Xenomorph Origins

[Xenomorphine]

I like Spaihts idea that the Aliens were designed specifically to destroy ancient humans.  It makes sense to me.

Not to me. There are a hell of a lot easier ways to go about genocide of primitive humans. A simple series of explosives would do it or, if you want something more surgical, a genetically-engineered plague.

I prefer to believe that the engineers used the aliens to depopulate inhabited worlds of potentially dangerous natives and pave the way for colonization.

But we haven't seen they would have had any capability to control or get rid of them. Would be fairly counter-productive.

A neutron bomb, on the other hand, kills anything organic and the surrounding area is only irradiated for about a couple of weeks.

Aliens would be a sadistic method of area denial, but only if you have no interest in the location, yourself (or, quite possibly, the entire planet, considering how fast a group of the things can multiply).

In other words, they would serve the engineers in much the same way as the USCM served the company.

But the Colonial Marines didn't serve Weyland-Yutani. Remember Ripley's counter-argument to Burke, about how the mission has changed to being "under military jurisdiction"?

[Local Trouble]

But we haven't seen they would have had any capability to control or get rid of them. Would be fairly counter-productive.

They wouldn't need to if the aliens die out naturally after exhausting the target world of hosts.

A neutron bomb, on the other hand, kills anything organic and the surrounding area is only irradiated for about a couple of weeks.

And would probably kill all life in the area, not just those species that the engineers might deem threatening.  The scenario I'm proposing is one in which the engineers want the ecosystem to remain mostly intact.  Mostly.

In other words, they would serve the engineers in much the same way as the USCM served the company.

But the Colonial Marines didn't serve Weyland-Yutani. Remember Ripley's counter-argument to Burke, about how the mission has changed to being "under military jurisdiction"?

I know that, but I'm assuming that bug hunts are usually undertaken on the company's (or ECA's) behalf to make habitable worlds safer to colonize and/or commercially exploit.

[Kel G 426]

Too anthropocentric for my tastes

*looks up anthropocentric*

It's no worse than finding out the Space Jockeys are human.

Not to me. There are a hell of a lot easier ways to go about genocide of primitive humans. A simple series of explosives would do it or, if you want something more surgical, a genetically-engineered plague.

I was thinking about the design and purpose of the aliens themselves.

[Xenomorphine]

They wouldn't need to if the aliens die out naturally after exhausting the target world of hosts.

Judging by the second film, they don't. They just go into limited hibernation, with one or more doing periodic patrols (hence, why the female colonist was caught shortly before the Marines showed up and one boarded the dropship before eventual disaster happened).

And would probably kill all life in the area, not just those species that the engineers might deem threatening.  The scenario I'm proposing is one in which the engineers want the ecosystem to remain mostly intact.  Mostly.

Considering what the black ooze would have done to the entire planet, if unleashed, I don't tink they care. If anything showed their utter lack for preserving an existing ecosystem, that did.

I know that, but I'm assuming that bug hunts are usually undertaken on the company's (or ECA's) behalf to make habitable worlds safer to colonize and/or commercially exploit.

'Bug hunt' is a real-world military term, which has been in use for a long time. It doesn't mean literally wandering around and hunting for giant insectoid pests. It essentially means going on a wild goose chase, if memory serves correct (which is the cynical context in the movie it was being used in).

As for the Colonial Marines, they would answer to the government, not a company. Colonies are extensions of a particular nation's territory, just like in the real historical colonial days. So, Hadley's Hope would be under US (or United Americas, depending on what the political situation is meant to be) governance. Weyland-Yutani had a say in things, as regards what they've contributed, but they don't literally own it.

It'd be like if Boeing helped to contribute a lot of the hardware for an eventual Mars colony. They wouldn't own it. The US or China or whoever put it there, would. The US military might go up there for various reasons and Boeing would have possibly ourchased mining rights or something, but the actual colony, itself, wouldn't be legally owned by them.

Remember, Burke was worried about the "multi-million dollar installation": Company hardware and investment (primarily, the atmosphere processor, presumably). He wasn't professing to be representative of a body which was in charge of the colony, as a whole. Marines had the final say.

[SM]

'Bug hunt' is a real-world military term, which has been in use for a long time. It doesn't mean literally wandering around and hunting for giant insectoid pests. It essentially means going on a wild goose chase, if memory serves correct (which is the cynical context in the movie it was being used in).

A wild goose chase is running around searching for something that isn't there or that can't be caught.

Based on Hicks dialogue, he knows it isn't a wild goose chase.

