Ultimate Plot holes/questions and answers debate thread

Damn, SpaceyFreak, you are trippin'.

I'm also going to add to Janus0104's thoughts on the DNA-question (question 15). Me neither being an DNA-expert of any kind just seemed to recall that the difference between chimpanzees and humans is not that great (according to [url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0831_050831_chimp_genes.html]National Geographic[/url] it's only about 4% difference) yet the difference in appearence is striking. Also, the difference between two humans is estimated to be at least 0.5% ([url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_genetic_variation#Copy_number_variation]Wikipedia[/url]). So if there's 1 - 2% genetic difference between humans and engineers, it still might count as a match. (Also, [url=http://genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask337]this article[/url] is useful for us dummies on human genetics.) Secondly, I also wanted to share a few thoughts on questions 26 and 30. Question 26 is why the Engineers would leave a map to their weapons storage. Well, we're not sure it is in fact a weapons storage. Also, another theory might be that it is not the Engineers that has left them as a map, but rather some other speices left them as a warning through different times in human history. On question 30 I just want to say, in what movie has a character ever run sideways? (Shaw didn't either). And also the turn in itself makes them loose some very valuable time! Corrections and other thoughts on these theories are very welcome.

Theory for #15 For what is known about human genetics as of now, scientists/researchers believe that a lot of our DNA is not used in gene expression. 1. It is believed that DNA contains a lot of redundant code in order to make sure that particular genes get expressed. 2. The segments that are used for transcription to mRNA are called exons and there are other segments that will be later be RNA spliced out (cut out not used) called introns. Exons are "expressed" sequences of DNA. 3. When DNA is being turned into mRNA some material at the caps/ends is sacrificed in order to maintain the important middle part from degrading. 4. Sometimes some DNA regulates itself and folds on itself in order for that looped part not to be turned into mRNA. Therefore my point is there are many regulation, modification, and degradation of DNA (genotype) to development of human organism (phenotype). [b]Although what if Engineers:[/b] 1. Expressed all of their DNA while we humans were designed to silence some gene expression in order not to be part of their species or have their attributes that they believe would put themselves in danger. 2. When an Engineer was sacrificed in the beginning of the movie somehow the elements of the earth or the black gooey stuff suppressed certain gene expression because it would create a species that would be better fitted for Earth environment. These are my thoughts of why humans and Engineers could possibly have the exact DNA match according to the movie.

To all Just a thought Somebody talked about Shaw hiding behind the counter when the engineer comes in . This is in one of the deleted scenes . Was shw drinking from a bottle maybe there ? Is that the reason we find a bottle standing upright on the counter after the lifeboat crashes ?

I really loved this movie but it doesn't make me blind to the issues. Here is my take: #2/4/7. He is so concerned about extending his life why risk it? If the mission succeeds then staying in stasis is the safest best route. His only concern is staying alive to buck the odds and find some way of extending his life. And oh, that is what research is all about finding something new. I'm going to assume that it was research that discovered the original life extensions. It doesn't have to be immortality (although that is possible) just adding a few extra years is enough. #9,10,12-14 Some of this is plausible IF you've never worked with Scientists. History is littered with researchers that ignore significant risks when confronted with a breakthrough in their fields. But certainly not in order to score an alien pet. Also any type of mission like this is going to have rigid processes that WILL be followed. Of course that's not how NASA would do things but I guess in the future we're all just much more reckless. 16. At this point catching a glimpse of the hammerpede scares them? They should have thought of translating this as soon as it was revealed that David could. Anything else is asinine. 17/18. Only that he is monitoring communications and he is the captain of the ship. Thank God this guy wasn't around during our Apollo missions to the moon. Anyone that is travelling in space takes minor "glitches" as a very serious issue. That alone would have kept his pants pulled up. 20. Cryo is not a brand new tech at this point. Side effects would be well known and if I saw that in a mirror I would be concerned. But minor point indeed I can see someone ignoring this. 22/23. Med pods only work on Males? I've read the different defenses on this and they are all pretty silly. Very weak sauce indeed. Next we'll talk about MRI machines that only work on Caucasian Anglo-Saxon males that make over $1mil per year. 28/33. Creatures of reason act reasonable. He's not afraid of them physically it's logical that even if aggressive he would gather Intel before acting, there's absolutely not driver for him not to. Well maybe he's just really a transplanted aboriginal, yeah that would explain it. 30. Because very few characters do in movies, it would kill the dramatic scene coming up. Again weak sauce just to setup a scene. 34. Who knows what nutrition it's designed to get from its host. Obviously it got some nutrition, if we use similar examples in the previous movies. 36. Pain killers and adrenaline (even improved versions) only go so far. Damaged tissue is damaged and will not be the same even if you are masking the pain. 38. Yeah that jives with the history of human exploration. Makes perfect sense, that's how we always do things when we go explore the unknown. Obviously not a single Eagle Scout in this group.

