Quote from: SM on Feb 03, 2018, 08:25:54 PM
QuoteIt's my film theory (since I saw the film in 1979) that Ash did know there was a parasite inside of Kane.
Personally, I'll take the deleted scene where they notice a stain on Kane's lung that the autodoc scanner can't penetrate over a theory.
I decided to come back to this topic not to argue that I am right.
- Instead I can now see that there are two main interpretations of "Alien" based on which writer's version the viewer chooses to go along with.
- And both views are valid imo.
* Just as with "Blade Runner" where there is the writer's view and Ridley's explanation;
- With "Alien" there is the Dan O'Brannon version/view and the David Giler/Walter Hill version/view.
*** With "Alien" a person can lean towards O'Bannon's POV.
And I'm most willing to agree to disagree about that.
- In the 2003 "Alien" commentary (of the Ash attack on Ripley sequence), O'Bannon states his hate for the subplot of Ash being a company spy.
* Any viewer who minimizes Ash's prior knowledge of the Xenomorph in the film is closer to O'Bannon's view.
- The deleted scene with the stain on the scanner comes from the O'Bannon "Starbeast" script. Of course in that version Roby/(Ash) is not a company spy and would not know about the danger of this alien parasite and would be completely puzzled about what is happening with Broussard's/(Kane's) lungs.
* But since I lean towards the Giler/Hill version, even with just the film and Special Order 937, Ash knows quite a bit about what is coming and what's going on.
With Ash manipulating the situation, such as breaking quarantine, using the slant from the Giler/Hill view, Ash's role in the entire movie changes from clueless about the creature to knowing that the creature is a dangerous parasite to Kane's body while the android lets things happen.
* A source outside of canon, a deleted scene, was brought up which supports the O'Bannon view of the film;
- I'll use another outside of canon source; quotes from the "Alien" novel published in 1979.
- The book is fully on the side of Giler/Hill's view of "Alien".
* From the novel;
1. The company knew about the transmission before the Nostromo arrived at LV-426.
2. As explained by Ash, from the transmission the company knew about the creature and that it would be dangerous.
3. Bringing a dangerous alien life form to human settled planets and earth is strictly prohibited.
This idea would be used later by Cameron for "Aliens".
- This is why the Nostromo was chosen to deal with the creature so it would look like the Xenomorph was brought back to earth by accident.
4. Ash knows the creature is a parasite.
5. Ash doesn't care much about being a good science officer or even a good spy. He's detached from that, only being loyal to discovering the "truth" as he puts it.
He's quite a bit like David from "Covenant".
QuoteShe (Ripley) glanced up at Lambert; "Who assigns personnel to the ships?... And who would be the only entity capable of secretly slipping a robot on board, for whatever purpose?"
Lambert no longer looked confused; "The company."
"Sure." Ripley smiled humorlessly. "The company's drone probes must have picked up the transmission from the derelict. The Nostromo happened to be the next company vessel scheduled to pass through this spacial quadrant. They put Ash on board to monitor things for them..."
... Ash reacted with sufficient speed to show that his cognitive circuits were indeed intact.
"In essence my orders were as follows... I was directed to reroute in the Nostromo. Or make sure that this crew rerouted it from its assigned course so that it would pick up the signal. Program Mother to bring you out of hypersleep and program her memory to feed you the story about the emergency call. Company specialists already knew that the transmission was a warning and not a distress signal... At the source of the signal," Ash continued; "we were to investigate a life form, almost certainly hostile, according to what the company experts distilled from the transmission, and bring it back for observation and company evaluation of any potential commercial applications. Using discretion of course."
"Of course." agreed Ripley, mimicking the machine's indifferent tone. "That explains a lot about why we were chosen, beyond the expensive sending of valuable exploration team in first.
She looked coldly pleased at having traced the reasoning behind Ash's words.
"Importation to any inhabited world, let alone earth, of a dangerous alien life form is strictly prohibited. By making it look like we simple tug jockeys had accidentally stumbled on to it, The company had a way of seeing it arrive at earth unintentionally. While we maybe got ourselves thrown in jail, something would have to be done with the creature. Naturally company specialists would magnanimously be standing ready to take this dangerous arrival off of the hands of the customs officers. With a few judicious bribes pre-paid just to smooth transition..."
(Ash) "How can you not admire the simple symmetry it presents. An interspecies parasite capable of preying on any life form that breathes..."
(Ash) "I am loyal only to discovering the truth. Scientific truth..."
"Alien" (A Novel by Alan Dean Foster) p. 261 (released March 1979)
(YouTube; "Alien #1 Official Movie Novelization Alan Dean Foster Audiobook": beginning at 7:16:23 & 7:19:36)