Questions for the hard-core

As the murials upon the inner temple walls transfigure and begin morphing into black-like Substance, this seems to imply in miniature what is happening on a larger and literal scale outside with regards to the sudden change in weather patterns and atmospheric processes abound. Then the changing murials become even more consumed by the black coloring oozing down the sides of the walls. Cut to sand storm again and it increases in magnatude, as does the potential peril for our protagonist/ heroes.

1. It was probably just a plot point to conveniently cut them two off and wipe 'em out. I did for a time have a weird idea that the storm and the mutations of the worms were somehow connected though. 2. Yes, I reckon so. 3. Erm...other than to show that the goo is bad gear I think you're probably right there.

"..violent sandstorm .." I don't know about hard core...but the timing and strength of this storm is a convienent plot device.. To see it suddenly appeear..and happen to approach the Temple,,Prometheus area...well is suspicios It was certainly effective in splitting up the crew,,and start the decent to their destruction.. It has been suggested that David finding Slime on a control panel,,somehow activated the Sandstorm..

No, the PLANET IS HAUNTED, that was always my belief As soon as the Humanzzz arrive, the planet started PLAYING UP Right?

When entering a new planetary orbit, why did they not scan the fool thing to check simple things like weather patterns etc? Who knows, when you drive a plot, you do not show your hand as it were and make it so obvious that the audience goes... "where the hell did that come from...?" If the planet is known for foul weather, establish that point and move on. Then when it is necessary, use it like a prop that it is for the characters to play off of. I have always hated the fact that they spent all that money and time, and did not take their time to properly explore the ruins... They could have used the first day of landing to build the characters, make us care about them... and then on the second full day of discovery of the temples, tear them away from us piece by piece... torment us, scare us, but do not insult us with your poor timing and rushed agenda.

I think you have to have a seriously closed mind if you dont see that the onset of the storm and the disintegration of the murals (taking place at the same time) happens as a reaction to the acts and intetions of the humans... What shaw says is 'we must have changed the atmosphere in the room'. They did...but of course not in the way she seems to suggest. And then behold the way the changes in the room are crosscut with the onset of the storm.

galacticnorth, we're both on the same wavelength...

Opening the sealed room caused the ancient murals to begin reacting to the new atmosphere, but yes through their actions, humanity began the cycle of destruction over again on LV-223. The storm... was a little convenient and if you stayed in the temple you were safe from the storm, so why create it in the first place.... to scare you off... that does not work... Why not a real storm that would actually cause damage to the ship and the crew... not blow dust around. I see no connection with the storm or the human activity in the temple structure, but then again this screenwriter they hired had some very poor ideas for plot vehicles...

I was wondering if the 'Worms' that we see before their accelorated evolution into alien 'Snakes' had once started off as smaller microbes that hitched a ride upon the astronaughts/ explorers boots that had perhaps been aboard the ship all of the way. I know they may have sterilization procedures upon the Prometheus ship to screen out the majority of that but there are those rissiliant microbes that are practically indistructable to anything and impervious to even the rigors of the vacum of space itself. So perhaps they are Earthly microbs that hitched a ride and basically got transferred from one location to another. I think Ridley Scott is trying to hint at the idea also of 'Accidental Seeding' as well as intentional and he appears to be raising the idea of Panspermia playing a part in the seeding of worlds as well as alien beings travelling around the galaxy and intentionally doing it.

1 - No 2 - No 3 - Maybe

HyperNova, I am thinking if that room is so toxic why not have more safe guards than a key code and your in... and yes I would think that having any living life form in that room would be a very bad idea... love the idea of the microbes hitching a ride in. and again with the storm... a warning, a deterrent to all that may enter? No Our folks just bounced right in there and touched every living thing that could be touched, smelled, or zip locked and taken back to the ship... All that storm did was rearrange their hair, and create a moment of staged excitement...

1. The sandstorm was probably linked to the all conquering humans barging into the room. It was the Engineers way of saying, “Hi there. Pull up a chair and let’s have a drink.” 2. Yes. 3. Agree with joeymanic.

[u]patch[/u]: You wrote: "and yes I would think that having any living life form in that room would be a very bad idea..." The first time that I saw the film I thought that the worms appeared only after the booted human foot steps down on the area of soil where we soon see the worms. However, the second time I saw the film I caught that one can catch a quick glimpse of the worms in the instant before the the booted human foot enters the frame. Via the state of the "pristine" state of the ceiling mural and the decapitated head we are given the impression that prior to the landing crew entering the ampule chamber there existed some type of state of stasis. That notion is reinforced by the fact that the ampules begin sweating and then oozing Black Goo. So, were the worms themselves inert prior to David opening the door to the ampule chamber? Where did they originate? Were they a native species or were they "stowaways" that travelled to the planet via the boots of the Engineers or other species that had travelled to LV-223 prior to the arrival of the Prometheus? Is it possible that at an earlier time there was a release of Black Goo that caused microbes to evolve into worms? Also, if some of the fleeing Engineers that we see in the holographic video made it into the Ampule Chamber then where did they go? I'm not saying this as a theory but I sometime laugh at the notion that those Engineers devolved into worms. The more I see and think about this film the more that I think that in the crew of the Prometheus we are seeing a group of space travellers walk in the footsteps of a group of people (Engineers?) who when they made their visit to the pyramid also came upon some confusing events and facts.

