Prometheus is a prequel..please dont argue otherwise

we cant be 100% sure that what we see will be related to Alien ...or are just the same tools , the same universe .... Probably ...at 90% ..is a sort of prequel ...but they always insisted its not . what if at the end the derelict explode ? you will kill yourself in the theatre ? because the derelict and what there is inside is the only possible link to the Alien story ... of course they are both in the same universe .

It's pretty much been established that the events that take place in "prometheus" occurs before Alien, ....it is also set in the same universe....it's like a spin - off....not part of the alien franchise...at the same time it almost kinda is....but not officially. It's an almost kinda prequel....but not quite a full blooded prequel...if that makes any sense....I try my best to explain...but apparently i have a rather low IQ..;)

Prometheus is NOT a prequel, per se. It is a... the best phrase seems to be "spin off".

It's not even worth debating this little issue until we actually see the movie!

I guess they just didn't care to call this something like 'ALIEN:ORIGINS'. Even if the links are tenuous, I'm happy enough that this is definately a true 'prequel' to the original movie (and it's sequels) in every sense of the word...even if the makers seem to be trying to distance it from some of the original subject matter a little. 'Derelict'-style craft, check. 'Spacejocky'-style seat, check. That'll do for me, even if we end up seeing nothing like the 'xenomorph'-style alien in this, after all.

"Prometheus" will have it's own life, yet share a little bit of that with Alien...of course, we will not know until it comes out and over the course of the months as the date draws closer, see more trailers but for now..speculate...theories and hope is all we have.

The Alien creature only came along because they ventured into the derelict ship. So what people need to do is stop at the point before Kane gets slapped in the face by the hugger and LOOK at everything before that Thats what this film will be about - How the Jockeys, the eggs, the urns, the spacecraft, mankind loads of things came along. I know my idea is a little flawed but i think people are getting my point???

One thing I am almost certain of....it will explain were the creature from alien came from and why it ever came into existence......that alone is enough for me!

i agree ...a movie cannot evolve into "pretty solid alien DNA" without the alien itself

@ Frantz Yeah...but will we even see the alien?.....that one will only be revealed once we see the movie....plus i am expecting it to look a bit (or a lot) different to the Xeno's we all know.

Sorry to correct you Frantz but Ridley keeps saying "strands of Alien DNA" not "pretty solid Alien DNA". Which in all honestly could support the possibility of the link between Prometheus and Alien being the Space Jockey's and the Space Jockey's only. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying I wouldn't want to see an Xenomorph in Prometheus, but if there was one wouldn't that make this an Alien film, not something separate as Ridley states it is. Regardless, and for the sake of sake, if there was a Xenomorph in Prometheus IMO it would be the one born from the Space Jockey pilot of the Derelict (please no-one mention a Queen, it makes no sense). I don't think we are going to see the Xenomorph's genesis in Prometheus, because IMO that would ruin the mystery of the creature and definitely make this an Alien film, which it is not meant to be. Remember Damon whatshisname said "...if we did a sequel to Prometheus, it wouldn't be Alien.".

If Prometheus want's to not be a disastrous flop then it is gonna have to function as a stand alone movie....I am confidant that it will...so anyone...even those whom are not familiar with the Alien franchise can appreciate it...including a xeno won't really hurt the plot or movie...those not familiar will go...oooh, cool scary creature....those like us who basically worship the franchise (or at least part of it)...will go...OMG....it's a Xeno!!!!!! Having a plot with a huge and epic scope that mainly focuses on our origins is kinda refreshing...(Actually not even...this is a whole new movie...a separate idea) ....if the xeno's appear....it will be a cool cameo IMO....but I am to scared to anticipate anything.

I think it's really an issue of splitting hairs. It's not a prequel in the sense that it does not utilize the characters from the previous films, or explain their origins - a prequel, like a sequel, directly relates to the work it preceeds or succeeds in terms of plot and character development. To be the most 'fair,' and to not mislead less-informed folks who will see this thinking it's a direct prequel, it is a movie set in the Alien universe that takes place before the events of Alien. Much in the same fashion that, say, an author like H.P. Lovecraft utilized the same mythos for each of his stories, but never made their plots run into one another. Prometheus isn't intended to be a book-end for the 'Ridley' saga, and thus is not a prequel in the strictest sense.

@ Manndroid - good way of putting it.

Here we go again...... The inspiration to Scott was to tell the story of the being[b] from[/b] ALIEN It has the same type of ship [b]from[/b] ALIEN (Derelict) It has the same type of SJ Chair[b] from[/b] ALIEN It has the same Gigerish designs of tunnels[b] from[/b] ALIEN It has the same company[b] from[/b] ALIEN (yes I know Yutani hasn't joined yet) The teaser is designed like the ALIEN trailer. The logo comes on the screen like the ALIEN trailer. It is set approx 50 years before ALIEN. So can someone please define what a prequel is? Is it a prequel only if it has the ALIEN in it? Is it a prequel if it only tells the story of the Space Jockeys? Is it a prequel because it is set before ALIEN, but has all the elements from the ALIEN universe in it and tells the story of one of those elements? For me it's obviously a prequel,a prequel that explains the origins of certain creatures from ALIEN.

the fact that tell us what the SJs are is not enough to define it a prequel ..more a spin off ...but i think it will evolve in a quite solid prequel of some sort ..maybe ...maybe not

Spin Off, is probably the best way of putting it, until we know 100% with hard evidence that the Xenomorph is in it, then we can call it a prequel. But, we know that some won't do that.

