Comments (Page 190)

You do not like it. It is my favorite. You said it is messed up and deformed, I see it superior and evolved. This alien portrayal is elegantly mighty. An improvement on Giger's alien.

It is a spaceman not a beast...

I don't like it. Too messed up and deformed. Giger's alien, by contrast, is elegantly horrific. Very hard to improve on.

NOICE

"Hey, gimme back my dome!!!"

chli

'the thing" is unsurprisingly an attempt to replicate the original trigger. It doesn't have the benefit of the original schematics and it includes the preoccupations of the Moon creatures. The base sequence was as you know used in the fabrication, building and controlling of large elements of the Engineer Craft. So it began life as a straight forward nourishment tool for building organic biomimetic outcomes. No doubt the fallen acolyte tried to breakdown the original creation tool and replicate it but he did not have the schematics available to the Origin Engineers and so made a copy and they were so hell-bent on the thing in itself it lacked the qualities that made this creation special and the path to Widjom. 

In terms of detail the closest explanation we get to it as onlookers is through Charlie.  

Naturally, we can take Kant's view and why not in an intelligent creation. Elizabeth was for it and David against. There is intended irony there on several levels.

I will conclude by suggesting that in an Intelligent Creation there would be more arguments about patents and there use.   

This is a different kind of alien. It is much more evolved than the previous beasts. It is not an animal anymore...

The engineers may need a smaller vehicle beside the current flying gipfeli.

This one is called a gipfeli in Switzerland.

H.R. Giger modeled the alien spaceship after his pastry.

Found these on the network. The third one is quite silly as an alien weapon.

"That you are here—that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse." :)

The thesis that acquired traits are inheritable is called epigenetics, by the way. If the Deacon and xenomorph is moulded on the traits of its host, what is "the thing" in itself (Das Ding An Sich/Kant :) )?

BigDave

For the first time since I began this project, I sat and watched the movie last night, rather than in lots of small edits for my project.

Three things struck me, two of which are connected with your words 'Meat On The Bones'.

1) I realised how much the omniscient narrator and the ironic telling of Weyland's story had added to our understanding in the book. Whether the book is good or bad is for others but it's not the book of the film. The book has more context but not through invention simply explaining the existing themes.

2) I have noticed this before but it really stands out when Elizabeth says "What killed them" we cut to the Cylinder opening scene a clear message that what's in the cylinder is bound up with their annihilation but a clearer more coherent answer is never offered. There are then two steps Charlies spiking and Elizabeth and Charlies final prophetic positioning conversation and then the crew simply become reactive. The issue of our search for answers is over it's about survival and we do not learn or see anything we do not already know. In the movie, we have already had the Hammerpedes so the audience is ahead of the crew. We are going to watch two acts of mayhem unfold. So we have had this very fascinating premise set up and now people start dying. Ridley would argue we get to see where the craft and pilot come from because of an identical very impressive reveal and I would not argue with that. However, we have these huge questions about our creators and their creators and we have had no sight of Ovoids. So on two levels, the audience is puzzled. I think my second and third acts offer more exposition even if it's just understanding the questions better. 

3) As an aside, the supporting group Jackson, Ford, the bearded hitman, a male nurse and Furdik all begin to pop up in rather random ways.  

In summary, I can see why you as a reader would react that way.

chli

Let's try again.

Nemesis 

Indeed.

Angels 

At a philosophical level, the result would be the ubermensch interfering with a platonic idealism. The former is about life now whereas the Angels sacrifice in the name of otherworldly fulfilment.

I think its too cute to say it would lead to Pandominium it would lead to a break down of the consensus. It would lead to Weyland rather than Elizabeth. More specifically the result would probably reject death like Weyland.

Who knows what "it" would look like I decided that was planned ambiguity it gives the Cargo some of their ambiguity back. However, Elizabeth's visions are part of the answer though it may be fake to lure her.

