The galactic map of "Alien"

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Galactic Geography

a. O'Bannon's star map

A diagram with the online script shows a starmap of the territories where humans have explored.  As we know the Nostromo in its return journey has not reached the rim of "The Outer" which is 108 light years in diameter, or 54 light years away from Earth, and the area is separate from the inner circle, Earth Vicinity which is an area around Earth , 32.6 light years in diameter which equals 10 parsecs (this has been a popular distance for people to make charts listing the stars within the area local to Earth in past years.) It contains 37 star systems and 4000 planets.

"The Outer" contains 1650 Star Systems, 46 like our sun, and over 20,000 planets. The distance from "The Outer" rim to Earth Vicinity's rim is 37.7 lightyears. In his original script, Roby suggests that they should "get on theradio to the exploration authorities", and with radio signals traveling at the speed of light Standard states that it will take 75 years to get a reply back.  The questions here, might assume either he is saying that the exploration authorities will respond to them from the rim of Earth Vicinity or are they really near Zeta Reticuli and expect to send a signal to planet Earth directly?

b. Reference to the Betty and Barney Hill abduction case

By the map of "The Outer", since the Nostromo has not reached the rim of this area but is supposed to be near it, it has roughly 20 light years to go before it gets to Zeta II Reticuli. In the movie the star system was only again. However it is likely that O'Bannon included it as a landmark in deep space as a reference to the Betty and Barney Hill abduction case that was being talked about a lot in the 1970s because of this booklet called the "Zeta Reticuli Incident" by Terence Dickinson released ab out the incident that contained essays by such notable people such as Carl Sagan making his point of view known (see virtual copies: http://www.nicap.org/articles/hillzeta.htm and http://www.gravitywarpdrive.com/Zeta_Reticuli_Incident.htm) about the likelihood that a star map seen by Betty Hill was correct or not that showed a similarity to the positions of Earth in relation to Zeta I and II Reticuliand that booklet contained a table that listed all known stars within a radius of 54 light-years that are single or part of a wide multiple star system, which were then the 46 nearest stars similar to the Sun. Here we have the mention of the the 54 light years radius. Terence Dickinson used the '69 edition of the Gliese catalogue, which logged stars up to 22 parsecs (71.75599772 light years) out,

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Locating the Nostromo

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Galactic Geography

a). Verbal references
Looking for a way to build an idea about how the galactic geography is formed in the film. We have very a small amount of information to play with.

1. In the movie we have Parker's statement "We're way out in the boondocks here"  This as a generalisation might  suggest a remote area in the galactic area where they travel.
2. a) In the movie we have Lambert talking about the fact that the Nostromo is "Just short of Zeta II Reticuli, not even reached the outer rim yet"
   b) Zeta II Reticuli was known at the time to be 37 light years from Earth. There is the possibility that the outer rim means the outer rim of Zeta II Reticuli's solar system or they are   on the outer rim of somewhere else,  it could refer to the outer rim of a galaxy and if they had come from beyond the outer rim of the galaxy, it would be an unimaginably long journey to Earth. Another outer rim could be the Outer Rim human's territory. Is the Outer Rim before or after Zeta II Reticuli. Some might say that the Nostromo has almost reached Zeta II Reticuli and the Outer Rim is beyond that in the journey and others might acknowledge that.
   c) Incidently the dialogue referring to Zeta II Reticuli  here was written by Dan O'Bannon in his original Alien script, and given to a character named Broussard to say. 
   d) In Alan Dean Foster's Alien novelisation, a variation is found where Lambert says "Just short of Zeta II Reticuli. We haven't even reached the outer populated ring yet."see section 3 (Alan Dean Foster novelisation, p22) 
3. Dallas tells the rest of the crew that they are only "half way to Earth"
4. In the script, Lambert said "based on the time spent getting to and from the planet and the speed and which it's moving away from the other"
5. However she reveals that it is "ten months" to Earth
6. a) The mention of six weeks returns when Ripley states at the end of the movie. "I should reach the frontier in about six weeks. With a little luck the network should pick me up"
   b) Perhaps one might think "the frontier" is the "outer rim".