[quote]@ Snorkle Spin Off, is probably the best way of putting it, until we know 100% with hard evidence that the Xenomorph is in it, then we can call it a prequel. But, we know that some won't do that. [/quote] Even if the Xeno is in it, but the story doesn't lead to ALIEN, is it a prequel or a spin off?

@ Theusprom - IMO, no. Good point, but some would argue otherwise.

i think we should call it a prequel if it set the "stage" for Alien to happen

This discussion is getting complex now... Frantz, one could argue that because the film is set before Alien and in the same universe that it "sets the stage" for Alien. Thus we are back to square 1.

Whether its a prequel or not, it takes place somewhere on the timeline of the alien franchise, by speculation the forward part of the timeline. Therefore in my book thats all that is needed to make it a prequel, if it takes place in the same universe with the same species and roughly the same movie elements we saw in the first one. Then its a prequel in my book, it doesnt have to have every single aspect of the first one to be a prequel.

If we take a look at a dictionary, we find this: "a literary, dramatic, or filmic work that prefigures a later work, as by [b]portraying the same characters at a younger age."[/b] If we also look in other franchises - such as Star Trek, for example - you'll see installments (in this case, spin-offs) of the series utilizing different characters or times. These are not sequels, nor prequels, though they can still touch on the origins or conclusions of elements from other series. Relevant, here, is the Space Jockey, or Alien. Though they are creatures, they are - in the literary sense - not characters,

@ manndroid - I don't think that helps any lol.

yes of course is subjective ...for me set the "stage" is -a derelict to explore on LV426 ( why and how ) -an xenomorph life form ( what they are ) -a space jockey dead on a chair ( how and why ) if we see that things happen in Prometheus then i will call it a prequel ...if not then is a movie set in the same universe .

Prequel or not, we all can agree that this movie obviously takes place in the same universe with a company from the first movie and it all takes place before the original.

Well, it seemed to me that there we two major sides of the argument. One is insisting that because it reveals information as to the possible origin of a species or event in a later film, it is a prequel. By definition, this does not fit the requirements of the term. That's like saying every book an author writes within the same literary universe is, therefore, a prequel or sequel - despite the word insisting on the need for a [b]direct,[/b] flowing sequence, in this case connected by characters. A good example are Robert E. Howard's Conan short stories - also known as serials. Though they [i]do[/i] utilize the same, central character, none of the stories directly preclude or succeed an event in any of them. One can read one without the need of reading another. None of us has seen Prometheus yet, thus, none of us can say whether it stands on its own, without the necessity - or at least, the suggestion - of seeing any film in the Alien series. The driving motivation there, of course, is the progression of the character Ripley. Characters always connect a work.

@ Manndroid - its a good job you didn't mention the final fantasy games. Whoops.

@ Snorkelbottom - Simply because something is marketed as as a sequel, doesn't mean its creators did their homework to make sure what they were doing actually [i]was one.[/i] Along the way, putting a number after something that sold well means more money. Also, the designers and publishers of Final Fantasy are japanese, so I don't believe they were keen on scrutinizing the English dictionary - or western literary practices - before creating their software. ;)

Actually, now that I think more about Final Fantasy, the more it seems less like a sequel naming mechanism, and more of an 'installment' or 'volume' nomenclature. "This is the 11th Final Fantasy game. This is the 12th one." Etc.

Ah... But they have the same enemies, magics etc. Yet each own is unrelated in terms of story, despite this, which is contradictory.

Prequel or not, I really hope we don´t see any Xenomorphs in Prometheus. Like Scott told MTV "The alien in a sense, as a shape, is worn out". It would be such a step back in terms of innovation - like a singer performing his earlier tracks to satisfy the audience, even though they mean nothing to him anymore. Gigers Alien design was truly groundbreaking and genius, but this movie is going in a different direction.

I think the best, BEST example are the Indiana Jones Films. Do you consider them sequels/prequels? Because they are serials. The plot of one does not feed into the next, despite utilizing the same character(s). This is where the 'seq' in sequel comes from; sequence. Time itself is a sequence of events. Thus, sequel implies [i]direct[/i], or dependent, sequence - you need to see the next movie to know how the plot established in the first is concluded. You could see a single Indy film, and it works on its own. This goes along with my Conan story analogy. "But Manndroid," you say, "Prometheus' events explain the initial circumstances in Alien!" - and yes, you might be correct, but the sequence of events has been broken because of one, key connective tissue - main characters. As for Final Fantasy - like I said, it's a like a volume convention. Things in the same world or style will have common things, such as - in this case - magic, enemies, naming conventions, etc. However, it's a different world, with different characters, and a different story. You could say that every Final Fantasy after the first game is a spin-off, ad nauseum.

I need to sit down.

Have some coffee. Take mine. I've had [i]way[/i] too much.

I think we all have.

How about we call it a pre-off, or spin-quel.

From the modern oracle called Wikipedia: "Like sequels, prequels may or may not concern the same plot as the work from which they are derived. Often, they explain the background which led to the events in the original, but sometimes the connections are not as explicit". According to this, Prometheus could qualify as a prequel, right?

Wikipedia, lol, you sir are banned for your blasphemy. Ergh, Wikipedia, I feel sick now.

Lindelof said "If there were a sequel to Prometheus, it would not be Alien." so prometheus should not be alien prequel ( even if i think it will be )