Predalien: Dreads or No Dreads

[jacobo1122]

It looks like shit and it always will.

It is also dumb from a logic standpoint.

As for "pure Alien" everything comes from this aesthetically speaking:

https://uploads5.wikiart.org/images/h-r-giger/necronom-iv-1976.jpg
From a biological point of view, you do not want the Queen to take on traits of the host species, so that the potential progeny it creates can be as diverse as possible within useful parameters.

Well, we can agree to disagree I think they look good, especially that designers did a good work and made them not smooth like Predator's but segmented, Looking more like small tubes, maintaining biomechanical look.

And in my opinion it's only logical for perfect organism to adapt beneficial traits for itself.

Aesthetically, yes, we all know that it all started with Nefronów IV, I was talking lore-wise. By the way I would totally dig If someone used Necronom IV in some story, maybe exactly as "pure" Xeno (not sure If collosal dong between its legs would work though XD) . Alex White brought unused Giger's concepts for Blue Marsallis once, maybe it's time for this. Please Titan, bring Alex back 

[Neila]

Go back to the Giger aesthetic please.
Turn the dreadlocks into penises

[BlueMarsalis79]

Chet makes me actively want to put my eyes out.

[Xenomrph]

It is also dumb from a logic standpoint.

Not really lmao

As for "pure Alien" everything comes from this aesthetically speaking:

https://uploads5.wikiart.org/images/h-r-giger/necronom-iv-1976.jpg
From a biological point of view, you do not want the Queen to take on traits of the host species, so that the potential progeny it creates can be as diverse as possible within useful parameters.

There is no such thing as a "pure Alien", and none of the Aliens in the movies look like that drawing.

The Queen can take on whatever traits it wants, the resultant Aliens evidently don't take on those same traits. Evidence: the regular Aliens in AvPR don't have dreads or mandibles.

Dreads are cool and good, any argument against them is purely from a personal aesthetic opinion standpoint. Again, there is no "objective" or "logical" measure that says PredAliens shouldn't have them. You're stating your subjective opinion (and that's awesome! Keep doing it! I'm doing it too!) that's all.

Edit— "useful parameters" assumes the Alien has any control over the traits it takes. That's not how biology works lol
If we're going by the evidence that every PredAlien across all media has dreadlocks, then either the PredAlien can't control that it takes them because of how they're present in the genetic makeup (just like an Alien being bipedal or quadrupedal - if the Alien is actively taking "useful" traits then they'd be one or the other regardless of the host), or dreadlocks are in fact "useful" seeing as how every PredAlien has them.

[BlueMarsalis79]

My point of view without condescension:

If it is "the perfect organism" that necessitates that on a genetic level it can not pass down the traits of hosts through the successive generations, otherwise you will get conflicting qualities, so it ought to have control over what it takes on board without the interference of an outside party if it is to endure.

This actually gets pretty well represented in Resurrection with the clones being genetically unstable, because of the mixture of traits leading to what we see being a destruction of the reproductive cycle, changing the fundamental nature of the Alien with the Newborn.

As for "every PredAlien having dreadlocks means every PredAlien must have dreadlocks"... Or every official PredAlien design turns out pretty shit, except the rejected ones. f**k AVP and Requiem. I frankly refuse to discuss them or include their nonsense.

[Local Trouble]

It's bad enough that the aliens have human skulls, but at least they have the goddamn common decency to cover them up.

[Xenomrph]

If it is "the perfect organism" that necessitates that on a genetic level it can not pass down the traits of hosts through the successive generations, otherwise you will get conflicting qualities. So it ought to have control over what it takes on board without the interference of an outside party if it is to endure.

That assumes it's "the perfect organism" (a claim made by a deranged android who never sees the adult creature).
Not to mention, if they're the perfect organism and can actively control what traits it can pass down, you'd think it would retain successive useful traits from generation to generation to make it more perfect (that's how biological evolution works). Actively purging the genetic template in the hopes that the next host provides something "useful" is counter-productive.
At a bare minimum, I've demonstrated that the interpretation of "perfect organism" is purely subjective since I can come up with ways that your "perfect" traits aren't perfect. Assuming it's in fact "perfect" at all.

