How Does the Alien reach the Covenant in Orbit?

Weird to see her and Waterston both in "Fantastic Beasts" in totally different roles and now...this! Incredible actresses both.

I would imagine that the covenant ship has multiple landers.

the one we saw was some what small, like an expedition vehicle and have larger ones to move the heavy equipment so another lander/transporter could have come and rescued the peeps

Good point.  You know.....one of the joys of watching a Ridley Scott moving is that they are master pieces visually.  Each shot is beautiful  Especially the one's with the beast in it.

We surely know they land a Drop Ship that holds 10-12 and it gets destroyed.... we can only assume they are then stranded for a little while.

Before they make there way back to the Covenant.

I wander if they employ the same kind of Plot that they did in Prometheus...  as to why they could not get to Fifield and Milburn.

If they have it that the Storms are to serve to make a rescue, forcing them ti bunker down, i think that could work...

Otherwise we have to ask how (and knowing the Covenant ship had 200 people in total) would anyone on Covenant risk getting the stranded crew back if they gain any knowledge of any possible contamination.

Unless they go the old Alien Cliche and Walter somehow persuades them to send one down, or is able to remote control one down at some point.

I am sure the Covenant Pilot (McBride) may have reservations about letting anyone back on board especially and depending how much he knows about what went down.

But here is where we may end up with some parts that fans will call stupid after the movie comes out, but are needed to drive the plot.... (like Fifield and Milburn Scene).

The ships new Captain (Crudup ) ultimately gets Face Hugged with a more traditional looking Xeno... which does get onto the Ship and so we have to question how such a thing gets on board... most likely be via carrying the Captain back on board.

This will raise many questions and possible Plot Holes as some could call them but they wont be.. but flaws no doubt.. unless its addressed in a good way.

After and if the crew on the ground witness or know about the Neomorph Attacks.... let alone those in charge on the Covenant....

*Let someone on the ship who has a Organism attached to their Face.

*Let someone on the ship who had one, but its removed/finished its business before anyone discovers the Captain.... but has no recollection of the event, or only remembers seeing the Egg... and also feels a bit rough.

*Even if he feels fine.... surely suspicion would take place, and Quarantine Regulations for the Whole Crew...

The only Logical Answer i can give, is that only TWO Crew get infected via Neomorph... one is maybe destroyed with the Covenant... The other latter one escapes.

Billy Crudup character gets Face Hugged, and the David/Walter is alone with him and they then inform the crew he has disappeared.... but surely they would want to look for him...  i think the David/Walter would have to carry out a massive deception in order to account for the disappearance of the Captain..... with enough time to incubate the Embryo.

A greater Mystery/Find to show the crew, or indeed being chased off by the Neomorph (Neomorphs if other escaped the ship) would provide the best distraction.

David helps to save them and dispose of the Aliens... Crudup is missing,   The other crew are fine (survivors) so they call down for a rescue ship...  The rescue ship comes and Quarantines the Crew to check for signs and symptoms of the infection that killed the other two...

After a while they are passed fit (especially if Walter or David acting as Walter is the one who declares this).

Maybe the David/Walter stays behind to then go find Crudup and when he does... Crudup has no visible signs of infection like the Neomorph, he is concussed and has no memory and thinks he may had fallen in the cave.

They allow him on board...... which proved to be a Fatal Mistake.

One thing that goes against this theory... is that Two cast members, no actually 3 mention about being chased on the ship by Alien(s) which if they mean the Covenant, means more than One has got on board...

This unless done well...... could give fans something to moan about as far as legitimacy.... its a case of FOOL ME ONCE!

My other scenario in my Topic would give good Plot Hole less reason for letting a infected Crudup on-board but surely not let TWO infected Face Hugged Crew on-board?

another way would be to smuggle a Egg on-board but again, if the ground crew and especially those on Covenant witnessed the horrors from the Spore infections, they would be very very stupid to allow a Egg on-board.

Another option is the Crudup Chest Buster that grows to adult could then Egg Morph a crew-member?

The only other way would be a Chest Busted Crudup maybe prior to being found... and the Chest Buster gets on the other Rescue Drop Ship....

Hey guy's, missed you!  What about multiple chestbursters coming out of Crudup, sometimes we gotta think outside the box, or chest :-). Why not twins or triplets, unless physiologically that doesn't seem plausible. Also, a single alien was able to turn Captain Dallas and I believe Brett into eggs in the original alien, somehow causing them to mutate and have  metamorphosis take place. 

Plus one of the idea's floating around about the neomorph *possible spoiler* is their ability to gain access to areas unprecedented due to their ability to be almost gel or semi liquid like at times. 

I agree with BD. One or two Xenos get on the covenant and egg morph some of the crew.. perhaps the ones still in cryo. It would move the plot along without battle scenes or out of the way explanations if they were easy targets.

Remember those photos posted of a ship on the planet, which we thought was a shuttle?

A forum member said that he was at Milford sound, after the explosion and the ship was intact having been rebuilt. That would lead us to conclude that there were two shuttles/dropships!

The second landing to collect survivors, resulting in an outbreak on the Covenant.