Alien: Implied future timeline

Leading from

 Alien: Making the Movie

and 

Alien: Industrial conglomerates and their ships

 

a) Set a hundred years into the future?

The general year that the Nostromo is travelling around the depths of space is 2080 in Ridley Scott's imagination, but Dan O'Bannon and Ron Cobb had been planning out an implied future that had a setting a few decades further into the future that Ridley imagined.

Giving some idea about time in relation to the now in Alien , we have an earlier loose character sketch for the character Dallas in Sigourney Weaver's test shoot. We find that he had started in lower deck employment in a super refinery for a German company and working his way up was bought up by a Japanese (Weylan-Yutani) company that offered him a super-tanker which he has been operating for ten years. Presumably all this time he has been running the Nostromo. 

1. Ron Cobb: I designed these patches with the same thing in mind as when I designed the Nostromo's interior, to help sketch in a background as to where and when the story takes place. I wanted to imply that this ship was from "The United Americas," instead of the United States. The Earth might have become the inner-city of planets, with almost everyone from the planet either Black, Chicano or Oriental. All the caucasians would have moved out to the suburbs of Mars. Whether its sociolog-ically sound or not, people can relate to that and it's funny. That's where "implied history" comes through. Its not necessary to pinpoint a time or place. this is fantasy and doesn't need a super-rational context. However, in this case I thought it would contribute to the picture. Ridley was very keen on the "heavy metal" fantasy aspect of ALIEN, but I found it an interesting challenge to show what an actual commer-cial spaceship of this time would look like. Kubrick did that very well in 2001 and I wanted to try it here without losing any of the values Ridley was looking for, try to create a believable projection of the future. Its the real or possible elements of science fiction that make it a delightful and relevant way to comment satirically on the present. (The Authorized Portfolio of Crew Insignias)
2. Secondary education drifted into lower deck employment on Super-Tanker refinery for German company. Became interested to see the other-side-of-the-hill.  Worked his way up by doing everything by the book. Without being dull. Became company man, reliability personified. Japanese company bought him by offering a supertanker. Ten years doing it. Now philosophical manner, - could be construed as disappointed (But his "laid" back sense of humour" dourness, (Texan?) could be interpreted that he really enjoys it all.) Seen it all attitude. Possibly jaded by many of these trips into space, is married but only seen her total of three years in fifteen years. Divorce imminent. No big deal. Accepts it. Absence does make the heart grow fonder.  Will miss kids  (Character notes, May 8th 1978)
   

b) Dan O'Bannon and Ron Cobb's Alien time line

b.i) The End of the 21st century 

b.i.1) Economics and diminishing resources have led to the political merging of cultures that seemed unlikely in the 1970s.

1. Economics and diminishing resources have led to the political merging of cultures unlikely in the present day. (Alien Portfolio)

b.i.2) During the last quarter of the 21st century, UK joined forces with Japan and dozens of developing countries to form the Three World Empire.

1. During the last quarter of the 21st century the United Kingdom joined forces with Japan and dozens of developing countries to form the Three World Empire.(Alien Portfolio)

c) 2076

The United states celebrates it's tricentennial anniversary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

d) Where 'Earth Vicinity had reached tto by 2087

 

d.i) The definition of Earth has changed so that it migght have extended out as an inner city of planets. In a tongue-in-ckeek manner , it’s imagined that almost everyone from the planet either Black, Chicano or Oriental. All the caucasians have moved out to the suburbs of Mars. 

1. Ron Cobb: The Earth might have become the inner-city of planets, with almost everyone from the planet either Black, Chicano or Oriental. All the caucasians would have moved out to the suburbs of Mars. Whether its sociolog-ically sound or not, people can relate to that and it's funny.  (The Authorized Portfolio of Crew Insignias)

d.ii) In the Alien film story the crew of the Nostromo were aiming to be back in an area of space known as Earth Vicinity, when they wake up at the beginning.

1. Ron Cobb: They think they're back, that they've arrived in Earths vicinity. (Fantastic Films, July 1979, p30)

d.iii) The "Earth vicinity” space is an area extending 16.3 light years around planet Earth, with our solar system in the centre, containing 14 Earth colonies on other planets, 37 star systems with 4000 planets and beyond there are no colonies

1. See map text

d.iv) The "The Outer" space with a rim extending 54 light years from the Earth contains 1650 star systems with 46 stars like our sun and over 20,000 planets

1. See map text

 

e) 2088-2102

e.i) The Three World Empire pioneer the establishment of settlements on Mars and Saturn's moon Titan. 

1. Interplanetary commerce and the mining of deep space is flourishing. (Alien Portfolio)
   

 e.ii) Interplanetary commerce and the mining of deep space flourished, and from 2088 to 2102,  

1. Interplanetary commerce and the mining of deep space is flourishing. From 2088 to 2102   (Alien Portfolio)

e.iii) The United Kingdom which would come to pioneer the establishment of settlements on Mars and Saturn's moon Titan.

e.iv) At some point in the future it becomes part of the United Americas.

 

 

 

f) Into the 22nd Century

f.i) 2104

A powerful economic bloc created by the Three World Empire to help necessitate the merging of North and South America into one economic giant, The United Americas. 

1. The powerful economic bloc created by the Three World Empire helped necessitate the merging of North and South America into one economic giant in 2104.(Alien Portfolio)

 

 

f.ii) 2115 

 

f.ii.1) Red Star Lines is purchased by the White Dwarf Complex. It would be a company used to transport and rotate crews.  

1. See text on patch image

f.ii.2) Ron Cobb came up with the idea as a patch for the Red Star Lines company (which he also wrote as Red Star Line which originally was the name of transatlantic ocean liner transporting from Belgium to America and Canada from 1873 and 1934). 

 

f.ii.3) White Dwarf Complex 

By June/July 1977, a new science fiction and fantasy role playing game magazine was released named White Dwarf and that would continue to be sold in the 21st century

 

So would the White Dwarf Complex be another industrial conglomerate since we find it buying up a smaller company?

Cover of White Dwarf #1, June/July 1977

 

g) Farside: Lunar Mining - Lifting

Not actually dated , but in this time Farside: Lunar Mining Lifting would feature on a patch worn by one of the crew, and this badge showed a map of connections with such places as Icarus, Leibnitz, Mach and Kulik I.

While these places can be found on the dark side of the moon, Leibnitz so happens to be a city in Austria, while Kuliki can be found as the name of settlements in Poland and Russia