And then straight on through the chompers!
These guys probably weren’t Tier-1 special operations capable forces like Navy SEALS or Delta Force.
But you also don’t typically send a bunch of weekend Reservist standard-issue grunts on an interstellar nuclear-armed warship (without any chain of command oversight by the way) to air-assault from orbit with a fully equipped mechanized infantry platoon.
Which sort of begs the question what exactly DID they expect to find on LV-426 that they brought all this firepower (aside from Ripley’s bugs that no one except Burke seemed to take seriously anyway)?
While we’re talking about it, how did Burke expect Wayland-Yutani to weaponize the aliens anyway? They are a pain in the ass to transport and are only really effective against stupid and/or unarmed people. I mean why not unleash a hoard of man-eating tigers or crazed chimpanzees on a colony?
This episode was badly written.
- Catch alien
- ?
- Profit!
To be honest, I figured it was just Burke wanting to “weaponize” them. He’s a visionary - it’s up to the little people to make it work. The higher ups at W-Y had no idea what Burke was doing.
I don’t think the marines expected to find anything save for a faulty communications system or maybe some damage from weather or something of that nature. They all thought Ripley was full of it until they landed and found evidence that corroborated her statement. “Looks melted. Someone must have bagged one of Ripley’s bad guys here.”
Just having access to the xenomorph’s body might have yielded all sorts of interesting discoveries leading to new patents.
It’s been a while since I watched it but maybe Burke expected there to be a single alien running around hence why they only sent 2 squads of Marines to capture it, it would make the most sense if he was the one who formulated the plan as if WY suspected a full outbreak they would have sent more Marines to deal with it.
One problem I see with Burke’s plan (or “plan”) is that the Marines didn’t seem to have much in the way of “Capture/Contain Xenomorph” equipment, or mission mindset.
In the extended version/director’s cut, Hudson gives Ripley a boastful rundown of all the nifty weapons systems they have to Un-Alive Something With Extreme Prejudice.
So unless Burke was going to dab at Xenomorph remains with a cotton swab there was no real plan to capture the Xenomorphs.
RIPLEY
He wanted an alien, only he
couldn't get it back through
quarantine. But if we were impregnated
...whatever you call it...and then
frozen for the trip back at just
the right time...then nobody would
know about the embryos we were carrying.
Me and Newt.
Ripley glances at the little girl, a frail figure
sitting nearby, hugging her knees and watching the
proceedings with somber eyes. She is all but lost in
an adult jacket someone has found for her, and her still
damp hair is plastered to her forehead and cheeks.
HICKS
Wait a minute. We'd know about it.
RIPLEY
The only way it would work is if
he sabotaged certain freezers
on the trip back. Then he could
jettison the bodies and make up
any story he liked.
HUDSON
Fuuuck! He's dead.
(to Burke)
You're dogmeat, pal.
Source: First Draft, May 28, 1985
Right, but that was speculation on Ripley’s part (and it passes the smell test in my book), maybe something Burke improvised once they were on the ground at LV-426. It doesn’t seem like the kind of plan you would want to lead with.
It’s clear Burke improvised that implantation plan as things went along. It is not clear how detailed his original plans were or what he envisioned would happen (not like he was going to lay it all out for anyone on the crew), but earlier he does try to enlist Ripley’s cooperation in smuggling facehugger specimens already sealed in jars:
BURKE
Those specimens are worth
millions to the bio-weapons
division. Now, if you're smart
we can both come out of this
heroes. Set up for life.
RIPLEY
You just try getting a dangerous
organism past ICC quarantine.
Section 22350 of the Commerce Code.
BURKE
You've been doing your homework.
Look, they can't impound it if
they don't know about it.
RIPLEY
But they will know about it, Burke.
From me. Just like they'll know
how you were responsible for the
deaths of one hundred and fifty-seven
colonists here --
That shows what an ignorant BSer he is. We’ve all have 35 years to think about it, and its pretty obvious that, as a weapon, the Aliens are great horror movie villains. Against anyone with weapons, or (oh Hi space marines!) decent tactics, they’re just cannon fodder.
Now, OTOH, the fact that they apparently are capable of violating the law of conservation of matter should be investigated! 
It’s a good thing they never studied law!
Armies still need canon fodder. And self-replicating canon fodder that you don’t have to spend money on training or weapons is a pretty good deal. But I think the real value of the xenomorphs is as a terror weapon. Load some eggs into specially designed missiles and fire it at a dense urban area. Missiles land, eggs hatch, and now you’ve got hundreds of face huggers running around the city, killing civilians and reproducing. It may (or may not) be relatively easy to clear them out with “weapons and decent tactics,” but that’s still weapons and tactic that they can’t use against your regular military.
Just studying there physiology would be worth millions I think.
Yeah, I never thought the aliens-as-war-elephants would be worth millions to the bio-weapons division. It’s studying them and the resulting applications that the millions would come from.
They sent Marines to check up on the colonists, not “specifically to fight the creatures.” They were well-armed (until they couldn’t use all those arms, deep in the terraforming plant), but not especially well-trained at all for the mission they eventually realized they were on.
And here it is (definitely NSFW): The Long Tomorrow, by Moebius | All That I Love
This earlier thread will also be of interest, I’m sure: Aliens - so what were the Colonial Marines actually prepared for (tactically)?