Alien totally abandoned Parker and Lambert...WHY?

[SiL]

I stand by what I wrote, they can understand electricity, who's to say they don't understand a countdown as well? A place becoming unsafe. Further films corroborate this extensive level of intelligence.

But the countdown hadn't even started. Even if it did understand, how would it be relevant to Parker and Lambert?

Further films absolutely do not corroborate that level of intelligence. Two later films explicitly show Aliens hanging around while shit exploded/crashes around then while alarms go off.

[T-850]

I stand by what I wrote, they can understand electricity, who's to say they don't understand a countdown as well? A place becoming unsafe. Further films corroborate this extensive level of intelligence.

But the countdown hadn't even started. Even if it did understand, how would it be relevant to Parker and Lambert?

Further films absolutely do not corroborate that level of intelligence. Two later films explicitly show Aliens hanging around while shit exploded/crashes around then while alarms go off.

I agree. Even in the first film the Alien cocoons Dallas and Brett. In Aliens Hadley's Hope is decimated by a nuke and the aliens never escaped. In Resurrection the aliens stuck around on the Auriga until the ship collided with Earth. There are multiple examples of xenomorphs and other Aliens lingering around at the worst possible times getting destroyed without any knowledge of a countdown or escape.

[BlueMarsalis79]

The countdown hadn't started? My mistake. To be fair Aliens do have a habit of being stowaways though.

Aliens 1986, like it's comedy of errors though, did have a habit of making them dumb when the plot required it and smart when the plot required it.

[SiL]

They were meant to scuttle the ship together after they got the coolant.

"It was quiet" makes the most sense for why it ended up in the shuttle. I imagine the Hadley hive would've relocated if it wasn't so established.

[BlueMarsalis79]

Or just trying to ambush Ripley. But he did appear to be having a nice nap.

I doubt any Alien could outrun the atmosphere processor blast in time even if they knew.

[SiL]

Yeah Big Chap wasn't ambushing shit, dude wanted a nap. If Ripley hadn't sprayed it with pesticide it might've ignored her completely for the rest of the trip.

I'm not suggesting that they could've outrun it, just that they might have also moved somewhere quieter.

[Local Trouble]

They were meant to scuttle the ship together after they got the coolant.

What did they need the coolant for?  Weren't there three cryotubes on the shuttle?

[SiL]

Shits and giggles apparently. Maybe it doubles as happy gas?

[𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔈𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱𝔥 𝔓𝔞𝔰𝔰𝔢𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔯]

What did they need the coolant for?  Weren't there three cryotubes on the shuttle?

Maybe Graham knows?

[Elmazalman]

I don't believe the Alien hid in the shuttle because it knew or sensed danger. It may've been looking for a quieter place to rest (or die?). The interior of the shuttle (at that time) was also much darker than the ship's corridors - the creature appears to have an affinity for the dark.

It was just plain bad luck it happened to be in there - as it was earlier, in the corridor, blocking the shuttle's access from Ripley.

[BlueMarsalis79]

I always found that part disorientating.

[Elmazalman]

I always found that part disorientating.

The flashing lights?

[BlueMarsalis79]

Knowing what direction Ripley was going, or the Alien either, but then I think that's kinda the point.

[BigDaddyJohn]

Me too. But it does help you get in Ripley shoes indeed. You struggle to get where you want and you feel it.

[Darwinsgirl]

They were meant to scuttle the ship together after they got the coolant.

What did they need the coolant for?  Weren't there three cryotubes on the shuttle?

I just watched this scene on the theatrical cut VHS.

The quote is:

Ripley. "We're gonna need coolant for the air support system..."

Ripley "You two go down get all the coolant you can carry..."

Ripley "I'll get the shuttle ready"

It's curious to me Ripley would know you need coolant for the air support system. One would think Parker being an engineer would be the one to know this?