Herr David
The Question: What's with the Nazi references in David's introductory video?
The Viral: You might not have noticed it on first viewing, but the "Happy Birthday David" video contains a glut of pseudo-Nazi imagery. Indeed, the very first image we see is that of a locking mechanism with a kind of modified swastika on its face, a design aesthetic continued in the appearance of David himself.
Take another look at him. He's a blonde-haired, blue-eyed figure, sporting a 1930s haircut and a military-style uniform done up to the neck. He's every inch the Aryan ideal, and the winged Weyland Corp. logo on his chest has more than a hint of the SS about it. Oh, and that architectural plan he examines looks an awful lot like Albert Speer's redesigned vision of Berlin. And even the little model he's painting is wearing a brown shirt!
Our Best Guess: David probably isn't a Nazi, but we'd suggest that Ridley Scott is using the imagery to paint the Weyland Corporation's over-reaching ambition and idealised view of the "superman" in an unfavourable light.
Trojan Horse
The Question: Will David turn on his fellow crew-members?
The Viral: The thing that really sticks out from the David video is the android's unsettling reference to his ability to divorce himself from human emotions. "I can do almost anything that could possibly be asked of me," explains David. "I can carry out directives that my human counterparts might find… distressing, or unethical."
It's clearly a significant quote, and one that begs the question as to just what unethical or distressing things David might be asked to do on board the Prometheus. Will he remain a loyal crew member throughout the film, or will his allegiance to his "human counterparts" only go so far? Is he in fact on board to ensure the mission is aborted, and the slate wiped "clean", should anything take place that would damage the Weyland Corporation?
Our Best Guess: We suspect that David might be programmed to protect the interests of Weyland Industries, but we're not convinced that he will betray his crew-mates off his own steam. Indeed, Michael Fassbender described David as the comic relief at the recent footage reveal, suggesting that he won't take a turn for the villainous. However, that could have been said to throw us off the scent...
Modern Man
The Question: How will David's emotions come into play?
The Viral: Much has been made about David's capacity for emotion, although just how he experiences this sensation remains unclear. On the one hand, the Project Prometheus website lists a string of emotions that David can "feel", including anger, sadness and joy. He can even cry, should the situation demand such a reaction.
However, in his viral video he reveals that, "I understand human emotions, although I do not feel them myself." So when the adverts boast that David is capable of emotion, do they really mean that he is capable of simulating an emotional state for the benefit of his human companions? And how will that influence his reaction to what takes place during the mission?
Our Best Guess: We'd be tempted to suggest that Peter Weyland may not fully understand everything that his new technology is capable of… don't be surprised to see David display new depths of emotion aboard the Prometheus.
King For A Day
The Question: Who is that veiny, blue humanoid?
The Viral: David's catchphrase throughout the viral material is that, "big things have small beginnings." When we see that strange, blue humanoid figure at the start of the trailer, is that something from Earth's beginning, or is this a glimpse of the "big thing" that will be its end? "A king has his reign," says Charlize Theron's voiceover cryptically, "and then he dies. It's inevitable."
It's probably the most inscrutable scene touched upon by the trailer, in that we've no idea where it's supposed to be set, when it is taking place or indeed, who that figure is. Is that the creature that resides within the Space Jockey suit? Or is this a being from a different time and place completely?
Our Best Guess: We're stumped on this one. The figure looks to be of a similar shape and build to the one we see later in the trailer, which leads us to believe that he is of the same race as the Jockey. Whether or not they're one and the same remains to be seen...
Operation
The Question: What will happen to Elizabeth Shaw in the Med Pod?
The Viral: Weyland Industries recently released a series of mock-up adverts for some of the pioneering technology that will appear in the film, with the Med Pod 720i particularly piquing our interest. With it's talk of "laser scalpels", "limb restraints" and "computer controlled robotic surgical arms", it's clearly been designed to make the potential audience feel uneasy. What if the computer malfunctions? A runaway laser scalpel doesn't sound great…
Factor in the briefly glimpsed scene in the trailer in which Elizabeth Shaw writhes in agony within one of said pods, and the unease is ratcheted up still further. It looks as though some form of alien creature is being separated from her, umbilical cord and all. Is this an early incarnation of the relationship between a Xenomorph and its human host?
