biggest worries and hopes about alien awakening and advice to ridley scott

joylitt

I'll raise my glass to that :) 

"Regarding the Engineers' culture, what if instead of leaving it shrouded in mystery you show it but making it so weird that is hard to comprehend..."

I'm down with that as long as it's executed right. Whatever Ridley has in store I'm sure we'll be in for a treat.

I also don't think we'll be seeing Daniels or Tennessee either if the ending of A:C meant anything.

Ridley Scott has apparently confirmed that Waterston and McBride will be back, but at this stage it's difficult to say if their return will be a red herring; bringing the crew members back would likely hurt the symbolism of Covenant, but it's not a foregone conclusion that bringing them back would be bad. 

How the hell would they get out of their pods? 

id agree about not killing daniels off between movies like they did with shaw but I say this only so we can see how she is going to be used in davids experiments. for me she cannot live for both the good of the story and the fact that her character sucked. the character was just awful imo and ended up just being another member of the crew as far as I was concerned. shaw had more direct connection to the prequel storyline.

my advice to RS would simply be to give the engineers a real meaty in depth backstory and to not show them in the same weak and easily dispatched species they have been portrayed as so far. iv pretty much given up on the rest of the film so all I want is for the engineers to be able to play their part and be given a respectful place in the movie.

I for one if Daniels and Tennessee will be back, I'll straight out skip the movie without a second doubt (even now I am very skeptical of what story is left to be told in the prequel series). I am in the minority that don't want to see her/them being experimented upon.

I think we need to see what david does especially with daniels to tie into the next stage of the xeno evolution. its obvious ridley is going with the 'david created the type of xeno we see in alien' path (which I hate with a passion) and given that the xeno in AC is not the same, there has to be something that david does to create the next form of xeno so I think we need the holes filled in. we didn't get any concrete answers in AC as to what he did to shaw and I don't see them being able to just skip the process a second time.

ali81

But is it not obvious from the fact that this xeno is less of a robot (without the tubes and such) that a synth will merge somehow with the "beast". The perfect candidate is David himself. Do we need to see this? No, because it is predictable and unoriginal.

So what he does to Daniels it is whatever. 

red0guy If a flashback to Shaw is used in Awakening, perhaps the flashback can be used for the benefit of Daniels and her connection to David

Is it known that David brought black goo on board?  Did I miss that in the movie?  If no, then creating a queen won't be on the menu for the next film.  

What worries me is that we will get another AI-focused movie. Now the damage is done but they can at least try to reduce it. Some people might like the focus on David, I don't. Fassbender plays the role well but it should be about the human characters.

Prometheus was more balanced in that aspect and David wasn't as evil as in Alien Covenant. Alien Covenant was good until it became the David show. They can keep him but put him more in the background compared to Alien Covenant to give more room for interesting human characters.

It should be more about the humans and they should be better done compared to AC and Prometheus. More character development sure and I also like that you mention the Engineers but they need to be made better compared to Prometheus. Before Alien Covenant I imagined an Engineer city with military stuff, religious ceremonies, and so on. The small things with the Engineers was actually interesting in AC so I hope that we will see more of that. Hopefully they will make the Engineers menacing and not like everyday people.

Keep the character development in the movie, not in clips on the Internet. This goes for the main characters so I hope that it won't do the same mistake as they did with AC. When you get more character development in a clip on the www compared to the movie you know something is very wrong.

Daniels and Tennessee could be kept in the movie but they need to be better written compared to AC. Maybe they could add some stuff to their personalities to make them more interesting. I am not sure how that would be done, I am not a script writer.

Getting the general audience to watch it is probably what is the most important when it comes to getting money to Fox so we will get another one. A lot of people that like the alien movies might watch it but they might not be that many compared to the numbers of potential moviegoers in general. I don't have an answer to how this will be done but it is something to think about.

Big Dave: I would have preferred if David wouldn't have had anything to do with the Xeno. I am happy that Shaw was handled the way she was. She wasn't as bad in the Crossing compared to Prometheus though.

The Engineers could be interesting but it is a bit disappointing that they are humanoid. I wish that they would have been more different, like space aliens or at least not as human like but that could change if they get them right in the next movie.

". . .  but they can merely Change David as a Re-creator of the Xenomorph and have him Evolve something that actually ends up being less Xenomorph than evolving more Xenomorph."

I wouldn't mind that. They idea of the Xeno as a result of a mad android just makes me so disappointed. I agree with Joylitt when he says that they need to change the focus.

Joylitt: "Regarding the Engineers' culture, what if instead of leaving it shrouded in mystery you show it but making it so weird that is hard to comprehend..."