Weyland-Yutani had a say in things, as regards what they've contributed, but they don't literally own it.

It's a joint venture.  They literally part own it and pay the salaries of - at least - the operational staff.

[Xenomorphine]

My mistake, it's Hudson:

"Is this gonna' be a stand-up fight, Sir or another bug-hunt?"

He's using 'bug-hunt' in its correct context: The opposite of unleashing firepower and doing what they're trained to do.

And yeah, in part. The want something in return for their investment, after all. But judging by Ripley's comments, Burke didn't have representative control and veto over the entire colony.

[HuDaFuK]

And yeah, in part. The want something in return for their investment, after all. But judging by Ripley's comments, Burke didn't have representative control and veto over the entire colony.

Even if he did, I imagine the others would've told him to shove it up his ass at that point.

[Local Trouble]

They wouldn't need to if the aliens die out naturally after exhausting the target world of hosts.

Judging by the second film, they don't. They just go into limited hibernation, with one or more doing periodic patrols (hence, why the female colonist was caught shortly before the Marines showed up and one boarded the dropship before eventual disaster happened).

Hibernation doesn't make them immortal.  If there are literally no more hosts left to be had, I imagine the aliens would eventually die.  Perhaps within months.

And would probably kill all life in the area, not just those species that the engineers might deem threatening.  The scenario I'm proposing is one in which the engineers want the ecosystem to remain mostly intact.  Mostly.

Considering what the black ooze would have done to the entire planet, if unleashed, I don't tink they care. If anything showed their utter lack for preserving an existing ecosystem, that did.

Yeah, but the aliens ain't the black ooze.  The black ooze would probably kill all life, including plants and microbes, but the aliens' usefulness is more limited in scope.

'Bug hunt' is a real-world military term, which has been in use for a long time. It doesn't mean literally wandering around and hunting for giant insectoid pests. It essentially means going on a wild goose chase, if memory serves correct (which is the cynical context in the movie it was being used in).

Believe me, and I think SM will vouch for me, I'm well aware that the USCM doesn't answer to the company. 

Without quoting your entire post, my point was that "bug hunts" in the context of the Alienverse are more literal than their traditional military definition and are akin to using marines as glorified exterminators on worlds where the "bugs" are dangerous or simply inconvenient to the human settlers.

The way Hudson and Hicks talk about them, I suspect that the rank-and-file colonial marines think that their training and firepower are routinely squandered on boring assignments to protect "dumbass colonists" from benign wildlife that would probably leave them alone if they'd just keep their distance.

The rub is that the marines are supposed to protect and defend the colonists for the ECA, and it just so happens that a great number of those same colonists work for the company.  So ipso facto and all that.

My mistake, it's Hudson:

SM was right the first time.  It was Hicks' "it's a bug hunt" comment after Gorman said a xenomorph may be involved that confirmed it was more than just a wild goose chase.

[SM]

A "bug hunt" in Aliens is a literal hunt for bugs.  Indigenous pests.  Hence the 'Bug Stomper' nose art.  Whatever contemporary parlance the term might have, in the film it means dealing with threats that are beyond the colonists ability to control.  A "stand up fight" would be dealing with an organised human force - rebels/ terrorists etc.

The USCM would answer to the Company, if that was the agreed parameters of the mission.  For the Hadley mission, it wasn't.  The marines were in charge.  Burke was in the right to protest against nuking the colony.  The ECA would've backed him up.  But it wasn't his call.

[Local Trouble]

Had Gorman been conscious and composed at the time, I imagine he'd have opted to simply evacuate to the Sulaco, report that all the colonists were dead and assure Ripley that the planet would be officially quarantined.  I'm sure that would have suited Burke just fine and Ripley would have had no other recourse short of inciting a mutiny.

[SM]

Pretty much.  She could've chewed Burke for breaking his word about going there to wipe them out, but he would've had Gorman on side.

[Local Trouble]

Even then, Burke could have told Ripley that he never promised to nuke the entire colony just to wipe out her nightmare monsters. 

He could have made a perfectly reasonable argument that it was enough to prohibit any landings on the planet and that they now had undeniable proof of Ripley's testimony from the inquest.

[SM]

Not that Ripley would've bought any of it.

[Local Trouble]

At least she'd be vindicated, not that she'd care since she'd probably spend the rest of her life a nervous wreck worrying that the company would sneak their way back to LV-426 and plunder it for specimens.

[SM]

The Company would've sneaked back to LV-426 before the Sulaco broke orbit.