The Xenos were made ​​in the image and likeness of someone or someth

but... if the waterfall depiction (or Spaihts earlier bug attack) is relevant, ALL LIFEFORMS REVERT TO THE HUMAN DNA format. That's what happened to pre-life on this seeded planet, right? That's the WHOLE POINT of Prometheus, right, that the Human Geneline is rampant throughout the universe, thanks to the Engineers' farming practises?

Maybe. But that doesn't necessarily mean the dominant life form in the universe is human. The Xeno forms are humanoid when hosted by humanoids. Maybe the carving in the cave is of the first weaponized, or Engineer manipulated Xeno. Or, a Xeno spawned from an Engineer after an attack or accident. I get the feeling the one in the mural is the first.

I also believe it depicts the very first one, but the first successful, artificially created one. And since they saw it as a major achievement, a milestone in genetic biomechanical creation and design, they honored it by putting up a mural in their "Hall of Fame of Biomechanical Sciences". The only weak point in this scenario is that I'd expect there to be more murals, maybe of test series, even intentionally different results and other by- or end products. Unless of course they dedicated this particular room entirely to the storage and presentation of this single type, [i]pure[/i] Xenomorph. But then again, if they'd have shown a variety of murals or depictions, the reference would have been awfully close to that secret lab in "Resurrection" where Ripley finds the previous, unsuccessful results. Ages ago, weren't there threads or comments where people assumed the ampule room was a kind of trap? That never worked for me. Why would they have a mural acting as a warning in there? As in "This is what you will eventually turn into when you touch those ampules!"

Forgive me for slightly going off the OP's topic, I'm still trying to make sense of that moment when the painting high up under the ceiling started changing from within. I'd have less problems to understand that maybe the chemical mix in the ampule room's atmosphere had changed due to the human's disturbance, but not the painting itself. As a result there could have been all sorts of chemical substances pouring out or condense from the walls and ceiling. Any thoughts?

I think the mural depicts the general format of the xeno lifecycle and uses the deacon as the primordial form since it is the one that is formed from the combination of an engineer and the black goo which is all they would have ready access to until humans were engineered, but it makes sense that they would used their own xeno product in the xeno life cycle chart, which is what the mural really is. As far as the theory that the original progenitor of xenos being similar to them analogous to the Biblical idea that God made man in his own image and engineers made us in their own image, it doesn't necessarily follow that the same thing took place regarding xeno formation. Its a certain type of logical argument that could follow but doesn't necessarily have to. This kind of thinking can and does lead to all manner of incorrect conclusions in the world. No offence to Shambala, as I usually agree with much that you post and this is not a bad theory here, I just disagree.

@nostromo001 No problem. I come to this site to learn from the thoughts of other members, not only to expose my ideas. @HAL 9000, Apparently the Black Goo no turning its victims into Xenos, Fifield and head from the Engineer are proof of that. In that sense the Hammerpede seems a bit random outcome. I just thought the Black goo is just a tool that collects DNA from an original lifeform, but the interesting thing is that the xeno creature is only possible through sex. So...The Infected have to mate with a woman before his head explodes? Well, the only thing clear is that the biological weapon was designed for use in humans (or at least to get the maximum power of this). My theory of this thread is motivated by a personal desire that XENO-DNA has a bigger meaning. With the paintings, I think it's a plot hole. I doubt that the writers had a scientific thinking about it. In fact it is clear that Prometheus is not a hard science fiction film, despite theories based on science that any fan can devise to prove or disprove the premise.

@ Major Noob, Then maybe the Engineers should not be so anthropomorphic. I like the design, but sometimes I see him as an arrogant way of establishing that a Creator or extraterrestrial life form has to be human. On the other hand I wanted to draw a parallel in the origins of the xenomorphs, thinking that maybe a creature inspired that design.

So, then the Prometheus (ampule room) altar piece acts like the original Giger life cycle, which wasn't in the original Alien film? [img]http://defectiveyeti.com/images/alien_giger_big.jpg[/img] Man, I'm confused...

Shambhala- my thinking, and this is definitely Just me coming up with my own stuff, is that the Engineers are cloned tools, and their form was arrived at much the way a pair of pliers is designed. Not necessarily a result of evolution, but of intent, and only approximating the form of their masters ( in my view, the SJ ). In this view, humans come about as a result of the Engineers trying to create their own self replicating race ( they, like the androids in Bladerunner, can't reproduce and have a limited lifespan, though maybe in this case measured in millennia). In short, the Engineers are someone else's inventions that got out of hand. Like David, very powerful. Unlike David, biological. This fits for me because everything in this universe seems to get away from their creators. Custodian- yes.

