If David is a Robot, Why Was He Eating?

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Data (electro-mechanical) said that he consumes "supplements" necessary for his systems to function. Perhaps David is doing the same. In Bladerunner, I remember Priss eating human food but then the Replicants were biological based were they not?

Ash drinks milk Bishop eats corn bread Call drinks Battery fluid David eats baby food Yes, Androids drink and eat. I wonder if they use the toillet

I heard someone say that he was eating a small computer disk or floppy disk or something. whatever he puts in his mouth is black and circular.

Remember when Holloway asked him why he was putting his helmet on? And he replies something to the tune of "Because it makes me seem more human like." So that humans would feel comfortable around him. Perhaps eating was another part of that, and he couldn't control it, even when there where no humans awake and around him? But I do like the "supplement for his systems" idea better though, I just don't know why I do lol........

BTW. Cherry 2000 had sex too. But she got broken.

Here is the info I got from the Wikki; "[i]Those androids designed for close social interaction with humans are able to eat and drink, though they gain no nutrients from anything they consume. Food and drink is broken down in an artificial stomach cavity, and the resulting liquid is expelled via a retractable catheter. [/i]" ~Alien Wikki-->[url=http://avp.wikia.com/wiki/Synthetic]Synthetics, or "artificial persons" of the Alien universe[/url] I personally, never thought they needed food; Call and Ash only ate/drank to hide the fact they were androids from the other humans. Bishop never ate the cornbread, he was serving it. He did not have to hide that he was an android everyone already knew. David ate and drank more than once in the movie, he also snacked on some popcorn/granola-like substance and milk while he was watching the movie. I think he was eating so he could feel more human, it was part of his learning process and part of his developing his own personality. Notice he is left handed too, which is strange because if he is so perfect why make him left handed which is considered a flaw. It's all about the quirks. :) **The replicants in "Blade Runner" don't really count here, although I would assume they would need food because they were biological in nature.

Svanya: good god woman!!! didn't Bishop even eat a tiny bit of that delicious looking corn bread???!!!! lololol

@David 1; Nope, but he did clean it off the floor after Ripley tossed it in her fit of rage. He does lick his finger after he cuts himself, so maybe that lead to some confusion with him eating.

It shouldn't make any difference to David what he looks like,,being an android...but he does take on the appearence of Peter O'Toole.. Has there been any indication that Peter Weyland had an interest in Lawrence of Arabia and passed it on to the David programmers?

I agree with Svanya that he was likely eating and drinking out of bowls and glasses while watching media because that's what single humans so often do. If I'm not mistaken, he was drinking a milk-like substance (likely the same thing that is used in the viral video to "activate" him when he's being unpacked (It flows UP the tube as if being pumped in before his first 'jerk' of awareness.)) out of a cognac snifter and having tapioca or similar out of a bowl. I believe that tapioca (the real variety) was used by the props folks in the previous films to make everything messy when Ash and Bishop were ripped apart. In the fictional context, I suspect that these are gels (the tapioca balls) and liquids (the milk or "milk") that make his "tissues" seem more alive and realistic. It makes perfect sense to me that they might need "flushing and replenishing" from time to time. Tapioca, (‹‹‹ [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapioca]click[/url], if you are not familiar with it), is sometimes erroneously referred to as "rice pudding." It's also often eaten in Asia chilled in coconut milk as a dessert. It can be delicious. I also recommend [url=http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=nata+de+coco&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=l7H8T-_xJtSzqQHRtdGLCQ&biw=1264&bih=630&sei=nLH8T_n4FMvNqAGHptSLCQ][i]nata de coco[/i][/url] with coconut milk and pineapple. Quite yummy and a fascinating texture too.

@sukkal; It did look like Tapioca pudding! Also, it did occur to me that Ash was drinking that the latex fluid as well, I mean no one really looks to see if someone is drinking milk or not so it could have been anything in his and David's glass. In his first meal we see David drinking what looks to be wheatgrass juice, later on we see Ford (Kate Dickie) drinking some when the crew wakes up and are eating breakfast. I think David was just mimicking human behavior to an extreme because I am pretty sure they would not stock food for an android to eat for a 2+ year mission, seems like a wasted resource. As for Tapioca, its delicious. Boba tea is my fave drink on the planet. xx

Boba tea is Boba Fetts choice of tea. He told me so.

to me it was simple and it was stated in the film in an undertone of inuendo in discussions between David8 and the others especially Holloway. At one point he seems to feel slighted By Holloway or underminded by him for this type of behaviour and says the answer to the OP's question...thusly... [quote]I was designed like this because you people are more comfortable interacting with your own kind. If I didn’t wear the suit, it would defeat the purpose. Holloway: "Making you guys pretty close, huh?" David8 "Not too close I hope".[/quote] It is so He and They All have a better more comfortable sense of each other on board and in country .

@Spartacus; But what people are pointing out is David was alone when he ate, so no one saw him, it had nothing to do with "fitting in" or making humans comfortable it was something he enjoyed doing all on his own.

again imho, it is so David8 can practice his human like behaviour and so he seems more like one of the crew which he has been programmed for {as evidenced by his adaptation and affinity for "Lawrence Of "A""}. he is doing what he did the entire film imho, following his "Weyland" impregnated Brains' Programming.

And...............LOL...I think Weyland wanted him to be that way so that the Human crew would be secondary and expendable to The Company's main mission like in ALIEN but at the same time susceptible to his human like qualites and treat him as one of them, making them all vulnerable to his WEYLAND embedded code.

@Spartacus; oh ok now I understand you, yes I agree he is practicing human behavior.

might not be the best word but I think I have something with regard to understanding him, it's all about being able to serve Weyland's Immortality search in the end to the best of his ability.