Is the Beast Really Cooked?

Its a tricky one. I think someone needs to take ownership of the franchise, develop some type of 10year plan encompassing all media types, and schedule out a plan for moving the franchise incrementally forward. Sadly there are lots of strings being pulled on the franchise, the end result keeping it chained down.

The problem has been various movies, novels, games, comics etc keep rehashing the same ideas/locations/people and we keep going around in small circles. Name a video game of the franchise that doesn't return to the Derelict on LV426?! Its cool and all, but we're stuck in a loop.

Alien media comes with certain expectations (eggs, faceuhugger, chestburster, hive, isolation/claustrophobia etc). We don't want to change it because it is the core of the experience, but we dont want the same thing either. Its a very fine line keeping all the fans appeased.

Ridley had an idea to move forward. Its a moot point now whether it was the right direction, but at least it was forward-thinking change. Unfortunately his vision and resulted in a bastardisation of whatever his original intentions were, forced into line by second-guessing and lack of firm leadership and direction.

Alien: Isolation (although still stuck in the loop) attempted to move the story forward

Isolation indeed. The elephant in the room in many ways.

Here are again coming around to the possibility of a mini series format since theatrical would take way too much time.

No but there is a risk that it gets turned into stone if they are not careful. The reason why is because it has been shown a lot in comics and so on. It did not help that we got the AVP movies, LOL. David is cooked if you ask me, it has just been handled in an underwhelming way.

Xenos work best when they are kept in the shadows. You know that they are around but you do not know where they are, compare this to Aliens when the marines look at their motion trackers but they do not see where they are and all off a sudden they are all surrounded by them, that worked well I think.

I will make a more invested comment tomorrow...

For now i will add that the BEAST IS COOKED but we can go a few rounds more, by adding some Sauce and Condiments (change a few things) because going the Out in the Open attacking people route like we saw in AR, the AVP movies and AC to a degree and so like Aliens, a few more times will not COOK but CREMATE the Beast.

The Beast needs to be used very well, and not pushed down our throats (pun intended) too much...

But the other side of the coin are Fans who would love nothing more than Xeno after Xeno after Xeno....  even if it reduces the Xenomorph to basically Star Ship Troopers Bugs... their is a Popcorn Market for Fans who love this kind of stuff.

Even introducing a Alien 3/Alien kind of take on a Lone Xenomorph cant be done over and over, because well the Xenomorph would be no more than a Space Jason Voorhees

BigDave i agree with what you say, but you paint a sad picture. I don't want to see the beast cooked, but I don't want there to be an end to the franchise either :(

So moving forward we cant have hives of Xenos (Starship Troopers - space bugs) and we cant have single stalker xeno (Space Jason Voorhees). These scenario's have been done to death in films/books/games anyhow. A growing voice of fans are weary of the AI angle.

Perhaps a tv series is a way forward? To me the universe, mythos and lore of the Alien Universe needs to open up and expand significantly, and the threat of the Xeno's escalated but with it turning into Starship Troopers.

I cant see a way this can be done via feature films. 2 hour snapshots of a massive universe is just not sufficient to cover enough ground. 

A series like The Expanse, The 100, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica etc could allow this expansion. There are still many ancient evils to explore in the Alienverse, some of which have been touched on in the books and comics. A lot however involve an expanded hierarchy of Queens and Xeno royalty, a concept that already pisses off a large faction of the fanbase. If not this, perhaps explore the Engineers. Or cover Earth Hive as a show. Or the Neomorphs. 

On a side note if you have ever read any of the books my big gripe is how underwhelming ALL of them have been regarding Queens/Queens Mother/Empress + the Palatine/Praetorian Xeno Royalty.

These things should be almost untouchable and the ultimate ancient evil. There is great suspense and build-up to these things but inevitably in the books anyone can just waltz on in and shoot 'em up. If this path was taken for a tv series you could build up each one per season. 

I can sit in awe and wonder at these John Bolton images for hours, imagining the horrors they could bring. There is still life in the beast yet. Im not endorsing the Queen hierarchy angle but it would escalate the Xeno threat, add lore and depth to the franchise...if also sell it out a bit. 

I agree IRaptus that there is too much mythos to cover in feature films and that mini series would be the way to go.

For a feature film, I want to see how the OG Xeno comes to be and how it connects to Alien. 