Our Best Guess: We don't know quite what will happen yet, but we're convinced that something extremely nasty is going to happen in one of these pods. Noomi Rapace has spoken of having nightmares about one scene in particular, with Ridley Scott confirming that Prometheus will contain a moment to rival the original's chestbuster moment. We reckon that moment will take place in a shiny new Med Pod…
Mystery Man
The Question: Is Peter Weyland dead by the time the mission takes place?
The Viral: The TED Talk video shows Guy Pearce's Peter Weyland as a man in early middle-age, and is dated at 2023. The events that take place on the Prometheus are set in 2091, making Weyland either an extremely old man, or an extremely dead one. We'd argue that the former is still possible given scientific advances and whatnot, but even if he's alive, he's surely not on board the ship… is he?
The reason we ask, is because there's an elderly man clearly visible in a shot from the trailer. He also looks remarkably similar to the aged-up hologram of Weyland we saw in the footage reveal. However, given that he was initially addressing the crew as a hologram, why is he trying to conceal his presence aboard the ship? Does Vickers (Charlize Theron), his employee, know about this? Curioser and curioser…
Our Best Guess: We reckon that Weyland has stowed away on board the ship, so as not to miss his crowning moment. Anyone fancy a guess as to how that's going to turn out for him?
Colonial Marines
The Question: Will we see an early incarnation of the Colonial Marines?
The Viral: The company timeline found on the Weyland Industries website credits Peter Weyland with founding what will go on to become the Colonial Marines. "As Weyland Industries expands their terraforming activities and colonial endeavours," explains the blurb, "the company is approached by the US government to begin work on the formation of a colonial peacekeeping force trained or populated by marines in the event of future conflict."
So, could those gun-toting mercenaries who appear to be escorting the aged Weyland, actually turn out to be an early incarnation of the Colonial Marines? And if so, where have they all been hiding during the rest of the mission?
Our Best Guess: We reckon they are indeed Colonial Marines, and that their presence has been concealed by Vickers on Weyland's behalf. Then again, they might always have been on board as muscle, with only Weyland taking the trouble to conceal himself.
Traitor!
The Question: Who has Peter Weyland betrayed?
The Viral: During his TED talk, you can hear Weyland heckled by a faint voice from the crowd, who appears to yell the word "traitor" just after Weyland announces, "My name is Peter Weyland." It seems an odd accusation to level at a Nobel Peace Prize winner, who is credited with both eradicating global warming and curing cancer.
Is this a reaction to the introduction of androids into the general workforce? Has Weyland sold out his species in the pursuit of progress for progress's sake? And will his funding of the Prometheus project take that betrayal to the next level?
Our Best Guess: We'd reason that the android theory is probably the most sound, with Scott explaining that David's fellow crew-members still find his presence disconcerting some sixty years after the TED talk is supposed to have taken place.
Caught In The Act
The Question: What triggers the mayhem on LV-223?
The Viral: In Peter Weyland's TED talk, he invokes the myth of Prometheus. "The fire that danced at the end of that match," begins Weyland, "was a gift from the titan, Prometheus. A gift that he stole from the gods. When Prometheus was caught and brought to justice for his theft, the gods… well, you might say they overreacted a little."
Prometheus's theft was what brought his terrible fate down upon him, but what is it about the research mission that causes all hell to break loose on LV-223? Is it the crew's very presence that sets things awry, or do they attempt to take something from the planet that brings about their downfall? And what exactly is it that leads Weyland to fund the mission in the first place? Whatever the answer, his proclamation that, "we are the Gods now", seems ill-fated.
Our Best Guess: Could it be that Weyland's presence aboard the ship is to ensure he can get his hands on something from LV-223? Something that would elevate him to God-like status?
Home From Home
The Question: How closely related are the Xenomorphs to the creatures encountered by the Prometheus?
The Viral: The film has long been described as an Alien prequel, but we still don't know whether the crew will encounter any Xenomorphs, or even a forerunner of that species. However, in the trailers and teasers we've seen so far, we do at least know that there's something living on the planet discovered by the Prometheus.
