So why didn't the marines detect Newt on their initial sweep?

[Scorpio]

They declared area secure, but later on they discover Newt (who they almost kill btw, remember they are supposed to be searching for survivors).  That should tell them immediately that the area is not secure.  But they still carry on their business as usual.

It's a nitpick but you can find plotholes in any movie if you look for them.

[SM]

Because their sweep was fairly cursory (as Ripley points out) and Newt was never moving within range of the trackers.

[Scorpio]

Fair point, but that still doesn't explain why they fail to realise area is not secure later.

[Uncanny Antman]

Who says they didn't realise?  Not realising and not acting on it are two different things.

[SM]

It as if there is a theme of hubris and an over-reliance on technology.

But it's probably just a coincidence...

[Scorpio]

Who says they didn't realise?  Not realising and not acting on it are two different things.

If you realise it and don't act on it, makes you twice as stupid.

[Uncanny Antman]

Okay then.

[Local Trouble]

They declared area secure, but later on they discover Newt (who they almost kill btw, remember they are supposed to be searching for survivors).  That should tell them immediately that the area is not secure.  But they still carry on their business as usual.

It's a nitpick but you can find plotholes in any movie if you look for them.

It's not a plothole, it's another one of Gorman's f**k-ups.  Don't you recall Ripley vocally disagreeing with him declaring the area secure?  She served as the counterpoint to his overconfidence and incompetence more than once and it's right there in the movie for anyone to see.

[Scorpio]

It's not a plothole, it's another one of Gorman's f**k-ups.  Don't you recall Ripley vocally disagreeing with him declaring the area secure?  She served as the counterpoint to his overconfidence and incompetence more than once and it's right there in the movie for anyone to see.

He had no reason to believe Ripley at that point.  For all he knew, it was secure.

Until afterwards, when they found someone in the complex, the area should have been declared not secure.

[Local Trouble]

It's not about believing Ripley, it's about Gorman's bad judgment on everything.  He then sent his marines into the hive without their pulse rifles even after they had PROOF that Ripley was telling the truth.

[Scorpio]

I wouldn't call it bad judgment, they found nothing, he had no reason to believe it wasn't secure.

It's not the best approach, but it isn't necessarily bad, either.

[SiL]

 "Eh, clearly the trackers will pick anything up before it gets to us, we're otherwise fine."

Not the best approach, but not necessarily bad, either.

[Scorpio]

If that's the case then why bother declaring the area secure at all?

[SiL]

They thought it was.

Found Newt.

Figured it wasn't worth checking the whole place again.

[Local Trouble]

This has the makings of a 41-pager.