Moving to her, as the author, I wanted the reader to be excited by her vision dreams to share Elizabeth's dilemma by finding it intoxicating and persuasive (our proxy). "This could be interesting and cool." Would that have worked quite possibly but as David said, "if it wasn't so dangerous." one answer appeals to our sense of the exotic and adventure the other a kind of self-righteousness. But this is because those witnessing the story are inside the fall so again we need to place ourselves out of who we are and say what is right in an intelligent creation where we know all the answers and know where we fit in and the problem is dealing with Pandora's Urn.          

The Creature

Is an amplification of its host.

The Deacon

Is the purest form of their counterfeit and determination to improve the model so if the upgrade had occurred they would have been Ubermensch and in a fallen world destroyed their parents.

Deacon consensual

I think David assumed there would be accidents and failures as they move toward perfection (echoing his 8 upgrades) and the process would be brutal and unpleasant but you are correct they were mere hosts and indeed Elizabeth corrects him and rather worryingly says they are all "at it." I also think David had in his mind the sacrificial instruction of the Mural. He guessed, correctly, that was a sacrifice.

Very early on I had the idea the earth acolyte repented and I imagined him being thrown in the Victoria Falls after being forced to take the catalyser but that did not feel right as he was a mover and a shaker and then I wrote the Second Pyramid reveal where they were tricked into sacrifice.

On a separate topic, you mentioned the notion of reward for good behaviour I thought it was a nice allegory that given the currency of what the soul is, it's not about judgement, it's about contribution. To use an analogy if you write a book it goes in the library if you don't add to the sum of the universes knowledge then you do not end up in the library. In an unsentimental world, Elizabeth's hysterical Catholic Doctrine of Heaven and Hell doesn't work. You are in the Erko and will live on inside it or you leave it and cease eventually to exist. So the atheists are half right !!!     

This MURAL is what i would have based the Exploration of the Space Jockey about, what this shows me is to INDICATE that the Space Jockey is a Space Suited Race who would Self Sacrifice themselves to Pro-Create the Horrors from those Eggs.

To me it also indicates that the SHIP is connected to those Eggs, it Shares the same Aesthetic if you would, the MURAL seems to indicate to me that the Eggs are Created by the SHIP and form from Tiny Worms that then Attached to a Surface and then Eggs grow from them.

Funny enough this is HOW it was that HR Giger and envisioned the Egg Creation, that the Cargo Hold would Produce them from Bio-Mechanical like Pregnant Bellies.

The Mural was to be placed above the Sections where these Eggs were Stored (above the Bio-Mechanical Devices that would Create the Eggs).

HR Gigers Concepts for the Face Hugers indicated these beings were BALD HUMANOIDS and so that was not a Problem for me, his Space Jockey Concept also looking more like a Bio-Mechanical being or Suit.

But to me those beings looked like that was forming a Symbiotic Relationship with the Ship/Cargo their must have been some Benefit for them, but i was drawn to some other Species being behind the Ships and Eggs, and that the Space Jockey is merely performing a Purpose a Sacrifice, for some Reason.

The Prometheus Themes could FIT with this, as far as this Species could be the Engineers, we could have another Species as the Space Jockey, or the Engineer are a Sub-Creation of the Space Jockey Created to Replace them as far as the Sacrificial Purpose.

I am drawn to ANOTHER Species or Entity/Player who would have those Humanoids Perform Sacrifices, but this is done by a Minority of them, in return for something of Benefit to them.... so it would be like the Engineers Teaching Mankind our Ancient Ways and giving us LIFE on the Condition that we offer Sacrifices in that some of us would be Required as part of the Bargain, to be used for another Purpose for the Masters.

So i foresee something above the Engineers/Space Jockey that would be using the Engineers/Space Jockey for that Purpose.

I conclude this because it seems the Mural of HR Giger seems to make a Connection between the Ship and Cargo, so maybe the Space Jockey are NOT the Higher Player in this... 

