Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

In the poem, the message is the only thing left in the midst of a desolate wasteland. "Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair"

It is a message from the king, warning all those that oppose him. I think david bombs the humanoid city and then sends a message out to the engineers to draw them in so that he can use his newfound army of neomorphs, etc to wipe out the rest of the engineers....

I feel like we are being misdirected into thinking that david has any ill will towards humanity, in fact from the prologue with him and shaw, it would appear that he has developed his own form of "humanity" himself, and i dont see him intentionally doing ANYTHING to harm shaw......

The covenant just so happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and intercepts a signal meant for the engineers. I would assume at this point that walter has also been given the special order that ash was given....it would stand to reason that they would have programmed all of their synths to respond to certain variables in a certain way, in order to benefit the companies agenda.....

So, it still seems people are ignoring the information out there. The humanoids on the planet that he bombs are Not engineers. David is attempting to wipe out humankind. Quoted by many during the convention screening a few weeks back. 

“The gods have rejected mankind as cruel, weak and full of greed,” Fassbender says in the trailer. “They are a dying species, grasping for resurrection. So they are leaving the earth forever. But their power is an illusion. They don’t deserve to start again, and I’m not going to let them.”

What I am getting at is those going off on wild speculation may want to temper that before they get their hopes up too high. 

Yes but there are usually things taken out of context and some misdirection involved as well.......i think they want us to think one thing while dropping clues the whole time that its not as it seems

And anyway, its all in fun......any theories that we come up with are only that until the film drops, so wheres the harm in speculation....and yes i said that david bombs the HUMANOIDS in order to strike the engineers.....i just dont see him going after humanity.......do we even know if it is for sure david who says this and not walter?

@kyleh

i like that idea a lot, particulary as one of the trailers shows a bald humanoid moving around the covenant.

bomb the planet, turn it into a deathtrap and rinse and repeat until all engineers are eliminated.

it explains why the people on the planet gather so eagerly and there is another ship there already, perfectly suited for docking.

i think the engineers show up in some way and cause the survivors a big problem.

The bald humanoid is indeed a female on the Covenant.  Saw the footage last night at Alien screening.

@Babylonxeno, yes i think that the humanoid city still gets regular visits from the engineers (they obviously have their tech) and david plays off of this, knowing that they will gather to greet the ship they think is the returning engineers. By bombing them with the black goo, he sets the perfect trap for the engineers when they do actually return.......i want to believe that david actually has only the best intentions toward humanity, despite some (circumstantial? Misdirection?) Evidence to the contrary

HappyXeno, yes David 8's revealed character traits get better every day.

"The humanoids are who are getting bombed are not, in fact Engineers.  I think you said this?  They may have been the race who created the Engineers & had them destroyed for learning too much/refusing to continue to die for nothing?

I keep thinking about 'Bob', or the last Engineer stroking David's hair before ripping off his head.  It was like empathy for a fellow created being who was being used by their creator to do the dirty work."

Yes, Cerulean Blue, I have referred to those on Paradise as Engineers and pointed out similarities in some technology but who knows for sure.

The planet was described as a "paradise" that the Covenant crew was diverted to and David 8 and Dr. Shaw said they were going to the Engineer home world...so that is where I come up with Engineers on Paradise in descriptions before.

Rick is correct in pointing out they could very well not be Engineers but another type of humanoid. And that planet might not be Paradise.

David 8 sure has hard feelings towards those below so it fits but I could have all of it wrong.

This is what i put on another Topic

David had grown to realize how cruel Mankind is, but with Shaw he had found the Good in Humanity, and so this is a lot like the Movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still"

He certainly started to see the Good in Shaw, we can only imagine how he feels about this, as its likely Shaws Faith that contributes to her Good Kind Nature.  This would pose a good question for David after no doubt covering similar Topics with Weyland, where his perspective of Creation is about Immortality and how he (Weyland) Aspires to be as GOD as a Selfish Act.. While Shaws connections to God, is looking at the Good in people.

This brings us to Shaws Question... what if they are no better than us.... which means the faults and wrongs of Mankind... David responds as long as they are No Worse.

We can maybe assume David however finds they are Worse, along the way.

He claimed while alone he learned of their ways, this can not be about their Technology... but maybe their Culture, their Agenda.

When David arrives he does look a bit upset, but to me its the Look of Revenge... so who knows what triggered this...

