-There was also an alternate beginning.I know nothing about this beggining but the unoffocial specs for the new 9-disc Alien DVD set include an alternate opening and ending.The original idea to bring Ripley back was to have her wake up and find out that Alien 3 was a dream.
This could not be the original opening because the plot of this movie could not coencide with this idea.The idea was real though, and probably would have worked if done the right way.