Ridley Scott Interview - Comments that raise significant questions? Xenomorph is

´´[i]I want to comment on the observation that the derelicts forced landing incident was ancient quite possibly millions of years prior to Alien. I have always felt this was an ancient wreck what with the fossilized SJ. It also demonstrates the hardiness of the the Alien when in egg form. They go into extreme hybernation waiting millions of years if need be.[/i] ´´ fossilization happens in [i]geological[/i] timeframes. so no fossil..maybe mummy.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taphonomy

It doesnt seem to matter how old the fan is. You had to have been looking in the right places to have gotten the actual facts about what was going on in Alien. It has never been a mystery that the derelict was an alien bomber with an egg cargo where something went wrong and the pilot set off a beacon that wasnt picked up and investigated for a very long long time. So long in fact that the pilot had become fossilized into his seat. Its funny to come here after 30+ years and see how confused people are about a brilliant movie that if youre paying attention is quite straight forward. Nevertheless, its great to see the world of the SJ being embellished and having the younger generations appreciate such great film making.

Ive not discussed Alien movie stuff since joining this community. I never knew that so many things were held as beliefs, lore or whatever. One reason that I might know some things that to some are in question is because I followed this movie in Fangoria over 30 years ago where evrything was laid out quite clearly. It seems that this knowledge has been lost and people have forgot.

Sorry typing on nook. Pc down. Hard to type. I want to comment on the observation that the derelicts forced landing incident was ancient quite possibly millions of years prior to Alien. I have always felt this was an ancient wreck what with the fossilized SJ. It also demonstrates the hardiness of the the Alien when in egg form. They go into extreme hybernation waiting millions of years if need be.

The Space Jockeys would not have called them Xenos. That was James Cameron.

Yes, and since most of the dubious human civilizations which came into contact with the jockeys/engineers in the film appear to have done so within known history, or since humans were cave painters (which places our first contact with them within the last 35,000 years), the jockeys must have visited us after the crash on LV-426? Or else RS just means the technology is really old - not that ship itself. Or else he's gotten really muddled. Then again, maybe this means seeing the Xeno in this film is very unnecessary. That was the old model. Since then, they've made people. Perhaps the only "Alien DNA" we see will have something to do with us. Maybe they'll take one look at us and go: "These guys turned out alright but a little more boring than their Xeno forefathers and a tad too self-obsessed. Lets go back to their world, change them a little bit more, and see where they evolve in a few million years. See ya. Snore. zzzzz.. Wait, why is their spaceship flying at us? Evasive Maneuvers!.....Oh we should stop making these critters, they keep making us crash!" I guess, in the end, if one Xeno can bring down an entire frigate, I wouldn't get too excited...

@silica His language seems fairly clear. If he meant what you're suggesting, he'd be saying the ship was operating, when it was forced to land, with million-year old technology? Does that seem credible? Even if that is was he meant, it wouldn't change the circumstances we're discussing... @Cypher No-one is claiming that the Space Jockey's referred to them by that name? @abordoli I'll try and put it more simply: If the ship is a million years old, its cargo must be at least that old and it was at least a million years old when it was encountered by the Nostromo. Prometheus is staged only 30+ years before the events of Alien. Speculation that is based on the events of Prometheus having any direct influence on, or being in any way directly contributory to any of the events of Alien, (that have anything to do with the actual aliens), therefore, must be invalid. I never said that the background of the derelict was a mystery, nor disputed any of these other, "facts", you are pleased to slightly unnecessarily tell me about - ....in fact, not one single thing you have said has anything to do with the actual point I was making, which was regarding [b]the part of the statement, emboldened? [/b] Have you actually replied to the correct thread?

I guess the SJs love their croissants, haven't changed the design in millions of years! Isnt RS being generic when he says that? He's saying that we have caught up technology wise (electronics, space travel) that has been in use for millions of years by other beings, we're not and have never been alone. That's how I read it That's not to say the derelict isn't very old, maybe millions, and happens prior to the Prometheus timeline - we already know xenos exist via the mural, I just think you're misinterpreting the point he was trying to make

SO does this mean that all the people who keep insisting that David gets infected by the goo and transforms into an Alien will finally shut up?

