Say What?

David said that he could "perhaps" read the inscriptions. There was a lot of writing on that wall. Perhaps it was the script of the sequel! Personally, I doubt that the concepts being described on that wall could be easily understood by a human. It's going to be full of weird alien stuff from their weird alien culture.

[quote]Perhaps it was the script of the sequel![/quote] -------- :D

But it wasn't described by a human, David is not human remember and no human could possibly remember ALL those languages. And David says "I belive I can" when asked if he can read them.

Meaning....given enough time I can understand them, but will I tell you? You may not be around when I do get around to deciphering them

I'm trying to figure that out. But somebody needs to ask some people who know all about this stuff, to please figure out what the writings on THIS PICTURE SAY: [url=http://www.prometheus-movie.com/gallery/view/img/117][img]http://www.prometheus-movie.com/media/prometheus_screencap25.jpg[/img][/url]

@Red Wolf Insufficient data. @zzplural Albeit the exchange was, I thought obviously, meant to indicate that David could read it perfectly well, or understand a lot more than, "not one thing at all", as a result of staring at it, I found his reply coy to the point of insubordination and found it really annoying that it was just left hanging, unchallenged by another character. If I'd been in some alien temple a trillion miles from home and the 'Droid Man answered my direct question with, "Perhaps", I would have swiftly tickled the back of his neck with a cattle-prod on full charge - that I'd be sure to keep very handy for when 'Droids start to get coy: either you can read it, or you can't, Tin Man. Furthermore, it wouldn't stand up that he couldn't understand the glyphs when they spent so much time setting up his proficiency in ancient languages - and when he could speak it well enough at the end to get his own block ripped off and used as a club: so maybe he wasn't as clever as he thought, after all.

Unknown...and we don't get but a glimpse of them, so that the audience can't know or recognize any symbols....I think thats an invented language on there.

Just see my recent post on this topic up there ^ for the screenshot Even invented languages can be figured out. There are people who dedicate their lives to figuring languages out and translating. We just NEED to reach out to those people and form a bond! With one exception and this is a big exception. And that would be...that if the text is figured out and all it turns out to be is a bunch of letters, and not a real sentence. Kinda like "qoweiroiwe adfl;ksadlk;sdlk adkflksdahg" which would be Ridley Scott shoving it in our face.

It says: "Dear Diary: Wow... it's getting preety lonely here after releasing Mr. Whiskers. I wonder if he is ok. I miss you Mr. Whiskers... wherever you are. p.s.: - awwwww don't be jealous Diary, you know I wove you. BOB." and: "ZARDOZ WAS HERE" and: "SJ GANGSTAZ" and: "You wanna have some good time? call 0950948392910289475" and: "Ladies Room to the right" ROFL

I fully agree with allinamberclad. When David's reply was "Perhaps-", my first thought was you'de damn well better tell us what it says or even might mean!! David was insubordinate for sure, by keeping this information from his crew mates. My take on the phrase "Invented language" is that it was cryptic looking hyroglyphs as set decorations. Not an actual made up language like; for example, Klingon. Possibly the writing on the wall is meant to assume that David can in fact read it, whereas the mural is beyond that door and is intended for us to see and regard it as something to recognize in some way (from the original) that David's character cannot.

In reality (in the context of the art department) it is gibberish in this film. It does not correspond to the spoken language created by Anil Biltoo, which is verbalized by the Engineers (and might actually one day appear on screen). In the fictional context David is likely able to read a lot of it. However, It may very well say something like this. [i]—Nekhratic Ampule Chamber— To the glory and honor of Xorattns, Scinatmaester of the IIIrd Evolution of the grandeur of the reign of Yran of Taramn. Caution. Contains bioquinoxic mutosa of the genera comun-transardm. Mutosa can spontaneously anstabilize in prohmanicular environments. Non-biopronen-secured personnel are advised to consult with Section 18, Dome 3, Office of the High Praetonatus before attempting entravolvation. Please ring 00111010A001011BB011BA00110111010 for more information.[/i] David's being "perhaps" able to read all of the writing is another convenient conceit that works well to keep his intentions ambiguous. The fact that all of these "scientists" do not demand that he do his best to read each word and produce his best guess for the meaning of each is a part of the filmmaking. "It's a movie, not a [congress on historical linguistics]" — Ridley Scott (and Arthur Max)

David -- never at a loss to capitalize -- conveniently opens the door to the BHC (oops) before anyone can think about calling him out on such a juvenile resply to a semi-pointed question. In fact, no one seems to have the nerve to call David out on ANYTHING, though he's supposed to be the "servant." Like when he opens the door despite Shaw telling him not to. WE REALIZE IT'S A MOVIE, RIDLEY. Not Earth-ending stuff here (well, the script notwithstanding); but a movie that Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie couldn't figure out.