One way would be to have that missing link but not seen in its glory until the climax of the movie. Prior to that, we would only hear it and maybe see foggy glimpses of parts of it- allowing individuals to build a mental picture of what it might be. Also some strange deaths can build more anticipation. And they need to stop with all the trailers- AC would have been better without all the teasers and trailers.

We must take into account the medium however. For movies I think it is pretty much cooked, as with the monster comes expectations like dark corridors, getting infected, etc... All seem many times, even if they made them good they would be derivative by now.

And we also must take into account the budget... 

ignorantGuy I am not sure about budget. There are many movies, indie projects and such that are very well done. A case in point was when IRaptus cited a comparison of budgets/practical effects and over all impact between AC and Pan's Labyrinth.

Sadly you know who is a master of those types of films you speak of dk. The big climatic reveal

David Fincher....

I think it was I moon girl (?) who also brought up SAW. That was amazingly intense, suspenseful and articulate film on a shoe-string budget. It was a $1M project greenlight film. Big Budget is not the be all and end all. 
Hell, some of the fan made shorts (with no budget) you shared dk are proof of that!!

dk

I was not clear, but when talking about budget I was referring to the fact that Alien brand is not likely to bring make more than 300 mil in cinemas, so the budgets will likely never be bigger than 70 mil. So big RS style extravaganzas (war of the worlds style) maybe out of question in the future.

AC seemed very wasteful, Actors appearing for 10 seconds... Concept art binned in favor of things from Alien Engineers. 

I agree there seemed to be a lot of wasted money in AC. I would even say the same for Prometheus. Guy Pierce likely made some good bank but his character was woefully under utilized. His TED Talk and Conversations with David  eclipsed the old man role imo.  I don't know the answer but maybe budget allocation is more important- like writing.

IRaptus Indeed, there are forum members who do stuff on their own dime and time that can deliver some good entertainment. You Tube has no shortage of independent shorts/ mini movies that are pretty heavy hitters. One just needs to look around a bit. It might only be 10-15 minutes, but it is all killer with no filler!

Who knows- maybe the Alien franchise could use a new crew of indie folks used to working on tight budgets to deliver the goods. Oh wait- that's exactly what a mini series could do. 

Some very good points raised...

I would add my comments about the Beast being Cooked apply to the route it was taken and has been, as far as how a continuation like this will Forever change the way we view our Xenomorph, in regards to how Awe Inspiring it was in Alien, even Aliens to a degree.

Sadly the Beast is being relegated to nothing more than Bio-Weapon, used in mass.... and so its kind of much like how the Iconic T-800 had lost that Awe Inspiring Sparkle after the first TWO movies, as well it was not Unique but just a Mass Produced Killing Machine made to Hunt down Humans.

If we  continue the David Creator Route then expand this to War of the Worlds in context to any expansion showing David sending out Hordes of Xenomorphs against Humans and Engineers.

Then the Xenomorph would be to David as the T-800 is to the Cyberdyne Systems  Main Computer.

I think the Original Xenomorphs could be used, but if not done so correctly and used too much, then they just get relegated to being technically Davids Army of T-800's  

Does not mean they cant be Deadly, its just they would forever loose that same appeal that ALIEN gave us,  used sparingly like in Alien and Alien Isolation i think the Beast could go 1-2 more rounds.

even Alien Isolation is limited, if they make say 2 more sequels where its once again same type Game-Play...  vs 1-2 Xenomorphs all game....    Its at this point something NEW has to be added.

The same would apply to the movie Franchise.

Regarding Budget...

I agree that Disney are not going to be in the game of risking a $150-200M unless they really think they could make $400M Bare Minimum.   You can bet FOX was not expecting the returns that AC got.... i think FOX expected something closer or even more than Prometheus had taken.

Doing things on a Budget, is hard if they pay well known cast members, and if the movie is set in SPACE or on a SHIP/STATION and then introducing a number of Xenomorphs... depending how the budget on them is spent.

I think a AVP Special Effects Budget per Xenomorph per Minute is not going to be super Expensive if the next movie introduces only 1-2 of them.

If Origae-6 is similar to Planet 4 Minus any signs of previous Civilization then i think indeed  i think a budget of $75 - 100M as of now could work, especially if we get a kind of AFTER-MATH movie with not a large cast.

Without reading ANY posts from above and from me missing out of some great points of the fellow members on this forum... I would have to say...

YES, the beast is cooked.

Alien was so great because the audience knew SO little about the Xeno.

