Very cool points, all. Focusing on Ripley's three terms at age 30 (presuming Ripley is supposed to be 30 just like Weaver was at the time), and what we see her do on-screen, she certainly has some electrical skill (putting Ash back together). Not sure about Computer (she really didn't "hack" anything, develop anything, troubleshoot/analyze anything -- she just asked the AI questions -- but maybe a basic Computer-1). In both movies (maybe all three), she's really good at reading blueprints/maps/diagrams (pointing out hatches, access areas, etc.) -- not sure if that translates to Mechanic skill. She just seems to have a high intelligence that she can apply to almost any situation (so maybe a high JOT skill, if that even is part of T5 once it comes out). I wouldn't give her Gun Combat, even after the brief tutorial she gets from Hicks. An aside... anyone know why the Nostromo had incinerators on-board in the first place? To me, Gun Combat (in the CT sense) always meant either formal training with a firearm (military or police) or lifelong familiarity (settler, hunter, rogue, enthusiast, etc.). She doesn't seem to have a character arc that would have required the use of a firearm.
Anyone want to take a crack at Ash's UCP, skills?
By the way, what's up with Lambert's 5 intelligence suggestion? Out of the gate, I wouldn't have rated her that low -- I figure even with a lot of help from a computer for astrogation, she still would have had to pass basic coursework (hell, maybe Weyland's HR department had an advanced training system that "learned new recruits real good", despite their limited cognitive ability), so maybe, yeah, a 5 INT could make sense. Lots of ways to get there.
Lambert's character is interesting because she appears to suffer from amygdala hijackings and simply can't function in stressful situations -- and you can't UCP that; you have to role-play that.
Well, this is leading to something else... again, cool discussion, folks.
