Did Shaw need to re assemble david8 in order to fly the ship?

Heh, good point.  This track was what I was initially interested in, with a "Prometheus II" type film.  But I guess they've gone a different way with A:C. 

Well yeah very good practical question: just how exactly could David actually fly a croissant?  And how exactly would Shaw repair him?  And when would she do it?  Yes indeed. Lots of questions here as to how exactly did those two get off-planet.

First of all, we are given the impression that putting on his head is merely a plug n play type of operation, seeing how he can still communicate and all.  (With all the past history you'd think they'd have a QD mount on these things.)

Then how do you pilot a croissant?  Put a few phone books in the chair so David can reach the helmet?  Seriously, he would have to rig a seat booster to allow him to fly and navigate in the big chair.  But then again, wouldn't an advanced civilization have a way of automating this stuff,  at least as well as the Prometheus, so David could walk around, color his hair, and watch "Lawrence of Arabia" re-runs?

Yeah and then Shaw has to go in a sleep chamber?  Hmmmm.

Would she be better off taking her chances at figuring it out herself, versus trusting David?

But there's always that deacon running around.  So time may be an important factor.

I thought all of this would have made a good movie in and of itself.  Just hope there are some flash-backs to some of this.      

Good topic! I assume she must have if David is functioning alone in Alien: Covenant. By the way - I updated your topic title to be more descriptive. 

HAWLEY GRIFFIN - Hmm...you raise an extremely good series of points with this topic! I certainly believe that Shaw would have found it rather difficult ifnot impossible to pilot the vessel without David's assistance. As such it is likely that David was reassembled to some degree! :)

@Diz @Chris Picard and @Something Real thank you all!

I also wonder if the sleeping engineer was the only one present on that planet, could there have been other sleeping pilots on other ships?  even tho David said there was "one" left....was there really? how can he be speedy gonzales and zip to every silo with a ship to find out?

Yeah true, although that engineer traffic jam at the headroom may have accounted for the rest of them?  Dunno. 

But I'm guessing you could disable the sleep systems and kill them in their sleep?  Dump the bastards and take off. 

Kinda harsh, I realize but fook them and the croissant they flew in on.

@S.M 

lol great solution! ;)

Ridley has never created a sequel to one of his films so he has an interesting new challenge how do I :-

1) Prologue big time.

2) Avoid making the film distracting by starting in a seemingly random part of the narrative.

Benjamin Rigby, after reading the script, indicated the film flows naturally from Prometheus.

My guess, the opening sequence could tell us emblematically where David and Shaw are relative to each other showing in some way Shaw is in trouble and David Big Idea is free. The first act then begins with Covenant Incoming and some strong exposition covering its relative chronological position to the Prometheus timeline and its purpose. I think we will see Paradise initially through the Coventees's eyes, the expectation and hope, and then as we move into the second act and matters begin to be revealed David Prom story will be revealed. Knowing who he is now the knowledge and tools he has acquired is much more important than "getting ahead" except in the sense of revealing the big idea.  

Dramatically to know David poses a threat of some kind as the Covenantee's enter the story puts us on alert for them in this seeming paradise so that opening has to communicate the "making of fear" and jeopardy and make it clear he is good to go.

Whats interesting about David is who he is now and what he has learnt which will drive the story and will reveal W-Y "knowledge and agenda" and part of what he has "learnt" will be revealed by us understanding what has happened to Shaw. But we need to know he is up and running and the way that happens could be the prologue but I suspect it will be very visual and mysterious rather than a public information film about how to sow a robots head on.

Its a case of will we see this happen and DO WE NEED TO?

Does its matter if we dont see how David is put back together or who flies the ship.... there are many things that need to be answered to allow for such a thing and then its a case of is it important to show these things... would they distract from the Plot and are they unnecessary?

*How long is the Flight Time from LV-223 to Paradise.. this would effect the next point.

*Would the Juggernaught still have Oxygen when its in Space, and if so, how would Shaw survive without Water and Food, did she manage to obtain enough supplies for the journey and where from (surely going back to the Lifeboats a big No No)

*Could Shaw be fixed up into a Space Jockey suit and be shown how to fly the ship?

*Could David fly the ship with his head partially attached?

*Can Shaw go into the Cryo-sleep Pod Safely?

*How does David get his head back on, and if not how well can he function headless as far as getting from LV-223

BUT THEN ALL OF THESE THINGS.... are they necessary?

Prometheus ending showing us a few things.....

1) We can assume the Juggernaught we saw leaving LV-223 was one of those that Shaw and David a had found (as there was many more) so this means they had already taken off.  We was not shown at  the end of the movie how they took off, how Shaw was going to survive the Space Journey, how did she or did she put Davids head back on?

2) We are shown what we can assume is David and Shaw leaving LV-223 prior to the Deacon Chest Buster, so thats no Deacon sneaking on the Ship... unless David lands back again.