One clue might lie in the name given to the alien planet, as revealed in the preview material we saw at an exclusive screening event. The planet discovered by the Prometheus is described as LV-223, putting it distinctly in the same ballpark as LV-426, home to the Xenomorphs of Alien and Aliens …
Our Best Guess: The two species are clearly interconnected, with the intervention of the Prometheus possibly playing a key part in the evolution of the Xenomorph. Ridley Scott promised us that the Alien connection would become explicit in the film's last seven minutes, so expect the final reel to be a showstopper…
Old Friends
The Question: Why does there appear to be a Xenomorph embedded in the wall of the chamber?
The Viral: In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it scene in the trailer, there appears to be a kind of sculpture carved into the wall of the cavern in which the crew go exploring. Now, call us crazy, but does that not look an awful lot like the body of a Xenomorph?
That would kind of explode our theory about the evolutionary process, as it would suggest that Xenomorphs already exist at the time the film is set. Unless of course, this specific creature is a forerunner of the Xenomorphs as we know them, the more familiar breed having yet to fully evolve…
Our Best Guess: A genetic descendant of the Xenomorph already exists during Prometheus 's timeline, and is somehow connected to the other creature discovered in the film. Speaking of which…
The Space Jockey
The Question: What was the Space Jockey's motivation, and who is he?
The Viral: The key figure in the majority of Prometheus ' promotional material has been the Space Jockey. Indeed, Ridley Scott has revealed that the inspiration for the film was a number of simple question surrounding the strange figure discovered in a derelict spacecraft by the crew of the Nostromo: who was he, where was he going and what was his cargo?
The nature of the jockey's motivation is still up for debate, although it would appear that his target was Earth. Could it be that the Xenomorphs were bred by the Jockey as a kind of biological weapon to be used against Earth? Is that what he's been harvesting in those egg-like pods? And is he the only one of his kind, or are there more like him waiting to be discovered? We'll have to wait until 1 June to find out…
Our Best Guess: Put it this way, we don't think the Space Jockey was headed to Earth on a sightseeing trip…
Overreaching Ambition
The Question: Is the Space Jockey the one who emulates the Prometheus myth?
The Viral: Whilst we had assumed that Peter Weyland would provide the main parallel with the mythical figure of Prometheus, perhaps it's the Space Jockey for whom the comparison is more apt. Attempting to conquer the universe by tinkering with Xenomorph larvae in an attempt to create a massively powerful bio-weapon… it's the sort of thing that could get somebody killed.
After all, we know that the Jockey's ship crashes and becomes the derelict of the Alien movies, so perhaps he is as guilty as Weyland of attempting to play God…
Our Best Guess: If anyone manages to get off that planet alive, be they alien or human, they'll have done very well indeed. It seems as though Prometheus's mission isn't likely to end well for anybody.
Curiosity Killed The Cat
The Question: Is it David who contaminates Prometheus?
The Viral: In his "Happy Birthday" video, attention is drawn to David's sense of curiosity. He stares at a flower with a sense of rapture, and explains that he thinks about "anything". Indeed, Fassbender describes him as almost childlike in his outlook on the world.
Could it be this curiosity that is the crew's undoing? In the trailer we see David examining one of the nascent life-forms with a strange expression on his face, and then later, we see him removing what looks like an egg from one of the pods found in the temple. Should he really have brought one of those back to the ship?
Our Best Guess: We reckon this is how that weird facehugger-ish creature makes its way on board, assuming it's the same thing we see terrorising Charlize Theron later in the film.
Head Games
The Question: Why is there a statue of a human head on an alien planet?
The Viral: Much of the viral material has concerned itself with ancient civilisations, with the contemporary name of the Sumerian city of Eridu serving as a password to unlock some online images. Considered to be the oldest city in the world, Eridu was said to have been created by the Gods, and is one of the sites where the research team finds a piece in the puzzle that leads them to LV-223.
Could it be then, that the being encountered by the crew of the Prometheus is actually Earth's creator? Is that why there is a statue of a human head on an alien planet? Producer Michael Ellenberg made an interesting comment about the film as a whole, that could be relevant here: "What if you met God, but God turned out to be the Devil?" Anyone else got the creeps?
Our Best Guess: Humanity was created in the image of these humanoid, alien beings. However, humanity has now overreached itself, and by disturbing said beings, has put itself bang in trouble. That's it! We've nailed it...