Southern sky constellations, Carina, Volans & Chamaeleon

b). Visual references

1. As they attempt to find the position of the Nostromo, the computer begins to show charts of the Southern sky, and we see as blurs the names of the star systems Carina, Volans and Chamaeleon drifting past the screen, possibly because the lettering is curved, it's likely that they've used a popular southern planisphere from the 1970s as a basis for the star charts here and perhaps added other background elements. (Presently I assume that it must be the Philip's Planisphere (latitude 35 South) available in shops since they have also made use of Philip's Chart of the Stars in the production).
2. Shortly Lambert looks at the navigation screen on the computer trying to work out where the Nostromo is. From a point marked possibly as N7117 to Sol, a curved line measures the amount of degrees to a point in the centre of the screen between the two positions and it turns out to be 106 degrees and it's right then that Lambert mentions that they're short of Zeta II Reticuli.
3. N7117 on the map is at a higher longitude than Sol along this side of the galactic plane, Sol is quite a distance on the other side, and the long bar straight between them which the curve intersects appears to represent the horizontal path between the two points. 
4. Whether N7117 is the position of the Nostromo or the star system from which they've left is not obvious to this writer. Perhaps the dust cloud outline in the background might give a clue if they could be matched up. What any of the letters and numbers on the screen refer to, apart from SOL is anyone's guess at this time. However in some of the other displays the animators were interested in making sure that they're personal signature found its way into the image since it was unlikely that they would get a personal screen credit.
   

Nostromo's navigation scre

c). Film makers references

1. Ron Cobb the concept designer knew much about O'Bannon's concepts in his script and as far as he knew, the film took place "in an uncharted or unknown part of the galaxy" (Fantastic Film, July 1979, p30). In fact he would have liked it to have been a binary star system himself, although with stars different to the the known Zeta Reticuli system and as far as he knew the binary star system idea never survived. In reference to his early concept painting of a planetoid which showed the surface as seen from above covered in cloud with its two stars in the background, he went to say as far as "I wanted it to be planet, part of a double star system. You can see a white dwarf and a red giant in the background" (Future Life #23 December 1980, p61) 
2. Dennis Lowe, who painted the scene with the planets had no idea that the star system was supposed to be part of a binary star system when he came to paint the rouge planet surrounded by it's moons was lit by its star (Alienexperience.com)

d) Prometheus and Planet Zeta 2 Reticuli

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Galactic Geography In The Alien Novelisation

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Galactic Geography 

a) The official novelisation of the Alien movie by Alan Dean Foster offers us a secondary source of speculation since it was written and released as the film at the time of the movie, however little is known about what of the dialogue was his own creative contribution.

b) Page 20, Kane gives an explanation of a possible reason why they can't work out where they are because they possibly came out of Hyperspace backwards and they were seeing Centauri at top amplification which would have been the direction where they were coming from and so Earth would be behind them. Perhaps in Alan Dean Foster's novelisation, they travelled through space from the direction of Alpha Centauri which is known to be 4.24 light years away from Earth, but of course from somewhere a lot further than that.

c) Page 22, a variation of Lambert's description of their location is "We're just short of Zeta II Reticuli. We haven't even reached the outer populated ring yet. Too deep to grab onto a navigation beacon, let alone a Sol traffic relay."
 
d) Whether Alan Dean Foster was lending his own interpretation to what the outer ring was or not, or if this was what he read in a version of the script that he had been given to novelise is still unknown.

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Houston replaced by the Solomons

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Galactic Geography    

1. Near the beginning of Alien,  Ripley attempts to hail Antartica Control over the galactic airwaves. "This is commercial towing vessel Nostromo, out of the Solomons". We might ask where in the cosmos the Solomons might be as if we were to assume this is where the ship had just come out from there. However later we find in a time line given in the Alien Quadrilogy set released in 2003 that a Space port established is in the Solomon Islands on planet Earth. The information in this time line for the characters we would assume is at least partly based on Ridley Scott's notes for the character's backgrounds that was going to be included with the original Alien dvd but never was. How much of the information is valid we don't know, because it includes additional information which would surely not have been included in Ridley's original notes. 
2. A question might be about whether the fact that the Nostromo is a mining vessel out of the Solomons is a straight reference to the book King Solomon's Mines Sir H. Rider Haggard?  Nostromo and Kings Solomon's Mines both are set in a world where they're searching for precious metals and were published at the turn of the 19th/20th Century within 20 years of each other and maybe who ever invented the Solomon Islands space port idea simply took the reference into a different context afterwards.  No one is supplying an answer.
3. In 2009, Alien's editor Terry Rawlings allowed documentary maker Dennis Lowe to scan his editing script. On page 8 of this copy of the script with extra information written in pen, Ripley is found to announce over the airwaves on the transmission unit, "This is commercial vessel Nostromo, out of Houston".  Although it was coming back from the another part of the galaxy beyond the outer rim, here scribbled in is the seemingly secret fact that reveals the Nostromo is being reported to have come out of a space port on Earth and so a quick idea was to add the name Houston and later a decision came to change it to the Solomons.

