On the topic of outersider plot holiness, there's something even worse as far as plot holes go. That stupid tutorial mission. It starts with finding 2 people. The first has gashes on his face. Sectoids don't leave gashes. Thin men don't leave gashes. Floaters don't leave gashes. And, as per the game's plot, aliens beyond those units are not encountered early in the game (the 'ramping up of the invasion' is specifically mentioned in the game). Then there's the second one. A corpse who looked like he had been dead for weeks. And who died from having something burst from within him. You could possibly explain these both as crysallids... But it is fairly well established that crysallids don't show up on the scene until 2 months later, with the first terror mission. And such is even mentioned specifically by the scientist; having said that no similar units or tactics had been previously seen; that it breaks the pattern of activity seen from the aliens. Well in that case, how the bloody hell did those two dead/dying soldiers from the tutorial, whose bloody wrecks get their own mini-cutscene, receive their injuries? Then of course there is the normal, 3hp sectoid mind controlling the guy. That can slide, as we do at least know sectoids have mind-controll units; so it's probably more of a spectrum of ability than binary.