How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Alien.
Quote #1
DALLAS: Mother's interrupted the course of our journey.
KANE: Why?
DALLAS: She's programmed to do that should certain conditions arise. They have.
Right away, we see the control technology can exert upon the human crew. Mother alters the course with no direct orders from anyone on the ship, limiting the free will of those aboard the Nostromo. They have to follow Mother's new course or it'll be hitchhiking across space for them.
Quote #2
RIPLEY: Because there's still some things left to do.
DALLAS: Like what?
RIPLEY: We're blind on "B" and "C" Decks, the reserve power system is—
DALLAS: That's a bunch of horses***. We can take off without that.
RIPLEY: We can. You think that's a good idea?
DALLAS: I just want to get the hell out of here. All right?
Once the ship lands on the unknown planetoid, it immediately begins breaking down. If we see the planetoid as nature in its purest, most primordial form, and we look at the ship as the height of human technology, then we can clearly see which of these two forces is the most powerful here. (Hint: it's not human tech.)
Quote #3
ASH: I've designed this tracking device. You just set it to search for a moving object.
RIPLEY: What's it key on?
ASH: Micro changes in air density.
Be vewy, vewy quiet. They're hunting awiens.
Once faced with an unknown creature of nature, the crew turns to the thing that helped them become the dominant species on their planet, technology. Notice that the tools have a primitive hunting quality to them: a net for catching and a cattle prod that looks suspiciously like a spear.