It allows for the Introduction to a KEY PLAYER that is more Lovecraftian, and maybe use the UNUSED elements of the Starbeast Plot.

I think what is also Interesting is the Mural as far as the EYE which the Worm/Egg seems to come from is pretty much like the The Eye of Providence  and so could have some GOD-LIKE connection.

What i was thinking was to FIT with Prometheus in Multiple Layers of Creation, Sub-Creation and Rebellion and so IF i add this to Prometheus Plot... then it could be the Engineers were Sub-Created by the Space Jockey to replace them in their Sacrificial Tasks.... but the Engineers Rebelled, had turned the Organisms against them.. or just broke away and Rebelled and the Space Jockey attempted to use a Organism on them...

Engineers then Sub-Create Mankind...  once we become Rebellious a Group of Engineers then attempt to Re-Engineer the Eggs to something different, the Deacon, the Xenomorph.... were as the Original Ships could have created something DIFFERENT... but similar.

But there was so many ways to try and connect the HR Giger/Starbeast ideas to the Prometheus Engineers, that could branch off, so it was never a 1, 2, 3 but a 1 a,b,c, 2 a,b,c and so it would get bit Complex trying to get it all to FIT.

So in CONTEXT to a Reboot of Sorts i would still go back to the HR Giger Mural only we dont have to have the Occupants of the Ship/Suits being so Human Looking.

But still involved in some Covenant/Symbiotic Relationship on behalf of something VERY Lovecraftian.

The Xenomorph either a Result of those Space Jockey's deciding to Experiment with the Creation Process of the Eggs....  or that the Xenomorph is the Outcome on a Human....

And the Intended Host would have Produced something Different.  I always would have considered exploring that Chest Buster in the Mural and what it could have became!

Maybe like this Carlos Huante Concept?

I get you now, having the Derelict become infected with something is Interesting, Certainly could explain the Difference in Aesthetic compared to Prometheus, but when looking at a some what COMPLETE reboot then the Derelict could always had been as it appeared in ALIEN.

But having it Infected to explain some of its Aesthetic is Interesting.  Its something that had been debated on here before after Prometheus (could the Black Goo Contaminate and Effect the Actual Ship).

I think its Interesting in also how we get to LV-426 in your idea, as that is ONE area that has to be covered, otherwise its left down to Discovering the SIGNAL (which was done in ALIEN) or ending up on/by LV-426 by Pure Coincidence.  Jon Spaights Tackled this via the Discovery of Clues on Earth pointing to Potentially Mankind Origins which lead us to that System.   With your idea Gavin it by-passes the WHOLE Visitation by Gods, and replaces it with some more ALIEN and Unconnected Race with clues from the Downed Ship on Earth, that point towards LV-426.

So this covers how they would not by Pure Coincidence end up on LV-426 (they as in Humans) i think a HURDLE with exploring a ALIEN Species who are NOT connected to Mankind, is the Communication, would they cominuate with Humans, or do they not have a way of doing so and its NOT needed?  On one hand this would keep them ALIEN and a Mystery, but then on the other when/if you then further explore this Space Jockey Race in Future and they Interact with their kind, do we get Sub-Titles and IF-NOT then its a case of how much Depth can you delve into their Species?

For a First Movie i think its not needed, we see so many Movies that do-not need the ALIEN Species being able to Talk to Us, for it to work.  Independence Day for example if they removed the Scene where the Alien Communicated via a Human Scientist (Dr. Brackish Okun) would it had really effected the Movie/Plot?

So its only if we try and look more into the History of the Space Jockey and their Agenda that maybe thats when more is needed? 

With your idea i am more drawn to them being the Footnote to show that via Consequences of Collecting a Infected Skull that leads to the Creation of the Eggs, and so would it be that any Further Exploration of that Plot would be about the Xenomorph and to NOT explore these Space Jockey and WHY/WHERE they go, as far as Collecting Samples of Various Life-Forms?

