The Purpose of Engineer's Sacrifice!

Look at the game-plan we know of - A lone Engineer seeds life on Earth and other planets, life which eventually results in billions of individuals sharing almost the same genome of the Engineer that sacrificed itself. These Billions are then targeted, when large enough in number but not too technologically advanced, to become hosts for the Xenomorph. Why? No-one knows, that will probably be hinted at in the sequel. My thoughts on the why is probably reproduction... The Engineers are shown to be experts in genetic and bio-mechanical engineering. This is shown in various aspects of their technology. I suspect that they have altered their genome to such a degree that they are no longer able to reproduce conventionally, and clone themselves as a means to keep themselves from facing extinction. But the problem with using cloning in such a way means that no new DNA is introduced into the species gene pool, essentially halting the process of evolution. I suspect they seeded life on other worlds that would evolve into their children so that they could replenish their numbers, but I suspect something went wrong and some viewed their children as inferior. Thus they changed the plan and created the Xenomorph as a means of collecting genetic material that they could then add to their genome artificially, sourcing it from the eggs of the Xenomorph. Thats my two cents anyway.

I can see how the creation occurred.... I just dont buy the whole create a race and leave them to prosper for 35'000 years say, just to then test the Xeno Weapon on them... They could surely had captured some of us and bred us like lab rats to test the Xeno... I would go for the idea that... 1) We either did something to upset the Engineers 2000 years ago. 2) We was created without the main Engineers consent i.e a rogue fraction created us i.e stole from the others. 3) We showed signs of advancing and becoming more like our creators and they worried eventually we would advance to such a stage that we would be a threat to them. I just dont buy lets seed life on a planet just to then use to create the Xeno... I mean what the point of the Xeno? They are hardly friendly pets, its not like keeping a heard of sheep, they would be a threat to the Engineers. They do not build or make anything so cant be used as slaves, they have one purpose that is to kill and wipe out, it would be just like unleashing a colony of ants to wipe out other inspects within the same environment.

Actually the Xenomorph has two purposes when you think about it... 1. Propagate and spread using the indigenous life as host's. 2. Extrapolate genetic traits required and useful for survival. ...It is the second trait, which most people overlook, that I suspect holds the key to the why, as mentioned in my earlier post. Ultimately we are nothing but bred cattle to be harvested for our genes, to add to the gene pool of the Engineers... They create us in their image, harvest what they need while eliminating us before we become an issue, to further themselves - perfectly fine from their perspective, not so much from ours.

I still dont understand really.... what you say is the Xeno requires a Host to be born and it takes on traits of its host to adapt within its inhabitant. But how is this a benefit for the Engineer? If we take the Aliens idea, that like many insects a Queen can be created from the same Cycle of the normal drones.... What we have is a Organism that will then be able to create Eggs and the only way it would end is once there are no more Hosts left..... we do not know what kind of half-life the Xeno Organism has but have to assume that eventually they would die off.... a Cockroach does not live forever. But we see that maybe the Eggs can survive for a long time, until another unsuspecting victim comes across them and becomes a Host. As far as Alien goes if we go the deleted scene route then the Xeno can use Hosts to create something else, maybe Eggs but we would assume something to prolong or populate the Organism. Which again would bring us to the problem that the Organism must have some kind of half life, which we can assume if similar or same Organism is what killed off the Engineers on LV 223 because we see lots of dead Engineers but one left. So did that Engineer kill the Xeno or what ever off, did the Xeno or what ever escape and go elsewhere or do they have a limited life span. As a weapon that would be idea.... But i just cant see how the Engineers would benefit, if the purpose is to create Eggs from which the Engineers make use of somehow this is a risky thing because the Engineers seem far from immune from the effects of the said Organisms.

Human beings as hosts for the Xenomorph? Hmmm ... I don't know. Sound a bit odd to me, but maybe Snorkelbottom is right. But then again .... Xenomorph didn't (or did they?) exist before events in Prometheus. My idea is: *Engineers, like Prometheus, stole high-tech form their Makers (we don't know who they are or if they really exist) and made us, human beings. *Engineers' Makers got angry and punished Engineers or made them to eliminate their product, which is us. I know it sounds simple and naive, but as I wrote, it's only an idea.