I disagree that they are just pawns because the way they carry themselves in avery hauty and pompous way of sorts. They are the ones who made the aliens and mankind but I dont think they are what your saying Major Noob I think they are a species who found out that DNA can be manipulated so just like us they experimented on other things for curiosity.

THIS IS NOT BLADE RUNNER!

Btw, I know this isn't necessarily what we are talking about in this particular discussion, but did the hammerpedes have acid blood the whole time or is it possible that the black goo did that? Personally, the latter of options is kind of weird and seems untrue, but, I just always wondered and never asked

Anunnaki- just using a familiar example. Certain existential threads run through RS's work, and they're easy to locate in his science fiction. Also, the Engineers are indeed magnificent, [i]to us[/i]. But what created them, and why? Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to diminish their grandeur. There's levels of everything, I'm just imagining the next species higher. Because its definitely there. And, not unlike Custodian, I'm still attached to the SJ, so I'm finding a place for them. I think the Engineers are the good guys, I'm personally not fond of the faction idea. Cuponator- my take is the goo bestows the acid blood.

interesting...thx

Major Noob, I keep remembering RS discussing the fact that the engineers engineered us and then RS asked who engineered the engineers, and the answer is God, God engineered the engineers. This is a close paraphrase of RS in 'The Furious Gods" documentary. So I believe it is his intention that we should go with in deconstructing his movie.

Like said before , I think the engineers are really the good guys, in a way scientists or Monks on a space expedition/some kind of biblical crusade to create not necesarilly life itself, but to create some sort of inteligent life, not just the human race . I have three theories which keep me busy: First one The Xeno-parasite/gene was used as an experiment , which got terribly out of hand thus creating humanlife in the proces, maybe, just maybe The Engineer in the beginning of the movie was being punished for the mistake he made, him being responsible for the accident, on the other hand it could also be a self sacrifice, an offer to the Gods for creating Life, to be one with Nature on the planet where they created/their new species. Second one The Engineers created Humanity with another sort of gene, than the Xeno-gene or they used another combination.To think the Xeno Alien is somehow linked to humanity just fascinates me.Xeno creatures/race is engineered differently than the Human-race, because thy wanted to make improvements which got out of hand. Third theory The Engineers are just looking for ways to create the perfect BioWeapon , it's Ironic how Humanity always seems to be caught up in Wars....Weyland somehow has more info than we think in Prometheus.

Dekkers, my (glib) supposition (for an alternative pre-Alien narrative) is that WEYLAND HAS MET THEM BEFORE, and was actually the young child who escaped them in 2001 to land on Earth (via some clever hyperspace hijack) that effectively 'soft-landed' Space Trucker's derelict egg-cargo vessel on LV-426. Was there time-travel involved in the 'landing'? Dunno. But my gut instinct is, "Weyland has met these Engineers before and knows their capabilities," hence his trip to LV-223 where there's something of a Military Base or Weapon Store. Why didn't he choose the Peaceful Faction to visit?

My guess is some weird Lust for Power, just like in all the Alien movies, Weyland seems to be in control of things, In the first movie it's about the crew of the Nostromo being used as bait, in the second it's about execution,the further study of the specimen at full allround capacity, In the third movie it's about testing a different kind of Xenomorphs , like the dogwarrior, about testing speed and endurance, in Alien Ressurection it's about testing somekind of antidote or cloning the Xenomorph to gain control of the creature/gene. To me all these movies have something that fascinates me......there is always somekind of bigger picture we don't know about yet.It seems that the Prometheus movie is the first part of the Story that is going to explain what is behind all this.I think it's Weyland, I know........., somehow it seems too far-fetched in a way, but it could be that the contracted the Engineers and maybe even black-mailed them, which could also explain a higher power behind the Engineers, The engineers are the Monks/Scientists of their rase , at least not the highest power, the flying saucer in the beginning is maybe the Autority punishing the Engineer by leaving him on Earth to Die.I think time-travel is going to play a part in the next movie, but it has to be kept mysterious, otherwise it could spoil the story if it's in huge spectacular way, there needs to be somekind of Mystery in tact.

Xenomorphs were made from high active DNA material (the numerus white capsules) and worms. The high active DNA material evolve alien worms in to Xenomorphs in a mater of days(weeks). As u can see that at the end worms are not fully evolved in to Xenomorphs.

I think it's the other way around. That's a stage the Engineers were experimenting with, the xenomorphs we all know from the Alien movies already excist, my guess is that the Engineers already know about them, but to further improve on the gene, the deacon is starting to become more fleshy/skinny, which gives me the impression, that they're getting there....maybe a few ingredients are missing in order to create a form of creature resembling their own image....and hopefully more controlable.Basically they're trying to create the perfect frankenstein Monster.