Alien/Prometheus technology gap

ninXeno426

ninXeno426

Durp004

It's pretty much the same problem the Star Wars prequels had. Despite taking place before the events of the original the movie was made 20-30 years after it so it looks better(to certain degrees)

I'm sure there's some weak or semi logical explanation for why it looks better, but in reality it's just that the movie was made later and we had the ability to do things we couldn't in the 70s, even at max expense and top of the line assets, in 30 years that technology would be dated to even the common man.

ninXeno426

Durp004

It definitely would. Mother wouldn't be some early Macintosh computer she'd probably be a touch screen projection.

It's just one of those movie things you have to suspend your disbelief enough to buy, I know George Lucas first came out and said they did the prequels at the time because he could actually make it come to the screen. Perhaps Ridley did the same since for all the problems I have with Prometheus in terms of looks the movie is fantastic.

SpiteHouse

A top notch exploratory vessel would make a mining ship look like crap. Also, Nostromo may have been in service for a long time (There is a literally 50 year old forklift barely operating at my job).

As Durp says, I do have to suspend disbelief for MU/TH/R's monochrome console screen. Those have been essentially obsolete since the early 1990s.

ninXeno426

Aorta

There is a disconnect, but the ^above^ reasonings do account for it. The Prometheus was a luxury vessel. I think they were trying to drive that point home with the grand piano in Vickers' escape pod. 

Remember too that the Nostromo Stasis chamber was quite a bit more modern that the rest of the ship.

Also consider that a modern blockbuster that proposes to re-ignite a franchise, and bring in new audiences is likely going to shy away from design that might feel dated. 

Dark Nebula

The USCSS Prometheus was a trillion dollar exploration ship equiped with all modern tech while the Nostromo I suppose was one of the old mining ships that was still used by Weyland corp.

For example,in city where I live we have new trams that look quite modern,and we still use old trams that are quite old.

NEW TRAM FROM 2005

OLD ONE FROM 1973

S.M

The simplest explanation is Prometheus is a brand new Company flagship and Nostromo is a battered old tug.

It becomes more of an issue on Aliens when some of that 3D mapping tech could've really come in handy.

ninXeno426

ninXeno426

S.M

Don't remember.  I do remember a lot of 2D screens.

ninXeno426

BigDave

I have to agree with SM and its exactly how Ridley Scott explained it, he does regret making the Prometheus a bit to far advanced though.

I think in Hindsight when we see Alien Covenant it will give the Technological look Ridley may have wished he had done in Prometheus and i am sure Alien too...

But Technology of the 70's limited what we can be shown.

IF/WHEN Mankind actually does build a long range Space Ship that can sustain a crew of 5-8 for say 2-3 years in say 50 years time i would bet it would be more Advanced than the Nostromo as far as electronics inside such as VDU and MUTHUR computer.

But i dont think as Advanced as Prometheus....

So i think Alien Covenant has actually got it pretty accurate to what our ships would be like in 50-100 years time.

Sadly with Aliens we never had Technology to give us Hi-Res and Hi-Color Flat Screens....  The Technology Gap at the time for Production companies working on movies could not pull it off.

Why Alien was closer to a Star Trek The Motion Picture as far as Ship Interior limitations... compared to the late 80's with advancements such as The Next Generation.

I am sure if Alien was made in the late 80's and Aliens in the  90's then we would have seen a more Advanced looking Nostromo

SpiteHouse

Powerloaders and spaceships aside, combat troops have better tech in present day than the Colonial Marines had in Aliens.

The movie Spectral had a better representation of future military tech  than Aliens (and don't get me started on Starship Troopers the film).

ninXeno426

Lumine

Atleast somebody notices....

While the design of the Nostromo is excellent there is sure something really wrong with the technology on display here.

In an era of huge spaceships, smartphones would be able to easily control creatures as primitive,extremely noisy and slow as depicted in Alien.

A basic space truck with artificial gravity would not allow visible toxic liquids to come near it's hull within hundreds of miles.It would be able to defend it's occupants for dozens of miles away in a hostile environment, even against highly intelligent adversaries.Certainly an alien as depicted in the movie would not be allowed to behave like this in a working spaceship,WHY??, not at all.A few hundreds of these creatures would've been contained in microseconds at worst.The Space truck would be able to control , detoxify, clean and mob the floor with the environment of small planets with drones from hundreds of miles away.Entire small planets would be scanned instantly, alien eggs would be brought in safely,quick and professionally, or just destroyed.No human interaction needed at all.Nostromo is the perfect organism.Alien,as depicted in the movie is less than an ant if the technology was a bit more realistic."Aliens" would just be shot in a call center with droids joking around and playing with bugs from lightyears away.

Of course this is just theory, in reality it would be way,way,way  worse for a primitive hostile creature if human interaction would be necessary.

Wonder Boy

It is just a continuity error. Scott did use the same computer sounds - those annoying typewriter sounds - on the Covenant computers - as a small nod to the weird computers in Alien.  

Jonesy

It was technical difficulties back in the 70s/80s after all. I am sure about 50 years later our future generations will laugh out loud to the technology used in Prometheus.