Huh? Why do you start with the assumption that this was a sacrifice that was a) on Earth b) to create life and you don't show any sign of having considered any alternative to that starting point. Is it because the film starts with this, just like the bible starts with the creation myth? Is that what led you to skip past any other interpretation? How about it's not on Earth? Did we zoom in from space, and see the sun, our moon, and some familiar continents? No we started from an aerial shot of an almost lifeless landscape, recognisable to Icelanders because it was filmed there, but probably supposed to be a generic almost barren landscape. (there was no Iceland billions of years ago by the way, it rose up out of the Atlantic due to volcanic activity. ) How about it's not to seed the planet with life? If that was what was intended, it seems very unlikely that by dropping one dissolved human into a waterall, they could have just taken a cell sample and grown a few million litres of human DNA and dropped a tanker load. How about instead, it's to simply a sadistic punishment, and the little bowl he was given to drink from, was to ensure he would not rebel again? If you are going to try to seed a specific genome, then how can you predict the results of doing it like this, especially when there is other existing life? (big patch of moss centre screen in one of the aerial shots - seems like a deliberate thing to include, and centre on doesn't it? ) As for Engineers and Space Jockeys. How does our perception of them change if the opening scene is not on Earth? Surely if it's not on Earth then there's no reason to assume that it happened 4 billion years ago? And if that's the case, there's no reason to assume that the reason their genome matches ours, is because we came from them, rather than the other way around. But if that's the case there has to be a different group, because humans on their own didn't leave this planet until the 20th Century, and we still only got as far as the moon. So if these grey guys come from us, there's still a group that brought their ancestors up to space, and we haven't seen them yet. Any thoughts on that?

To Hadley's Hope: a). Did I wrote 'Earth'? No! What I wrote was 'Earth-type planet' which doesn't mean it's our Earth. Next time read carefully. b). In my opinion it's obvious that he sacrificed himself to create life. Is there ant other explanation? Of course there is. Maybe he killed himself because of some kind of punishment. Maybe.

While "Earth-type planet" gives you a bit of wiggle room, you wrote ' to create us'. What's that other planet humans live on? I haven't heard of it. Next time write carefully.

I don't think that it's obvious that he sacrificed himself to seed life. I think it is very heavily suggested by the placing of the scene, by the second scene showing cell mitosis, and the third scene starting with the monolith (which I think was very well done and a great way to subtly influence the audience without saying a word). Did you spot the monolith?

Hadley's Hope wrote: 'What's that other planet humans live on? I haven't heard of it.' If (!) Engineers created life on Earth-type planet it means they created us, human beings, not only on our Eath. Engineers were space travelers. And as you know, space is .... huge. Do you thing there is only one 'Earth'? The phrase I used - 'to create us' - doesn't really mean it has to be only us, humans on our Earth. I assume that there are other Earth-type planets in Prometheus universe.

Ingwar, I'm not interested in arguing the semantics over whether it's us or something almost identical but not us. The points I want to make (and its not a personal attack, it's just picking at ideas and suggesting others) 1. The concept is ludicrous even without moss in the biosphere. It would be like going to Ceti Alpha IV billions of years after Kirk crashed the Enterprise, and while the life forms there might have space travel, I'd expect them to have built a replica of the Enterprise from all the crashed parts? 2. If it's not Earth, then it doesn't have to be way back in the past, and there's no reason to assume that Engineer was killed 4 billion years ago. It could have been the same morning that Shaw found the cave painting for all we know, but on one of the three rocky planets around 81 Eridani (an actual star, and one of the six in the starmap that this film 'borrowed' from the Hill Abduction case of 1961) Therefore they may come from us, once you add in a plausible scenario for humans to leave the planet, and be brought to some lab somewhere. Those elements are present. If you think I'm pulling this out of my ass, ask yourself, why use a starmap from a case of supposed alien abduction, and unlike every other myth they could cram in... it's the one thing never hinted at by any character in the movie? Even when the scientific method, and peer review would call for any alternative explanation of the data to be considered...

My theory is that maybe the engineers found a way to make mass destruction weapons like the aliens and xenomorphs but you have to sacrifice your own species to make them. So they go on other planets to create beings in their DNA and help them evolve faster then wait until their population has reach a certain number like 2000 years later, then fly a ship of black goo containers to make the Aliens. Earth was just lucky that the crew who came to pick up the containers had a mishap and got killed before they could set sail for Earth.

[u]My theory is that maybe the engineers found a way to make mass destruction weapons like the aliens and xenomorphs but you have to sacrifice your own species to make them. So they go on other planets to create beings in their DNA[/u] Or kidnap the locals perhaps? [u] and help them evolve faster then wait until their population has reach a certain number like 2000 years later, [/u] Perhaps, but more like 33000 years (oldest painting was 35,000 years old.) [u] then fly a ship of black goo containers to make the Aliens. Earth was just lucky that the crew who came to pick up the containers had a mishap and got killed before they could set sail for Earth.[/u] And the ship that left AFTER that one? The one responsible for the fact that there is a cave painting from Hawai'i only 1300 years old?

Hadley's Hope it doesn't matter is it our Earth or not. It's about idea. But according to one of the major Prometheus' plot (Engineers want to wipe out human race on Earth) I assume it's our Earth. I follow the logic. And like you I'm not interested in arguing.