Bishop in Alien 3 - Human or Android?

[maledoro]

To reply to the above, the odds are extremely unlikely of resembing your ancestors so many generations back (200 years is approximately 8 generations). I calculated a 0.4% probability of the resemblance being identical if genetic dominance between the partners is equal (which we will have to assume unless someone can bring me forward something more concrete).

Therein lies the problem: "if genetic dominance between the partners is equal". The Weyland genes may have been stronger than the genes of the Svensens, Doolittles, and Rosenkowskis. If anything, even if your calculation is correct, you can accept that Bishop II, The Ultimate Predator and myself may be part of that "0.4% probability".


Not to mention that the same actors tend to play ancestors and decendants in various movies, TV shows, etc.

[Mystic Lemons]

Could he be a clone?

[maledoro]

An excerpt from my essay:

"He's a clone!"

What purpose would that serve? The clone wouldn't contain any more of your personality, memories or any other part of your consciousness than a twin brother. If you are dead, how could this clone still have your memories (a big flaw in Alien: Resurrection), your ego or id? It would not be "you", so why have a clone carry on in your place, to get richer or gain more of your fame that you busted your butt for? Also, this clone probably wouldn't want to be cooped up in a lab for the rest of it's life and would want to walk amongst people. Unless you can show birth records showing it's nativity, your scientists are going to be in a lot of trouble for creating a clone, which is highly illegal! As Woody Allen once said, "Some people want to be immortalized by their work. I want to be immortalized by not dying!" Besides, there would have been a handy explanation for him being a clone in one of the movies.

"I don't buy that he's a descendant of Charles Bishop Weyland."

You don't have to. Bishop II may not have been related to him. There are a lot of people who are dead ringers for other people. When I was in junior high school, there was a kid in the same grade as myself that bore a strong resemblance to myself. When we met, we were both stunned by this. The connection that Paul W.S. Anderson was trying to make is that CBW and BII were somehow related. Maybe by 2179 (or earlier) there may not be any Weylands in charge at Weyland-Yutani (most likely because of events in AVP), and this Bishop II guy was just an engineer in the Company's employ? Even after three or four generations, there could still be a descendant that could resemble CBW. Thanks to the make up artists in both movies and the natural aging process in Lance Henriksen, there are more differences between the two character's facial features.

[Mystic Lemons]

So, he could be.

[maledoro]

So, he could be.

Uh, no...

[Milo Minderbinder]

To reply to the above, the odds are extremely unlikely of resembing your ancestors so many generations back (200 years is approximately 8 generations). I calculated a 0.4% probability of the resemblance being identical if genetic dominance between the partners is equal (which we will have to assume unless someone can bring me forward something more concrete).

Fascinating. How did you calculate this? And what do you mean by genetic dominance? What assumptions have you made? ie; have you discounted the possibility of inbreeding?

And 0.4%? What's that? 1 in 250 people will identically resemble their ancestor? This is NOT extremely unlikely. Extremely unlikely would be 1 in 250,000.

[Mystic Lemons]

So, he could be.

Uh, no...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/maledoro/Elves/rolleyes.gif

Your essay snippet there just says that in your opinion there wouldn't be much point, not that he couldnt't be.

[maledoro]

My essay snippet there also says that it is illegal. From a biological standpoint, cloning is possible. But from a practical standpoint, it's not. There would be too many legal hurdles to overcome in order to let this happen.


It helps to look at the whole picture.

[Mystic Lemons]

Sorry, I must have missed the bit where the law on cloning in the fictitious future was mentioned.

[maledoro]

Sorry, I must have missed the bit where the law on cloning in the fictitious future was mentioned.

And the other ways that the Company has to avoid getting caught by the authorities...

[Milo Minderbinder]

So it's *possible* that he could be a clone?

[Corporal Hicks]

Of course it is. We know it's possible and like Lemons said, we don't know if it's illegal or what in the future.

[maledoro]

Since there would be no good reason to clone him, no. Why would anyone accept a sci-fi explanation over a realistic one?

Yes, I know that it's a sci-fi movie, but you don't see it as an arena where anything is allowed to happen. Sure, the ships have to break laws of physics in order to visit other star systems, but let's not go overboard looking for things that aren't there just because you'd like them to be.

If you want to accept clones and androids in the Alien Universe, the timeline would read something like this:
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Alien_movies_saga

[Milo Minderbinder]

What about a bad reason? Or a stupid one? People often do things for no good reason.

[Mystic Lemons]

I didn't say I'd like him to be a clone. I'm just saying he could be. Your opinion doesn't really change that fact.