@takka yes @allinamberclad That was a silly attempt at partial humor on my part. I believe he meant the ship and its contents are probably millions of years old - it's what I posted in another simultaneous thread. And if he only meant the tech was that old it would be silly. But I like how even the slightest distinction without difference can amount to an entire day's discussion on here, so I thought I would continue making wiggle room.

@JP Interesting. You seem to have understood. There is some ambiguity in what Ridley Scott says - and this is precisely why I asked the question. I put it to you: how is he being "generic", when he speaks, specifically, of that ship, on that planet and that Distress Signal? Yes, the inference must be that what he says also applies to that Race and their technology, generally - but that is only indirectly relevant: and it doesn't alter the circumstance, which is that he is saying either; a] the ship was in use of technology that was millions of years old. (which would seem, to me, to be probably the most peculiar and awkward way of saying, "millions of years in advance of ours" - which is, immediately, unambiguous and crystal clear). or, he is actually saying; b] the ship is millions of years old. If, b], would that not be significant? And we do [i]not,[/i] "already know xenos exist via the mural", at all? You are presenting me with your assumption. We do not know what that mural represents. At best, we can say it is reminiscent of the xenomorph - but it what sense? We don't know, for certain, if what that mural represents is even directly related to the xenomorph and, if it is, whether it's an antecessor - or a distant, distant descendent...

@allinamberclad I just have to disagree with you there my man... #1-It's clearly a Xenomorph there can be no doubts about that just look at it man, it's a warrior. #2-It's done in relief as well, which means a heck of a lot Love and Effort Got Poured into making that thing, not for the film, In It, As part Of The Plot. #3- I project they are all over the cave, and yesterday I suggested this whacked out theory and I stand by the following right or wrong in the end as well... I think they , all those Murals are going to end up being one of two things... Just a Warning Or My Idea...Just a warning that if you touch any of the Urns//Vials/Eggs/Bio-Former Their Creation...The XENO's come to life in the tunnels like centries and kill whoever did...IT'S A DEFENSE MECHANISM SYSTEM FOR THE CHAMBER i BELIEVE AND IT CLEARLY IS MOVING IN ONE OF THE TRAILERS.

Thats a interesting comment by Ridley but it has some holes as far as the Derelict being on LV426 Millions of years ago. Surely the SJ would have Tech to wipe out the Derelict and its Eggs after something went wrong? If they set up a signal millions of years ago, then why are the SJ's just prepared to let the danger and craft stay there, unless they set it as a trap. I had a theory a while back that made sence to me, and that explains.. 1) Dead Jockeys 2) Derelict being Parked in Alien 3) The reason the Derelict looked like it was there more than 30 years. 4) Why we wont see any Xenos on LV223 5) Why there only seems one/few living Jockeys. 6) The internal differences of both Derelicts. My theory does not make sence because of one statement, when Ridley and co said this movie is how the Mommy Meets Daddy, is this in relation to Shaw and her Baby scene? That would imply that the Xeno was created after the events/interaction with the crew in this movie, unless its another red herring. If that comment (where Daddy meets Mommy) was not made then my theory would work here it goes. The Jockeys/Engineers are Bio Engineers who possess a Tech that can Bio Form and create/modify Organisms and life. They can also Terra Form. Now the Xeno was created from either a) A indended Experiement and program to be used as a Weapon? (built from Scratch). b) Created as above but via modification of a Organism from another place or indigenous to LV426. c) As above but a product of acidental creation, or a expriement that had undesired effects and created something that was hard to controll (opening Pandoras Box). that they then realised may be usefull as a Weapon. So they either intentionally, or acidently/undesired create the Xeno, maybe as a Weapon or maybe just a experiment that went wrong but then they realised would have a use as a Weapon. Anyway there we have the Xeno... but something goes wrong it escapes, it nearly wipes out all of the Engineers before they manage to contain the outbreak. Then what few remaining Engineers decide to move the remaining Eggs to a safer place via Derelict ship. Either the destination was LV426 a baron world, for the safe storage of the Eggs (so can be used as Weapon in future) or they indended to take them elsewhere maybe to destroy them but something went lose on the Derelict and thus the ship had to land at the closest inhabital place and then warn the other Engineers/SJs that the mission and cargo was compremised. Maybe LV426 is where these Xenos are stored and the Derelict is simply going there at some point to load up on cargo, either as Weapon or to bring back to study. This theory would also explain that the Derelict on LV426 has been there for many many years, more than 30 but not Millions. Maybe for thousands of years, thus maybe the Jockeys on LV223 was all but wiped out by the Xeno.

