Bingowings said:

SilverWook said:

That scene has bugged me since 1979. (Not to mention being totally freaky.) There has to be a easier way to dispatch Ripley than shove a magazine down her throat. And it sure isn't going to look like an accident, or the Alien. Was this supposed to emphasize Ash's major malfunction?

I thought back in the day it was Ash trying to cover his tracks by replicating the smothering Kane talked about (the Facehugger shoved it's reproductive organ into Kane's mouth and if Ripley died in the same way they may blame what he did on the Alien). There is an obvious flaw in this theory (why didn't he shut the door?).

But according to Ridley it's Ash's attempt to express his pseudo-Sexuality by raping Ripley in the face with a porno mag while he leaked white liquid.

Either way it's a very different ride from the knife game antics of Bishop.

I got the feeling it was Ash's way of getting around the First Law of Robotics ("It was the magazine that killed her, not me!")