Alien: Nostromo with CEO3K mothership style lighting

leading from

Alien: Creating The Nostromo

a)  Setting up the lights
On coming through the atmosphere of the planetoid, the underside of the tug was supposed to illuminate itself by switching on a barrage of landing lights. Dennis Lowe spent a couple of months rigging a plywood cutout of Nostromo with neon strips and spotlights that would mimic the Mother Ship from Close Encounters, these were sequenced using motorised rotary switches.

b)  Real aircraft landing lighs
He used some real aircraft landing lights (from an ex-government store near Heathrow) and they were so powerful that anyone nearby had to be really careful not to get anything in the way of the beam, they represented the four main landing thrusters.

(source http://www.eagletransporter.com)

c)  Ridley's response
However when Ridley came over from Shepperton after a day of shooting to come and see the test of the lighting. Bill Pearson was amongst those who had to be there , but on viewing the rig, he joked out loud "Cor, it looks like Blackpool Tower during the illuminations!" and from within the smoke he heard Ridley's familiar tones "Right, shelve it" And so this ideas was scrapped and Bill didn't know whether he was to blame for the decision but thankfully Dennis never held a grudge towards him about it

The wiring of the Nostromo (http://www.eagletransporter.com/)

source quotes

1. Bill Pearson: On coming through the atmosphere of the planetoid, the underside of the tug was supposed to illuminate itself by switching on a barrage of landing lights. The effect was created by Dennis Lowe by fixing neon and halogen bulbs onto a plywood cutout on the Nostromo over a period of two months. I was informed that a test was being carried out on our smoke filled model stage. This I had to see! On viewing the rig I joked out loud, "Cor, it looks like Blackpool Tower during the illuminations!" From deep within the smoke I heard, in Ridley's familiar tones, "Right, shelve it" I don't know whether I was to blame for that decision, but Dennis never held a grudge thankfully. (From Sketch to Screen, p94-95)
2. Dennis Lowe: I spent a couple of months rigging the Nostromo with neon strips and spotlights that would mimic the Mother Ship from Close Encounters, these were sequenced using motorised rotary switches. Ridley came over from Shepperton after shooting and took a look at my work then made the decision to scrap the idea - such is life! (http://www.zen171398.zen.co.uk/Alien.html)  



The wiring of the Nostromo

3. Dennis Lowe: When I built the lighting rig (that was never used) I got some real aircraft landing lights (from an ex government store near Heathrow) and they were so powerful you had to be really careful not to get anything in the way of the beam, they represented the four main landing thrusters. ((http://www.alienexperience.com/forum, July 23rd 2009)) 

The Mothership from Close Encounters of the Third King (1977)

Blackpool Tower at night (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk)