Why did the E.E.V not have any weapons stored inside?

[Richardus]

I was watching Alien 3 last night and I was wondering why did military E.E.V. not have any weapons stored inside as safety measure story wise?

[SM]

The EEV barely has enough room for 5 cryotubes.  I guess it'd be assumed the evacuees would be in hypersleep during the evacuation until pickup.

[Jace Madan]

I'll have to go back and re-read the CM tech manual to see what it says, but I can't remember if the EEV's were dedicated just to cryotube evacuation, or if it would be used as a normal escape pod for the Marine crew of the ship. If it's a cryo-only vehicle it would make sense(What use are weapons when an enemy would find you in cryo), but if "live" Marines could use it, it would be kind of wierd an escape vehicle for a warship wouldn't have some sort of emergency armament for evacs in hostile territory, even if it is just a survival kit with 2 stowed away Pulse Rifles. (Unless they expected to bring thier own gear)

Either that or there were weapons on board, and they got lost during the crashdown, or nobody thought to look for 'em (or couldn't access them).

[SM]

Ripley would've made sure there weren't any weapons on the EEV.

The CMTM doesn't talk about the EEV having weapons - only rations and first aid supplies.

If the crew were to evacuate while awake, obviously there'd be more room in the EEV 'cos it wouldn't have any crotubes in it.  Also if the crew were awake and in hostile territory, they'd be able to take weapons with them.

[Xenomrph]

I know in the tech manual it talks about the EEV launch process being totally automated but I can't recall if it talks about what happens during an EEV launch when the crew is awake. I'd assume that if the crew is awake then the ship's AI/emergency systems would be smart enough to know not to dump (empty) cryotubes into the EEVs, right?

That said, in the 'Alien3' novelization doesn't it mention that the Sulaco launched ALL of its EEVs, and that one even slingshotted back around and hit the Sulaco and exploded or something?

[Jace Madan]

Yeah, I don't have the manual with me right now (it's away in storage) but I can't remember if it says that the EEV's are the only escape vehicle/shuttle on the Sulaco. It's possible they are just Cryto-tube only dedicated emergency vehicles when everyone on the ship is in cryo (like how they all were on the way to Acheron), and there are other seperate escape pod type vehicles for an active crew.

Seems like a waste of space, so I would imagine the EEV's are the only escape vehicle, and if the crew is active the automated system would shut off and would need to be manually operated and ejected with the crew bringing thier own amament and materiel.

[SM]

From the CMTM.

If the crew is awake the CO gives the evacuation order.  The CMTM talks mainly about the crew being asleep - because that's where crews spend the vast majority of their time - and the order being given by the central computer only when failure to do so will result in loss of life.  There are twenty 337 model EEVs on the Sulaco.

The novel does say all the EEVs are launched, though this doesn't seem to be the case in the film.  As far as can be seen, all the other EEVs are still locked into place.  Although since an empty tube is loaded into the EEV with Ripley and co, I wouldn't rule out the other empty tubes being loaded into other EEVs and then launched.

[Xhan]

The first rule of headbite club....

[Xenomrph]

Although since an empty tube is loaded into the EEV with Ripley and co,

In the movie? Huh, I never noticed that.

[Richardus]

it would be kind of weird an escape vehicle from a warship wouldn't have some sort of emergency armament for evacs in hostile territory, even if it is just a survival kit with 2 stowed away Pulse Rifles. That's what I was thinking, even a few handguns would be easy to store inside small box as safety measure. You don't know where you going land or what you going to wake up too from cryo. They got lost during the crashdown - that is possible  nobody thought to look – it would be quite ironic all that time trying to kill the alien they was some firearms somewhere stored all that time. or couldn't access themlike an access code our something?

Ripley would've made sure there weren't any weapons on the EEV.Ripley never same to be searching for anything else apart from finding bishop.

[SM]

The first rule of headbite club....

Even in non-Cameron films! 

Ripley never same to be searching for anything else apart from finding bishop.

She has a very specific conversation about weapons with Andrews.  She would've been sure before declaring they were "f**ked".

[GigersALIEN]

If there were weapons on board, the movie would of been over within 30 minutes.

[SM]

Yeah 'cos all them armed-to-the-teeth marines really pwned all them Aliens in the second film.

[Xenomrph]

Well the Marines were also ambushed, and outnumbered more than 10 to 1. When they had a better idea of what they were dealing with (like in the Ops battle) they did somewhat better. Sure it was a constant retreat, but they killed a bunch of Aliens.

In the 'Alien3' situation where the characters outnumber the Aliens 25 to 1 and the characters know the layout of the facility and can lock down corridors at will, I suspect they'd have been able to deal with the Alien pretty readily if they'd been armed. Hell, in the extended cut they managed to contain it without using any weapons at all.

[SM]

Well the Marines were also ambushed, and outnumbered more than 10 to 1. When they had a better idea of what they were dealing with (like in the Ops battle) they did somewhat better. Sure it was a constant retreat, but they killed a bunch of Aliens.

In the 'Alien3' situation where the characters outnumber the Aliens 25 to 1 and the characters know the layout of the facility and can lock down corridors at will, I suspect they'd have been able to deal with the Alien pretty readily if they'd been armed. Hell, in the extended cut they managed to contain it without using any weapons at all.

Only the deaths of a bunch of prisoners, one of whom sacrificed himself so it could be contained.

Thing is, in a narrative sense if they DID have any weapons on Fiorina they would've been quickly negated.

And the prisoners didn't know the layout that well.  They get lost more than once and eventually all die except for Morse.