@Drakeequation Love that pic!!!!!!!!

Amen Drakeequation

Can someone clear this up? Why do the characters in Prometheus agree with the hypothesis that the engineers are "creators" of life on earth, and not simply visitors of earth? The only thing they have to go on are 35,000 year old cave drawings. Why this strange leap of a conclusion? Did I miss something?

moonman, it's not just you, i think we all misseD something.. there will hopefully be a reason someDay revealeD, like WeylanD alreaDy knew a lot more then was shown in the first movie.

[b]Maybe that is why use Guy Pearce with so much make up. To allow shooting scenes from the past.[/b] [b][/b] [b]And yeah, visitors would be a way more plausible thing with the evidence they had, unless those sunken city script and the Mars or Moon city comes into play, dating the city under the sea or in the Moon or Mars way back to a billion years ago...then they could justify that leap of thought which is inded weird to say the least...[/b]

@Nnyan My reponses to your responses (one by one)... #2/4/7: [i]He [Weyland] is so concerned about extending his life why risk it?[/i] Because Shaw convinced him that the Engineers could save him. Therefore, a safe bet as far as he was concerned. You don't know how long someone of his age could last in "stasis". He was down to his last few days of physical life when revived. It may have been unfeasible for a body in such condition to stay in stasis much longer. If that's the case, all this was his last hope. #9,10,12-14: [i]any type of mission like this is going to have rigid processes that WILL be followed.[/i] Well clearly it didn't. Remember who was put in charge by da big boss and the expectation of what the mission was all about: a couple of kids put there by Weyland to assist in the meeting of his makers. They weren't astronauts or military. Holloway's flaws have been discussed endlessly but it's worth saying here that Shaw issued orders on many occasions that were simply ignored. #16: [i]They should have thought of translating this as soon as it was revealed that David could.[/i] It is not revealed to the crew that David can translate the writing. He says "perhaps" when asked, the implication being that he actually can't at that point. #17: [i]he is the captain of the ship[/i] You might want to check out what the Captain of the Costa Concordia was up to when it sank. #22/23: [i]Med pods only work on Males?[/i] It was Weyland's gadget for his use only. It clearly did work in manual mode. For all we know it was set up (calibrated) for his personal use and nobody went to the trouble of installing software particular to females, you know, things like abortions. #28/33: [i]it's logical that even if aggressive he would gather Intel before acting[/i] He did. He's smart, and he figured out all that he needed to know in a few short moments. #30: [i]weak sauce just to setup a scene[/i] The tumbling Juggernaut was actually shielding Shaw and Vickers from a torrent of debris that was raining down from above. When things get tough, a long shot shows that they do head off at an angle as a last resort, despite the risk of being hammered. The strategy actually worked for Shaw. She used the ship as a shield successfully. Vickers may well have done the same except that she slithered and stumbled. #34: [i]Who knows what nutrition it's designed to get from its host. Obviously it got some nutrition, if we use similar examples in the previous movies.[/i] Agreed. #36: [i]Pain killers and adrenaline (even improved versions) only go so far. Damaged tissue is damaged and will not be the same even if you are masking the pain.[/i] It's not the same. Shaw is in a great deal of discomfort after the surgery and has trouble even walking. But it's the future, and in the future the stitching up can speed up healing as well. #38: [i]Makes perfect sense, that's how we always do things when we go explore the unknown.[/i] Read some of the other posts that have discussed this at length. The entire mission was Weyland's baby predicated on the absolute belief that they were going to meet their makers at their invitation. Space lasers and the like would be completely ineffective against an advanced alien civilisation in any case.

