# Just recently watched the Alien "Quadrilogy" for the first time, and here's what I think... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2012, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415 "2012-06-17T10:13:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/21 "2012-06-17T18:40:27Z")
> [@iamnotbatman](#): > > What did you think of prometheus? I’m torn about seeing prometheus. Reviews have been fairly solid I guess, but from the previews it looks like just another big-budget action flick. I also feel like it might ruin some of the mystery/intrigue of the first movie. I LIKED in Alien that we didn’t know a lot about where the aliens come from, etc. I liked the curiosity and imagination that provokes in me. Is prometheus going to ruin that for me? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/22 "2012-06-17T18:48:50Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > The company only built the colony there BECAUSE they knew about the aliens, and wanted to study them. No. It’s clearer in the directors cut, but they only send somebody out to explore the ship after Ripley has returned and told them about its existence. The colony had already been there for one time. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/23 "2012-06-17T18:52:34Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > No. It’s clearer in the directors cut, but they only send somebody out to explore the ship after Ripley has returned and told them about its existence. The colony had already been there for one time. Yeah, agreed. I just rewatched the special edition, and this is pretty clear. Within a fairly short time after the first colonist finds the ship (and gets a facehugger attached to his face), the entire colony is destroyed, except for Newt. The facehuggers in jars are ones that were removed from colonists that were attacked in that relatively short period of time. (Probably on orders from Burke or someone else at the Company; though the movie does imply that Burke directed the colonists to go explore the ship on his own initiative.) ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/24 "2012-06-17T18:55:15Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > No. It’s clearer in the directors cut, If the OP didn’t see the director’s cut then, well, he/she probably should. Far superior film. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/25 "2012-06-17T19:04:11Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Yeah, agreed. I just rewatched the special edition, and this is pretty clear. Within a fairly short time after the first colonist finds the ship (and gets a facehugger attached to his face), the entire colony is destroyed, except for Newt. The facehuggers in jars are ones that were removed from colonists that were attacked in that relatively short period of time. (Probably on orders from Burke or someone else at the Company; though the movie does imply that Burke directed the colonists to go explore the ship on his own initiative.) If that’s honestly how it went down, then Aliens is even worse than I’m giving it credit for, because that means they just completely dismissed the events of Alien. The huge twist and interesting reveal in Alien was that the company KNEW about the message, knew about the alien, and made it a top priority to get one back alive, at the expense of everyone’s life. They brought everyone out of stasis for the sole purpose to get one back to headquarters. By the nature of such an order, they knew they were dangerous, and knew they had to rely on an artificial human in order carry it out. So after the nostromo gets destroyed and everyone dies, what does the company do? You expect me to believe that the colonization by that very same company of the planet where the aliens were was just mere coincidence? And somehow, all the knowledge of the aliens that they had in the first movie was gone and they had just given up on getting them back, until they found Ripley and were like, “OH YEAH! THAT’S RIGHT! THERE ARE ALIENS ON THAT PLANET, AND WE JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE A COLONY THERE. LET’S GO GET SOME!” Silly. If that’s actually how Aliens went down, then it’s even more disappointing than I thought. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/26 "2012-06-17T19:07:37Z")
It’s been years since I’ve seen any of them. I saw the first three in the theater. I LOVED the first and took some friends to see it a second time. I liked the second; some of those same friends preferred it to the first; but I preferred the first. After the first two, it was all downhill for me. I think I saw the fourth on DVD, and fell asleep partway through. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/27 "2012-06-17T19:10:01Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > If the OP didn’t see the director’s cut then, well, he/she probably should. Far superior film. Personally while many of the added scenes were interesting I thought they badly interfered with the flow of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/28 "2012-06-17T19:52:21Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > Personally while many of the added scenes were interesting I thought they badly interfered with the flow of the movie. I agree. I appreciate the scenes as scenes but for the most part it was smart to edit them out. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/29 "2012-06-17T19:54:08Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I agree. I appreciate the scenes as scenes but for the most part it was smart to edit them out. I’ve seen a quote somewhere from Ridley Scott, which unfortunately I can’t find right now, indicating that he feels the released theatrical versions is the true directors’ cuts, and the special edition is for the fans, to provide a little more background or explanation in some scenes. (Edit to make clear this is just regarding the original Alien, obviously, and not the James Cameron-directed Aliens, although come to think of it, maybe I’m thinking of Cameron’s quote. Wow, this anecdote sucks. Sorry.) ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/30 "2012-06-17T20:09:22Z")