David is Weyland's "son" and most belovèd of his father. This gives him a special status among the "equipment and instrumentation". David is one of the ONLY members of the crew who behaves like an actual human being for much of the film (and I don't just mean like a 'nice human being'). Knowledge is power and power is known to corrupt. Secret knowledge is referred to as "capital" in many contexts. David is rich and powerful. Only Vickers truly has insight into what he really is, but he remains an enigma even to her—because that's one of the tools that Daddy uses to keep her at arms length. David has [i]carte blanche[/i] to do whatever the hell he 'feels' (= 'calculates') is necessary or even well-advised to accomplish what his omnipotent father has instructed him to do.

Agreed. But none of the CREW knows Weyland is still alive (only Vickers & David)...

Flat out: David's behaviour is incompatible with his status. The fact that the behaviour regularly, consistently, goes unchallenged does not seem credible. I don't think there is any swerving it. I think it's symptomatic of a wider malais generate by numerous other, of themselves small, but collectively, significant, things. Using the present example, as I see it, if one character had simply said, "What?!..." When he made that ridiculous reply and if, [i]then,[/i] the situation had suddenly changed, this whole thing would scan - at a cost of 0.5 seconds of screen time. There would still be either ambiguity in whether David can read it or not; or certainty that he can and is lying; he will still have acted strangely and out of turn of his station - but surrounding characters will have been given just a little realism and dimension, while issues of "conceit" and "filmaking", remain untroubled and the whole 4 seconds of it has more colour.

Well said, Siggy. You have a way with words, like when you professed that "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."

He was introduced quite intentionally to the entire crew right up front as being the equivalent of Weyland's son. And, of equal importance, they don't know that Vickers hates him so much—if they had been informed of that, Charlie would likely not be the only one treating him like shite (for which, BTW, haughty Dr. Holloway paid a rather costly price). They are never told that he is there to SERVE them, so logically he wears his capital well; and they keep their "emotional" distance from him. The parallels to anyone who is "different" in the non-fictional world sync up almost perfectly. While David is everything that NO human wants to be (soulless), he is simultaneously what EVERY human wants to be: — Calm & In Control — Knowledgeable and Frighteningly Intelligent — Chivalrous — Favored by the Powers that Be — Eternal — Easy to Talk To — Useful — Innovative — Self-determined He is even what a lot of human strive to be after the expiration of their corporeal vessels. If you don't believe me, watch [url=http://transcendentman.com/]Transcendent Man[/url]. You'll get no argument from me that the humans could have been written better, in fact they may have been. And it could all come back in the Restoration cut.

@sukkal Wait 1 - he was introduced in the context of a robot substitute for the son Weyland never had: that is something very different. That is to say, "I consider this robot man the son I never had" - in context, is actually slightly patronizing and diminishing, and only re-inforces the fact that David is not human and, a little de facto, not as preferable as an actual human. That is [i]not[/i] to say, "accord this robot man the same value as you would a human who was my son. He is as good as human" - were that actually the case, it seems to me that it wouldn't be Ms. Vickers, a "daughter", Weyland seems to have a fractious relationship with, up there in her well-cut suit, running the show? I'm not sure it matters whether they were explicitly told he was there to serve them, [although I don't know how you know that], as it is quite obvious from his general behaviour, dress and duties - fetching Vicker's Martinis? He may be [i]considered[/i] a son, but he is plainly [u]not,[/u] an [i]equal[/i] - even to a human Weyland may not much like. He plainly, it seems to me, regularly, "acts out" - I don't think there is a swerve.

Sukkal, Everyone knows -- well at least in 2094 -- that androids exist to serve us. It is as well known as the sky being blue. Why else would Holloway talk to David so demeaningly at the pool table ("we made you 'cause we could"). Spoken like a true SOB to a "low-life" servant.

@allinamberclad— Interesting use of "swerve"... Granted, the crew are not told that "David is in charge." Weyland designates that "honor" to Shaw and Holloway (thereby undermining Vickers in the same way he "de-souled" David. (Open villain case, remove one rich old bastard and begin to bash audience over the head with said villain.) However, there is no reason for Weyland to relate David to him personally in any way (much less in the role of a "substitute son") publicly if David does not NEED leeway to "act out" as you've phrased it. David is CLEARLY a member of an underclass. But, we fool ourselves if we begin to believe that the members of the court don't fear the king’s personal eunuch. Access and favor are EVERYTHING. @Red Wolf — Charlie treats David like Pinocchio because: (a) He (Charlie) WAS put in charge by Weyland's hologram in front of the whole crew (along with Shaw, but he's the man...) and (b) He's a dick. It is convenient for him to be a dick, because that helps legitimize (a rationalization of) David's infecting him.