Aliens was so great because it took the threat of the Xeno and times that by 1 million.  It wasn't near as scary as the first one, but the Xeno isn't all about scarying people.  Aliens was a great sequel.

I feel like the beast got cooked at Aliens.

Alien3 was a good movie and it had an interesting twist on the Xeno since it was more dog-like.  I also think that was the first movie we even get the idea that the Xeno can take on characteristics of the host.  In Alien3, the host was a dog.  So, it was a good movie and I really did enjoy it, but the Xeno was fairly predictable.  It was just done in a completely original environment for Ripley to overcome.

A:R was good and had some scary parts and I did enjoy that movie as well.  A clone Ripley was a great idea.  It did get weird in the end, which is a plus and a minus for me.  I'm glad it was made.  Still, it was more of Ripley's story and not about the Xeno.  That is why I think it was a success.

Prometheus was a genius idea.  I've said that numerous times on this website.  The basic idea of Prometheus was JUST as good as Alien in my critique.  I loved how a person couldn't really tell it was a part of the Alien franchise.  For me, Prometheus is just fascinating and has rewatchability for different reasons than Alien.  Genius idea, yet original. Loved it!

Alien: Covenant wasn't so much about the Xeno, but more about the history of the Xeno.  Hopefully we'll get more answers in Alien: Awakening to finish it.

So, getting more on topic here...

Xeno was cooked after Aliens.

Ridley Scott was right with Prometheus and the direction of the prequels.

Even after Alien: Covenant's somewhat failure to live up to Prometheus's standards, exploring the history of the Xeno and the associated Engineers are the right way to go.

I'm glad Aliens was made, but I think the prequels that Ridley Scott wanted to make after the original Alien could've been made much sooner than they actually have been.  The reason is because the Xeno was almost cooked after Alien.  There was definitely room for a sequel to Alien.  The question was just how was it going to be done.  We got Aliens and I'm fairly happy with it.

So, the Xeno is cooked because we supposedly know everything about it.  We now even almost have a complete history of where the Xeno comes from.  That's unless Alien: Awakening throws a curve ball towards.  Knowing Ridley Scott, that could be the case.

Still, I think it's obvious that the Xeno is cooked from Alien: Covenant.  In A:C, we get the Neomorph.  It's cool, yet I also understand it as a way to provide something fresh.  Don't get me wrong, but the Neomorph is a good idea.  Still, I think the reason we have the Neomorph is because Ridley Scott thinks the Xeno is cooked.

I agree.  The Xeno is cooked.

Of course, I'm sure someone could write something.  They came up with Prometheus.  That movie is fantastic.  It just needed some more run time.  Blade Runner 2049 get's almost 3 hours and Prometheus get's 2 hours?  Both are great movies and both deserve 3 hours.  The Alien franchise has more movies out over a greater period of time.  It would only make sense to produce a movie that decides it's run time (as long as it's reasonable).

We might get a long run time for Alien: Awakening.  It would only make sense since it would be the last of the prequels.  

I agree with iRaptus on the stuck in a loop idea. So yes, the Beast is currently cooked. I think it be rebirthed though. Or at least, can stand a few more rounds. In fact, iRaptus is right again in which all of the licenses for Alien from all forms of media need to be rounded up and then a group of producers and writers need to plan out a franchise. At least give some sort of skeleton structure to it. The beast needs to be paced. All of the froms of media pushing out Xenomorphs are compunding the issues. 

With a little care and some fresh film ideas and structure, the beast can go for a few more rounds. I think the frnchise would (unfortunatley) benefit from a decade or two of stasis after Sir Ridley hopefully finishes his prequels. 

IMO the use of xenomorphs as cannon fodder has to be avoided. I believe Ridley Scott's intentions to present it as AI and biological weapon, with the capacity of bonding with its creator could give a fresh and interesting complexity to this unique, beautiful monster. Its life cycle is however widely known by all, so only exploiting its adult life form when not busy with killing, its adaptability, motivators, communication skills, everything that makes it the perfect organism, can save this dear.

And Ridley Scott is aware of that, he can do it. He still believes in the alien. I hope he can persuade the accountants from Disney and start filming asap.

One of the greatest ironies to have Disney in charge with the future of the Alien franchise,  after they even removed the xenomorph from Disneyland in Orlando. Nevertheless. ..

Disney,  if you want my money, just let Ridley Scott finish his prequels,  I'll see it in theaters,  buy the bluray and merchandise. Not interested in other options.