I guess to some DEGREE... giving answers to HOW/WHEN/WHY those Eggs got their is what some Fans want, and then maybe that leaving WHO the Space Jockey was and their History/Agenda etc should remain a MYSTERY... because he was a Enigma and exploring them could end up doing a Disservice to the Mystery.

chli

Many thanks for your questions I wrote a very full answer to this and posted it but the site had a moment and it was lost. 

I will try again tomorrow because I found your questions very stimulating. 

The outbreak in this story wasn’t an accident. It was rather “nemesis”? Since the Deacon (and xenomorph) picks up traits from its host, is the aggression, hate and evil an amplification of the faults of its host? What would the outcome be if the host was an “angel”? Also, the Deacon was a result of consensual “sacrifice” leaving a scar in the abdomen. Normally, the host dies so was there a cesarean?

Spoiler 

The Counterfeit Earth Element 

In a sense, this is a cautionary tale about unintended consequences. It began by writing control protocols for their Biomemtically Organic outcomes. That seems reasonable but in order to control these organic machines, they were given a punishment tag. This in the philosophical sense introduced sin into 'The Homeworld'.

From there is a slippery slope and by the time they moved on to subcreation to "improve the model" it was entwined in the matrix of the base sequence of their A.I. So the Deacon was very robust and strong but cruel and heartless a k a, as you correctly state the devil. If the creature is non-consensual creation without a moral compass then the deacon would have become consensual creation ... without a moral compass.

The Ovoids were designed to overcome the most challenging of targets and so their remorseless, non-consensual violence represents the apex of that thinking. But the core A I still included that original punishment tag which goes a long way to explaining the behaviour of the creature we see in A L I E N added to which it is a parasite and picks up the traits of its hosts which are not entirely without fault.      

The Fertility Dance 

Absolutely spot on. I read John Milton's Paradise Lost whilst writing Regained and much of the imagery was inspired by Mr Milton's very poetic descriptions. It's an odd thing because I'm in "the beast is cooked camp." but I hope that moments like that and Elizabeth and Davids encounters with 'it' add some nuances.  

Elizabeth

Fertility spot on, a kind of extreme journey from menopause backwards with a rather unusual H.R.T. It kind of turns upside down the notion that external interference will always be unwelcome by the recipient. 

Also, Elizabeth's final state is a comment about lessons learned. Why would an intelligent God not have something to learn?      

The God of the Abrahamic religions know everything and understands the purpose of everything "it is beyond our understanding."Some would argue that's very convenient.  

The Gods of this story have a job description and think and act strategically. So tactically over billions of years, they can make adjustments if they to learn something from their experiences and their intended or unintended creations. I am inclined to think we learn more from our mistakes than our success. It is also noticeable that the acquired learning of the Homeworld is not from the Gods but from the worlds they seeded. 

One conversation I did not add to the narrative was about their holographic capacity for conjuring. I imagined that one very ancient world was now uninhabitable and in order to survive the inhabitants had become non-corporeal and could conjure themselves up at-need an example of shared technology. Rather different to the 'theft' of today haha.      

OK, so the Fallen Angels created the Deacon through unholy, consensual, sacrifice? You get the feeling that we are talking about the Devil and his demons here? The xenomorph (or the Deacon) could be the dragon or the serpent - pure evil?

When Elisabeth witnessed the macabre fertility dance between the Deacons, it felt like a black sabbath. Is this the intention? Also, Elisabeth became fertile. Was this an inteciment of evil?

Halloween is around the corner which seems fitting somehow. :)

Of course, you can use “some summary words”. I’m glad if I can be of some help.

chli

Spoiler warning for those of you who haven’t read the book.

Genre

If we look at the financial politics of the decision in 2012 the Alien franchise was dead in the water so to hijack it made sense. But in order for that to work the movie needed to be bulletproof and most importantly give the larger audience more to mull over at the end of it. My reading group were already committed and loved the ambiguity but equally, when I travel and get into a conversation about the film I am surprised how many went to see Prometheus who are not ALIEN hardcore but equally unsurprised how they all said to a man or woman they were confused. If that had not happened and everyone had got it you would still be left with fans obsessing, but P2 would have been greenlit.