I think that it would make a lot of sense and it would also follow the idea of Giger in that it will be difficult to tell exactly what it is. We didn't know a lot about the SJ after we saw Alien or the Xeno for that matter.

2) The Ultramorph idea was a Xenomorph type Organism Birthed from a Engineer, thus the Deacon is a Ultramorph to a extent.

Will we see Engineer Chest Busters? maybe.. but i think this would be saved until the connecting movie to Alien, if they are still going this route...

Will we see Xenomorphs that look like the Ultramorph Concepts? I really do hope so...

@Lawrence of Arabia

We can only hope RS goes back somewhat to his previous plans, as Prometheus did offer a expansion to a limited Universe, and i feel in the ideas leading up to the Prequel where the Space Jockey race was explored as being Ancient Humanoid Genetic Engineers who played a part in the creation of Mankind and all the God Mythos and Religion that we have on Earth.

I think from Alien Engineers, FOX had felt the Arc of the Space Jockey was really interesting and so this is why they got Lindeloff in to concentrate more on this and tone down the Xenomorph because well, the Xenomorph was just to the Engineers what the invention of Gun-Powder was for us.

There is more to Mankind than just Gun-Powder Weapons and so indeed FOX saw there was more to the Space Jockey Race than just being some Alien Race who happen to have created a Bio-Weapon Xenomorph.

This Back-Fired a bit because a lot of Fan-Boys wanted to see Xenomorphs or at least more connections, and we also have factions of fans who are not happy with the Not So Alien Looking ENGINEERS and never mind the role they played in Mankinds History.

They had tried to expand upon the Universe by concentrating on the Origins of the Space Jockey instead of the Xenomorph, which seems to have not fitted in much with a majority of fans.

So AC was a attempted to now concentrate more on the Xenomorph, and to not dwell on other elements of Prometheus, but they could not completely ignore the Engineers or David, and at some point they felt it would be very interesting to make it that David is the one who plays the KEY role in the Xenomorph Origins..  

A interesting move, one that expands on Davids line of thinking and the changes we see his Character has picked up from his Master..... but a change that  while being a Curve-Ball, has had the same negative impact on a lot of fans as the Curve-Ball that the Space Jockeys were Humanoid Ancestors by DNA

The Franchise is so Split now as far as Fan-Base that its going to be tough to please everyone, we saw AC tried to please all parties but actually ended up disappointing to all parties, as far as not quite offering what each kind of fan would want.

This is where FOX/RS now have to think... do they give in to the so called Fan-Boys... those who wanted a More Alieny Connection to the Xenomorph and Space Jockey, and who may also want to see Queens and Ripley again...

Or do they go back and have faith with the ideas they had when they had finished Prometheus...

Its a tough one for sure..

I think the easy way for FOX would be to open up on its Alien Marketing Site a Fun 5 Question Questionnaire about the Franchise and Prequels with Multiple Choice...  then they can gather Data to then Gage what Direction to take...

But then your not going to please everyone...

I think FOX may in hindsight, think the Xenomorph/Space Jockey Mystery should have been left at that... but then how can we just have had more sequel or parallel stories to Alien that deal with YES Xenomorphs... it would have been overcooked.

And so exploring the Space Jockey Race, and showing us the Experiments related to Xenomorph DNA so to speak, this opened up much more possibilities.

But i guess the reveal that the Space Jockey = Giant Humanoids (that ended up not so Giant) who go around seeding and terra-forming Worlds and played a hand in our creation... was just not to Alien not enough Gigeresque...

Then the reveal that by using the Tools that the Engineers had used to experiment and create Organisms/Bio-Weapons Related to the Xenomorph,  a Human Created Robot.. David went MAD and used the Engineers Bio-Weapon to Create the Iconic Xenomorph.

I feel these could both be considered a error of judgement by RS/FOX.

But we dont have to go, all lets give fans a Alien 5 etc...  I think they simply need to bring in a Race more Alieny who are above the Engineers and who posses very Giger Aesthetics and a Sinister Agenda.

@Thoughts_Dreams

You indeed do make a number of valid points,  there is a massive split in the Franchise as far as what Fans Like/Dislike.... i think AC has made some appreciate the Engineers more and want to see more about them... but also for some they feel its a direction that has allowed them to be brushed aside and down to business of the Xenomorph.

They have written themselves into a corner, because its a case of how to do they deal with Human Characters, without Brushing David aside, or Engineers and on the other hand... not having it all about David or the Engineers.

