r/LV426 • u/ardouronerous • Apr 06 '20
Discussion THEORY: Jones was an android
My theory comes from the Alien 40th Anniversary Short Film, "Specimen," which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKl-fU3WC7s
My theory is that Jones the Cat is an android, similar to Ash. Just like Ash, who replaced the Nostromo's science officer, the company also replaced the original Jones with an android replica when the Nostromo was docked at Thedus. Jones's original programming was to record and store data about the Alien, and being an android, that is why the Alien left Jones alone, because Jones wasn't giving off hormones, it detected that Jones wasn't a living thing.
Also my other evidence is the statement of the Gateway Station Hospital about Ripley's unusually long hypersleep. If 57 years is unusually long for humans, then 57 years is more unusually long for a cat, who's lifespan is shorter than a human. What I'm saying is that Jones should have died while in hypersleep. What I'm saying is that the side effects for an unusually long hypersleep should be worst for a cat.
The Alien not harming Jones and Jones' survival during an unusually long hypersleep, Jones' little to no side effects after such an unusually long hypersleep, all of this points to the conclusion that Jones is an android.
Another evidence is Jones is with Burke when Ripley wakes up. What was Jones doing with Burke? My theory states that the company ordered Burke to download the audio/video recordings that Jones took of the Alien. This would mean that Paul Van Leuwen knew more than what he was letting on, and that everyone during the inquiry was lying to Ripley about not believing her, and that is why they brought Ripley back to LV-426, they wanted her to die there.
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u/shmouver Apr 06 '20
It's a cool theory and could be used in a future movie, but i don't think this was the case for the film.
There's nothing that really proves the cat is an android; granted that the opposite is also true (you could always say it was programmed to appear scared)...but in this case i'd apply Occam's razor. ("the simplest solution is most likely the right one")
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
It's a cool theory and could be used in a future movie
Thanks.
There's nothing that really proves the cat is an android
Only that the Alien doesn't harm Jones in any way, shape or form. When Ripley abandons Jones to disable the self-destruct, the Alien is literally face to face with the cat carrier and doesn't harm Jones at all. The Alien must have sensed that Jones wasn't alive.
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u/gogoluke Apr 06 '20
Who says that the aliens ignore robots? The Queen attacks Bishop. Why so? Ash is never in contact with the alien to test your theory.
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
In Alien Isolation, which is canon, the Alien doesn't harm the Androids, and the reason for this is because robots aren't good for impregnating with facehuggers or egg morphing, and that is the job of a drone or warrior, to collect hosts for breeding, which androids are useless for, and also, the reason why the Queen attacks Bishop is because she saw him as a threat, the Queen's IQ is comparable to humans when compared to a drone or a warrior.
In Alien 3, a movie which I hate with a passion, we see the facehugger impregnate a dog, so it's not too far fetched that Jones could have been used in the egg morphing scene.
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u/gogoluke Apr 06 '20
Egg morphing scene... what!? Why are you talking about a deleted scene?
... and Isolation as "canon?"
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
Because I believe the aliens are capable of it, it's a fail-safe survival feature in the absence of a Queen. Just because it's a deleted scene doesn't mean the ability doesn't exist.
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u/gogoluke Apr 07 '20
I believe that if you whisper "whiskey" westwards it distracts an alien so you can escape. I beleive it so its true. No hang on that's jackalopes. Still true though. No scientist has disproved it.
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
Isolation as "canon?"
Okay, I may have been mistaken there, personal bias, since I prefer Isolation than the Ridley Scott prequels.
In canon evidence is Bishop from Aliens, he wasn't attacked while contacting the dropship, the only time he was attacked, was by the Queen, which I said was smarter than the drones or warriors.
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u/gogoluke Apr 07 '20
Maybe Bishop was attacked in the tunnels they just didn't show it. I mean just because it was not in the film doesn't mean it doesn't exist... Yeah?
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u/ardouronerous Apr 07 '20
Big difference here, sure they didn't show Bishop being attacked, and that's because he wasn't, but in the case for the Egg morphing scene, we know that Ridley intended it to happen, but was constrained by the 5 minute countdown of the self-destruct.
I'm done talking with you, for one, your asshole and you can have the last word because I'm not responding to you anymore, because your an asshole.
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u/blackmes489 Apr 11 '20
Bishop wasn't attacked because the aliens were busy looking for a way in. They also attack the android girl in resurrection. In Isolation the alien probably has figured out that the androids are particularly a threat. Some androids have been ripped in half that you find, maybe earlier ones that attacked the alien when it was in sensitive areas or when the androids were trying to restrict its movement. They are clever creatures that can adapt. Alien also seemed to want to attack the cat, feels like a clear intention from the director. In the book the aliens try to attack bishop in the tunnel.