The Deacon

"Elizabeth looks on fascinated, entranced by the frescos. She knows, like the storyboards of a Buddhist temple, they are telling a story, a narrative of what had gone on here. Each Engineer appears to have a relationship with a creature that is poring at them. The Engineers are beautiful whereas the creatures that look upon them, that worshipped them, were distorted strange hybrid visions of life. It was then that Elizabeth noticed the Engineers bore scars on their abdomen. These creatures were their offspring, echoing the legends of Hinduism of the mythical birth of Brahma from Shiva’s navel, Shiva the transformer. But where do these storyboards end, was their transformation in this religiosity?  Charlie is about to find the answer."

This paragraph is intended to underwrite Steve Messing's remarks that the Deacon was the summation of all the unholy offspring that had gone before. The people of the Moon over the centuries subjected themselves to these appaling births honoured in the Fresco's until finally, they nailed the design. Once they had achieved that perfect outcome then, to coin a phrase they wanted to bottle it.

The idea of the creatures of the Ovoids being born is there in the movie that's exactly what happens with Elizabeth and her offspring. I simply took that methodology and inspired by unused artwork from Alien grew and harvested them.        

If you look at that paragraph the sanctuary yields more in the book than the film an example of ratcheting up the exposition so what is going on is clearer so the reader will come away primed for more rather than be bemused.  

In order to create a strong thematic quality the way I see it is as follows:-

The overarching story begins (at the end) in A L I E N with non-consensual hosting, it then moves backwards in the second movie P R O M E T H E US and we discover an entire species makes monsters through consensual hosting (another example of giving ALIEN context). At the climax of the story REGAINED we learn where this all comes from and discover it is an echo of the beginning. God annunciates the chosen people. The flaw is not with the hosts who accept a role, it is with those who are created. But the overarching point is this is a creation based on hosted reproduction and gives context to the behaviour of the fallen angels and the dysfunctional behaviour of the ALIEN lifecycle and Elizabeths predicament is an internal metaphor for all. 

Thank you for your witness I am delighted you enjoyed it. I have almost finished the grammar check for which thanks.

I should also like to pay tribute to my reading group who were invaluable in keeping me on my toes and continue to do so.

Chli I might ask for some summary words to add to others endorsement if I may. I will PM you. 

Michelle

Spoiler warning for those of you who haven’t read Michelle’s fascinating work. Read it first!

An enjoyable read indeed (rhyme :) ). I like the mystery and philosophical depth as well as the romantic poetry and beautifully described landscapes. It’s an amazing journey that Elisabeth and David do together. David develops in a totally different direction compared to AC (You could say it’s the Beauty and the Beast or the Stockholm syndrome :) ). Anyway, I like the hope it proclaims: There is a God and our soul “survives” death (if we play the cards right, morally speaking).

One problem is concerning genre. Prometheus was on the verge of steering away from the sci-fi-horror that Alien really was. Alien was a Lovecraftian horror movie. Although interesting, it has now become more of a philosophical love drama. Also, there are quite a few bold assertions in the story. Bold since we are dealing with the “Alien Universe”, and its fans, and we’re treading on a minefield :)

It’s an interesting idea that David made the hole to the cargo hold when he and Elisabeth climbed up. That the Space Jockey “suit” is empty is another twist. Good, though, that the incident happened about 2.000 years ago and that it was connected to the outbreak on LV-223: The rebels wanted to wipe out the acolytes (with the eggs) as well as humanity (with the mutagen). The Makers, however, hindered this by initiating the outbreak - so it wasn’t an accident (which Janet thinks).

The eggs are made through copulating Deacons and the female gives birth to small ovoids which are then grown in a cargo hold (or a cavern?) and nourished with mutagen. The mutagen is made from “sacrificed” Deacons (trying to recreate the Earth Element). So, where does the Deacon come from? Is it a species somewhere out there?

