I just noticed a continuity error in 'Aliens'

That makes a lot more sense continuity-wise. They disconnected the scene of Spunkmeyer finding the goop on the drop ship and the scene when Cpl Ferro, who is the pilot of the drop ship complains "where is Spunkmeyer!" while taking off to evac the survivors. When you separate the two scenes it accounts for the percieved continuity error that I noticed and also the script explains that the drop ship is on the colony landing tarmak. Thanks xeno. It makes sense now. Makes you wonder why they edited it like that. Of course the worst editing job is on the shortened version they show on cable missing the Hadleys Hope sequence and the recovery of the automatic remote machine guns.

From memory, Gorman gives the instruction "Immediate dust off on my clear, then stay on station", the implication being that they should park not too far away.

maybe they landed after gorman said the area was secured.

Once the APC was deployed the Dropship landed on the Colony landing platform. As zzplural pointed out with Gormans orders. The scene with Spunkmeyer delivering equipment to Bishop was moved earlier in the film. The original location of that scene took place before Vasquez's CN20 dialogue inside the APC. Why it was moved i have no idea.

Oh I see, I didn't hear the second part of the order to stay on station, and even if I had, I am unfamiliar with the phrase, but now that you point it out I get the implication. That's what it seemed like they were supposed to do. Unfortunately like all of Gorman''s orders, they were flawed and resulted in giving the xenos an opportunity to get aboard the drop ship. If he had taken the possibility of the existence of xenos on LV 426 more seriously, then he should have never given that order. Thanks zzplural. I think near by is not the colony landing platform though, xeno_alpha_07, but just near the colony unless 'on station' means specifically on site. But they would be visible and very close by, like running distance if it were that site. No, they flew in from a little distance away and I do agree with zzplural. But where did you hear about the movement of the scene, in the documentary 'the making of Aliens'? by the way thanks for the responses. I really love the extended version of this movie, and believe the shorter edited version that they show on cable is butchered. Originally it was all I had ever seen until I downloaded the extended version and saw the 2 clips scenes involving Newts parents finding the derelict space ship and the scene were Hicks uses the automatic machine guns from the APC wreckage.

It's not an error because when they retreated and called the pilot for pick up we know Spunkmyer was outside of the ship and was closing the cargo door. It was between the apc drop and that scene when he delivered the supplies.

Uneeque, you are referring to the scene when he is outside the landed ship and discovers the slime. But the drop ship could have been parked somewhere else. Just because he was outside the ship doesn't mean he is getting back from delivering supplies to Bishop. Also Vasquez's CN20 dialogue takes place in the control center and not on the APC xeno_alpha.

Yeah xeno is correct. You know what the deal is. They built the interior set for the APC larger than it really would have been in real life I think. Remember in the making of Aliens they said that the real APC that they removed all of that extra metal from still only had enough room for about 3 or 4 people in it but you couldn't tell from the outside because it was hidden behind the sliding door. So they had to build an interior set and when you watch that scene with the CN20 statement, the rest of them are spread out really making that interior look huge. Thats why I thought it was in side the complex. Thanks xeno. By the way, where before the CN20 scene in the drafts did it say the scene with Spunkmeyer was supposed to be located?

I'll check it again xeno. I just remember much more room during that discussion. After I check it I will let you know and I don't think you or anyone else I have talked to on this site are being nasty. We all have in common our mutual appreciation of the whole alien series and for some of us that includes prometheus as well. I think its really cool that so many people can trade ideas and communicate about a movie series even if that says we are movie geeks! So be it. You have drafts of the script? That would give one insight. I was wondering where you got that info from.

yeah i think that is what happened, he said dust of then stay on station , and the ship can't stay in the air so it had to land then it must have been bishop contacting the ship cna you bring this in for me while he did this and left the door open the alien got in

@ nostromo001 The scene with Spunkmeyer 'did' originally take place later in the film as i said. The three drafts i have back that up. And Vasquez's CN20 dialogue 'does' take place inside the APC. Please don't think I'm being nasty or anything here because I'm not bud. You need to watch that scene with Vasquez again.

@ nostromo001: Here's two excerpts from the September 1985 Aliens draft: [url=http://imageshack.us/a/img717/8446/excerpt1.jpg]Excerpt 1[/url] [url=http://imageshack.us/a/img171/7154/excerpt2.jpg]Excerpt 2[/url]