HiveMindedNovember 09, 2013I think the inability to procreate idea plays a much bigger role than we know, I'm convinced something is up with the Engineers losing the ability to procreate, and the harvesting of genetics. Genetics/certain abilities and traits passing on to the next generation, or step in a life cycle. That would be why it was such a big deal that Shaw was born infertile, something inherited from the genetics. Women showed up in our species, and in our myths the first men and angels were all male. Eve was taken from Adams rib/genetics and showed up in our species... If we're a copy of them, then they must have the x chromosome in them (although it could be repressed somehow like Vickers was by King Weyland) -- which leads to the possibility of Engineer females once existing, or that they started hermaphroditic like worms and aliens. Weyland was all about creating the perfect artificial son, he didn't want Vickers in charge of the company because he preferred having a son, but never got one. Had to create one. It was all about kings and the lineage/Weyland legacy/bloodline for him...
We see that there are many symbols of death and rebirth. The aliens in other movies have been shown to be able to regenerate cells. In Alien, when Ash makes the incision the face hugger heals itself after leaking acid. The facehugger almost has a little bit of immortality, through regeneration of cells. Which could be what Weyland was actually after all along, although he didn't know it. The Hammerpede can instantly re-grow its head, which is in contrast to the death/decapitation themes that involve the head, and are littered throughout the film and android themes from other movies. The Engineer head is brought back to life temporarily. There are pieces of immortality in the movie, but like Egyptian mythology and scarabs, it's all about death and rebirth. Regeneration of cells, re-attaching the android head to the body. Androids might not feel physical pain completely, "The trick is not minding that it hurts" when you suffer an injury that can be repaired. If David convinces Shaw to reattach his head, David really is one of the most immortal things we've seen so far...
That's why I do tend to agree the Alien was sacrificed, broken down, and then stored in the ampules to be prepared to be re-born. Re-weaponized, given another life and new life, after breaking down to such a level. In a way thematically similar to how the organs were harvested out by Egyptians and put into canopic jars to prepare things for the afterlife. ideas about achieving immortality through re-generating and death and rebirth..
Maybe immortality for some species is all about being able to lie dormant between cycles and to be able to go through a rebirth process. Dying and coming back after the sacrifice, like with Christ. The alien genetics were broken down, but then given a rebirth. When there is no environment it can go dormant, being able to be activated by environments, and able to hybridize with everything to steal the "perfect" traits of every organism human, alien worm, or otherwise that it comes into contact with. being shaped by its own genetics as well as the genetics of other beings, and the environment it is born into, ultimately determining how the hive turns out..
A sort of nature and nurture thing contributing to the aliens.
In psychology, Freud believed we all want to kill our parents and replace them, but maybe it is more like a mixture of nature and nurture that determines dormant and active genes, intelligence, phenotype/appearance, characteristics, personality, and gender...
We know the aliens are intelligent, but maybe there intelligence levels and outward appearance are both determined by what they come from, and the environment. This would tie into some of the psychological themes David brings up.