Computer displays...

I know what you're saying, Jonesy. The Nostromo just "happened" to be out in the right spot at the right time. They swapped out the science officer w/ Ash and allowed it to "resume course" and pass through the sector their little treasure was sitting in. The Prometheus is presumably a science vessel so it would be top of the line. Even in Alien 3, once they become aware of the Queen gestating inside Ripley, they expedite the science team's trip, where in Aliens they said it would take 17 days for a rescue team to arrive once they were declared overdue.

I know what you mean, and I thought the same thing, but here's my excuse: The Nostromo at the time of Alien (2122) is said to be about 20 years old making year of manufacture about 2102. Prometheus takes place 30 years before Alien in about 2092 so lets guess that the Prometheus ship has been recently constructed and is no more than 5 years old making date of manufacture about 2087. So lets say Prometheus (the spacecraft) is about 15 years older than The Nostromo. As the Prometheus mission is one of scientific exploration, I would expect the spacecraft to be of an extremely high specification and use the very latest technology of the time. The Nostromo was basically a truck in space so only needed the minimum tech to get by. Compare a vehicle built today for scientific exploration to the North Pole. Lets say its some kind of hi-tech all terrain snow mobile to carry and exploration team. Inside are all the very latest computers and scientific equipment. Now compare this to a road haulage truck built in 15 years time, I don't think it would alter vastly and change much from a truck built today. It may have a sat-nav but technology-wise would look quite low-tech compared to the North Pole vehicle in the way Nostromo would look to Prometheus. Do you see what I'm getting at?

I was under the assumption that Ash joined them on Earth, Ripley asks Dallas how well did he know ash and Dallas replied he only knew so much. So, Ash was planted on Earth before they departed or from the planet they came from with the load. being that the ship was there pinging it's emergency beacon, did the company stumble upon it or will Prometheus answer that question. you have to wonder what role will those Androids play in Prometheus. Are they the villains other than Vickers (Theron). Nommi will be a droid prob..lol....but will be interesting to see.

Cain1977 - From the original movie Alien, Dallas talking to Ripley in corridor: "I shipped out three times before with the same science officer. Two days before we left Daedalus they replaced him with Ash."

I thought this discussion was about computer displays?

It was, but we're trying to pinpoint why the Nostromo might look older. It was a more beat-up spacefaring vehicle. A science vessel would probably be equipped with much better, maybe even cutting edge, technology.

We live as we dream - alone. Joseph Conrad

There was a similar issue with the Star Wars prequels in that computer displays and holograms were much more advanced in The Phantom Menace than they were in A New Hope some 30 years later.

The main problem I see is film continuity vs limitations of current technology. Obviously during the time original Alien was made technology was limited in what it could produce as future computer displays. This is typical of all long running sci-fi franchises such as Star Wars and Star Trek. Just look at the CRT 4.3 aspect ratios computer displays in Star Trek The Next compared to the more modern, wide screen, flat plasmas in star trek enterprise which is set 200 hundred years earlier!. Don't even need to ask to see the difference from the Star Trek TOS. Nonetheless it is annoying to the hardcore fans but to your casual viewer who wants to see hi-tech they will produce the best that is available at the current time. However to please both, I have a solution that I think would be cool. Perhaps in Prometheus in the event for hi security level access to certain information as witness in access to MU/TH/UR in the original Alien then it could be simple typed based access. They could justify it in the film for some security reasons. That way it will limit the differences between the two films.

Consider that movie going audiences have changed. While the technology behind the movies has become more sophisticated, the same cannot be said for the majority of the audience. Movies are targetted, edited, and shown to test audiences now. An investment the size of the budget for Prometheus means that the studio expects to get a return on this investment exceeding their expenditures. As for the displays, Alien was essentially a haunted house film. It didn't rely on the Alien to generate the tension. The actors, sets, and soundtrack for the film did it so much better for the majority of the movie. The Nostromo's displays added to the sense of isolation. They were cold, factual, no frills sort of bare bones durability interfaces. They offered no solution to what was occurring aboard the ship despite Ripley's, attempt to get clarrification and assistance. The new film will take advantage of the very latest in set design, the general audience would accept nothing less. Ever sit behind someone that had to explain the plot to their companion? It's the worst, so the displays will have to be almost like self explanitory subtitles for the uninitiated. Case in point I couldn't agree with you more about maintaining continuity, however in this case I can overlook it because I've had these questions in my head for too many years and hope that Prometheus supplies me with answers as well as gives it's audience the breathless silence of space that fear induces.

"ya- rrright!?"

A way to incorporate what you are thinking of Ruhaniya would be if the vastly superior technology were part of the Alien installation. Exterior virtual imaging, as well as dazzling internal diagnostics.

Hey Ghost to build on what you are saying. The Nostomo is simply a utilitarian vehicle nothing mroe nothing less. No Bells, No Whistles. Just get there get the payload and come back so all the ammenities go out the window. Example NASA used 486 Computers in the Shuttle for more than 10 years after they were obsolete because again the shuttle is a utilitarian vehicle nothing more nothing less. So they Nostromo could have been thirtyish years old using thirtish year old technology at the time of its commisioning. Unlike the Prometheus being a cutting edge science vessel with all the new computer gizmos and toys at its operators disposal. So I could see the displays being old and antiquiated after prometheus.

I've always wondered about the "tech" available from one time period to another as well- with almost ALL SciFi films. Star Trek, Star Wars, and several others that jumped on the "prequel" bandwagon did the same things. Episodes 1-3 had significantly higher tech than 4-6 for Star Wars, and the same was true for the Star Trek reboot. Even though the obvious reason is nothing more than it is what was imagined [i]at the time each film/ episode was made[/i], it has still always bothered me too. Why not at least try to keep the tech "canon" continuous? I guess it's all for the WOW factor on the special effects. Of course all of the fanboys have an acceptable reason for it like ST having an altered time line or SW simply being that the Universe fell back from civilization as a result of the Empire, but it's just an excuse. Even though Alien had space travel and Cryo-hybernation in it, those are at least plausible and perhaps even possible technologies. I think such things add to the wonder of a good SciFi movie. Transporters, Warp drive, and cloaks are nice to dream about, but not much for reality. The more real a SciFi-horror film is, in every aspect, the better it is to me.

[quote]The more real a SciFi-horror film is, in every aspect, the better it is to me. [/quote] Let me clarify that: The more realistic (perhaps only slightly out-of reach) the tech is, the more it relates to something we're used to seeing. It makes for a more believable story, I guess. After reading over my comment, I realized how silly it sounded. Oops!