Ah, OK. It's making sense. To my earlier observation that Weyland, Shaw, Holloway and David are all operating under the assumption that they are on an expedition to find their "creators" and not simply some alien visitors: Yes, Weyland knew something. He had information about the engineers, but only pieces of information. When the archeologists find the cave drawings, Weyland knows exactly what they are. Weyland meets with them and I can imagine the conversation going something like this: Weyland: "Great discovery. Surely groundbreaking. Perhaps some alien visitors perhaps? Oh, by the way, are you sitting down? Because I have some interesting information for you. Here's what Weyland Industries has found..." blah, blah. The cave drawings were the piece of the puzzle that Weyland needed. Directions!. This explains why everybody is *strangely* convinced that they are on a trek to meet the creators of life on earth, and not simply some alien visitors that stopped by to say hello, which is the *only* thing that the cave drawings would suggest. RS decided to keep this information from us. He decided *not* to show us that the crew knew more than it was letting on. The sequel will undoubtedly show us flashbacks of Weyland's discoveries. We all have to remember what Weyland Industries is. It's a huge company that has been colonizing planets and moons in the galaxy, sending people to run research facilities, mining operations, transportation technology, tourism, agriculture (earth based, not alien), etc. But up to now, it's only found evidence of microbial life forms. Nothing intelligent. So, we don't have to go far out on a limb to make the suggestion that during all of these explorations of Weyland Industries, that they have accumulated some information about the engineers, AND, and has kept it very close to the vest. Also remember that the crew of the Nostromo in Alien knew absolutely nothing of the space Jockey "engineers", and this takes place 28 years after the Prometheus expedition. This means that the company has kept secret the entire Prometheus expedition, including whatever is revealed in the next two movies.

None had, if we follow strictly the movie...there is nothing there to warrant anything like they already knowing what they will find. Not even if we make The Company already in possession of the audio message from the derelict, as in ALIEN it was not said when they first capted the audio transmission...it would even imply they were only able to translate that (an audio message without any base to work would be impossible to decrypt) because they knew something about the Engineers, after the mission was planed to the moon we see in Prometheus. Maybe with proper restoration such happens....I find it revealing that Guy Pearce is Weyland...so surelly there are something more to be told by Weyland in the sequel...then we might also find those sunken cities on earth and Mars? Probably, and it would be more convincing as to how he put trillions onto what was a thesis after all (unless what is not told yet explains more...)

@voidhawk Yes, it looks as though you may be correct. After a second viewing, Weyland says this when confronted with Shaw in his cryo-chamber: "You convinced me that if they made us, then surely they could save us." That leads us to assume that her own *belief* in the engineers being creators of life, and Weyland's propensity to be somewhat superstitious himself was all that was at play here. He wouldn't have said that if he had prior information about the engineers creating humans. It may be that all of our imaginations on this forum are too creative and complex. The movie and subsequent sequels may prove to be somewhat more parochial.

Eh, I hope they do go for the more complex, for that would make Prometheus a lot better

