Is Covenant the Xenomorph homeworld you didn't imagine?

Great post, Gavin - I really like your thinking and the Thing and IotBS were two of the films that really creeped me out as a kid and got me into sci-fi!  Feel we could have a good 'natter' about this :) 

What is really interesting me now about AC is how did all the life disappear?  Was it there to begin with or was it just another outpost that met a sticky end due to outbreak thus ending in the destruction of all life - perhaps as a fail safe measure?

If it's the latter, who set off the fail-safe?  Engineer or other?

Clearly the plant life has remained and is still carrying black goo type DNA - how long has that been there?  Is it planet wide or located around David'Shaw's ship and caused by leaking black goo from them - a reinfection, as it were?

Perhaps you're right though - maybe this is the home world of the xeno but not how we would have imagined . . .

Personally, I doubt they have a home world in the sense that we humans do - I think they were created.  Probably some place like LV223.

How could they live/evolve?  They destroy the food chain and would basically exterminate it . . .

Definitely an interesting idea. I definitely always thought that a Xenomorph infestation would mean absolute destruction and barren worlds left behind, but a different approach seems possible here. 

If this is the Xeno home world, then I would imagine that the black goo is an engineer creation using Xeno (and variations thereof) DNA and what not. So this could have been a situation in which the Engineers found the world, came down and basically took over and then at some point things went downhill (Xenomorphs make a comeback and start wiping out the Engineers), so the Engineers had to wipe it out. 

OR if my theory that this planet was actually another world in which Engineers created humans, they may have not realized that there was a threat such as Xenomorphs living there. Then the Engineers came down and it ended in the catastrophic event we see hints of throughout the trailers. Or heck, humans were created there and then Engineers found Xenos and decided to drop them down there and see what happens. Then it goes too far etc etc.

No matter what, I think you have presented a rather fresh idea into this franchise, very nice!

great read and theory. the thought of unseen organisms taking over a planet silently and before u realise whats happening its too late is scary as hell. imo though id say that if the xeno does in fact have a homeworld, then this isn't it. due to the sheer aggression of the xeno species I don't see anyone managing to last long enough to build temples etc. I sincerely hope they do have a home world as I like the idea the xeno is an ancient species and the engineers discovered them while travelling the stars. but I think that it may all just come down to the black goo and its affects on biological organisms. but this is the brilliance of the alien universe, theres so many paths that can be imagined for those with an open mind. the possibilities r endless

Although this is all just speculation, it could be that the flora on this "paradise" planet carries traits of the Xenomorph such as acidic sap, hardened outer bark etc. But that all of this flora is self-propagating as evidenced with the wheat.

It's when fauna is introduced into the ecosystem that the deadly truth of this idyllic planet is revealed, sowing its seeds into the organisms and giving rise to a Xenomorph infestation, which as we know is designed to eradicate all hosts as it propagates and spreads.

Once the hosts are all exhausted, rather than a barren planet with a few thousand eggs you instead have what preceded the infestation, an empty let scenic "paradise" that may possibly be able to care for the remaining eggs (possibly explaining the root-like appendages found on the eggs).

Essentially the whole planet is a parasite, just waiting for the curious to venture within so that it can eradicate it. We think of a Xenomorph as an eight feet tall humanoid creature with an elongated, eyeless head and spindly tail. It could be that Ridley Scott has indeed taken inspiration from the creatures name, which means "Alien Form", and made it so that genetically and characteristically a Xenomorph can be so much more, even a god damn tree. 

Great idea again, Gavin, really!

 My only reservation would be why?  Why would an eco-system/organism evolve to catch a prey it has never met/seen?  There doesn't seem to be any advantage to it?

As once any eggs 'hug' their prey what then?  A 'mobile' creature is born but to do what?  What happens when the prey runs out? 

I suppose it could be looked an as the ultimate defense mechanism . . .

Not trying to be a party pooper as I really like the idea - just my ocd type mind trying to reason it out :) 

This is why I lean towards them being created as a weapon.  The role of the xeno is to wipe out a human type race.  