1. Like @galacticnorth said that the storms timing and the murals changing is too coincidental. What if the storm was meant to trap the humans in the temple? The black goo was released as soon as the atmosphere was changed by humans entering the room. And so maybe the storm was meant to keep them in that room. @HyperNova..... very interesting theory. What if the worms were kept in there because the Engineers knew what they would mutate into once they were infected by the black goo? It may not be correct, but I think there is definitely some stuff in the movie that implies that the temple is meant to be a trap.

Why does shaw suddenly feel the need to bag the head ? Why was she in a hurry to get out of the ampule room ? What scared her so much. She didn't know about the storm at that point or did she ? Also what did holloway mean by 'just another tomb' ? Have they previously been to a tomb on the planet ?

... I do not see the temple as a trap at all. You do not park your space craft in a area where silly man traps exist.... but hey you guys run with it until you realize this, the simplest explanation is usually the right one. Those big mounds with heads on top were a landing and launching facility.

@oduodu....... They knew about the storm at that point. And Holloway and Shaw had probably been in several tombs already (not on that planet, on earth) and he was expecting to meet his maker. @patch I never said that they are not landing and launching sites, BUT that is not the only purpose of the facility. Its possibly a tomb of some sort, as mentioned above. It can also be some kind of worship room. And much more possibilities. But I think its pretty clear it is not an airpot.

As far as #1, not sure if anyone else has said this but the first time I saw it I got the feeling that something kicked up that storm when they changed the atmosphere in the ampule chamber. Everything started changing in the room and then it cut quick to the storm. That's what I've always thought. Not sure what or how this could happen but it continues to be what I choose to believe since my first viewing. What I choose to believe often changes in regards to this film though. **EDIT** Looks like GalacticNorth beat me to the punch. I really wasn't sure if anyone else believed this. Nice to know.

The scene is cut to suggest that there is a causal relationship between David opening the door and the storm starting, but I would not be surprised if that were NOT a part of the script's design. The storm was a convenient conceit that allowed all of these things: 1. General sense of danger kicked up to the next level. 2. Confusion that allowed David to freeze and sneak the urn into his bag. 3. Milburn and Fifield to be "left behind" 4. Iconic Skull-head shot on top of pyramid (that nobody bothered to even look at before going in. (We so stoopid! WOO!) 5. An "Oh my GOD!!" sandstorm scene. Everyone’s Mummy loves one. 6. David (all cool and collected and sh¡t) saving Shaw and Holloway. 7. David being ‘caring’ to Elizabeth after the incident while Charlie is an asshole. 8. Prometheus to "buckle down" for the night and ignore Fifield and Milburn — The weather outside is frightful, but the sex is so delightful... End of storm The worms were there because we can't see microbes. The goo needs to start with something that is already alive. It may not be technically alive itself. It might be like a virus. Mutated Fifield's return to the ship and all of that not playing nicely with the other boys in the garage was a TOTAL COP OUT, in my opinion. That kind of thing is designed to appeal to boys in their late teens. It was for a PG movie. ALL of that time and budget should have been spent on "things Engineer". Someone could have fallen into the cistern... David could have talked to a hologram... We could have seen Bob crash and get out of his elephant suit really cranky-like... ANYTHING but what we actually got with Fifield in the end. Lost opportunity... The ONLY thing that was interesting about that was the angle of his legs as he sat in front of the garage door, which NEVER should have been opened. More dumbness. Pure and simple.

I don't think the Ampule Room was a trap per se, but do interpret that the storm was a consequence of opening the door and then entering the room and meddling within. The Ampule Room wasn't a trap as such, but bad things did happen to the engineers- probably starting off in, or because of what was in that room. The storm enabled so much story activity to happen during and afterwords that it must be a plot device- and was put in motion by opening the door and messing with what was within. Although very confusing, the story wouldn't have moved forward without the storm. It was a transitional device/event. Fifield's mutation and attack provided more substance to the story where the black goo is concerned. David infecting Holloway was a parallel- with no immediate consequence to the story. Fifield's infection provided more action and was also a way to get rid of a few nameless blokes. David shouldn't have infected Holloway, but Fifield shouldn't have been allowed into the ship- just like Holloway wasn't.