[u]1)Is sacrificing one of their kind really the best way they have to create life on earth in the beginning of the film?[/u] No, this was the first plot hole. However, note that the engineer that sipped from the bad cup of moca was robed in simple garments. There were more like him. He was spawned from another intelligent source. This was the opening to a war beyond our comprehension and periphery. Our creation was a side-effect of biological warfare against the bio-engineered men in robes. [u]2)Why would Weyland spend so much money to fund a mission with no hard evidence that Shaw and Holloway's theories are correct?[/u] He had an agenda, and could have cared less about Shaw and Holloway. He wanted to live forever. [u]3)Why is Shaw portrayed as a Christian believer yet she forms a hypothesis that contradicts Christian beliefs?[/u] Christianity is assumed because of the cross she wore around her neck. Christians believe in Christ. There is no mention or implication of Christ in the movie. She did not believe in God in the traditional sense, hence her comfort level around scientific and implied religious conjecture. To her God was an engineer, and she would persist until she found "his" engineer and so on... [u]4)Why was Weyland playing like he was dead and hiding in cryo besides plot reasons?[/u] Major plot hole. However, he had an agenda which involved lying to his own corporate cronies, scientific, and ship crew members. [u]5)Why is Vickers being Weyland's daughter kept a secret?[/u] Don't know, but her snarky attitude kept that fact a secret for a while. [u]6)Why does Vickers even go on the mission when it's against her best intrest in regards to taking over Weyland Industries? It's not in her best intrest if other "sharks" are on earth plotting to take over the company while she's on the mission.[/u] A plot hole. She was a crab. Her reason for going was on of vindication, validation, and greed. The notion of sharks and corporations is a non-sequitor in the future they are from. There is no way a trip of this magnitude could be funded by tree-shavings (money). [u]7)Why does Weyland take the voyage instead of sending a probe and funding further medical research?[/u] It is the generally accepted position of the scientific community to put their own lives before others in the persuit of knowledge - especially where the origins of life is concerned. No probe would have posed the question better than Weyland did. [u] Why does Weyland think he can appreciate or understand immortality or the Engineers reasoning and capabilities when he himself states that his creatioin, David, cannot appreciate the immortality he has been given because he has no soul?[/u] Plot hole. Weyland lacked humility and was wet around the ears from both a scientific and practical perspective. Weyland could not swallow the fact that humanity was no different than David. Our soul is nothing more than an advanced routine that ran unchecked as a result of our own manufacture. His character was annoying and definitely void of any scientific characteristics. More impetulant, than smart. [u]9)Why does the crew rush into the temple instead of waiting for the pups to finish mapping?[/u] A plot hole. I agree, that this is a major flaw. An automaton should have been sent in to probe the inside prior to allowing personall into the structure. For all we know the structure could have been an instanteneous death trap to those who entered it. [u]10)Why would the crew remove their helmets when they admit that,[/u] [u]though breathable, it could still be dangerous?[/u] Plot hole. Another dangerous assumption made on the part of the explorers. The author of the movie had to fumble in a part where helmets would be removed simply to add to the suspense. [u]11)Why does David shine a flashlight at a hologram?[/u] Natural reaction. Flashlight in hand, hear a noise.. tendency is to light the area where the sound eminated from. [u]12)How does Fifield and Milburn get lost when Fifield is in charge of the pups?[/u] Plot hole. Another goof up by the author. They could have easily carried a portable renderer incase they were seperated from the ship. One can assume that the 2 hapless treasure hunters knew how to use the probes but lacked common sense. They got lost easily, and fell pray to their own stupidity. This is however a massive plot hole. The level of technology for the probes was inconsistent with technology of the ship, and their control systems. [u]13)Why are geologist Fifield and biologist Millburn not interested in the uber-important descoveries that the team make in the pyramid?[/u] Sort of a plot hole. They were treasure seekers with less brain power than that of an exposed worm. You will take note how easily their composure broke down when the scientists discovered the beheaded engineer. It is ironic that they should eventually be killed by a simple worm gone mutant. [u]14)Why is Millburn stupid enough to try to pet the hammerpeede?[/u] A plot hole. They are like the men with the red-shirts in Star Trek. The author had to start killing off people at some point. What best than to start with the weed puffing, dimwitted idiots with the hightech billiard balls. [u]15)How is human dna and engineer dna a match yet there are differences between them?[/u] Another plot hole, but one that merits a bit of common sense. Look at our own species. Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Hispanic, Black, White,..and so on. Our base gene structure is the same. The engineers DNA would obviously match ours for the simple reason that their physical configuration was the most efficient one for a class "M" planet like our own. [u]16)Why doesn't the crew ask David to translate Engineer writing when they find out there's a contagion loose?[/u] This is a plot hole. I would add that I would have probably blasted the head off the andriod the moment he started opening airlocks and activating controls as if he has prior knowledge to the place. 17)Why does Janek go to have sex with Vickers? Another plot hole. Simpliest explanation is that had a chubby for Vickers. Who wouldn't being couped up in space for a long time. I will agree that him walking away from his comrades after finding a huge pile of mutilated bodies was very dumb on his part.I would have stayed around in the least engaged a watch rotation. [u]18)Why does nobody get angry at Janek for dereliction of duty?[/u] Another plot hole. The crew was in survival mode, the chances of them fighting among themselves would have quickly diminished after having to deal with a mutation issue and other pathetic conspiracies on the ship. [u]19)Why does David infect Holloway for no reason?