens and Alien³ for salvage rights.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

In "Alien: The Illustrated Story" that was released with the film in 1979, it shows Dallas de-activating the beacon behind the pilot's chair:

[SiL]

The script for Alien had Dallas deactivating it, but I'm not sure it was ever shot. A lot of footage from the derelict hasn't ever seen the light of day.

[Liberator]

Thanks a lot, guys!  I've wondered about that for a long time.

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

I think if Cameron had read the Alien script, novelization or graphic novel, he would probably have gone along with Dallas de-activating the beacon.

The bit about "volcanic activity" damaging the derelict was mainly to cover up the fact that the derelict miniature's one arm was broken in transit between Bob Burn's house and the studio. The miniature was also a bit dilapidated from spending all the years in Bob's garden.

[Elmazalman]

If Dallas did turn the distress / warning beacon off (believing there was no danger), would he have had the presence of mind to turn it back on before leaving the Derelict with the now Facehugged Kane?

[Xenomrph]

The bit about "volcanic activity" damaging the derelict was mainly to cover up the fact that the derelict miniature's one arm was broken in transit between Bob Burn's house and the studio. The miniature was also a bit dilapidated from spending all the years in Bob's garden.

Huh I didn't realize the miniature was the same one from the first movie (or that it was accidentally broken - I figured the damage seen in the movie was a conscious choice).

If Dallas did turn the distress / warning beacon off (believing there was no danger), would he have had the presence of mind to turn it back on before leaving the Derelict with the now Facehugged Kane?

Unlikely. Aside from wanting to get Kane to safety as fast as possible, they didn't know that the beacon was a warning until Ripley figured it out later on.

[SiL]

Also he wouldn't turn it on to prevent someone else claiming the find before the Nostromo got back to earth.

[Local Trouble]

Yeah, Dallas was still in "do what the hell they tell you to do" mode at that time so I doubt he'd do something that he knew the company would frown upon.

[Kradan]

If Dallas did turn the distress / warning beacon off (believing there was no danger), would he have had the presence of mind to turn it back on before leaving the Derelict with the now Facehugged Kane?

My guess would be that after Dallas saw some alien life form attached to the face of his crewmate the only thing he was thinking about was how to get Kane backbto the shi ASAP

EDIT: Basically what Xenomrph said

[StrangeShape]

I think if Cameron had read the Alien script, novelization or graphic novel, he would probably have gone along with Dallas de-activating the beacon.

The bit about "volcanic activity" damaging the derelict was mainly to cover up the fact that the derelict miniature's one arm was broken in transit between Bob Burn's house and the studio. The miniature was also a bit dilapidated from spending all the years in Bob's garden.

Not exactly. The models paint job was rough and the model was infested, but it was intact. Theres plenty of sketches in the new TechNoir book where Cameron draws how he wants one of the arms to be buckled. The more clean finished drawing is in Rinzlers book