Engineers intentions for Mankind after David found the Good in Mankind, but failed to find any Good in the Engineers?

Or because something has happened or is happening to Shaw?

His comment is interesting...  "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair"

He realizes he is about to bring Hell down on these beings, that will cause them despair, he refers to them as Mighty because this is how they view themselves....

What does David mean by "Look on My Works"

The decision he has made, the Action he has taken.... or has he upgraded the Deadly Cargo to perform a different task?  This would explain the different effects to in Prometheus and indeed a modification to the Weapon would be Davids Works.

Looking into the Poem... (nice find by the way)

It tells the tale of someone from a far away and ancient place, who tells of the remains of a Fallen Empire a Fallen Creation,  that the Creator had decided to destroy.

The name of the Sculptor and creator Ozymandias, King of Kings!

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

To me it maybe appears to Gods/Creators growing displeased at their Creations, and feeling that as they created it, they have the right to destroy it.

I can only think thus David is quoting that back to the Planet of those who Created Mankind, in a Mockery to what they had intended (destroy thier own creations) and that instead.... they (Ozymandias, Sculptor, Creators) will instead feel the Might of their own Works (Black Goo).

Good observation BigDave.

"When David arrives he does look a bit upset, but to me its the Look of Revenge... so who knows what triggered this..."

What if Dr. Shaw died at the hands of the Engineers during the time before he shows up like this below? 

David 8 was "moved" by her compassion and logically pursue preserving Dr. Shaw somehow because of this redeeming quality.

Who knows..

Maybe...  While there are many possible outcomes to what happens to Shaw, we maybe need to look at in context to why would he be so upset and as if he wants Vengeance.

1) Shaw die during the Journey... if so is it due to Cryo-sleep failure, which is really Shaws fault as she wanted to get Weyland to Fund to go to LV-223 but maybe David could blame the Engineers for those Star Maps that lead Shaw to think it was a Invitation.

2) Shaw dies during the Journey from the result of the Infection, which again David is in part to blame, but then he was following Weylands Orders, and ultimately if these Engineers had not created that Place LV-223 then Shaw would have been alive.

3) She is not dead, but dying he knows the infection will take hold, he keeps her in Cryo-sleep while maybe he realizes if he takes out the Engineers, maybe he can find in the ruins a Cure?

4) Shaw again is in Cryo-sleep at the time of arrival, but David has gained a new insight into the Good in Mankind, and he finds out the Engineers have no Good Will etc, and so he wishes to Punish them to Protect Mankind.

Then we need to ask in that case, surely he would know about his Creations and the risk to Earth... why the SOS? That attracts the Covenant, and why those Experiments.

Something has happened to change David, and another thing is to consider who makes the SOS... David or Shaw or both and when?

Has anyone else caught the author of the poem? It's Percy Shelley. Guess who his second wife was? Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein; Or, the Modern 'Prometheus.'

Good Spot ;)

Interesting qoutes from these have been used, one by David and the other by Walter.

I wonder if Percy Shelly's Prometheus Unbound  will be loosely referenced?

Interesting that Shaw is wearing her Prometheus space suit in all the shots, except when she's in the cryo chamber and when she's looking out of the "window"

What if she's not looking into space, but out at the planet below? So it's possible David did in fact wake her up apon arrival after all, or it's a shot before she enters cryosleep. (Boo! :P)

Great post Ingeniero, will feature this. :D

"Has anyone else caught the author of the poem? It's Percy Shelley. Guess who his second wife was? Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein; Or, the Modern 'Prometheus."

I read where others wrote of this connection Raido and great observation. Qubism wrote an excellent topic on it here. 

Thank you for the compliment Svanya.

"Nothing beside remains. Round the decay 

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare 

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

And:

"There is nothing in the desert, and no man needs nothing".

Did anyone else catch the tie-in?

The poem is laced with a powerful irony. Time is the great equalizer. It has subdued the grandiosity of kings and now history's remains are laughable. 

"Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and Despair" has a duel meaning ~it hints at mortality.

All things must pass, as great empires fall, their remains are swallowed by sands and dust... Beyond all power at one time? Look upon these works now and despair.

I'm left wondering if we are not seeing the shadow of David's own downfall within these words, as part of the created order, on equal footing now with mankind, "searching for our creator". A soul...

"Mortal after all"?

I absolutely love where Ridley is taking this.