Ash assured

[Alienseseses]

In the novel of Alien, Ash said that the alien wouldn't hurt him because he poses no threat.

In Aliens, Bishop is split in two.

Throw your wild theories here.

[Dachande]

Quite obviously Ash was probably lying...

[SM]

And in the novel for Aliens, Bishop encounters Alien while he's in the pipe - he inside, they outside.  If memory serves he muses about whether the Aliens are interested in him as a synthetic.  But don't quote me on that.

As for HRH - Bishop was in between her and Ripley.  Wrong place; wrong time.

Also Ash was clutching at straws at that point in the book.  He wanted to be reconnected properly and he gets real stroppy when Ripley is about to the pull the plug.  Unlike the much better scene in the film where he's a smug - but dignified - prick. 

[Dachande]

I think Ash was probably just trying to wind up Ripley. As for him saying he poses no threat, i doubt the little kids in Aliens posed any threats, but that didnt matter to the Aliens. Only time an alien might not attack a synth, is if they see like how they do in Avp and AvP2 (Games) but if memory serves me right, the alien saw pretty normally in A3

[SM]

Quite.

I guess you could look at it like this - the plastic guy in a pipe is no direct threat nor is he a viable host.  The plastic guy who flew a ship packing lots of weapons, is.

I'm not saying that's how it actually is - just a theory based around Cameron's 1986 comments about Ferro being killed outright rather than used a a host.

[Irritator]

i doubt the little kids in Aliens posed any threats, but that didnt matter to the Aliens

But they make great hosts... 

[Uncanny Antman]

And in the novel for Aliens, Bishop encounters Alien while he's in the pipe - he inside, they outside.  If memory serves he muses about whether the Aliens are interested in him as a synthetic.  But don't quote me on that.

From my own memory, that's pretty much spot-on.

[Kimarhi]

To me it would be like a human looking at a machine.  Androids wouldn't be a threat to humans either, but if one went haywire, you'd defend/go on the offensive if it bothered you.  Think that has something to do with it.

I doubt the Alien would leave Ash unmolested if Ash went after it.  Also the queen was angry.  Machine or not, Bishop helped the people that just razed her nest.