@Spartacus I enjoy the clarity of your expression. You do force me to, respectfully, disagree - only for the reason there does not seem enough in what you say for it to stand my reason: 1] This just cannot be correct, as the saying of it alone, no matter the conviction, does make it so - [were it so easy]. The saying of it alone, [i]may[/i] be a correct interpretation of its likelihood, but that would depend on the strength of the evidence on which you base the saying of it - and, here, that evidence is not strong, it is circumstantial: The mural is clearly, [i]not,[/i] "clearly", anything, in particular - (I'm not sure how you say it with such sureity): what it "clearly" is, is something that bears an, (arguably), strong resemblance to aspects of what we know the xenomorph looks like: but, in all objectivity, that is [i]all,[/i] that is "clear" - and that degree of clarity, is insufficient to support, "likelihood", let alone, "certainty". 2] You have invested the relief with added value that may not exist. You cannot know what effort it took, nor what significance that effort would have in relation to the Plot. So, this is all your assumption. That assumption is, arguably, of interest for discussion purposes - but that is not evidence? Neither is it, "fact", in any other sense and neither is it a strong supporting argument for 1] - and I hope you can see that it is really not reasonable to suggest to me that it is. 3] They may well be all over the cave. Or they may not. I agree, it would probably be interesting if they were. Otherwise, your idea on their, [i]possible,[/i] purpose is also very interesting. However, personally I'd be a little unhappy with the "warning" trope. I'd rather those icons were a coded reference to either that which was, what which will be - or, my particular preference - what which [i]must[/i] be.

@BigDave I'd respectfully suggest that you may like to consider the levels of presumption you apply? An, "unanswered question", is [i]not[/i] the same thing, at all, as a,"Plot hole"? [i]Why[/i] would it be, "surely", the case Space Jockey Technical Services would wipe out the Derelict? What if - they didn't know? The Pilot, apparently, sent a Distress Signal, didn't he? Well, we might conclude, from the state of affairs we look around and find, that nobody showed up in response to it... Your second point suffers from the same presumption you applied in the first: [i]perhaps,[/i] the Space Jockey's don't even know the ship is there...

I've always thought that A. The derelict is not in Prometheus. We are seeing completely different ships. B. The derelict is already at least a century old by the time of Alien C. The xeno exists before the events of Prometheus So no, Ridley's statement doesn't undermine [i]my[/i] (and some other people's) assumptions or conclusions. It enforces them. And add another person that believes that the mural depicts the Alien, indicating that it is already an established species before Prometheus, possibly for thousands of years.

@Biehn_Bandit Hmm. I broadly agree - except for the mural part. I want to be clear: I don't necessarily hope, nor wish that is [i]not[/i] a xenomorph? I don't have an agenda in that regard - it would actually suit me if it [i]were[/i], from exactly the perspective that you give - this is just a personal issue to do with the way I process the World around me: for my purposes, I am completely unable to justify a conclusion such as, "This mural certainly depicts a xenomorph", or, "It is likely this mural depicts a xenomorph". To my observation, it certainly does [i]not,[/i] provide sufficient evidence on which to do that. That it, "may", do is, simply: not enough. On your other very relevant observation, I hope you will understand: As a matter of fact, if the positioning we are discussing is correct, it also supports some of my own long-standing beliefs - but this is about objectivity. In the way I chose to frame my comments for the benefit of the queries I raised in this thread, I had a choice: I either chose to frame them in such a way that was inclusive and neutral; or I chose to from them from my own perspective with the risk of that being misinterpreted as suggesting that others, of a different view, were somehow, "wrong" - and also have to speak in terms of, "those of you who thought this", and, "those of you who thought that"? This is not the way I operate, so I chose what I thought the best option for inclusive neutrality. Nevertheless, you are quite right: I could have given the framing a little more thought to allow for all colours of opinion - I just focussed on the disassociation of my own opinion as I was more interested in the opinions of others at the time and, furthermore, I was extremely tired - as that local time was somewhere around 06.00hrs, I think. No presumption, either way, was intended - so thank you for giving me the opportunity to state it.