Anyway, this has been a most interesting read and you certainly are a very good writer, Michelle!

I am pleased to report that after closing down and reopening my Mac the Grammarly programme is now embedded in Wordpress as a tool. 

I have screened all of Book 1 and Act 1 of Book 2 in about an hour and will complete the rest today.

Whilst it is important to get everything right so as not to distract, I think the reason it has not been brought up before is that the grammatical shortcomings did not affect understanding.

Come on, we're all friends here. Time to calm down a bit!

chli In your class room do you do the same? After a test or after correcting homework, do you call your pupils in front of the classroom to go over mistakes so everybody can hear? I highly doubt it. 

If anybody else is interested in grammar talk, I'll say mea culpa and recognize this should not be done via private message but directly on the forum. And now I'll shut up.

IgnorantGuy

Yes, you are both rude and selfish. I did this with the best of intentions and strongly suggest that the next time you read something that is not up your alley, just skip it. OK?

My next post will be about the content and if you have nothing constructive to say about it. Just be quiet.

Gentlemen I have downloaded Grammarly and as I begin to type this post it is clear it has automatically linked to G. However without extracting the two books out of Wordpress can either of you explain how I enable Wordpress to interact with the programme. Many thanks in anticipation.

On the question of ideas and themes, I always welcome remarks but with several people reading the books at once at the moment I would prefer to deal in generalisations rather than spoil their journey.

Suffice to say Act 1, for the most part, is an extension of the way Prometheus tells its story.

Act 2 Immediately begins the process of being more oblique and this occurs in three ways:-

a)  For the first time, the omniscient narrator makes itself known to the players, though they do not know it for that.

b) The concept of multiple personality traits develops.

c) The story takes place in an environment and with characters which are contraindicative and not through deception simply lack of mutual understanding and shared values.

This tackles one of the themes of the first half of the story. Mankind makes assumptions and argues over the authenticity of various views and none of them is correct.

The reason I make this point is some of what happens in both Act 2 and 3 may appear inexplicable well it is and it is meant to be because I have tried to get into their heads as well as express mankind's view from a grounded point of view.   

There is also a further point I would make about the inexplicable nature of the interactions between the various "factions" This entire story is about misunderstandings and an inability to recognise how others see things. However, whereas differences in Prometheus are dealt with in a classical manner exemplified by Jackson, differences in Book 2 are dealt with first by disconnection and then abandonment. The reason is to show that the soup Mankind was made with uniquely creates a climate in which a species destroys each other. That is why when you see evidence of such behaviour it is so striking and a surpise.    

chli I don't to be rude but is the right place to dissect every paragraph with bad grammar. I can not suggestion Grammarly strong enough, but could you continue the grammar thing on mail or something?

Sorry I am selfish and I would like to hear more about ideas and the themes .... 

It’s not my intention to be rude. It’s just that I’ve become a bit wacky (being a teacher). :) Also, English isn’t my mother tongue so perhaps I’m extra scrutinizing . . .

This sentence is wrong (comma splice): “She sings beautifully, she dances well.”

These two are correct: “She sings beautifully. She dances well.” ; “She sings beautifully and dances well.”

Here’s a grammatically correct paragraph:

"Whilst taking his supplement, David mulled over what he should do next. Elizabeth he knew must rest. She needed more time to recover. He, on the other hand, must confront whatever lay in wait now. This was only partially true. There were several reasons why he wanted to take this first step alone."

There’s a comma after the subordinate clause in the beginning and in the other places there’s a period after a full sentence (subject and predicate).

I've just read Stephen King's "On writing" which I recommend. I also recommend Grammarly.

Anyway, I’ve read it all now and will get back shortly with some thoughts.

 chli

Thank you for that 

"Whilst taking his supplement David mulled over what he should do next. Elizabeth he knew must rest she needed more time to recover he on the other hand must confront whatever lay in wait now. This was only partially true there were several reasons why he wanted to take this first step alone."

