Number 05

If I remember correctly Giger in the documentary of making Alien said something like that he wanted the LV-426 to look more organic/biomechanical so he added those pipes and there was a clip of him placing those pipes.

---

-

Maybe they're the remnants of some sort of Weyland-Yutani experimentation. Good eye! Upvoted!

--

I subscribe to the idea that the egg chamber was a separate structure, as originally called for in the script. If so, it's possible that there would be some evidence of that on the surface. 

I like O'bannons quote that the egg chamber was a surrealist mystery, a nod the the spatial disconnect between the vehicle and the space below. Maybe there is a bit of dimension bending there?

Logic does dictate that the Derelict was buried and not entirely visible, but there's no mention of that from the artists involved in its creation, so I'm inclined to believe one guess is as good as any. I do maintain the that we're putting more thought into this than was ever intended (until maybe now). I have a hard time going back and inventing reasons for what were incidental details at the time.

---

I have mentioned this elsewhere, but it's a subject I love to ponder over.

Within H.R Gigers' set design and his paintings you can see all sorts of things. They give the impression of a decaying, yet living, biomechanic nightmare landscape, containing features which appear to be conduits, tubing and creature-like anomalies.

Had there been more time and budget, Giger wanted to have more obvious mechanical parts, from old motorcycles, cogs and wheels incorporated into the landscape.

Perhaps the derelict and egg silo were able to draw sustenance from the planet? Aorta/Noob once mentioned the derelict defecating onto the planet, I think that was a great comment, and I wouldn't be surprised if H.R intended it that way!

Haha Lone I had forgotten about that!

I meant it, too, but not as a sarcastic jab (I know you don't take it that way, Lone!). It sounds like something Giger would envision, horrible industrial waste from a semi living machine.

Also, I remember reading some where that one early version of the script had the SJ external to the ship, and the guys came upon him first, before entering the ship.  This was later changed, obviously, but perhaps you have the evidence of this deal in the terrain?  Something the modelers were working on and then just glazed into the landscape? 

---

@Ati

Welcome to the Derelict Diner.....eggs are our speciality! 

Indeed when they was designing the sets HR Giger was allowed to let his imagination run wild, and he added a lot of his Giger-Mater to be used in his designs... from the Derelict to the Egg Chamber/Silo.

And so yes he wanted the surface of the moon to also have a Bio-Mechanical Look to it...

We have to remember yes the Egg Silo and Derelict where separate but this evolved to being part of the same ship due to budget and time but work had began on these sets prior to those changes.

So it will always leave Questions.... it is the same as potentially Prometheus and work started on the Dead pilled up Engineers and the Chest Busted Engineer Cryo-Sleep Pods had been worked on based on Spaights Draft but then incorporated into the movie based of Lindeloffs. which again left Questions regarding them.

I think Fire and Stone gave us some clues as to how the Black Goo had leaked out of the Juggernaught and had affected the landscape and plant life...

So maybe the Derelict crashed and as it was seen as partially living and maybe we need to consider living as in more like a Plant than a Animal then yes maybe that can explain those details of HR Giger Bio-Mechanics on the Surface.

There is some reason why the Egg Chamber, Derelict and the Xeno hives all have a similar look to them... there is some construction material (Giger Mater) at play and maybe it acts in a way similar to a Moss, Algae or other Plant Matter?