There is a story there... that could cover it all, but its one that would require more than a Single Movie... the Problem now is do FOX back a TWO-Movie Plan to get to Alien?

I think FOX feel the most important thing now is the XENOMORPH and i just hope they dont Shoe-horn in a Plot to Bring about Queens and throw in a bit of Ripley connection but i FEAR this is what they will do.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen, too many changes without considering how it affects previous movies and the Viral Marketing..

You raise a Massive Point about the General Audience, i have said this before, and that is that they could make a Perfect Set of TWO Sequels that one pleases Prometheus Fanbase Aspect the other the Aliens Fanbase Aspect..

And so if every person who visits sites like this or AVP-Galaxy, or who posts Alien Movie related Youtube videos or comments or watches them, Fans who own a few Alien Franchise Merchandise, who buy every movie on DVD/Blu-ray.

If all of these went to see a NEW Alien movie 2-3 times, Sadly it would not make a MASSIVE amount... and so FOX have to cater for a Story to bring in some of the General Audience to make up the $$$$ Numbers.

Its a tough one for FOX now..

I do have a idea of how they can dig themselves out though, and i will post this again soon.... and i kind of think it may be were FOX are taking us too.

Big Dave: Thanks for the essay. ;)

I am one of those that appreciate the Engineers more after AC, I never thought that would be the case before I watched the movie so that was a surprise.

You mention that people have their various likes and dislikes about the franchise but in one way that is good because that means that people think but in another way it is bad. The bad things is that it is very difficult for those that shall make another Alien movie because there is a risk that it will be a disappointment and a lot of people get mad. It depends on how you look at it.

The franchise has been around for so long so it would be a surprise if everyone would like the same things. Even in Alien related movies that I don't like in general or that I just find OK there are parts that I can appreciate. For example I appreciate Call in AR even though the movie as a whole is a disappointment. Fassbender and Elba were good in Prometheus even though it is far from my preferred Alien movie. Alien Covenant has Oram that I found to be an interesting character, way better than Shaw because he was still a believer and so was Shaw but they had different approaches to it. Oram seemed to be less fanatical about his faith. Walter was a part that I also liked about AC.

Indeed that is a problem, maybe they could use David in the next Alien movie but have him killed by his creation kind of early or half-way in the movie and the humans have to deal with his creation. This is a way that I could have done it if I was the director.

Maybe keep David to let it be more about the humans and the Engineers, that is what I wold prefer. Keep the Xenomorph as a link between the humans and the Engineers to give them something in common.

Yeah there is a lot that they could write about. In case they don't plan a four movie prequel series then maybe they could keep the less important parts in books? I am sure that this would keep some fans disappointed but it is impossible to please all among millions of Alien fans.

The Xeno only works if you have interesting human characters that we can relate to. Alien and Alien 3 got this right. Just having a monster won't work, I mean do we really identify ourselves with a Xeno? To me the answer is obvious. You write about the Queen, I think that it is too early for that. For me at least a queen fits later in the evolutionary chain, it is too early for that now. Right now as far as the time-line goes in the franchise they should use the egg-morph IMHO.

Ripley, well she could have been any interesting character really. Having Hicks a a lead in Alien 3 could also have worked. My point is that the franchise isn't about Ripley, nor should it be even though she is important to what happen later in the time-line.

“I do have a idea of how they can dig themselves out though, and i will post this again soon.... and i kind of think it may be were FOX are taking us too.”

Do so, I would like to read about it.

2) The Ultramorph idea was a Xenomorph type Organism Birthed from a Engineer, thus the Deacon is a Ultramorph to a extent.

Will we see Engineer Chest Busters? maybe.. but i think this would be saved until the connecting movie to Alien, if they are still going this route...

Will we see Xenomorphs that look like the Ultramorph Concepts? I really do hope so...  

possibly the deacon is the ultramorphs chestburster form.

Maybe.

But i think what we got is a Hybrid the Deacon is Born from a Face Hugger/Human Hybrid, so the resulting Chest Buster would have Human DNA, this is why it was born with a Placenta and why it has 5 Digits on its hands and feet, and why it had Enamel Teeth. And was born fully formed like a Mammal.

This is how i saw it way prior to Alien Covenant which shows us the Neomorphs are also very Human looking compared to Xenomorphs.  

I have mentioned this a number of times over the years, i feel the Deacon would just grow into a much Larger Version of itself, maybe some parts of it could Evolve so that it has Dorsal Tubes or maybe not.  But i expected the Deacon to grow into a 16ft tall more aggressive looking version of itself.

Something those working on the Fire and Stone Comics had foreseen too