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The Alien 3 Date Controversy There’s apparently some debate about when exactly the events in Alien 3 occurred. Some say shortly after the events in Aliens, in 2179, but others say some six years later in 2185. Evidence for 2179: In the ‘Aliens’ novel Hicks and Hudson mention at various points that the trip between Earth and LV-426 takes 3 weeks. Hicks also mentions that the earliest rescue would be expected after 17 days (nearly 3 weeks). Possibly a rescue ship would be faster than a troop transport, or the rescue ship could be stationed a bit closer to LV-426. The Nostromo’s flight time between LV-426 and Earth is measured in months (10 months), not years. Evidence for 2185: Newt is reportedly 12 years old in Alien 3 (ie. 6 years older than she is in Aliens). Alan Dean Foster mentions time dilation (ie. interstellar flights taking years) in the novelisations for Alien, Aliens, and Alien 3, but he is ambiguous when referring to it, never giving any definates. The Sulaco’s 3 week flight time given in the ‘Aliens’ novelisation is more than likely taken from one of James Cameron’s script drafts, rather than simply made up by Foster, and should therefore carry more weight. While overall a good film, Alien 3 was poorly explained in some areas. How did the egg get on the Sulaco? Were there two facehuggers or did one lay two eggs (one in Ripley; one in the dog)? Why is Newt now 12 years old, whereas she was only 6 years old in the previous film? It is never stated that she is 6 in the film, but it does in the script and the novelisation, and we see a recent photo of Newt as recipient of a ‘First Grade Citizenship Award’. First graders are aged anywhere from 5 – 7 years old. Definitely not 12. If Newt is now 12 years old, then it raises more questions without answers. Why has she aged 6 years when Ripley doesn’t seem to have aged at all. Bishop is still in pieces also. One doesn’t age in hypersleep, so was the Sulaco adrift for 6 years and Newt was awake all this time? Why was the Sulaco adrift? It should have reached Earth in 3 weeks. Bishop says all the data from the Sulaco is sent back to Weyland-Yutani via the network. If they’re so eager to get their mitts on an Alien, why then would they let the Sulaco drift for 6 years? Of course it’s possible that the Sulaco was drifting for 6 years, but the fact that we’re given no proof whatsoever of this happening, makes it extremely unlikely. Michael Bishop’s (aka Bishop II’s) ship the Patna arrived at Fiorina within days of the EEV crash, so either a) it came from Earth, and it’s a very fast ship, b) it was stationed somewhere close to Fiorina, or c) it was trailing the Sulaco. Either way it covered an interstellar distance in a matter of days, not months or years. Further evidence could be gleaned from Alien : Resurrection, though set some 200 years after the events on Fiorina 161, this evidence may not carry much weight. The Auriga covered a distance of 47.67 AU (about 7,131,999,000 km) in approximately 2 and a quarter hours. We don’t actually see the Auriga in hyperspace, but it’s moving at a fair old tilt as it cruises past Jupiter. At any rate if a large starship can traverse such a distance in a matter of a couple of hours, then why did it take the Sulaco 6 years to still be in deep space? Answer - It didn't. Summing up, the evidence for 2186 is very weak, while the evidence for 2179 is very strong in comparison. With the many continuity errors in Alien 3, I think this one could be explained away by saying that Clemens, Andrews and Aaron had been so long without seeing a woman, let alone a child, they were unable to accurately guage her age. This is an unconvicing way of saying that Giler and Hill had so many other problems making Alien 3, they forgot to double check their research. |
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