ENGINEERS' TEMPLE

If you sloooo-mo the trailer you can see the back section rotating together with the front part that hits the ground, proving its part of the ship. It's the part of the ship that's in the centre of this Alien photo - you see the small section that sticks out on the right hand side top corner of the front bit? you can see that on the side of the rear section of the ship in the trailer... [img]http://application.denofgeek.com/images/m/75spaceships/main/derelict.jpg[/img]

Very convincing animation there, thanks !

You can see the base of one of those "fingers" in the first shot that Engr101 posted. It's just above the the pointed rock on the far left of that shot. Biomechanic, the "fin" on your model is reversed from its' actual position. It should be on the bottom side of the ship. (look at the model in the shot Krak Fox posted ) You can actually see it in the trailer, several frames before the one Engr101 provided. If the ship was landing on its' "rounded" end, we would be able to see some of that structure in the shot above. Starbeast, we would expect [i]the entire ship[/i] to be crumpling up and collapsing like an aluminum can from an impact like this. The fact that it doesn't, indicates that the SJ ship employs construction techniques and technologies beyond our understanding.

The fin is correct there is both a small upper fin and a longer bottom one you don't see in my animation. Giger's derelict off which this model was constructed is different slightly from what we see in the trailer though. Their could be fingers like that on the jutting tube on the far side. We never see that side plainly. I think it could look like what is planted first. However here is what the alternative might look like but it seems too awkward for my taste: [img]http://i1209.photobucket.com/albums/cc389/bongobat/Fun%20on%20the%20Internet/derelictcrashalternate.gif[/img]

very interesting Bio ...can be that the model of the first animation remain a few seconds in the "horns up" position and then fall on a side ( quite realistic ) ?

Some things to help clear this up. start by looking at the shot of the mid air explosion - you can clearly tell the ship is rotating as it falls. Here's a shot of it just after impact: [img]http://garrick.lesniakswann.com/ship_crash.jpg[/img] I've marked the impact point in red - it looks like it's on a slight bank and judging by how far it's rolled by the time this shot has been taken, it looks like the initial impact was on the ships left 'arm'. Comparing the way it impacts on it's left arm with it's orientation in the explosion shot - it's clear that it's done a approx 720 rotation from the explosion in the sky to the impact on the ground. The ship then roles down the slight decline onto it's back (the bit with the famous 3 openings in), on to it's right hand 'arm', it's back section then goes over the top. Q this image (the so called 'temple' image): [img]http://garrick.lesniakswann.com/ship_end_over.jpg[/img] Here's a shot that matches the red lines so you can tell what part of the ship you're looking at above: [img]http://garrick.lesniakswann.com/ship_top.jpg[/img] Note how the arrow shows the point of view. The ship the slows it's rotation and settles with it's arms in the air - the shot with Shaw looking up at it.. This should help Bio do a very accurate animation - starting from it's mid air orientation?

double post sorry

Nice job, Krak Fox.

Some really compelling arguments here. Must give credit to how the points have been conveyed and put across so well - I've changed my mind three times in quick succession!

true, but did you notice that in alien the ship is intact but in the special editon of aliens, its far side is broken off and newts parents enter through the opening where the "arm" is detatched. just a thought

Deadcell is right. The derelict ship has a broken arm in this screenshot (see below) from 1986 ALIENS. Something may have happened between events after Nostromo blew up and the colonization of LV 426. Or the filmmakers just make stuff up as they go along. [img]http://oi42.tinypic.com/o0z2hg.jpg[/img]

@Biomechanic Well, according to the analysis & the animation done in this thread, the ship survives intact after the fall, nothing is broken. If this is the same ship, then it contradicts the image in ALIENS. Or, it is a different ship ! One of many, maybe? It is speculated that the SJ visits many star system to seed life, or eggs, or bio-weapons etc.

I think that was explained as damage done by volcanic eruption but personally I don't take anything in aliens as being canon. Has anyone else noticed the hull of the ship is bent though. Look at the arms of the ship in the explosion pictures and then look at the derelict in alien. It could be the impact of the tumbling warped the ship.

Ah true when it is standing vertical it's arms still look straight. If it is the same ship it might bend when it falls or sometime during the period before Alien. Or maybe it is a different ship like you say.

There are clear design detail differences to each of the two ships - so i reckon they're not the same ships...

Unless something organic grows over it.

The arms "look" straight in the upright image, but that is an illusion from the viewers perspective. The right arm is clearly bent, but we are looking at the tip of the left arm giving it a straightened appearance. I initially thought the volcanic activity cause the broken left arm, but if a ship tumbling across a planet after suffering an explosion and falling from who knows how high didn't cause that type of damage; then how could volcanic activity?

Clarification of the Derelict in Alien and in Aliens I think is needed... In Alien the Derelict is seen flat not vertical as the Prometheus trailer shows. It is possible that at the end of, or after Prometheus the Derelict simply topples over. This could happen for a variety of reasons (insanely strong winds, duststorm, earthquake, settling of the surroundings etc.). Now in Alien Dallas, Lambert and Kane entered the flat and intact Derelict from the middle "vaginal" entrance, found in the centre of the craft, behind and below the cockpit. Yet in Aliens Newts parents entered the same craft via a whole from the fallen hammerhead shark end of the Derelict. The story reason for this was volcanic activity had damaged the derelict. In reality the original model from Alien had broken. I repeat...The Derelict in Aliens is the same one as in Alien - Newts family were sent there from the co-ordinates given by Ripley herself, under Weyland-Yutani orders, signed Carter Burke.

true, but would both entrances led straight to the jockey room. maybe they found something different. remember newt said they had been gone a long time. how long is a long time

its possible they never saw the SJ, but in Jim Camerons original treatment they did, and it was half buried in volcanic ash.