I vaguely recall the phallic, pseudo-sexual nature of it is partially why they used H.R. Giger's work? It's annoying because I recently watched a documentary on the making of Alien, with tons of interviews which included both Ridley Scott and Giger and I've forgotten the minutiae.
Possibly - I just remember the book, a
Starlog article explaining the differences between book and film (that came out shortly before the sequel hit general release, but after the author of the article had seen a preview version, so he could make a very brief point about how the novel would have led to a very different sequel, if it led to one at all), and then my frustration a few years later at finally getting to see the movie that
won an award for its sound in a VHS copy with a damaged soundtrack (I was about nine when the R-rated film dropped and saw it finally when I was 22 or 23)...