It's what great about the whole franchise though - the many variables and avenues that could be explored  . . . 

well said deep space, the possibilities for the alien universe r endless, all u need is an open mind and anything is possible. its an alien species after all.

When I think about alien (Xeno) planets I could imagine something like LV-426 but then we also got LV-223 which was different but in the same system (hence the LV name).

I didn’t really have any idea about how the home planet would look like but if I would have any then it would probably closer to LV-426. The idea that they make a planet that looks totally different from the planets that we have seen in Alien 1-4 and Prometheus is a good thing. One can imagine that different planets look very different compared to each-other and Ridley seems to be good at visuals.

One thing that I like about that Alien movies is that they are in very different locations. Being that the Alien movies have been around for a long time you got to have something new, and the environment is something that you can work on much freer compared to characters since it seems to me that the characters are more central to the story

For some reason this could be as close to the wooden planet that they will get in the Alien movies. The wooden planet was one of the unused ideas to Alien 3, that is the one that I am referring to. It will be interesting to see what threats that the planet has.

The idea of mutated spores seems to be a fascinating thing. It will be interesting to see what kind of troubles that they will cause (I am thinking about the thing that we see in one of the trailers).

“OR if my theory that this planet was actually another world in which Engineers created humans, they may have not realized that there was a threat such as Xenomorphs living there. Then the Engineers came down and it ended in the catastrophic event we see hints of throughout the trailers. Or heck, humans were created there and then Engineers found Xenos and decided to drop them down there and see what happens. Then it goes too far etc etc.”

That is interesting Cuponator3000, it is something that I hope they will keep unanswered. I am not sure if we really need to find out about that. Some things are better unanswered.

Well the xenomorph homeworld in Outbreak/Earth Hive wasn't devoid of life, maybe they landed on the desert region of the planet?

I missed this Topic, its easier to see WHAT is going on AFTER the Movies Release.

So we are NOT shown the Home-world of the Xenomorph as this is a Engineers Home-world that had been Contaminated with the Pathogen, which infected some Fungi/Spores.

Regarding the THING then i think the Pathogen and The Thing are similar. And so IF the DNA/Virus of the THING was to contaminate Water and END UP being released in Rain Fall then END RESULT would be the END OF ALL LIFE within Days/Weeks depending on how WIDE the Infected Rainfall has Spread.

Regarding Xenomorph Prime..... with the Prequels we have gone the Route that such a Place does-not Exist in TERMS of the ALIEN we encountered in ALIEN.

This does-not mean we CANT go and see a World that has been Turned into like Xenomorph Prime... we have NOT had a Conclusion to the Prequels and so we CAN-NOT go and ASSUME that the Derelict was the ONLY SHIP that was Loaded with the Cargo.... so other SHIPS could have LEFT and IF any had Deployed the Xenomorph on a World that had LIFE then over Years it would Certainly look like Xenomorph Prime.

BigDave

Xenomorph Prime as depicted in Earth Trilogy and follow up Dark Horse Comics, showed that the xenomorphs weren't top predators of said world. The xenomorphs had two creatures that actively preyed on it, delta wing pterosaur-like creatures and a vaguely grasshopper-like dog-things

I think I recall there being some form of vegetation depicted on Xenomorph Prime in Female War. The Xenomorphs were just common in the more arid parts of xenomorph prime and I just realized the topic was about Alien Covenant's planet 4 and not the Dark Horse comic's xenomorph prime

I think that YES a lot had been Explored in Comics, but its a CASE of if these are Considered Canon to the Movie Franchise, i think RS certainly saw them as Separate.

And i think thats the Preferred way were Comics can Expand into Alternative Realities and Introduce things to the Franchise, without being a Direct Canon.

But Canon also comes down to Personnel Choice, some people DO-NOT Accept ALIENS as Canon..... this in Part is because it Changed what the Xenomorph was supposed to be... but i SAY you have to Accept what your Shown, sometimes this means things that are NOTHING like what you Expected or Wanted... but then your also FREE to NOT go and Accept anything.