I have taken out the comma's and the repetition of He knew. My comma thing is a hang over from my X partner who said my grammar was bad. 

Feedback like that is most welcome and you have reminded me comma splice is about connecting two independent thoughts or ideas whereas this is a single expression of Davids thoughts. 

Leto Im still angry they cancelled Stargate Universe. 

I'm sure - Stargate SG-1/Atlantis will be the best example. 200+ series and all awesome. Discover new worlds, explore new civilizations, get acquainted with deadly creatures - best sci-fi formula. Or Stargate Universe - just imagine a group of people (scientists, of course), who travel on an alien ship and visit other planets. Without romance / teenagers, of course. I'm sure - this is the future of Alien.

A good point. I remember Battlestar Galactica (The remake) utilizing quite a few character-development episodes over the course of the series. On-watches those episodes can be tedious, but I feel they do pay-off. Importantly for better sub-plots and overall narrative, and to get a more intimate understanding of the characters. 

But more importantly for series like that, those types of episodes provide an ebb and flow in the intensity of the show, something that can really lift for a conclusion. 

That calm before the storm build-up

Looking at the series as a potential Alien series TV show, I have observed something.

Over all, it is a good series but some boredom seems to be required for developments that will pay off later. There were a few episodes that were effing boring- but they paid off later. Seems a bit of a conundrum. Do we want deep character and plot development that might be boring at some points, or just cut to the chase?

I would vote for the somewhat boring episodes since there is a payoff later.

The fix would be for writers to make the slower episodes more interesting somehow- not sure what it would be. 

I like this style but could understand viewers jumping ship because the show couldn't keep viewers engaged. And I think they have a daunting job in engaging both casual binge watchers and hard core unforgiving arm chair critics.

"Whilst taking his supplement David mulled over what he should do next. Elizabeth he knew must rest, she needed more time to recover, he on the other hand must confront whatever lay in wait now. He knew this was only partially true, there were several reasons why he wanted to take this first step alone."

I hope you don't mind my asking why you frequently use comma splice (three in this quotation). Is this intentionally? To me, it's irritating and destroys beauty somewhat. You write so well so it seems so unnecessary.

I am enjoying your energy for feedback and remarks. I am glad you got the Age of Aquarius I loved the idea of Elizabeth lying back nonchalantly in the couch and making the connection with the 1960's.

On the point of movie climax's I think some movies suffer from director anxiety and the third act lacks that unutterable remorseless build BUT and this is the key, in a focused manner.

There is a moment of high tension when Janek breaks the news to Chance and Ravel that "he's on board." and Janek is completely wound up and just at the moment the two pilots look at each other and decide its not a good time to begin closing out the bet on the reason for the mission (and obtaining credits for a lap dance with Vickers). I liked that and it rounded out that first conversation where they make the bet the old man has come to talk to Martians.

When you are going in search of your creators some of it has to be humorous.      

I caught a spider crab while netting dungeness once. Very creepy looking. I also caught a rat fish the same day- creepy as well and aptly named. Never know what will come up from the ocean! 

Well, you need to build up (a lot of) tension so you get a "catharsis" at the climax. For example, in Jaws, there was a debate between Spielberg and Benchley whether Brody should blow up the shark as the climax of the movie (and it worked).

(The Age of) Aquarius reminds me of Hair and the hippie movement in the 60s and 70s. This was the age of Däniken and the abduction of the Hills, which is fitting. :)

chli

The ending of the movie is caught up with the core dilemma that Ridley's wrestled with. On the one hand he wants to make a fresh movie and is enjoying himself but gets pulled back by that part of his brain that is about advertising and the related perceived benefits of the franchise (and its tropes). 

I have the advantage of a not for profit project and can simply focus on story. If this "all about everything" then the two punch climax of the Roy Batty question leading to the main jeopardy and the subsequent saving of mankind for the second time in 2,000 years is not only enough but enables the viewer/reader to focus on whats really happening in the story. 