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The "Middle Heavens"

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Galactic Geography 

In Scanlon and Gross' Book of Alien, they talk the design crew worked long hours to produce a realistic chart of the Middle Heavens which can be seen barely in the background. What they show in a photograph of the chart in the book is one that contains an image of the moon and at the bottom of that, the top of a translucent star chart bearing the enigmatic title "Stars of the Middle Heavens" which is indeed a copy of Philip's Chart Of The Stars,which can be found to bear the words "stars of the middle heavens, approximate dates when the sun reaches each hour of right ascension".

Philip's Chart of the Stars with Philips Planesphere

Why I am mentioning it is that it's likely that over the years since its publications, many people assumed that the area of space that the Nostromo was traveling through was named the "Middle Heavens".

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The Fifth Galaxy

In the Alien script known to feature the Black Ship and the Cylinder, the Nostromo has been directed to a planet that the computer reveals is at the "co-ordinates 1482 to 61325 of fifth galaxy" (1)  Where the fifth galaxy is in relation to Earth is remains unknown but the journey to Earth remains 250 years.

1. Alien script (Black Ship and Cylinder version) page 85, 
2. This journey time length can be found also in the earlier scripts by Dan O'Bannon
3. In August 1959 edition of the comic book World of Fantasy, issue 19, Vol 1 featured a story called  "Gargoyle From The Fifth Galaxy"

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"The Tomita Planets"

Leading from Alien

Admiration for The Tomita Planets

a) Ridley Scott had been introduced to the music of Isao Tomita by his film editor Terry Rawlings, and wanted to use the music from his album The Planets, which was basically Tomita's electronic interpretation of Holst's Planets suite which was released in 1976. But because he wasn't very well known to Fox Studios and certainly his music hadn't been used in movies by then, it wasn't used.

b) Ridley was very inspired by Tomita's rendition of Mars The Bringer of War. He especially wanted to use this piece because for him it was all about the Alien .

1. Dan O'Bannon: Fox did see a lot of similarity between Alien and Star Wars, and between Alien and The Omen. They picked it up in the first place because they figured they could tap two hot markets. A lot of people thought that John Williams should write the score. The director, Ridley Scott and I wanted a Japanese composer named Tomita. I understand that Jerry Goldsmith is doing the music now. (Starlog, June 1979, p21)
   
2. Dan O'Bannon: Probably the reason Fox didn't get Tomita is their reluctance to deal with folks who are not 'movie people.' I had the same difficulty convincing Fox to get Giger to design the alien. (Starlog, June 1979, p22)
3. Cinefantastique:  Was it Dan O'Bannon who was pushing for you to use the music of a composer named Tomita? Specifically Tomita's overwhelming rendition of Holst's "The planets", the Mars Bringer of War section?
   
   

   

   Isao Tomita

   Ridley Scott: Actually I was, Tomita was first brought to my attention by editor Terry Rawlings, who was my sound editor on THE DUELLISTS. He brought in "The Planets." It was so powerful and outrageous. That music said all there was to say about what the alien was. Imagine many of them, a lot of them, having the capability of getting about. Christ almighty! I think Tomita's music evokes that. I was talked out of using it, finally, for various reasons, and went for more conventional genre route in film music. It worked out quite well, though. (Cinefantastique V9:1 p14)

Working with Tomita's Planets

a) At the beginning of Alien, there is a scene where two computer appear to be in conversation with one another as Ridley took the idea from the beginning of Mars Bringer of War where there are two robot like voices chatting away with one another

Listen to Mars Bringer of War on Youtube

b) Ridley was working with Sigourney Weaver filming the sequence in Alien where she rushes around the corridors of the Nostromo that's on the verge of self destruction and soon comes face to face with the Alien beast and he thought to himself "whatever I can do right now, she's on her own",

Since Ridley loved Tomita's Planets album which he was playing in the editing room as a temp score and he loved Mars Bringer Of War, he wanted to use it to help Sigourney with her performance in the end sequence where Ridley said to Sigourney "do you want some assistance?"