I usually tend to remain skeptical or neutral about things and refrain from making final judgments. But for this, I'm thinking that the simplest and most seemingly obvious answers are the right answers. The reason for this being: I don't think Lindelof and Scott are thinking about this that deeply. Scott may be formidable in most aspects of filmmaking, but not in story conception. And Lindelof doesn't strike me as that deep either. And every bit of information that is revealed only bolsters my belief. You're not going to see a Memento from these guys. And no, I don't regard Lost as deep and complex. More like convoluted and contrived. So with that mindset: regarding the mural, any other answer seems, to me, to be extremely counter-intuitive. So I take the stance of the simpleton: it looks like a xeno, must be a xeno.

@Biehn_Bandit We absolutely agree on most if not all of your comments regarding Authorship. Our agreement may be short-lived as you have not mentioned, what I maintain is one [i]very[/i] significant name: Spaihts. I've argued this elsewhere - and may yet live to see it knocked down, but until that day: I have the strongest intuition based on some reading between lines and some interviews that the backbone of this Story will remain that of John Spaihts. Lindelof has added scenes and his gift of sparkling dialogue and, of course, Big Name Hollywood Magic - but the [i]core,[/i] the structure: the meaning, I am sure - remains Spaihts. He was bumped for the Big Name. That's Business but, he's still in the credits and, if I am correct, that puts us in a very, [i]very[/i] different space than Lindelofs solo playground - and the combination could be quite something... I'd wonder if you would give that part of your position maybe a second thought.

Yeah, I've never given this Spaihts guy much thought. Don't know who or what calibur of thinker and writer he is. Could alter my perspective of certain things For example: I can see how the mural imagery could be used by a savvy writer to get us into thinking along one line, only to have it turn out to be more than we thought. Like, maybe the xeno "head" is actually something else, but he's using its similarity -in juxtaposition to the xeno body shape - to what we know to throw us off. I once suggested that maybe that's not a xeno head, but some kind of non-vertebrate organism stretched over or consuming a SJs face, like a different from of facehugger. Maybe it's a SJ being crucified with this thing covering his head. There are several possibilities But one thing I have seen no evidence for, is that the xeno is created within this movie. Nor do I care for the film to take time showing this. I want new,new, new.

on it now bud

Sorted ;) ... I think the server had a FART :) ...

Thank you. LOL.

done biehn-bandit

Haha Snork was on it too :) ...

Well what the hell? Is there some way to delete posts completely?

@Biehn_Bandit He's a very interesting guy - and he's a spinner: the "confound expectations" stuff you're saying? He's all about it. I agree once more with something you said previously: Scott is many things - and he is [i]not[/i] many things - but he [i]does[/i] know something about a good Story: and he has never been a fool. Ever. He knows if gets a decent Screenplay he is one of a select group of people who can really maximally visualize the ring-piece out of it. Spaihts is practically a nobody, right now: figure how and why a nobody has buzz? Figure how and why a nobody is even in the same Studio buildings as Ridley Scott, let alone in the man's office for months, working through draft, after draft, after draft - Ridley Scott has the time, or the need? Spaihts has something. Check him out.

I still propose, like some others here, that we are introduced to a process done by these engineers over millions and millions of years. Lots of derelicts all over the universe doing different things, bombing planets' atmosphere using directed pan-spermia, in a war over whether or not to seed the Universe with their own superior technology. We never see the Derelict in Alien, but we understand how one could come to crash-land on LV -426.

@Necrofan For me, very much another, "purpose" - but, in general Method and Practice? I totally agree.

I must apologize for some of my comments on the first page. I too was tired, my PC went bluescreen, and I was typing on my Nook not allowing my thoughts to come across easily. I was also a bit frustrated with things that are obvious, made obvious in the Alien movie, being debated (although the exercise can be fun as long as we're not going too hog-wild with stretches that totally ignore what was presented to us). The only thing I meant to add to the discussion was that, IMO, the derelict (and egg cargo, thus the xeno) are millions of years old whatever (technology). I will be dissapointed if, in Prometheus, we see anything laid down trying to make us think that the xeno is some brand-new toy of theirs (the SJs). That would ruin Alien for me where the derelict has obviously been there for a very, very long time (containing some very, very old (yet still viable) bio-weapons).