leading from
a) Mother's Revelation
The corporation in the film is revealed to be even more than the alien, the villain of the film,
It's top priority becomes the alien and it couldn't care less about the danger that this causes the crew.
The mother computer shows itself to be very unhelpful towards the Captain Dallas and then Lt. Ripley when they ask it questions, and it eventually informs Ripley that the Nostromo has been "rerouted to new co-ordinates to investigate the life form" and "gather specimen", "insure return of organism for analysis", "all other considerations secondary" and "crew expendable".
It is only here that Ash the science officer turns up behind her without explanation in the computer room, and is found looking over Ripley's shoulder as she goes through company records,
He suddenly goes all peculiar on Sigourney as he tells her "I can explain everything" and Ripley realises that he is not what he seemed to be
The Mother computer shows the cynical attitude that a multi-national corporation might face given the situation of the discovery of an alien.
Indeed it's the industrial-government complex is responsible for the attitude that allows such an alien to be brought on board the Nostromo.
Ridley thought in hindsight that Earth would have previously received messages, realised they were coming from an intelligent source.
For economy reasons, perhaps they have postponed the preparation of an investigatory spacecraft.
Then one day Nostromo is in the vicinity and the order is given for the crew to bring back the alien, good or evil, without any real thought given to the consequences.
They thought that the presence of a robot virtually guarantees in principle the success of the mission.
c) Future predictions from 1979
Back in 1979 when the film was made, the assumption was that in fifty years time, it would be likely that the world would be converted into the property or two or three large conglomerates whose sources of energy are provided by the exploitation of deposits in space.
The super cargo spaceships that link Earth and the planets would transport enormous loads of minerals - gas, oil and the like.
d) Myths of Robots
Ridley Scott went with the idea that to dissuade the crews from rebelling and to protect their own interests, these companies might place spies aboard, or at least would make the crews believe in the presence of such spies.
Gradually a legend would evolve that these people, whose identities remain unknown, are in fact robots. Furthermore, nobody would ever have proof.
This would reinforce legends already currently among astronauts.
In fact, it is already responsible for the paranoia prevalent on all the ships because of its insistence on placing a company man/ corporate suit that was in effect a spy, aboard each vehicle.
Gradually a legend would be evolving that these people, whose identities remain unknown, are in facts robots.
No one would have ever have proof and this would only reinforce the legend amongst the space craft crews.
In this vehicle, the Nostromo, the spy takes the form of a robot that is also humanoid.
In a revised final draft from June 1978, it's revealed that this was the first time that Nostromo's captain Dallas had shipped out with Ash.
He went five hault with another science man but he was replaced with Ash two days before they left a place named Thedus.
e) Protecting their interests
This would seem to be the normal development of a huge corporations trying to protect its interests.
In this particular future, corporations would have to find ways to assure that vehicles carrying minerals or vital information will not be hijacked.
It would be very easy for "pirating" to exist, perhaps the crew themselves might even decide to go off and sell the cargo to somebody, and therefore the Company have their own security blanket as part of the crew.
Also, of course , if something were found to be unusual, not explained, or not as it were written in the book, or indeed they come across something extraordinary as we do in the film Alien, the company will say bring it back in a cage and let's look at it
f) See also: The Robot Head Speaks
source quotes
- Danny Peary:I see the corporation, even more than the alien, as being the villain
of the film. It's top priority becomes the alien, and it could care less
about the danger that this causes the crew.
Ridley Scott: This industrial-government complex is responsible for the attitude that allows such an alien to be brought on board the Nostromo. In fact, it is already responsible for the paranoia prevalent on all the ships because of its insistence on placing a company man on each vehicle. In this vehicle, he takes the form of a robot, Ash. This would seem to be the normal development of a huge corporation trying to protect its interests. In this particular future, it would be very easy for "pirating" to exist. Corporations will have to find ways to assure that vehicles carrying minerals or vital information will not be hijacked. ("Omni Screen Flights, Screen Fantasies", an interview with Ridley Scott by Danny Peary p295-296) - Interviewer: Could you explain the rather enigmatic attitude of "Mother", the ship's computer when faced with the discovery of the alien?