She replied "Yeah"

"Well" Ridley added "listen to this, I've been playing Tomita in the editing room as a temp track, er temp score"
  
Sigourney replied " Absolutely, anything like that would be brilliant"

Ridley then said"Look, I can organize half a dozen fifteen inch speakers down the side of the set and I've got this great piece of music which you may find extremely useful, 'cause not only does it sound like engines. It is extremely threatening and ominous."


And Sigourney Replied " anything like that, what is it? let me hear it"

Source Quotes

1. Ridley Scott: "I wanted the alien to have certain kind of fascination and delicacy like this massive toy coming towards her, which was mesmerising, and I put this music up for her which seemed to help her so er. In fact when I got into the Nostromo, and also into the shuttle at the end, I lined the edge of the set with fifteen inch speakers and I played Tomita in the, in the er, in the er shuttle, absolutely full ball, so rather than silent set and me shouting action and Sigourney rushing around in silence, i said "do you want some assistance?', she said "Yeah", and I said "well listen to this" and I had The Planets by Tomita, and she liked that, because then it helped her, it just helped her to have the, that massive orchestration around her, it was, we had it right up and of course making Sigourney a very lonely figure." (Alien 20th Anniversary DVD director's commentary)
2. (1:41:29 / 1:45:20) Sigourney Weaver: I loved that the music that you've picked and
   
   (1:41:31 / 1:45:22) Ridley Scott: Yuh, yuh, yuh
   
   (1:41:32 /1:45:22) Sigourney Weaver: what was the music?
   
   (1:41:33 /1:45:24) Ridley Scott: We used Tomita. Because I said, I remember saying about, we talked about this before, 'cause I was thinking, "whatever I can do right now, she's on her own",
   
   (1:41:41/ 1:45:33) Sigourney Weaver: mmhmm
   
   (1:41:43 / 1:45:34) Ridley Scott: right, so I said, "I've been playing Tomita in the editing room as a temp track, er temp score," Tomita.... you know who that is right? And he'd done Planets,  
   
   (1:41:53 / 1:45:43) Sigourney Weaver: yes
   
   (1:41:53 /1:45:44) Ridley Scott: and one of them was Holst's "War of The Worlds", War of the worlds was, no , not War Of The Worlds, Holst' s Mars , god of war is (01:42:00)
   
   (1:42:01 /1:45:46) Sigourney Weaver:right, right,right
   
   (1:42:01 /1:45:46) Ridley Scott : Mars                                                                                                                                        (1:42:02 /1:45:47) Sigourney Weaver: Which we used a lot in er Alien 3, I think                                                            
   (1:42:05 / 1:45:50) Ridley Scott: Yuh, and I said, do you want... and I was very tentative about this, about suggesting it and I was really amazed when you said "absolutely, anything like that would be brilliant" and I said "Look, I can (1:46:00) organize half a dozen fifteen inch speakers down the side of the set and I've got this great piece of music..."
   
   (1:42:21 / 1:46:06) Sigourney Weaver: Mmm
   
   (1:42:22 / 1:46:06) Ridley Scott: which you may find extremely useful, 'cause not only does it sound like engines.
   
   (1:42:27 / 1:46:12) Sigourney Weaver: Mmm
   
   (1:42:28 / 1:46:13) Ridley Scott: It is extremely threatening and ominous,
   
   (1:42:30  / 1:46:15) Sigourney Weaver:Mmm
     
   (1:42:31 / 1:46:16) Ridley Scott: And you said "erruurr anything like that, what is it? let me hear it" bang and we used that, and but it drew the sound guys crazy because everything had to be re-loo... whatever. (Alien Blu-ray Anthology and Quadrilogy mixed commentary)

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