The movie, "Alien," why would a commercial freighter have a self destruct system?

[2aguy]

Alien was playing on one of the cable channels as I was surfing.......and it occurred to me, after all these years.....why would a commerical freighter have a self destruct system that blew up the entire ship?

Even today, our military aircraft and ships don't have something like that, at most, the crew destroys all the computers and sensitive data.......

Just wondering....

 

[JoeB131]

Alien was playing on one of the cable channels as I was surfing.......and it occurred to me, after all these years.....why would a commerical freighter have a self destruct system that blew up the entire ship?

Even today, our military aircraft and ships don't have something like that, at most, the crew destroys all the computers and sensitive data.......

Just wondering....

Probably for the exact reason they blew it up- hostile alien life form gets on board and threatens to spread to Earth or some other planet.

 

[Godboy]

Probably for the exact reason they blew it up- hostile alien life form gets on board and threatens to spread to Earth or some other planet.

I dont think they encountered any aliens up to that point that would warrant a self destruct.

 

[JoeB131]

I dont think they encountered any aliens up to that point that would warrant a self destruct.

Actually, the universe of Aliens is not really clearly defined. It kind of depends which movies you consider canon.

The aliens universe exists in the same universe as the Predators, so they know that other life forms exist out there. You have to assume there are other inhabited planets, because otherwise have interstellar cargo ships. (Of course, they never tell you what cargo the Nostromo was carrying. or why so much empty space existed in a cargo ship.)

 

[Godboy]

Alien was playing on one of the cable channels as I was surfing.......and it occurred to me, after all these years.....why would a commerical freighter have a self destruct system that blew up the entire ship?

Even today, our military aircraft and ships don't have something like that, at most, the crew destroys all the computers and sensitive data.......

Just wondering....

I have a slightly decent explanation for it. In the Navy, scuttling ships is something that is done from time to time. You will notice that they use the same terminology "scuttle procedure" in the self destruct window in Aliens.



Maybe they have proprietary technology onboard that they dont want other companies to get their hands on, so when a ship breaks down and there is no way to fix it, they scuttle it. Or maybe its to ensure that a derelict ship in orbit completely breaks up in orbit before falling to the planet below. A significant nuclear explosion could vaporize everything so there isnt debris cluttering up the orbit around a planet as well.

 

[Godboy]

Actually, the universe of Aliens is not really clearly defined. It kind of depends which movies you consider canon.

The aliens universe exists in the same universe as the Predators, so they know that other life forms exist out there. You have to assume there are other inhabited planets, because otherwise have interstellar cargo ships. (Of course, they never tell you what cargo the Nostromo was carrying. or why so much empty space existed in a cargo ship.)

I think the "Predator" race isnt fully known to man. There were witnesses who survived encounters with them, but they would only generate rumors. There are however a few predator weapons that were left on Earth that could be found, but they wouldnt necessarily know their origin.

 

[surada]

Alien was playing on one of the cable channels as I was surfing.......and it occurred to me, after all these years.....why would a commerical freighter have a self destruct system that blew up the entire ship?

Even today, our military aircraft and ships don't have something like that, at most, the crew destroys all the computers and sensitive data.......

Just wondering....

During the second world war Aramco was wired to destroy all their oil facilities if Germany won.

 

[JoeB131]

I think the "Predator" race isnt fully known to man. There were witnesses who survived encounters with them, but they would only generate rumors. There are however a few predator weapons that were left on Earth that could be found, but they wouldnt necessarily know their origin.

The Predators and Aliens were known to Weyland-Yutani, the "company' that the Nostromo worked for. That was established in both of the AVP movies. (I hate citing the AVP movies as anything, because they were utter crap, but they are canon, maybe?)

 

[1srelluc]

Uncontrolled decent into the atmosphere same as rockets have when they are launched a go off course.

It has the technical name of “Flight Termination System”. It is typically a long string of explosive “det cord” along the propellant tanks.

 

[Remodeling Maidiac]

Our military sinks its own ships

 

[JGalt]

Alien was playing on one of the cable channels as I was surfing.......and it occurred to me, after all these years.....why would a commerical freighter have a self destruct system that blew up the entire ship?

Even today, our military aircraft and ships don't have something like that, at most, the crew destroys all the computers and sensitive data.......

Just wondering....

Ripley and Kane were both Warrant Officers, which is a military rank. Being military pilots, it makes sense that they would have to have the authority to destroy their craft if needed. No craft like that could have been made without at least some military investment and say so.

 

[Godboy]

The Predators and Aliens were known to Weyland-Yutani, the "company' that the Nostromo worked for. That was established in both of the AVP movies. (I hate citing the AVP movies as anything, because they were utter crap, but they are canon, maybe?)

Yep, youre right. That was the movie in Antartica.

 

[2aguy]

Probably for the exact reason they blew it up- hostile alien life form gets on board and threatens to spread to Earth or some other planet.

That isn't the exact point...I know why they blew up the ship.....what I am asking, why would they have a self destruct mechanism to destroy the entire ship...?

 

[2aguy]

Actually, the universe of Aliens is not really clearly defined. It kind of depends which movies you consider canon.

The aliens universe exists in the same universe as the Predators, so they know that other life forms exist out there. You have to assume there are other inhabited planets, because otherwise have interstellar cargo ships. (Of course, they never tell you what cargo the Nostromo was carrying. or why so much empty space existed in a cargo ship.)

Well...in Aliens, did the one corporate shill say they hadn't encountered any alien life forms, or just this kind of alien life......you know, in the beginning scene at the inquest.....?

 

[2aguy]

During the second world war Aramco was wired to destroy all their oil facilities if Germany won.

An oil facility is a little different from a ship though....

 

[Zincwarrior]

Alien was playing on one of the cable channels as I was surfing.......and it occurred to me, after all these years.....why would a commerical freighter have a self destruct system that blew up the entire ship?

Even today, our military aircraft and ships don't have something like that, at most, the crew destroys all the computers and sensitive data.......

Just wondering....

A ship moving at FTL towards the earth, hits the earth. Bad things happen?

 

[Turtlesoup]

Well...in Aliens, did the one corporate shill say they hadn't encountered any alien life forms, or just this kind of alien life......you know, in the beginning scene at the inquest.....?

Doesn't matter---what they say and what the other movies show are two different things. Promethus showed that the first android had seen the aliens and embraced them over humans before the ALIEN movies timeframe. ERGO the corporation and the androids knew of the aliens and that they were very very hostile.

Other than that---

COVID, you gotta destroy the ship because of killer virus's.

or

IN case, the ship is seized by enemies, pirates, or whatever---what better way to deter future attacks than blowing the ship up ensuring that they are never rewarded for seizing one.

 

[Quasar44]

2aguy

I fully agree
And how can a tiny creature turn into a massive beast in a few days . Complete contradiction to the laws of “conservation of matter and energy “

 

[marvin martian]

Alien was playing on one of the cable channels as I was surfing.......and it occurred to me, after all these years.....why would a commerical freighter have a self destruct system that blew up the entire ship?

Even today, our military aircraft and ships don't have something like that, at most, the crew destroys all the computers and sensitive data.......

Just wondering....

One of many plot holes in the film.

 

[Zincwarrior]

Per the book, it got into the food lockers and went to town like frat boys at a party.