What if Gorman was a veteran?

[SiL]

I know. And they hadn't found the colonists, which was their mission. But you're saying they should've abandoned the place before finding any of them to re-arm, despite being near.

[Local Trouble]

Yes, that's what I'm saying.  Also, the mere fact that their PDTs were all located inside a slimy den of secreted alien resin should have clued them into the obvious and that they weren't walking into a goddamn town meeting.

[SiL]

They were just about to find the colonists. They unloaded their rifles, then literally the next scene is the marines coming across them. It's not like they ditched their pulse rifles and then spent the next half hour walking around before finding anything. They were practically there already, no experienced officer is going to recall troops when they're a couple dozen meters from their target just to grab a few more weapons.

[SM]

Theres about 10 minutes from them entering the hive and them finding the colonists.

When you see the map of marines vs the PDTs, they're almost on top of them when Ripley tells Gorman about the heat exchanger.

[Local Trouble]

I'm aware of all that, yet I still think a veteran officer would have hesitated to send his troops into a situation like that under those circumstances.

[SiL]

The circumstances of sending a bunch of highly trained, armed soldiers into a locale marginally different to ones they'd been trained to operate in, to check on the status of some civilians who they were almost literally walking on by the point they had to sling their rifles?

No, they wouldn't. The marines were practically there. Presumably, after discovering them dead, they would've done a quick sweep for survivors and bailed. Alas they woke the Aliens, and got ambushed. Gorman's inexperience effected none of this.

[stephen]

Given that all of the marines hated the orders given by Gorman, some directly disobeying him it's obvious they don't like the situation. As for what different tactics they could have employed don't ask me I'm not an experienced vetren. I also don't know the extent of the technology available to them.

One tactic (though I'm not advocating it or denying its possible use) would be to send bishop in. Good idea.

Ultimately I don't think it really matters. But I think an experienced liutenant would have approached the situation differently. Gorman was a by the numbers man. At the point they decided to sling rifles an experienced commander would have changed tactics like not leaving the back door closed.

[SiL]

They were three levels up, opening the back door would do what besides expose the people in the APC?

[blood.]

I don't think disarming the marines was the only pivotal decision gorman made that could have been different. In fact I don't even think that moment would have ever happened if he was a veteran.

[SiL]

How else were they going to find the colonists?

Maybe post what you think would happen instead of just "discuss thx"?

[Elmazalman]

Nothing Gorman did or didn't do would have changed the outcome once they entered the nest.

[Layorz]

A different commander might have picked up on the dangers of using pulse rifles before sending his men inside. But the end result would be the same.

[stephen]

They were three levels up, opening the back door would do what besides expose the people in the APC?

Lol the marines escape route. Like only send some of them in.

[SiL]

A different commander might have picked up on the dangers of using pulse rifles before sending his men inside. But the end result would be the same.

None of the experienced marines did.

[Layorz]

A different commander might have picked up on the dangers of using pulse rifles before sending his men inside. But the end result would be the same.

None of the experienced marines did.

Grunts aren't paid to look through schematics to plan a mission before going on it. That sort of thing falls on Gormans shoulders.