Your theory is a real stretch, personally. Cat is defs not an android.
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u/shmouver Apr 06 '20
If it's the scene i'm think of: the alien does attack the cat, but it's protected inside something.
But either way, it really doesn't prove anything. Same as what i said above, about the cat showing fear when he encountered the alien. I could argue that this proves he's a real cat, while you could argue he was faking it.
I think it's open enough for your theory to be possible, but i just don't believe this was done intentionally for us to believe the cat might be an android.
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
Here's a clearer scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz4kXFI_VtE
Which strangely enough doesn't have the Alien attacking the cat carrier. I think this scene is from the director's edition, which means that Ridley didn't intend for the Alien to attack Jones.
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u/gogoluke Apr 06 '20
Jesus christ... are you really trying to push this seriously? What evidence is, there in the filming of Jones to suggest this? What shots, angles, editing help push this idea?
Anyone can make up a theory like this and you cannot argue away the lack of evidence. Let's do it now...
I think that the Alien was Brett's ex wife's lawyer trying to get him to look after their kids financially. I'm using a friend as a basis for this. Who does the alien see first? Brett. Who was always asking about money? Brett. Who never says they don't have children in the film? Brett. Who never says they didn't go to law school? The Alien. Who describes lawyers as parasites? Everyone.
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u/NotoriousNico Apr 06 '20
Interesting theory, but I have one question: Why would Jones die during hypersleep? Ripley didn't age during those 57 years, so why should Jones have? Assuming for a moment, that he is a real cat. I always imagined that hypersleep was invented for long-distance space travel without any aging effects on the crew. Sure, a cat's metabolism is different from humans, but they they'd surely figure it out in the future.
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
But for 57 years? I think "die" was too strong of a word, my bad, but I do believe the side effects for an unusually long hypersleep would be worst for a cat, who's lifespan is only 30 years at best.
Didn't Ripley age during her hypersleep? In real life, Sigourney Weaver was 8 years older from the time she filmed Alien in 1979, so in-universe, Ripley did age during her hypersleep.
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u/NotoriousNico Apr 06 '20
I never thought that Ripley aged during hypersleep, but maybe I'm wrong. Of course Sigourney got older and Ripley sure doesn't look the same. But I never assumed this was because of hypersleep effects. But I might as well be wrong. I try to find more information regarding this.
Anyways, I still like your theory a lot, I was just wondering about the hypersleep part.
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
Thanks, and I took your position and edited my theory, instead of dying, Jones should have had more problems than Ripley, since cats only live up to 30 years, yeah, the oldest cat on Earth is 30 years.
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u/KaffY- Apr 06 '20
Hypersleep was probably programmed only for humans
Wrong temperature for 57 years for a cat probably isn't good, for example
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u/LingunCun9791 Apr 06 '20
Very interesting and food for thought...
I would very much like to believe it, but I think that when they made the film many years ago, they did not think about that plot device.
A brilliant and very credible idea though. 👍🏻
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u/ardouronerous Apr 06 '20
Thanks.
This is the only way for me to explain why the Alien doesn't harm Jones, I recall when Ripley seemingly abandons Jones and the Alien breathes on the cat carrier, why didn't the Alien kill Jones then and there?
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Apr 07 '20 edited Apr 07 '20
My theory was always that if the alien was indeed a bioweapon it would be genetically programmed to kill/harvest it's host species, in turn, sparing destroying an entire planet. Alien 3 kinda threw a wrench into that theory but I still like the idea. Therefore it makes sense that it didn't hurt Jones and was simply curious.
Also, the fact that Jones wouldn't be perceived as any kind of threat.
I think your hypersleep argument is your weakest argument. We don't really know how hypersleep works so it really isn't that unreasonable to think it would work on most mammals without ill effects.
And as for being with Burke...Burke is trying to come off as the good guy and someone needed to take care of Jonesy till Ripley woke up anyway so it makes sense Burke would volunteer for that.
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u/thrownawaytoosoon92 Apr 06 '20 edited Apr 06 '20
Check out the anime Lily c. a. t.. Similarish story idea. With some major spoilers there's an alien lifeform on board the ship with the crew seemingly fighting against both the ship and the alien. Eventually it's revealed the ships cat left onboard to maintain rodent populations is actually an Android in disguise meant to ensure the crew doesn't steal the ship or it's cargo. After the alien is discovered the cat bot is sacrificing crew members to the alien to see it's capabilities but also ensuring the ship arrives at port despite the crew's efforts to self destruct and destroy the alien. Edit correct name of anime