So yes we was not shown how and what happened after Shaw had put Davids body and head on the Buggy as they headed off to find a Juggernaught Ship... we see her heading off on the Buggy.. then we see the Ship leave...

We dont have the Gaps... and the question is do we need to really know?  and would we be shown it?

Ridley Scott had informed us what has happened... he did so not long after Prometheus came out..... yes a few things have changed since ideas after Prometheus to the movie Alien Covenant but these basic principles i think are still at play.

*David with Shaw did leave LV-223 in a Juggernaught and David at very least had made it to Paradise.

*David does get put back together, Shaw has no choice she needs David to be intact in order to leave LV-223... She has no choice but to put David back together to some degree...  She is reluctant but David is very persuasive.  These comments show us that indeed Shaw can not fly the Ship, and needs David in more than a head and body condition.

*Once the head goes back on, David is very dangerous and Shaw is left open to what ever agenda he has.... this means if we assume Shaw puts him back together and goes into Cryo-sleep there is no way she can control or tell where David would go... does he go to Paradise? does he have a detour first.

He is free to go where he wants, or to communicate back to the company if he does so wish.... we dont know what happens however.

*The Juggernaught they obtain does contain some Bio-Weapon, as David was bringing Hell with him.

These are the things we know for 100% sure...

Now its a case of do we get shown how David is put together, how he manages to make sure Shaw can survive the journey.

We already know how the Juggernaught is operated... David can operate the Control Navigation Chair, select the course to Paradise and bobs your uncle...

What about the Pilot Chair?

We dont know if its needed for Flight... could it be like a Commercial Airplane and that once its into the right altitude you can enter Auto Pilot? 

We have to ask why the Cryo-Sleep Pods on the ship, do we assume the Pilot Chair can support the Engineers Life Support and do they remain in the Chair for the journey?  Do they only take off and land from the Chair then go into Cryo Sleep like we can assume the Prometheus Take Off/Land Procedure is?

What if the Pilot Chair is only used as a Weapons Guidance... we have to ask why the Chair was designed like a Massive Canon, or Telescope... etc.....

So who knows if the journey from LV-223 to Earth would have been Quick?

There is a lot of unknowns... but then its a case of do they need to fill in every detail? is is needed?

It was never needed in Prometheus to show us that what we can ASSUME... is indeed David and Shaw managed to find and take off with a Engineer Ship....  so those questions of how David got from being in two parts and how Shaw would survive and how/who flies the ship was never answered at the end of the movie... what we was shown was the Post event that they indeed had managed to find and operate and leave LV-223 in a Juggernaught..

So why would the next movie cover, the events prior to that scene after after Shaw recovers Davids body?

So to answer the Question...... i would say YES to some degree David would have to be put back together... and you can bet thats what has happened... Ridley had already suggested so.

We dont know what state David 8 is in, surely Shaw cant completely fix him up as good as NEW?  Will we see how this happened.... i doubt it..

But i would not be surprised if we dont see David 8 on the Juggernaught post leaving LV-223 at least i think thats what we would have seen... so we would maybe seen where Shaw is on the Ship and What David is looking like but not see how David was put back together and so any event from finding the Ship to setting off i doubt we would see.

But as far as during the journey? Who knows... David did like to wander around the Prometheus... learning things while the crew was in Cryo-sleep and having a nose at the crews dreams and so i think David would want to have a nose around the ship and study as much as he can from the Ship.

And if Shaw is in Cryo-sleep she is very open to what ever Davids plans are... and we have to ask..... WHY DOES COVENANT SYNOPSIS NOT MENTION SHAW?

Ridley said he has big plans and a idea for how David is back in one piece... but he was cryptic as he said something about yes David is back together in one piece and they have a big plan and idea for David.

This could mean after he has been put back together, or something he does on Paradise (evolves himself?) or it could be regarding the other role Fassbender plays...

We already know Alien Covenant starts off with the crew of the ship... so it would be a start similar to Alien, and Prometheus (minus the few prologue scenes).

I would say David is discovered latter in the movie, it seems the scene of disaster we see would happen latter, it could be a flashback prior to Davids arrival or after Davids...  At some point we would find out about Shaw but she does not play a large role... and she is no where to be found when the Covenant crew arrive and eventually find David.... so we have to wander does Shaw only appear as Flash Back Scene? who knows...

We do know that the 3rd act and so hour or so into the movie is when things really hit the fan badly... but its said things flow pretty quickly from when the Crew Land....

But i doubt we would see the Alien on loose from the start i expect a slow build up like Alien to that but a build up that shows seeds to lead to such a event.

I am not sure if we need to see that, what is important is that she puts David back together and he is in one piece so to speak when they arrive at the planet. There are other things in the movie that will be more important to the story.