Ridley Scott: We try not to give a detailed explanation in order to preserve the suspense and in order not to stray from the main theme. Mother's behaviour shows the cynical attitude that a multi-national of the future might take, faced with a similar situation. Let's assume that, in fifty years time, the world has been converted into the property of two or three large conglomerates, whose sources of energy are provided by the exploitation of deposits in space. The super cargo spaceships that link Earth and the planets would transport enormous loads of minerals - gas, oil and the like. To dissuade the crews from rebelling and to protect their own interests, these companies might place spies aboard, or at least would make the crews believe in the presence of such spies. Gradually a legend would evolve that these people, whose identities remain unknown , are in fact robots. Furthermore, nobody would ever have proof. This would reinforce legends already currently among astronauts
Interviewer: Had "Mother" foreseen from the start that the Nostromo would meet the alien?
Ridley Scott: Again , this is only a supposition made in hindsight. I would have thought that Earth would have previously received messages, realised they were coming from an intelligent source but, for economy reasons, perhaps have postponed the preparation of an investigatory spacecraft. Then, one day, Nostromo is in the vicinity and the order is given for the crew to bring back the alien, good or evil, without any real thought being given to the consequences. The presence of the robot virtually guarantees, in principle, the success of the mission. (Film Illustrated. v9. n99, Nov 1979, "Duelling with Death, The Alien World of Ridley Scott") - Ridley Scott: The
Ash thing was interesting was Ash was implant of the corporation,
having a robot on board, so instead of just having a spy, you've got a
biomechanoid human being?
Sigourney Weaver: It's a very modern idea (Alien Quadrilogy commentry) - Ridley Scott: Ash was the real master stroke, I think, in that he as completely, that was a one off wasn't it, that was the first time, you know, you have corporate paranoia, right, than in there you've got a corporate suit on the ship. The difference is that the suit is a robot is a humanoid, so when Ash suddenly became peculiar, he goes peculiar on Sigourney, and erm, he says, "I can explain everything", he's over the shoulder in Mothers womb, and erm, she's suddenly spooked by him, realises he's not what he seems to be. (Shepperton Studios 1978 documentary (The Making of Alien )
- Ridley Scott: So now we're probably trying to work out all... you know, you don't have to explain it that craft, has, have droids on board, you know big corporations... maybe the rumour has always been from the big corporations do out of paranoia for their own investment of their huge craft from the cargo and their knowledge always plant a spy within the crew on board just in case they, the crew decide to go off and sell it somebody and therefore they always have their own security blanket as part of the crew and he of course is one, I think that was ano... a really nice idea, a new idea which ugh, then gets used again, again, again, again, you know (Alien Quadrilogy commentary at 1:23:51 and BluRay version at 1:23:46 )
- Ridley Scott: Always this scene is peculiar because you wonder how Ash got in behind her. So now she has a block. She's not going to get any more information, and uh, she's dipping into basically company records and is not going to get the right answer. So this is where you get the duplicity of the company that has protection on all of its ships, and this is what I thought was really a great original idea, would plant a humanoid or robot to protect its interests, which is about to be revealed, and there, there he is. (Alien 20th Anniversary DVD director's commentary)
- Ridley Scott: Yuh, but with that question, again I've got to go back to Stanley, HAL is not expendable and the crew are, and so in a funny kind of way, the great surprise on Alien apart from the alien himself was that Holm/Ash, was a r... android, and of course made in the shape and form of a human being and therefore people did not suspect that actually he was a corporation man where he was there to make sure and protect any assets of the corporation were to be unusual or not expected or not as it were written in the book, and of course they come across something that is so extraordinary, the corporation says bring it back in a cage and let's look at it, and so in a funny kind of way you've got a similar beat between Ash and HAL with the human being (Week 4: Ultimate Summer Movie Showdown live May 28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuypcTJ1IHk&feature=youtu.be)
RIPLEY Did you ship out with Ash before. DALLAS First time. I went five hauls with another science man. Then two days before we left Thedus, replaced him with Ash. She looks at him. DALLAS So what. They replaced my warrant officer with you. RIPLEY I don't trust him. (Alien REVISED FINAL DRAFT , JUNE, 1978)
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