[/u] He was ordered (or programmed) to do so by the senile old man in cryo. He picked on the rookie scientist. A plot hole none-the less as it knew exactly what to do to unviel the contagen and introduce it to the hapless scientist [u]20)Why does infected Holloway act ok and return to the temple putting his girlfriend and crew in danger?[/u] Plot hole. I would have had my body frozen or destroyed after having seen an alien flagella wiggle in my eyeball. [u]21)How does David know what 3 months pregnant looks like in terms of an alien?[/u] 3 months in approximate size of a normal human fetus. The alien was obviously mutating much faster than a traditional fetus. [u]22)Why does David put Shaw to sleep when she asks him to take the alien fetus out?[/u] Plot hole. Surgery could have been performed to remove the fetus. I can't imagine a star ship without the most basic of surgery devices to handle such a scenario. The author fumbled with this one. The thinking was to put her to sleep and then turn her into a popcicle. [u]23)Why does Shaw not mention David's behavior to anyone after the c-section?[/u] Plot hole. I cannot fathom why she did not tell another crew member about David's seemingly erractic behavior [u]24)Why is nobody, especially David,curious about what happened to Shaw and her baby after the c-section?[/u] Plot hole. I think I would have been kicking a major stink after having the equivalent of a giant calimari taken out of my womb and having it stapled shut. I would have added that Squidwards cousin was still in the med-lab asking for mild. [u]25)Why does Janek assume that LV-233 is an "experimental weapons depot" located far away from the Engineer's home world?[/u] Plot hole. Major assumption on the part of a human who didn't think that life existed outside the Earth's atmosphere. [u]26)If LV-233 is in fact an "experimental weapons depot" why would the Engineers give humans a map to it?[/u] Plot hole. However, one can assume that the map was intended for the engineering scouting party. We figured it out and used it to get to the planet. Hence, David's familiarity with the control systems of the temple. [u]27)Why is the ships control system started by a flute and controlled with buttons instead of being contolled by a flute OR buttons exclusively?[/u] [i]"..Do cars start up when you push the gas pedal or stereo buttons? No. They start with keys. The flute is the key the Engineers chose...."[/i] Wrong answer, and Plot hole. My car starts with the push of a button, and/or my iphone. A key is a very rudamentary assumption. I agree, that the flute was indeed a stupid plug-in for an alien race that could manipulate DNA like we would a jig-saw puzzle. [u]28)Why does the awakened Engineer attack instead of finding out what's going on?[/u] Plot hole. However, one can assume that the "engineer" that fought back was simply a soldier or drone with specific instructions to deliver a pay-load. More likely a jar-head with little tolerance (and knowledge) regarding human interaction. Attacking us was no different than stepping on an ant for no reason. [u]29)Why do Janek's co-pilots offer up their lives so readily?[/u] A ship carrying enough mutagen to wipe out our federation of planets was no small matter. Anyone with respect for life would have done so. It's not different than a Marine snuffing out a grenade with his own body to protect a camp from being destroyed by it. The captains co-pilots were loyal to him. [u]30)Why doesn't Vickers run sideways to avoid crash?[/u] Plot hole. I have no explanation for this other than that the author really goofed up with this one. based on the flight path of the giant hoola-hoop. I am not sure how on Earth (or not) it would have a. survived the crash, and b. preserve it's shape much less manage to roll over one stupid woman in the movie. Pretty sad on the part of the producers. [u]31)Why does the Juggernaut fall straight down during the crash instead of at an angle?[/u] Plot hole. The author goofed, and/or assumed that half the audience failed physics 101. There is no way that the ship could have landed perfectly on it's side. The author had to invent a unique way to kill off the annoying Vickers. Personally, I would have much rather seen her sucked out of an airlock. It would have been more plausible. 32)How does a rock hold the crashing Juggernaut up, saving Shaw's life? [u]Plot hole. Again, the author failed at physics 101. The mere kinetic energy from the massive crash should have smeared her like a bug on a wind-shield. Totally, unrealistic. A person would explode into fine red mist if they got hit by the empire state building at 3 miles-per hour. A tiny human body vs. the stored energy of the building is pure fail.[/u] [u]33)Why does the Engineer go after Shaw with bare hands when there are more Juggernauts?[/u] Plot hole. The author had 10 minutes to kill. The best way was to magically resurrect another Jar-Head to go toe-to-toe with a simple human being. [u]34)How does Shaw's baby grow so big in a confined area with no food source?[/u] Plot hole. Hollywood aliens can grow to enormous sizes on a diet of air-cake and wind-pies. Totally bogus mistake. [u]35)Why does Shaw head for the Engineer's home when she knows they want to destroy humans?[/u] She's a scientist, and after what she went through deserved an answer. If given the opportunity, I would have done the same thing. Someone had to answer for the death of an entire crew, and an unexplainable storage facility with enough organic genetic material to make God look like a High School student - merits an answer. [u]36)How did Shaw manage to acomplish all the feats of strength and daring after a very painful c-section?[/u] Plot hole. It's Hollywood. It's the future - the shots she took were ultra pain killers. It allows people with massive box staples to run around the set like an out patient receiving a band-aide for a paper cut. [u]37)How did the Trilobite survive the sterilization process?[/u] Plot hole. One can assume however that the creature thought the sterilization process was like a shot of binaca. Fresh smelling and harmless. It was like spraying roach spray over a rhinosaurus. Utterly useless. [u]38)Why is the Prometheus no equipped with weapons to blow the Juggernaut up instead of having to fly into it?[/u] It's supposed to be a rip off the Nostromo alien ship. A clunky ship with massive thrusters and a cargo hold nothing more. Purely for exploration uses. As such there would be no weapons retrofitted.