Your point about the Ripley/Creature stand off which was done brilliantly in two movies is well made. The Daniels/Creature riff in AC is the perfect example of what happens when you deliberately repeat yourself. 

As your in Book 2 its worth offering this observation from my original very long forward.

"The third task was to decide what the mode of the story telling would be. To some extent this is driven entirely by the narrative considerations and the big idea for the mythos but I decided to try my hand at making all the players routed in normality and then the horror would be in the ideas and the detail of the effect of creating a mutagen whose base sequence is artificial intelligence rather than have monsters and bad tempered big guys running around. It seems to me if you want to pursue a companion piece which is part of a narrative whole make the second piece function differently. I appreciate given the rigidity of a global film audience that is a luxury I can afford whereas the filmmakers cannot. Nevertheless to write an extension which has a different atmosphere is not so very different from the relationship between Aliens and A3 where the link was Ripley.

@ BigDave,

Let me be more explicit...

The world visited by the Space Jockey in the opening scene would be a world that has been devastated, wiped out by an Alien infestation caused by said marker. The SJ takes a skull of one of the former inhabitants and places it among his collection of other organisms and relics aboard his Juggernaut and leaves the planet.

The SJ then enters hypersleep while in his flight suit as the Juggernaut goes FTL on a long, long journey (maybe between galaxies). Unknown to the SJ is that the skull he collected has a black goo substance inside it. This goo is identical to what we have seen with one addition, it is alive. The goo breaks free from the skull, and the container the skull is in and infects the actual Juggernaut mid FTL - the bone like corridors, the blue-laser mist, the merging of SJ flight suit and its chair, the eggs; all because of the goo directly infecting the Juggernaut, the vessel itself.

The eggs in the cargo hold are NOT formed from the goo infecting organisms on board the ship they are a manifestation of the goo itself, they are pure, unfiltered. However, in the arm of the Juggernaut some eggs are formed from infecting an insect creature stored in the collection there, thus clarifying through inference (???) that the Alien in Alien and those in Aliens and afterward are not the same.

Beyond the narrative, other ideas I would include would be...

#1 - The Aliens POV would be similar to that of the Necromogers in Chronicles of Riddick, showing that while blind the Alien can sense its environments contours through echo-location, as well as the electric signals of the human body and the sound of our hearts and blood pumping around our bodies.

#2 - When hurt the Alien would repair itself using both organic and inorganic matter. For example, Alien gets shot and part of its head is missing. The Alien rips out someone's intestines and some wires and cables, placing them atop each other, vomits on them and then takes the slowly melting together intestines and cables and slaps them on its head. The 'stuff' once touching the head takes on the form of the missing parts of the Aliens head, as though its injury never happened.

#3 - The emancipated Alien, having been on LV-426 for thousands or millions of years went into an uber-hibernation, awakening once it heard, smelt and sensed the human crew. Its behavior would initially be cautious and about self-preservation until one of the crew gets facehugged, by which point the SJ-born Alien's behavior would become more aggressive.

To have Miss Vickers develop into something better is fine with me and also to get rid of the tumbling croissant. Perhaps the destruction of the juggernaut is enough as a climax but since there is no angry Engineer coming after Shaw, perhaps the xenomorph should have been “saved” for a final battle? On the other hand, it’s a bit tiresome with macho women . . . :)

It’s still a mystery about the mutagen and the eggs (and I'm not sure that the ovoids are "the lesser of two evils" :) ). I’ll keep on reading . . .

No problem BigDave!   It's a wonder anyone can understand half the fan fiction junk I scrawl. ;-)

@Gavin

'Does Earth or Mars have such a marker?'

Mars maybe.......find one buried under a sand dune .....or in a martian cave system.

Earth....Without a Space Jockey timeline........The marker could have subducted into the Earth's mantle long ago or just be overrun with vegetation?