Quote from: SiL on May 30, 2023, 04:32:35 AMThere's nothing in the movie to suggest the SO is coded into every ship and plenty to suggest the Nostromo was deliberately set up.
Honestly, I don't think the film successfully supplies plenty to either of these viewpoints. Personally, I think it's a protocol hidden and spread across the 'network', waiting to be activated under extreme or special circumstances much like the Alien eggs. The film works if you imagine differently, that there's perhaps some comptroller or bean-counter somewhere urging Ash and Mother to move onward, that's fine. I just think the film is vague on these points because no one other than Ridley gave it much thought. He imagined the whole scenario to be driven by automation and a company so remote from its employees that terrible things are sanctioned without a second thought.
QuoteWhat is SOP is "detect signal, wake up crew". Reroute the ship to intercept the signal and trigger the automation; place science officer on board with special order to retrieve specimen.
I don't think that's
standard operating procedure, given Parker has to have his arm bent with withheld shares to even go. You definitely get the feeling that this situation is unusual. Lambert seems surprised when scanning the system, Parker reacts like "what?" when told they are off-course. It just doesn't seem ordinary for them. Maybe Special Order 1-936 are quite benign, who knows. "Go to gift shop, buy dipping bird."
QuoteFor SO-937 to be on every ship, every single science officer employed by WY would need to be either an Android (clearly not the case) or in on the conspiracy. It would be ridiculous to leave it lying there if there was a chance someone saw it and raised the alarm to the rest of the crew.
I don't think this is a problem we can logic in or out of the movie. Ridley's ideas often went against logic, the corporate plotline isn't made to be very intelligible or rational (look at Blade Runner; if you can tell who a replicant is by looking at their glowing eyes, why even need a Voight-Kampff machine?).
By Ridley's own word, the ship crews are left in the dark, operate in a paranoid environment, and many do feel that androids have infiltrated the crews. He has also said he imagined the crews being sorted by computer, and the human element is nil; almost completely vestigial. I don't think the Company care if the crews find out. Speaking logically, you could probably run these ships and operations without humans at all.
Quote from: Ridley ScottTo dissuade the crews from rebelling and to protect their own interests, these companies might place spies on board, or at least would make the crews believe in the presence of such spies. Gradually a legend would evolve that these people, whose identities remain unknown, are in fact robots. Furthermore, nobody would have any proof. This would reinforce legends already current among astronauts
Anyone can accept or disregard this, as it ain't in the movie. Personally, it helps paint the scene for me.
I feel Dan O'Bannon's prediction coming true:
"You will go insane trying to figure out how and why the 'company' set them up to discover the Alien."