A couple of additional plot holes. - Cheesey space helmets. They would have been fully enclosed with visual equipment. Much like iron-man's helmet - Plasma guns over blow-torches. Traveled lightyears from earth with blow-torches... really? - Crystalized storm did not bury the temple.. why? - The giant squidy in the surgical room. How? - Entire crew did not get infected by the alien genetic pathogen.. - Why not simply setup shop outside of Earth (like the moon or mars) and launch a counter offensive from there? Overall the movie, had more plot-holes than swiss cheese. It did satisfy a curiousity I had that question the bible thumpers and evolutionists together. What if we were simply engineered and deposited on Earth with enough data to not only continue our species but spawn other variations of species from the same genetic goop. Such a discovery would not be well recieved, if not funded in our current capacity. Such stellar trips would require a high degree of tolerance and a resource based economy to make it viable.

I have a question about the life boat. Why have a life boat that has 2 years of life, when it took them over 2 years to arrive at LV223? If a distress signal is sent it won't do any good. By the time they get there you'd be dead. Or, maybe Weyland has a second ship already on course for the planet as backup, just in case something did go wrong?

It *could* be that there's a second ship, although we do find out that the Prometheus expedition cost around a trillion dollars which may limit another ship coming. There also could be a ship on a colony closer to LV 223 to send a ship from. Who knows.

Propose better answers for 5 and 7. 5. Vickers being Weyland's daughter is kept secret from the crew. That is why David referred to her as MISS Vickers so we know it isn't a married name. In addition, she referred to Weyland as an employer and never a family member. Finally, the captain asks if she is a robot. The reason? ymmv.....but I would guess to prevent the guys from going after her or even criminal actions. Overall, better to keep distance between people on such an expedition. 7. Weyland went because he was about to die and did not have time to wait for a probe. He needed a life extender asap which is why that was the 1st request David gave to the engineer.

Nanohurtz--all that. yes. i am new here and just watched the movie for the first time. i liked it, like the franchise, can't get over all the issues. my biggest issues: 1. if Weyland was a secretive recluse live-forever germaphobe (having his body sanitized/etc) why was he utterly non-chalant about a bloodied post op person running into the lab? yeah you discussed the odd lack of reaction--but what about his medical aversion to any pathogens she might--nay, CLEARLY was infected with? 2. why wasn't she afraid of them/David? she let david walk up and put a coat over her--all this after fighting her way to freedom, escaping to self-surgery. 3. why didn't anyone come after her? she had to fight to get away but was no pursued or reported from then on. 4. why did the surgery machine NEED to be "calibrated to male-only?" if the answer is "Weyland," then why wasn't it hidden away in his pod with him? why was it in Vicker's? 5. this is the biggest one--with 6--- why did the expositional hologram exist? say it was like security footage--ok. sure--but why did it ONLY display the negative "plot point" data? how did "whatever records it" know "this is the part that will matter most to future explorers in2000 years, we'll only record this segment of reality." likewise, why did it record the start-up instructions for flight? it doesn't even conform to the earlier presumption, as this would be considered mundanity on the part of the engineers. the ONLY reason that hologram exists is deus ex machina so David can "learn to fly these ships." really ham-fisted. really shoe-horned in. and 6. what would the Engineers even be running from? i think the presumption is Deacons--or Trilobites. but let's recap: we have black goo. if Engineers consume goo, they disintegrate into life-giving genetic nothing. kay. so where would xenos, trilos or anything else come from? nothing about this makes sense. the black goo seems to affect humans negatively in the mutation sense, but seems to just destroy the engineers on a cellular level. the ending scene with the deacon reveal has been set up to be the first revelation of the protoalien. so i think we can rule out they were running from deacons. what else could they be running from? Trilobites? well--to get a trilobite, you have to infect a HUMAN w the black goo, have that human blast his biz'niz into a ladyfriend, then she incubates a chestburster-trilobite, THEN that facehuggers onto (whatever). Engineers being sexless and lacking humans on the planet, seems like no trilobites would have existed. so then where do the hammerpedes come in? they do the same thing black goo does?? or do they lay eggs as well? all that is where things really unravel for me. "the black goo made humans! oh and also it makes humans monsters! OH but also so does this snake-alien! and OH let's have it make humans monsters, too! everything=human monsters! OH but also we need a chestburster too! but having that sexed into you WONT make you a monster. tasting a drop mutates your DNA; having that inside you is cool, no after-effects. OOOOH and the xeno! we'll throw that in, too." it all seems so cobbled together.

