Weyland's prior knowledge and the Weyland/Vickers relationship

Well, it has of course been a recurring theme throughout all the Alien films (except Alien3) that "The Company" either knew things that the audience doesn't, HIDES things from those in the films -- or both. Assuming there are no further "backward" films still to come (though I'd wager hard earned $$ that forthcoming films cover some occurrences between the time Shaw/Holloway find the cave paintings in Britain and the time they all wake up in Prometheus), we should at least learn how/when/what WI learns about the xenos before issuing Order 937. Switching gears a bit, it will be interesting to see if further AVP films comes down the pike (they clearly left things open at the end of Requiem and there is news that a sequel to Predators is in the planning stages -- though I wouldn't expect that sequel to involve any xenos)...

One of the things I was hoping for in this movie was some hint of an explanation as to how "The Company" knew of the xeno in the original Alien ?? It has been "bugging" me since seeing Prometheus as there is only the mural to allude to the xeno as we know it.

WI always seemed to see the alien as something that they can contain......but every time they are wrong

When viewed from certain angles the Prometheus comes close to resembling a xenomorph. A little too close for comfort, if you ask me. http://www.prometheus-movie.com/gallery/view/img/41 B

[u]Engineering[/u]: I won't get into the part of your post where you talk about the crew being "test subjects" because for me that's connected to the argument amongst some fans about the behavior of some of the crew members and i don't want to tread in those waters. I will say this: tonight I saw "Prometheus" for the fifth time and while watching the film I thought about the notion that Weyland and people in his company had knowledge about extraterrestrial life prior to the launch of the "Prometheus". I say that because based on the "Timeline" page on the Weyland Industries website we know that by the time the ship leaves on its mission Weyland Industries has explored very deep space in the direction of LV-223. On the "Discover new worlds" page there's a piece of information about there being a company ship that was lost in a particular star system. There's also terraformed planets that are listed as being classified/off limits. It’s not unrealistic to think that during all of the terraforming that the company did they did not come across something that suggested/gave proof to the existence of a species other than our own? And really, why would Weyland tip his/their hat about that information? Add to that hypothetical information that which Shaw Holloway present to Weyland and one can see why Weyland would be willing to spend 1 trillion dollars to travel to LV-223.

"... how "The Company" knew .." The Company ws a 'chosen one' by the Engineers/Creators..because Weyland was the most exposed to the Universe outside of Earth...I mean if you are goiung to contact someone of another species..make sure that they can be controlled.. The storyline goes to show that even with an informed choice THe Creators/Engineers underestimated the determination/resourcfulness of the human race...and that will be displayed in P2..

OK, I realize this is a bit of a stretch, but Vickers is kind of a weird name to pick for the C. Theron character, right? Hmmmm...what else has the name Vickers? The only thing that comes to mind is the Vickers machine gun. Get it? *machine* gun. Ridley did say there might be two robots. B

Nice one, Batty. I too subscribe to the idea that Vickers is also an android.

"..the Vickers machine gun.." A google search of Vickers came up with your machine Gun suggestion. Hoever it revealed all of the areas of manufacture that Vickers was involved in. It turns out he was almost the Weyland of the 19th and 20th Centuries a precursur to Weyland himself. Vickers was involved not only in Machine gun amnufacturing but also: *Armour Plating *Ship Building *Automobiles *Aircrafts *Military Arms To me th lookingat the entire Vickers development it overlaps several Weyland areas. Perhaps Peter Weyland's daughter had a Vickers connection in her past. At the least Weyland could name his only daughter after a pioneer British entrepreneur. Talk about a subtle tie in to history.

That's a good point, Indy, but unfortunately in the end it's going to mean diddly squat because you're stuck within that "kids-in-a-cave" crap theory of Prometheus and therefore this insight you've had is virtually useless. After all, you've been having some good insights for six months now and where have they got you? Nowhere. Why don't you try and break the mold? Ridley has several times mention the idea of aliens coming down to earth and changing things for us, you know [i]Chariots of the Gods[/i] and all that which I don't put much stock in but it's not impossible. Problem is everyone is stuck in the Egyptian era (aliens built the pyramids) but no one seems think it could be happening in this movie's time period. Now Weyland would be a prime candidate. Child genius, born in an out of the way place (for Westerners) and brought about massive improvements in space travel and robotics (this is all from outside the movie which I don't like to put too much faith in but we'll make an exception here). Anyway the idea has support from some of the movies Ridley has recommended his actors watch. So this fits the general idea of what the movie is about - humans getting outside help ( I'm talking here technological development not biological - that's a dead end). So it's quite conceivable that Weyland could be one of those aliens sent to earth to give us a boost - an Engineer (not a space jockey - they're human). So let's look at Meridith Vickers. As you said it points to Vickers Engineering (which actually established itself in Ridley's home town in 1927). The engineering could point to Vickers being "engineered" - that is a robot. However, it could also link her to the Engineers. Meridith is Welsh and has nearly always been a male name until more recent times and it means "lord" - a very male meaning. According to Wiki (sorry) Meridith is also a name that has been associated with the name Merrick - the surname of the Elephant Man. And if you haven't already noticed there is a sculpture on a table in Vickers' pod that front-on is shaped very much like a juggernaut - perhaps as a clue to her connection with the Engineers (the real owners of that technology). Unfortunately, this train of thought and some of the clues only open up the possibility of an alien (in human form) on board - they are not evidence. In fact, Vickers is a very hard nut to crack and is probably not a good way into the movie. However, there is a way in - through Holloway - but you have to be prepared to look deep into Ridley's mise en scene and follow up and references/allusions to outside sources. Most of these allusions are to modern "myths" especially movies and TV shows most of us grew up watching. Running around chasing ancient myths might help a bit but it won't give you any answers. Sorry if you feel I'm preaching to you but what I've told you is fairly spot on.

"..mise en scene " http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/15points.htm I was not familiar with this term but found a link that was most helpful. I am aftraid if i look at each scene trying to analyize each of the 15 points mentioned It wil take 5 years to enjoy one movie! But now i have a greater respect for people in the video medium. So there may be a alien presence on board the Prometheus? It is clear(or I suspect) that there must be some additional alien/Engineer knowledge availible some crew members. Your pointing out Holloway as a possible candidate is curious. He is the one charactor that is hard to describe and for me to understand. He also disappears about 1/2 way through the movie. For me just about any suggestion has merit. They make me think a bit , something out of my comfort zone..out of the box so to speak.