Aliens do a ton of illogical and unexplainable stuff. They're Aliens.
You're trying to assign a (subjective) "logic" to a creature that, by design, is meant to be unknowable and unpredictable - it's right there in the title of the first movie, it's meant to be a creature unlike anything ever seen by human eyes, which cannot be understood.

If it can actively control what traits it takes (which is not how biology works - how would it know what is useful and what isn't until it's in a practical setting after it's born?) and every PredAlien has dreads, then it's a useful trait whether you personally think it looks dumb or not.

As pointed out, in AvPR we see that the dreadlocks are not passed down from Chet to its offspring.

This actually gets pretty well represented in Resurrection with the clones being genetically unstable, because of the mixture of traits leading to what we see being a destruction of the reproductive cycle, changing the fundamental nature of the Alien with the Newborn.

And despite the Queen being genetically unstable, she still produces a whole clutch of regular Alien offspring.

As for every PredAlien having dreadlocks means every PredAlien mistake dreadlocks... Or every official PredAlien design turns out pretty shit, except the rejected ones. f**k AVP and Requiem. I frankly refuse to discuss them or include their nonsense.

And that's your opinion and you're welcome to it.

[BlueMarsalis79]

Just don't reply to me anymore actually thanks.

[Xenomrph]

Just don't reply to me anymore actually thanks.

I think you're upset that your "logic" and "perfect organism" relies on a ton of subjective opinions and "I don't like this evidence so I'm going to ignore it", and I took the time to point it out.

You're welcome to your opinion that dreadlocks suck, but don't try to prop up your opinion with spurious "logic" as if it makes your opinion stronger or better than anyone else's.

[BlueMarsalis79]

I have had said debates before.
"Pathogen Explained"
"Alien Explained"

You might remember being reprimanded by the moderators for this sort of thing in one of them in fact actually. I have a thing for thought exercises about them basically. I'm just not interested in arguing with you because I don't really like you. I will happily discuss it with anyone else on this very forum.

That's my last towards your particular brand of arrogance.

[Thatguy2068]

This argument is getting pretty heated, Let's calm down a bit. I don't want to see anyone tearing at each other's throats over some opinion.

[Xenomrph]

I have had said debates before.
"Pathogen Explained"
"Alien Explained"

I'm just not interested in arguing with you because I don't really like you. I will happily discuss it with anyone else on this very forum.


That's my last towards your particular brand of arrogance.

Pointing out problems with your "logic" is not "arrogance". In fact, one could argue that claiming to understand and "explain" the Alien better than anyone else on these forums is the definition of arrogance.

Edit— if you think I should be reprimanded for pointing out problems with your arguments, then report me. And for someone who likes thought experiments, you dropped out very fast when anyone questioned your thoughts or provided contradictory thought experiments.

This argument is getting pretty heated, Let's calm down a bit. I don't want to see anyone tearing at each other's throats over some opinion.

That's the point, that it's purely an opinion. "Logic" was never part of the equation.

[BlueMarsalis79]

Not like I pointed out the tongue in cheek nature of the titles in said threads or anything...

(I in fact did, impartial observers of an unspecified nature.)

I think someone should be reprimanded when refusing to leave someone alone who has requested that they do as such.

[Xenomrph]

I don't remember you doing that (barely remember the threads at all to be honest), but good on you for doing so.

Edit— to be extremely clear, I have nothing against you, nor do I care what you think of me. If anyone else in the thread had been attempting to prop up their opinion with questionable logic, I'd have had the same response for them too.

Edit again— I genuinely honest to god was not trying to be "arrogant" (and I don't feel I was), but if that's how you perceived it then I apologize.

[BlueMarsalis79]

To put it simply:

You always refuse to actually engage with what someone writes, and then couch your response in subjectivity as if no one else knows that their statements about fiction inherently are, perhaps not arrogant but definitely condescending.