Why Engineers Wanted to 'Destroy' Earth? Clues?

The Back Bone of the Movies Plot has been a Evolving one, the process which was...

*Ridley had a idea for how to expand upon Alien the Story about the Space Jockey but he and Cameron never got the chance to do this.

*Ridley had evolved his ideas and a meeting with Fox was made as Fox wanted to do another Alien Movie.  And so Ridley and Fox had brainstormed a Plot.... and then started the process of getting Writers in to put these ideas to Paper....

*Spaights was brought in to look at Ridleys and Fox's ideas and then go away and make a Draft, which was then a case of back and forth between Ridley and Spaights evolving and changing things until we had the Final Alien Engineers Draft.

*AT THIS POINT... They had the Solid Foundations of where they was going.....

1) The Space Jockey was a Ancient Humanoid Alien Race, who had created and played a role in Evolution of Many Races in the Galaxy, Mankind Included.... we dont know the reasons for this as it was never revealed to the viewers via the Drafts.

2) At some point the Humans on Earth had started to rebel against their Gods (Engineers) who had evolved Mankind over Thousands of years, Technologically and Genetically.  But Mankind had grown to be a Race who would start to not Worship the Engineers in the way intended and they also started to behave in ways that the Engineers Original Plans never intended.

3) At some point the Engineers had started to work on and conduct experiments to create and evolve Evil Biological Warfare that they had intended to us on Earth after a certain point in time 2000 years or so ago... we (Humanity) and gone to far, become too corrupted and there was no way back.

4) These Bio-Weapons however ultimately back fired and got out of Control and put a stop to the Engineers on LV-426 and the Space Jockey was one of those unfortunate Engineers who had suffered at the hands of his own Bio-Logical Warfare.

*Mainly Fox but a bit Ridley, felt that maybe Spaights idea was a bit to Xenomorph and they wanted to cover the Engineers a bit more and reasons why we was created and to be destroyed.  But the basic IDEA is still the same.

*Prometheus was shot but then edited and things cut down as if to go for a change of plans as far as the whole Engineers, who are now not Gods but serve under a other Race/Power.

But these themes still seem to lie at the bottom of it all but its how they now choose to detail them.

*We was created for a Purpose, but was this against the knowledge or wishes of the Hierarchy.

*Was it with the consent/knowledge of the Hierarchy, but a faction of the Engineers chose to give us knowledge forbidden and evolve us in ways not intended and to worship them.  Was the Hierarchy aware of this Act....

*Were the Engineers created for a Purpose, and they had rebelled against the Purpose and then Mankind was created by the Hierarchy to replace us.... The Engineers got jealous and set out to corrupt us to then also become something that displeased the Hierarchy.

SO TO ANSWER THE QUESTION...

Up until what ever ideas they had Prior to Alien Covenant, Mankind was Created for some purpose and most likely something to do with one of those above...

But then mankind had proved to be Wayward and Rebellious ourselves, the more Free-Will and Knowledge we was given led us to think more and only about ourselves and our own needs...  We proved to be a Failed Experiment and needed to be Eradicated.

But the interesting thing is...

Was we to be Destroyed because of purely what we had done?

Or was we to be Destroyed to cover the Tracks of what the Engineers had done...... (creation or manipulation of Mankind against the will/wishes of the Hierarchy?)

The way things are going, looks like the Black Goo was just another way these Engineers and their Hierarchy could go around and basically Reset a World for a New Start.

And other Disasters like World Flooding, or Cleansing in Fire are other things they have done in the past to basically wipe the Slate Clean and Start again..

However we dont know how far Alien Covenant will go to evolve or change things.

Thanks BD - nice summary of the time line, or back bone as you put it, there!

I'm not a big fan of the humans rebelling idea - not saying you're wrong - I just think even the slightest link to Christ (which was hinted at in the Spaights draught) and what have you is a big turn off for me, especially in a sci-fi context.  Given that they effectively created then developed us you have to ask, what did they expect to happen?  Still, this could well be the route they go, but I'm not feeling it, as they say!

I'm not too sure how I feel about another race or being(s) above the Engineers either - Elders is more a concept I feel fits in with the 'Alien world'.  Perhaps the wiser, older, more ancient aspect of the Engineer culture?  The idea that the 'worker bees', if you like, began experimenting for their own reasons and ended up either having to cover their tracks as you say; or basically, going too far and putting the whole culture at risk, thus creating the need for a conflict of sorts - which we may see the remnants of on Paradise - seem better fits to my mind . . .

If pushed, and this is purely what I would like as a fan without trying to hard to tie it all in; I would like for a faction or order the engineers to have gone too far with their experiments - reasons unknown.  This led to the outbreak on Paradise.  The Engineer culture had to then deal with both the insurrection and the viral affects of the modified goo.  LV223 was created as a way of testing and researching the latter and Earth was to be used as a live testing ground for research purposes unbeknownst to the Elders.  Perhaps there was conflict or sabotage that then led to the outbreak on LV223 and hence Earth life as we know it was saved by the skin of its teeth!  In short, the higher end of the culture stepped in to stop them once and for all.

What will be very interesting to see is whether the Engineer culture continues or whether the infection ultimately caused their near extinction!

Hope all that makes some sense?! :)

I have to also add that some element of mystery should remain about the engineers, but I feel that Prometheus was a bit of a Pandora's box - now I've been teased a little I kind of want the whole thing ;)

 

"The idea that the 'worker bees', if you like, began experimenting for their own reasons and ended up either having to cover their tracks as you say"

Indeed this is and the rest you covered something i brought up a long time ago... when trying to piece it all together depending what material and clues we use or dont... you can be drawn to a number of conclusions.

Some match what you suggest very close..

There could be some purpose to the Seeding of Life...  that purpose is maybe to lead to not Mankind though....

Further intervention... by some Engineers over and over maybe lead to Mankind... maybe this was something they did that they was not supposed to do.....  or maybe the purpose was Primates or some early Hominoid... but for what purpose?   But then again some Engineers took evolving them to far to get to Mankind.

They got found out and punished?  or they tried to kill us to cover their tracks?   Themes likes this and as you pit are maybe what could be happening?

Another could be similar... like the Annunaki Tale...  but changed a bit.... we had Godlike beings who had a sub-creation caste who performed some task (mine for Gold) that was a great purpose for the cause of the Gods..... these Slave Beings Rebelled....  and the Annunaki basically then just created Mankind to replace them....

We could twist this... in that what if the Lower Caste Igigi created something else a sub-creation of their own.. to then bare the Toil or Purpose.... instead of themselves... replace Igigi with the Engineers... and the Toil more than Mine for Gold and maybe something Sinister...

Engineers create Mankind to replace them for this Toil... the Engineers Hierarchy find out..  a War occurs... something is created and attempted to be used on the Engineers backfires...  Engineers Hierarchy wiped out and thus no need for the Toil/Agenda.... The Engineers are Free..

But they dont need Mankind to bear the Toil now.... so what to do?  with the Engineers Hierarchy/Creators Gone... the Engineers are now the Gods..... and so they set out to then subjugate Mankind get us to Serve them.... they teach us stuff....

But then we begin to Rebel against them?  Maybe they never taught us too much... but then a rogue faction did... this caused another War...

I think similar theme to these could very well be at play.