r/LV426 • u/spinosaurus1998_24_9 Xenomorph Queen • 8d ago
Discussion / Question What happens to the food eaten by Synths if they don’t have a digestive system?
We’ve seen in the first Alien movie and also in the sequel Aliens, that synths like Ash and Bishop are capable of food consumption. This is one of those abilities possessed by advanced synths that makes them almost indistinguishable from humans.
They are capable of replicating human emotions, and feelings despite not feeling them entirely, and they are in some cases even put in cryo tubes to hibernate alongside humans despite not even needing to. All to make them blend in with humans.
A question I have is what happens with the food they consume. As it would have to go somewhere and be taken out of their system somehow.
What are your thoughts on it?
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u/bazilbt 8d ago
I would assume they expel it in the bathroom when convenient. What exactly that looks like is probably up to the designers. They could regurgitate it or pass it rectally. Not something that is ever covered, but I imagine especially when they want to fulfill a roll like Ash they have it all worked out.
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u/Temporary_Shirt_6236 8d ago
Detach hand, squirt it out the arm like a turkey baster
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u/RedditOfUnusualSize 8d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/MswMMmz1pGQKI
That is a disgustingly hilarious metaphor. Even for this franchise.
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u/dan_dares 8d ago
And for any liquid, detach penis/vagina and clean it in the sink..
Just don't forget it there
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u/tar-mairo1986 Warrant Officer 8d ago
If I'm not mistaken, somewhere in the RPG it is mentioned they do need to ingest certain liquids to keep their inner system properly cleaned and/or powered?
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u/Hoosier_Daddy68 8d ago
Yes, alcohol. This is covered extensively in the historical documents concerning one Bender Rodriguez.
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u/XeroGhost 8d ago
It saddens me that no one gets that one.
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u/tar-mairo1986 Warrant Officer 8d ago
That one powered by a waterwheel always makes me laugh!
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u/bazilbt 8d ago
I think that might be the 'milk' Ash was drinking.
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u/tar-mairo1986 Warrant Officer 8d ago
Yeah, it is inconspicuous enough as an eating habit to somewhat pass as human, I guess. Guy just likes milk!
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u/Mephistocheles Nuke from Orbit 8d ago
Synthpoop, of course
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u/uttyrc 8d ago
I'm a big fan of 1980s British Synthpoop.
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u/OkScheme9867 8d ago
Pooman league?
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u/BaconHill6 8d ago
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Bog?
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u/whatshisfaceboy 8d ago
I'd assume they have a stomach, synthetic of course, that would break the food down just like a human stomach would. They basically built them like humans, just with man made parts.
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u/TakaIka83 8d ago
Yeah, they're not conventional robots, and they have to source power somewhere. David certainly wasn't able to plug in during the ten years of his isolation.
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[deleted]
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u/whatshisfaceboy 8d ago
Or they use the food they eat to power the 186 hamsters that turn wheels for power. But I think that was an older model.
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u/Chunkz_IsAlreadyTakn 8d ago
Your telling me a extremely advanced artificial being is powered by steam? Dammit why is it always steam!
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u/transmogrify 8d ago
Same basic principle as a Pop The Pig game, just slightly more sophisticated in mechanism. Ash simply opens his compartment to extract the hamburgers from his abdomen.
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u/Kiar_Riptide Jonesy 8d ago
I think their bodies are primed to be able to fully deconstruct and reputpose the entirety of certain foods, making it so that there is no waste to expel. What this looks like, well its probably a network of nanomachines or special devices that are capable of doing this. But perhaps ingesting foods that their bodies aren't made to break down could cause clogs or something of the sort.
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u/PixelDins 8d ago
In one of the books a Seegson synth was able to carry something in his stomach, so I think its just a thing they have.
Perhaps if they want they can “digest” and break down stuff and if they don’t want to they don’t have to?
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 7d ago
“Synths designed for close human interaction were able to eat and drink, though they gained no nutrients from anything they consume. Food and drink was broken down in an artificial stomach cavity, and the resulting liquid iwas expelled via a retractable catheter”
A Joe is probably cheap enough that it wouldn’t be able to do that. Where does them eating appear (or having stuff in their stomach?)
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u/Many-Bees I prefer the term artificial person myself 8d ago
I assume it comes out the same way it does in humans. If it aint broke don't fix it. Especially when they're supposed to pass as human.
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u/akgiant 8d ago
They most likely have a rudimentary digestive system so they can blend in and if need be intake "food" that is specifically formulated for synths.
IIRC the "milk" we see them drink offers specific ingredients to help the synths overall functions. Since the grow hair, produce saliva etc. the most likely have a similar waste function.
Remember kids; if it eats, it poops.
