Am I seeing things (like xenos)?

The most EVIL phenomenon I've ever encountered [u]concretely[/u] in the [i]Alien[/i] universe is Weyland-Yutani and its corporate interests. They sent the Nostromo crew to their deaths in 1979 in order to acquire an “asset.” That’s about an 117% EVIL ranking on my personal scale (which tops out at 110.) If the xenos were engineered to be the most effective weapon possible, are they inherently EVIL? Or just ‘innocently really good at what they do’ in accordance with their genetic programming? If a colony of carpenter ants invades the walls of your house and is really good at thriving there and multiplying, does that make them EVIL? EVIL is always inextricably linked with INTENTION in my book.

The definition of "evil" also has a lot to do with perspective. Homesteaders and Native Americans would naturally have had quite different definitions thereof.

@artyoh, Indeed! And the same can certainly be said about any opposing enemies. Even the moniker ‘evil’ is a fundamental tool of war. I won’t be able to form a final opinion about the nature of the Engineers (and their intent) until I see the film. I guess I’m simply on the side of giving them the benefit of the doubt until I have that opportunity (and [u]perspective[/u]). ;•)

@Sukkal, damn, that's so true, we cannot forget about "The Company" either.

I too beleive the mural bit. Pictures speak volume, just like the "Star Map" found at several ancient civilizations. If they in fact left that drawing/map for those civilizations, then this has a similar effect. I believe it is more of a way communicating to us. I can't fanthom anything jumping out. I do see the Xeno creature in that particular mural and there must be a connection to the said murals to be shown. The other mural is that of the humanoid and creature.

@sukkal I like what you stated, very intriguing and I agree. But, the existence of living organism is a major factor, meaning, fire ants were alive prior to houses, they are doing what they are known to do. It is human nature to label such acts or events. Keep in mind that nature seeks a balance of some kind, the human element is where its gets compounded and complicated.

Maybe its Xenos that are pilled up in the coridoors or maybe its Space Jockeys, maybe the Xenos are what killed most of the Engineers/Jockeys off? Who knows... But i dont think we will see a single Xeno in this movie, the closest we will see is that Mural. I think we would see the Eggs and maybe a Face Hugger at the end in a scene that describes what happened in Alien, but then this scene may just be a flash back i.e not set at the same time of this movie i.e 2090's.

@40mercury, You are so right that “the human element is where its gets compounded and complicated.” But, we tend to elevate ourselves ABOVE the rest of nature on earth (and in certain religious belief systems, even beyond earth). In some ways the premise of the Engineers possible role in this film supports this idea that we are “different” (by having been artificially manipulated by them). But, the philosophical debate can always be escalated to a higher level. Ultimately, the Egnineers (as products of evolution within the known universe) are also ‘natural’ (as far as we know). So it may simply be their nature to experiment on/with us. And, as I've mentioned elsewhere, their civilization may have "run its course" and the last fragments of what they oncewere may be engaged in "desperate acts for survival." Even we humans have social (and moral/ethical/emotional) mechanisms in place for comprehending and forgiving acts of "evil" (= intentional harm) when they are tied to self-preservation and survival. It's also interesting to note that not all human cultures (and corresponding languages) have a word for "evil" that carries the same meaning as it does in Western thought.