Xenomorph VS Protomorph

Pretty much agree. I lean toward the XM.

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Thanks for this analysis  BigDave.

IMO XM is superior to PM.

I remember that deleted scene before XM got Brett, it was swinging in some kind of a ritual, like Brett was chosen in that moment for egg morphing. 

The PM would have banged his head against the walls and mindlessly killed everyone.

XM seemed slower but all the more frightening.

I agree with most of the criteria, but I would go with the Proto xenomorph chestburster. The classic chestburster is born snake-like and after it bursts from its host it scurries away until it reaches its adult form. The proto-xenomorph chestburster was much like the neomorph bloodburster, which was already born with arms, legs and spiky tail so I would assume it would be capable of defending itself.

The PM chestburster seems more vulnerable than the neomorph. The Deacon too. Since no parents are around to protect them they should be able to run and hide until they can defend themselves.

Profound comparison, BigDave, thank you.

The Covenant scene in which the protomorph attacks the crane makes me think that the xeno is the better version. I believe David thinks the same...

Indeed i think its a case of asking what would be the greater threat....

Coming across a Tribe of Cave Men, or Pre History so Humans from 8-10'000 years ago or coming across a Troop/Group of Apes be it Chimpanzees or Gorillas and then asking which encounter would be the most deadly.

While Apes would be a Psychical Threat i think that over the long term, i.e chances of long term survival then encountering a Early History Human would be the greater threat.  Due to their Superior Intelligence and Team Work compared to Apes.

I see this being the deciding Factor between the Xenomorph and Protomorph,  Intelligence OVER Animal Instinct would be the greater Factor, certainly as far as VS Humans.

The 1979 Xeno wins. It has intelligence, cunning and physical attributes (the perfect organism). The proto is brutal and impulsive. A force to be reckoned with for sure, but may not last over the long haul from what we have seen.

Both fall victim to the thin, untrained female human.  So I think humans win here.  Especially females.

Spearfish Ripley fits your descriptions. She died.

Just having fun on a slow day, but DK - we all die, so I ask what was her kill count at that moment?  And in addition, she killed 2 queens.  But if pressed to get back on topic, I would say the Xeno's perceived cunning would prevail unless sheer numbers (a hoard of animalistic protos) overwhelmed it.

Would be interesting to see a 3v3.  The Xeno's would likely set a trap and the overly aggressive Proto would rush in guns-a-blazin.  Although it seems with what I know, that the fight would be a race to the bottom.  They kill and don't hunt, so food would dry up.  I wish the original film would have addressed this lifecycle issue.  I think it may have been planned but they shelved it.  If you consider the deleted scenes, the Xeno made eggs, then seemingly prepared for death until Ripley bothered it.  Points to an insect type lifecycle.

I will probably always dislike the raise up the arms and say hi to David – scene, it looked dumb. The morph at the ship looked interesting.

I think that Scene did unsettle a lot of fans Thoughts_Dreams on one hand it was quite beautiful but on the other it was totally ignoring Alien Lore.. We have to Question how does this Evolve into the Alien Chest Buster which looks a Evolutionary Step Back?  Unless David was EVOLVING the Xenomorph.

The Scene in part seemed cheesy as far as how it seemed to follow the actions/movements of David, but i think this was to Emphasize that David was the Puppet Master/Creator.  There are also numerous connections regarding the way David Raised his Arms up, as far as in Philosophy and Mythology.

This thread makes me think about comparing the classical "Big Chap" Xenomorph and the bug Xenomorph (Cameron's). Obviously, these two species have much difference from each other (or even more), than the Protomorph and the Xenomorph. This applies to the physical characteristics and behavior. And appearance too.

Good Point...  i know a lot of Cameron's Bug Haters view those Xenomorphs as in-superior and brainless, but actually they seemed to show more Intelligence than the 1979 Xenomorph that basically just went around stalking its prey and killing them.  (The DC versions shows it actually had a Procreation Agenda).