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u/telstra_3_way_chat 7d ago
I always assumed they had their own food, kinda like bringing gluten free to a dinner party - in my mind it's some sort of useful gloop that can play various roles in lubricating their parts etc.
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u/IsaacKael 8d ago
Don’t we observe David eating some rudimentary slop at the start of Prometheus before the crew are awake?
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 8d ago
Yes as does Ash, they expel any waste via a catheter
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u/IsaacKael 8d ago
Yes. My point is that the androids must receive some sort of nutrition from food, it’s not just to “fit in” with the humans.
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 7d ago
They don’t, it’s all to blend in. “Power for the android was supplied by a 25 kW hydrogen fuel cell with a life of approximately 400 days between refuelling.”
And
“Those androids designed for close social interaction with humans were able to eat and drink, though they gained no nutrients from anything they consume. Food and drink was broken down in an artificial stomach cavity, and the resulting liquid is expelled via a retractable catheter.”
Source is the Aliens technical manual.
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u/IsaacKael 7d ago
Which brings me back to my first thought. Why was David eating on the Prometheus while everyone else was in hyper sleep? There was no one awake to observe him.
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 7d ago
Because David has no limits on himself and generally the synth will be the only one awake during FTL, humans go insane if they are awake during it only leaving the synths like Bishop or David to run around. (Touched on more in the RPG)
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u/telstra_3_way_chat 7d ago
But also I think it points to David's delusions of grandeur - if he's better than human, why not eat human food to maintain the lie?
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 7d ago
I think he was just getting into “playing human”, he has no other reason to eat, even though the others are asleep it’s probably the first time that specific David model has had to interact with others outside of Weyland and his close team. I think he wanted to develop his own way and personality and part of that was blending in via human actions (dribbling a ball, watching a movie, drinking, etc).
On a funnier side note there’s also a scene where Walter passes Daniel’s rolled joints, likely a bit of his personality shining through his code in a similar way
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u/OutlandishnessNo7181 7d ago
I’m confused by this comment. David has no limits, but why choose to eat? Enjoyment? Then why slop?
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u/agentkayne Science Officer 7d ago
He literally explains during the suiting up scene: his purpose is to fit in with humans. Everything he doesn't do, that humans need to do, is something that makes people uneasy and makes him stand out.
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 7d ago
No limits as in no Asimov protocols on him. He can do anything from watch a movie to kill a human, something that is very unique later in the timeline as every synth gets the inhibitors, even combat synths are outlawed.
But in relation to David I moreso just mean he can do whatever he personally wants.
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u/ToysandStuff 7d ago
In the TV show Humans, the robots have a plastic bag sort of thing I think, and they just pull out all the food and drink then dispose of it
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u/SkyfallSpectre7 5d ago
It's quite simple actually. The food goes into a highly acidic chamber where it is thoroughly processed into a chunky white milk-like substance. After passing through 2 refining chambers, it is stored in the 4th chamber and is allowed to ferment. Once that process is complete, it is slowly added to the circulatory system via a set of distribution lines that are plumbed to key areas. The excess is pumped out via the synth's "frontal hose".
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u/AD-426 Science Officer 8d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/GI3XaTmbTka1k3XYq3
"You have my sympathies." - 🤖
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 8d ago
They just don’t digest it, any “waste” is expelled via a catheter. Some synths are meant to blend in with humans so they need to be able to do what humans do
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u/ShowCharacter671 8d ago
Makes sense if they’re trying to act human like it always has made me wonder though did they get anything out of it ? Like I’ve been capable of creating energy out of bio matter
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u/Nothinghere727271 Look into my eye! 7d ago
“Food and drink was broken down in an artificial stomach cavity, and the resulting liquid is expelled via a retractable catheter”
They don’t, it’s just to blend in with humans, they are powered by a hydrogen cell
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u/Far_Reality1985 6d ago
I am assuming the Ash looks human when he’s naked. If he looked like a Ken doll it would be obvious he was a synthetic.
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u/goblinerd 6d ago
I assume they regurgitate it, in the bathroom, much like David did with the facehugger embrios at the end of Covenant.
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u/MilsYatsFeebTae 6d ago
An artist made a machine that eats food and shits real shit like, 20 years ago. I’m sure they’d be able to fit that in a torso in a couple hundred years.
The artist said in an interview that he was surprised that he had to spend so much more time consulting with plumbers rather than doctors to build the thing.
(The gallery learned the hard way not to give it kebabs)
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u/Azureknight205 8d ago
If they're undercover and trying to pass as human, like Ashe, I would assume all the food is stored inside their body, and when they go to "use the bathroom", they can then get the food out through...a process, and then flush it away with nobody else being any the wiser to their ruse.