Regardding the answer to question #14. Fifield had tobacco, not marijuana in his spacesuit helmet breathing apparatus that was water cooled somehow.

Hello. Just watched the movie last night for 1st time and loved it. Don't mind all the unanswered questions but I do have one that nobody seems to be asking: About the glyphs, or "invitation" to the stars: 1- Why point humanity towards the moon where Prometheus took place? We know it's not the actual home world of the Engineers, so why "invite" all those ancient human civilizations to one day discover it? Would it not make more sense to point humanity towards their home world, wherever that is? What would be the purpose of inviting humanity to this scientific/military moon? Kinda makes no sense to me. Thought on this? 2- Am I wrong in assuming that the glyphs must have been left there by the engineers themselves, or at least made by ancient humans who had been given such knowledge by the engineers themselves, which in turn implies the engineers must have continued visiting Earth to follow up on humaity's evolution and provide them with such knowledge? There's no way humanity could have mapped those stars without direct influence. Simply sharing DNA doesn't explain that. Thanks, look forward to hearing other people ideas on these points!

@Skitzes I've always wondered about that as well. Why invite humans to a moon that literally has nothing but black goo on it, or is some kinda military outpost. Well the only logical explanation that makes sense to me is... when the cave drawings were done, it was about 15,000-30000 years ago. As Holloway states the last cave drawing they find was like 25,000 years old or something. Maybe the moon was being used for a completely different purpose back then. By time humans actually had the technology to travel there, the moon was a mere forgotten military outpost.

i would like to point out a lot of these explanations are not based on what you see in the film, they are speculatory user-manifested back-stories. i rewatched the film for the fourth time last night. more questions: why does the geologist start out w a southern accent but it goes away after his introduction? why would an android need "to learn" languages through lessons? wouldn't he, being a machine w a computer base, just be able to download information? why wouldn't the engineer's severed head decay? she carbon dates it at 2000 years (which is in and of itself impossible, RE: how carbon dating works) and it was in a dank, humid, water-drippy environment with visible worms crawling around. how the heck did that head stay nearly completely intact (save for some discoloration?)

@dontbesojumpy [i]i would like to point out a lot of these explanations are not based on what you see in the film, they are speculatory user-manifested back-stories.[/i] This entire website is user manifested back stories obviously. Who cares about a southern accent? David not being to download info, rather than learning it, is indeed a little strange now that you mention it. He should be able to download data like Neo in The Matrix lol. As for the engineer's head not decaying, it was inside of a sealed helmet, and when they opened the door and the murals starting changing, shaw commented on how the change in atmosphere was affecting the room. Maybe before they opened the door, that room was air tight, thus preventing further decay of the head. Only thing I can think of.

maybe david cant just download the information because he isnt designed that way! i thought they was trying to make the androids as life like as possible?

I have to argue the answer to #12, Milburn is never seen giving the mapping equipment to anyone, plus it appeared to me as if the "reader" was built into the arm of his suit. Also, you'd think that those suits could access the map data, if not have the crew left on board the Prometheus tell them which way they needed to go.

Yes please explain to me how the guy who's in charge of mapping, can't find his way out!

Just had a look to see if anyone else picked out the medi pod story hole. Why has vickers got this state of the art medical procedure machine loaded exclusively on board in her quarters for her use-but- ironically it is only programmed to male procedures? uhh?? A get-out may be that vickers is really a man,ha.BUt of course she's not.-and she had sex with the captain. So its there to serve a purpose in the film but its placement is illogical.