The Prequels are a Good Example... some Purely do-not Accept them as Canon.

I think that there are Fans who would LOVED to have seen where James Cameron was to have taken the Franchise, as he saw the Xenomorph as a Pre-Existing Organisms and would have taken us to a XENOMORPH-PRIME like World.

Where as Ridley Scott had Envisioned the Xenomorph as Merely a Engineered Creation... just that after 2015 they Decided to Change the Creator.

And so in these Cases then Xeno-Prime does-not Exist as FAR as a World of Origin.

This does-not mean that you cant go to a World that has become Overtaken by the Xenomorph and In-Effect looks like a Xeno-Prime.

The Derelict may-not have been the ONLY such Ship with a Cargo!

Has someone Tried to Obtain a Specimen but they Ended Up on another Worlds after it got out of Control?

I think when it comes down to Xenomorphs on Earth you have to be Careful it could be a RISKY PLOT.....  maybe it could be USED as a Event on Earth that led to the Destruction on Earth we see at the END of Alien Resurrection?  Or you could set it after the Events of Alien Resurrection.

I think to Explore such would be a RISK but more so depending on the Time-Line (i dont have much HOPE for the TV Series.... as far as HOW IT WILL EFFECT the Canon).

"I just realized the topic was about Alien Covenant's planet 4 and not the Dark Horse comic's xenomorph prime"

Yeah this was a Speculative Topic at the Time that was made by Gavin, and prior to the Movie Release so it was Speculating what we saw in the Trailers etc ;)

This does-not Prevent the Planet (Planet 4) from becoming a Xenomorph World, there are Eggs that remain and well they are WAITING for HOSTS... and it only takes a Few of them (Xenomorphs) before we get to a Outbreak (Hadleys Hope).... to TRULY have a Xeno-Prime it would seem the Xenomorphs would NEED a Massive amount of Hosts/Genetic Material.

Planet 4 may seem VOID of Life.... but this is NOT the Case... it would seem that a Radius to the Bombardment has been Eradicated of LIFE.. but Beyond this Area is Exists as this is WHAT we know David had Experimented with.

The SPORES just show that the Pathogen can Mutate Life to become something that PROCREATES a Life-Form that has a Connection to the Xenomorph, Deacon and the Neomorph is ONE Example.

WHY should this STOP at the Spores?  And so the Neomorph can likely Procreate and we have to think HOW... and in Order to Obtain a Neomorph... well there are Plenty of Spores that Remain... they just NEED a Organism to come Close and Trigger them.

I hope I don't sound like a broken record about the comics, I've spent alot of time in the Alien EU

I hope I don't sound like a broken record about the comics, I've spent alot of time in the Alien EU

I think the Comics to offer a LOT of Alternative Stories and Ideas and as you have pointed out before, some of the STUFF that in the Older Comics may Conflict what we see in Latter Movies but these Comics where Created prior to Certain things we saw LATTER in the Movies.... so they had EVERY RIGHT to Explore the OPEN ENDED Franchise that we was LEFT with at the TIME the Comics where made etc.

The Prequels do-not CLOSE the Door on seeing a ALIEN WORLD that Predates the Prequels, because EVEN if the Xenomorph came AFTER the LV-223 Experiments etc.   You still have the MYSTERY about WHAT was the Basis and Origin of those Experiments.

And so they could be Explored like what was Indicated in the Early Work/Drafts by John Spaights from 2010, which seems to IMPLY the Xenomorph and Variants are the Results of the Engineers Creation Tool used on some ORGANISM they had Encountered.

so you could Explore those Origins and introduce another ALIEN Species that we can see some Connection to the Xenomorph with but are NOT the Xenomorph.

And so you can go to this ORGANISMS HOME WORLD.

I hope the revamp ORGANISMS HOME WORLD will be similar to the older comics and not a stereo-typical mordor-esque death world