For what it’s worth, I saw the theatrical release of Alien, and the director’s cut of Aliens. Not sure which version of Alien 3 or Alien Resurrection I saw, but I don’t think that matters much to any of you, heheh. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/31 "2012-06-17T20:22:00Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > The huge twist and interesting reveal in Alien was that the company KNEW about the message, knew about the alien, and made it a top priority to get one back alive, at the expense of everyone’s life. Well, I’m going to disagree again. My understanding of the sequence of events in Alien is that the message beacon is truly unexpected and that Mother and Ash contain latent programming that overrides any other objective if and when alien life is encountered. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/32 "2012-06-17T20:38:28Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > For what it’s worth, I saw the theatrical release of Alien, and the director’s cut of Aliens. Not sure which version of Alien 3 or Alien Resurrection I saw, but I don’t think that matters much to any of you, heheh. We can figure out 3 easily enough. Alien came from a dog: theatrical. Alien came from a cow: director’s cut. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/33 "2012-06-17T20:42:50Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > She wasn’t ACTUALLY being held culpable for it’s destruction though. The company built the colony under the sole pretense of studying the aliens. REMEMBER when they found the lab where they had been studying the xenomorphs all along inside the colony? The company only built the colony there BECAUSE they knew about the aliens, and wanted to study them. I don’t believe for a moment that Ripley didn’t realize this, because she specifically asked if their intent was to bring one back. This is completely incorrect. Van Leeuwen said that they had colonist on LV-426 for over 20 years, and they never found a derelict ship or any aliens. It wasn’t until Burke tipped them off that they went looking. This is actually explicitly shown in one of the deleted scenes where they show the first colonist to get face-hugged - Newt’s father. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/34 "2012-06-17T20:46:20Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Well, I’m going to disagree again. My understanding of the sequence of events in Alien is that the message beacon is truly unexpected and that Mother and Ash contain latent programming that overrides any other objective if and when alien life is encountered. Fair enough, that’s definitely a possibility. But then we are still left with the huge coincidence that they just happened to build a colony on the same planet that the aliens were on, never thoroughly researched the planet, never came across the alien ship with the aliens on it, etc. To me, that’s way more implausible and upsetting than what I’ve proposed. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/35 "2012-06-17T20:49:15Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > This is completely incorrect. > Van Leeuwen said that they had colonist on LV-426 for over 20 years, and they never found a derelict ship or any aliens. It wasn’t until Burke tipped them off that they went looking. This is actually explicitly shown in one of the deleted scenes where they show the first colonist to get face-hugged - Newt’s father. I saw that scene. Don’t see how it contradicts how I’ve understood the two movies. Of COURSE they are going to say they never found any aliens. The whole thing is a top secret event. What I saw, was some people out and exploring, stumbled across the ship, got infected, and brought it back to the colony. My understanding is that some of the scientists working for the company already knew about the aliens, and these people out exploring were breaking protocol by not reporting their finding, etc. They weren’t working for the company, they were just out goofing around and getting into trouble. I didn’t see the connection that they went out and explored it because of what Ripley had revealed to Burke, but perhaps that’s what DID happen. And if so, it’s even more implausible than I thought. The idea that the company would coincidentally build a colony on the planet with the aliens and never discover them for 20 years requires such a huge suspension of disbelief I can’t even begin to imagine it. The signal was there in space. Even if had stopped broadcasting years after the nostromo was destroyed, some ship on their way would have picked it up and interpreted it like the nostromo did. The company, having intercepted the message, decides to build a colony there and research the aliens covertly, until things go wrong in Aliens. That makes a lot more sense to me. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/36 "2012-06-17T20:51:45Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Fair enough, that’s definitely a possibility. But then we are still left with the huge coincidence that they just happened to build a colony on the same planet that the aliens were on, never thoroughly researched the planet, **never came across the alien ship** with the aliens on it, etc. Yeah, what happened to the distress beacon/warning? Did somebody turn it off? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/37 "2012-06-17T20:55:41Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Yeah, what happened to the distress beacon/warning? Did somebody turn it off? Yeah, the only way anything makes sense if the company themselves found it and turned it off, after what happened to the nostromo. Or it just coincidentally turned off on its own sometime between the events of Alien and Aliens. Of course, the broadcasted message that had been repeated umpteen times still would have been flying through space to be picked up by any spaceships in the area. Also, to address the other post, in Alien 3 it came from a cow, in the version I saw. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/38 "2012-06-17T21:15:42Z")
You saw the better version of Alien 3, then! ---
**Author:** ![holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e95f7d/32.png) [@holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/holmes)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/39 "2012-06-17T21:35:16Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Yeah, the only way anything makes sense if the company themselves found it and turned it off, after what happened to the nostromo. Or it just coincidentally turned off on its own sometime between the events of Alien and Aliens. Of course, the broadcasted message that had been repeated umpteen times still would have been flying through space to be picked up by any spaceships in the area. Cameron [answers](http://www.alienscollection.com/jamescameron.html) some of your questions. Whether you like the answers are another matter… ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415/40 "2012-06-17T21:50:36Z")
I think you’re conflating the company with the government. Sure, elements are in bed with each other, but they’re not the same. Think East India trading company and Colonial Britain. The company loses a ship, not sure what happened The government established a colony on some lifeless rock Ripley drifts back into known space, they toss her under the bus _Burke_ sends colonists to investigate Ripleys report, they disappear Company enlist the govenment for help Burke inserts himself into the mission to cover his tracks and try to salvage his payoff blood and screaming ensue. I agree with upthread, Michelle Rodruiquez is a cliche _because_ of Vasquez [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-recently-watched-the-alien-quadrilogy-for-the-first-time-and-heres-what-i-think/625415.md?page=3)