The ALIEN Xenomorph was never pitted against Military Expertise and Weapons and to quote DUTCH from Predator...."if it bleeds, it dies"   so the Xenomorph was not as indestructible as some thought, and while the Xenomorphs in Aliens seemed to just flock to their deaths, i claimed before this is due to Numbers, and if the aim was to Protect the Queen and Hive, and they had greater numbers, then just like in the Military you would sacrifice yourself for the objective and have a less cautious approach when in greater numbers against what you persevere as a lesser threat.

The 1979 Xenomorph was alone, had a Agenda to Procreate the Eggs and so would be like dropping in a Special Agent into a Conflict zone like a James Bond, and so Stealth has to be key.

I will have a crack at it though....  So we have the Xenomorph (XM) vs Cameron Morph (CM)

GESTATION:  XM 1 vs CM 1

We dont get much to judge by, so we can only assume they are similar.

CHESTBUSTER: XM 1 vs CM 1

They appear to be the same

GROWTH RATE: XM 1 vs CM 1

Again we dont have no time-line for Aliens Growth so we have to assume they are similar.

STRENGTH:  XM 1 vs CM 1

I would say there is not much difference in this department too.

SPEED: XM 1 vs CM 1

Both we can assume are of similar speed, there is nothing to suggest one is faster than the other.

STEALTH: XM 1 vs CM 0

The Classic Xenomorph used more Stealth, but the Aliens ones also use the Environment to their advantage.

AGILITY: XM 1 vs CM 1

Again there is not much seen that can conclusively suggest one is better than the other.

AGGRESSION: XM 0 vs CM 1

The Aliens Xenomorphs showed more Aggression IMO

INTELLIGENCE: XM 1 vs CM 1

Both showed signs of Intelligence, for different scenarios so this is too close to call

RESILIENCE: XM 1 vs CM 1

Cant judge this until we see a Classic Xenomorph shot at by Military Grade Explosive Rounds.

REPRODUCTION: XM 1 vs CM 1

Both showed that Procreation was the Agenda (Alien DC) and they had to tackle different ways to gain/protect this agenda so this is another one thats hard to call.

Overall:   Xenomorph 10 vs Camerons Bugs 10

The difference being one showed more Aggression, the other more Stealth.

Few have the credibility to construct a legitimate rating system for the morph organisms we have seen so far. I can't imagine that anyone else could do a better job in this arena than you BigDave. Thank you.

Growth Rate; Lope and Oram's protomorph gestation is hard to reconcile because we don't know how long Oram was out but it certainly seemed like Oram had more time to make it to the Covenant after running across the surface of Planet 4 shortly after making his way out of the temple. Kane had much more time.

I believe that STEALTH was one of the most significant differences seen between XM and PM and shown to explain the variance in the organisms.

The protomorph was washed with Tennessee's jet engines and could be a little mad from that and it could be why we saw such a "wild" morph fighting Daniels on the drop ship.

We now know that the xenomorph is at the very least a product of radical AI and the xenomorph showed an advanced intuition towards stalking prey. And displayed patience in killing prey slowly once cornered (Parker and Lambert).

The xenomorph from Alien either could sense the Nostromo internal systems all funneling towards the Narcissus ship (above) and it's escape pod ability or it smelled where the crew collected for long periods of time and went and hid there. None of this behavior is expected from the protomorph after witnessing it hunt in Alien: Covenant.

Big Dave: It is nice from an aesthetic point of view but it is just dumb looking at the context of the alien saga as a whole. Unfortunately it came off as embarrassing. Alright it is one thing if David does that version but I would rather have it that the Xeno would have attacked David which would show its pure survival instinct (no conscience, morality, and what ever Ash said).

Cheesy? That is to describe it too nicely, totally ridiculous is what I would say. I understand that it was to show that David was the creator but it could have been shown in a better way that would not come off as dumb. Unfortunately this is one of the things that just adds to the list of silly or bad things in Alien Covenant.