Résumé
- Prometheus features David, an android who sets out on a journey to fulfill his creator’s wish.
- David’s words to the last engineer are quite simple and not as provocative as the film makes them seem.
- Despite his few scenes, Guy Pearce’s portrayal of Weyland in Prometheus adds complexity to the mythology of the Alien universe.
Prometheus enriched the Alien franchise with a ton of fascinating stories and lore, but it also raised several questions, including the question of David’s words to the last engineer. While Prometheus is generally considered one of the less interesting Alien films, it is essential in establishing the premise for the expanded story of subsequent films like Covenant and Romulus. The film introduces David (Michael Fassbender), an android created by billionaire Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce), who is sent aboard the Prometheus ship to carry out his creator’s wishes.
While the relationship between David and Weyland is not central to Prometheus, it is central to the overarching thematic ideas explored by Ridley Scott in the film. Just as Weyland searches for his creator, the Engineers, the android David also explores his relationship with his creator. In the climactic scene where Weyland is brought to meet the last Engineer, Weyland uses David’s language skills to communicate, causing the last Engineer to violently attack them. He kills Weyland and decapitates David, questioning what the android said.
Prometheus’ Black Substance Explained: All the Powers and How it Connects to Alien
The dark substance introduced in Prometheus is quietly one of the most important aspects of the prequel and plays a role in the origins of Alien’s Xenomorphs.
David’s Message to the Engineer in Prometheus Explained
David speaks on behalf of Weyland, but what does he say?
Guy Pearce’s character Weyland is one of the most fascinating characters in the Alien mythology, even though he only appears in a handful of scenes. He is fleshed out in Alien: Covenant right from its opening scene and is even mentioned in the new Alien: Romulus, which connects the prequels to the originals. He is a wealthy billionaire who has developed a god complex and is shown to have the answers to humanity’s greatest questions thanks to the crew of the Prometheus. Ironically, he is killed almost immediately after meeting the Last Engineer.
Why the engineer attacked the Prometheus crew after David used alien language
The motivations of the last engineer are not entirely clear.
While the film hints that David has his own motivations here, what he says to the Last Engineer isn’t exactly provocative, raising more questions about why the being reacts the way he does. It seems like the reason he’s going after them is because his civilization had already declared itself against humanity, and he was surprised to have been awakened by them. He probably just saw them as an obstacle in the way of boarding his ship and getting off the planet. Prometheus is a bit confusing, but there are some interesting takeaways for the larger franchise.
A deleted scene from Prometheus explores this exchange in more detail, providing motivation for the Last Engineer’s attack. However, this is not what ultimately happens in the film.
Sources : Le Bioscopiste
Prometheus
4.5
Released in 2012, Prometheus is the fifth installment in the Alien franchise and was directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Guy Pearce, the film serves as a direct prequel to the 1979 film Alien.
Release date June 8, 2012
Duration 124 minutes
