Interesting

You know, I never thought about that till you pointed it out. And the idea of Burke being an android is an interesting one. Good observation there. Damn... Now it's gonna make me wonder everytime I watch it...

Good observation

Clever observation there, never really thought about that. What I do think is the problem and perhaps that is what you're trying to imply as well is that James Cameron never really thought about how the hell Burke would do all that when he wrote the script, he just had it like that and hoped nobody would care. I guess only Cameron knows for sure... The possibility of Burke being an android is interesting too, but I can think of a few things that complicates it. In the beginning, he clearly eats food. I believe androids don't do this? The facehugger in the canister seems to like him (as in, it thinks he is a living creature which it can use), and in the end he gets killed by an alien. But sure, they can do this with androids too if they're in the way as Bishop finds out in the end. So, if he's an android, is he some kind of nifty cyborg that is part human then to fool both the humans and the aliens into thinking he's a human?

Burke was not an android

Although there is no proof of this in the film, there is a scene that was cut which shows Ripley encountering Burke while searching for Newt near the end of the film. Burke is encased in the alien wall and has been implanted. He asks Ripley to shoot him, but she hands him a grenade instead. (I don't think aliens can implant androids)

This was filmed but never used in the original or Special Edition, probably because it doesn't make sense time wise. while Newt was captured less than 10 minutes after Burke, her face hugger is just emerging from it's egg when Ripley finds her. So Burke would not have had time to get face hugged, implanted, have the face hugger fall off and then wake up.

maybe like this?

He goes to the medlab, slings the rifle over his shoulder, retreats to the doorway, pushes one canister into the other with a broom or something similar, closes the door, breaks the lock (there's no sound on the cctv after all!), places rifle on the counter, calmly returns to Ops. The only problem with this is being seen on the monitor (I don't think it's even implied that he used the rifle to break the door lock so sound shouldn't be too much of a problem), however, with everything else to worry about is it any wonder that no-one was paying 100% attention to the monitors? I think being seen is a small chance to take when he realised that Ripley was going to grass him up when they got back. If, when you say "he ran back to Ops so he has fear", you mean he was scared of getting face-hugged himself, he could have toppled the canister/s with the broom handle AS the doors to the infirmary were closing, if he failed to knock them over, he opens the door & tries again. The point is the door doesn't have to be fully open for him to knock the canisters over (although it's not shown/explained in the film!)

Corrections

The canisters that the facehuggers were in we INSIDE the room with Ripley and Newt. They didn't have to be tossed in there, Burke didn't have to wait for them to go in there. Ther were ALREADY in there. He just had to release them and run for the door. Oh, and one more thing. Biship couldn't have done it, because he was already remote piloting the other drop ship.

I think Burke did have help

Ok, this is just a theory, without any support, but as Ripley is headed to see Newt, you see Gorman and Burke both come out of ?Medlab? or wherever Gorman was. From the looks on thier faces, it always seemed to me that they planned it together. Gorman is on orders from the company and is following Burke around all the time. tell me what you think.

It was Bishop, not Burke

Burke ordered Bishop to do his dirty work. Bishop explains in the film that he has aprogram forbidding him to harm a human by action or inaction but if given an order, he must follow it. The order overides this program. It was Bishop who spent the most time analyzing the Aliens in the lab. Only he would have the expertise to remove the aliens from the lab and place them in the room with Ripley and Newt. Not to mention, since he is an android, it is likely the facehuggers would sense this and not attack him. While he was placing the facehuggers in the room with Newt and Ripley, Burke was watching the monitor to make sure everything went as planned. You could say that Burke was also guardingg the monitor. If Hicks or anyone came by, he would shut the monitor off (as he ended up doing later). Heres my chronology of events: 1) Burke watches monitor until they fall asleep 2) Burke orders Bishop to carry out the plan 3) Burke standsby at the monitor 4) Bishop goes to infirmary from med lab undetected with cannisters 5) Bishop takes Ripleys pulse rifle as she sleeps 6) Bishop does NOT knock over cannisters. Hee places them on their side quietly and opens them. 7) Bishop sets the pulse rifle on the table. 8) The facehuggers enter the room where Ripley and Newt sleep. They ignore Bishop because they sense that he could not be a host. 9) Bishop closes the door and breaks the lock. 10) Bishop returns to med lab with everyone none the wiser. 11) Ripley and Newt wake up. 12) Burke turns off the monitor. Now remember, Bishop was following orders just like when Burke ordered to prepare the aliens for transport to earth ("He was very specific"). Bishop must carry out Burkes orders without question. Furthermore, Bishop need not fess up later to this because nonone brought it up to him. He was still in the medlab when Burke was accused.

This might be it, do ya think?

Burke probably left the canisters alone in the room and let them knock themselves over- the things were alive, they could move. Didn't the sound of a canister moving alert the two to the presence of another alien? As for the monitor, he didn't turn it off until Ripley started trying to get attention.

How about this?

I'm with the earlier one. Take the pulse rifle, place it on the counter, then quite simply tip the cases over and close the door behind yuo. Ripley wakes up, but there's no reason why it can't be from the falling cannisters. Alternatively, lie the cannisters on their side with some kind of lid, (they must have them, then remove the lids and run. Odds are you'll make it to the door before you get nailed, then close the doors!.

Bishop? Please watch the film again...

The people that think Bishop was the one that set the facehuggers free need to go and watch the film again.\rBishop enters the tunnel leading to the sattelite dish BEFORE Ripley goes to check on Newt and falls asleep in the lab. Bishop wasn't even in the building anymore. Nice conspiracy theory, but hideously flawed.