IMO, and my short answer... No.

Whenever people talk about the first Alien movie they place the Alien on a pedestal of which I feel it does not deserve. We have all heard the claims of the creature being a sexual predator, a mutilator, a murderous thief. I have seen Alien too many times and all I see is a parasitic yet naturally-viable creature animal acting in a predictably animalistic fashion - it uses the vent shafts to sneak around the ship snatching Brett and Dallas to reproduce and eliminates all other threats to protect its potential offspring. Nothing else is inferred (claims it raped Lambert are void and mute as those are Brett's legs, not Lambert's)

What I want to see from the Alien is the Alien everyone thinks they saw, a cruel and malicious creature, with disturbing and murderous intent. This doesn't have to be gratuitous as I, as I believe we all, feel that less is more and the horror of the unseen is more frightening than what we do see. But if we had a new movie in which the Alien is inferred to be callous and manipulative I feel it would breathe a whisper of life back into the franchise, at least in terms of the portrayal of the creature.

@Gavin

Rape was implied heavily and the claims are not mute and void, as after the Lambert and Brett scene, Ripley is filmed as she hears that weird panting from the Xenomorph as if he was in a sexual activity...

Will we never know exactly what happens there, however.

*Takes mic from dk, clears throat*… thanks dk ;)

Is the beast cooked?……eh, maybe.

On the one hand, the Morb itself offers tantalising possibilities, which I am open to. But, did we ever really need a backstory about this extraterrestrial, bio-mechanical, inter-species, oral rapist?

If it’s cosmic horror we crave, surely all we need to know is presented in this beings lifecycle? Just as you and I go to work, mow the lawn on weekends, or argue the specifics of each Alien movie. This beastie is doing something equivalent. Yes, it’s lifecycle seems horrific to us, but he’s not evil per se, he just goes about his day to day business of procreation. I kinda liked that simplistic, carnal presentation.

Of course, what changes that perception is when you add in additional factors. The Black Pathogen, as presented in PROMETHEUS, appeared to be a masterstroke, allowing for a Morb origin lesson and a melting pot of endless permutations, dependant upon who was doing the cooking! I really liked where this was going. The pale bald guys were not what I had in mind for the SJ, but I felt Ridley and co were cooking up a gourmet dinner.

Prometheus certainly needed a longer run time, we’ve said that a million times. Heck, there are deleted scenes which at the very least, would have helped the story flow better. But there were brilliant, fresh ideas and at points Ridley’s genius shone like the brightest star in the Universe. Had it not been marketed as an Alien movie, it would never have suffered such a backlash. Instead we’d be on this forum geeking out over hints and clues, and creating links to prove an ALIEN connection :)

Then along came Alien: Covenant. I’m still unsure as to how to define it? Filler? Nope, why would you waste money, time and effort on a movie which doesn’t act as a bridge to anything? It doesn’t really work as a Prometheus sequel, nor as an Alien prequel. It’s not that I think it’s a bad movie per se, I just cannot fathom its purpose. It treads water, is filled with Alien Franchise tropes, some worthy as nostalgic nods, whilst others are cringe inducing. Wrecked almost everything Prometheus set up. Had its budget cut and release moved up? Both of which ruined the final look of the creature effects, all on a Ridley Scott movie, the master world-builders watch no less! Just what the hell is going on?

Mehh, for anyone who’s still with me, I better stop now and try to sum things up…

To answer your question dk, perhaps it’s not just the Alien that is cooked, but the entire idea of an Alien Franchise? As far as I’m concerned if Ridley can’t get it right, then there’s little hope for anyone else.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that FOX are no longer the Puppet Masters? However, would Disney really want to pursue the idea of an EBE with the Morbs credentials. I seriously doubt it.

Mind you, an animated series could possibly tick their boxes! ;)

Lone

Sorry but AC was stated in an interview that had more or less the same budget as Prometheus. It was made however underbudget because they cut the 3D.

Thank you ignorantGuy, duly noted! 

@Lone

To be perfectly honest, I most likely I could not find the original source, so please take it with a grain of salt....

Hehe, no problem!

Lone and I Moon Girl Great posts! They condensed what many of us have discussed and expressed over the past year!  Perhaps it’s not just the Alien that is cooked, but the entire idea of an Alien Franchise?

That brings a bit of a paradox it seems. One one hand, the beast seems cooked to many, and the android story seems to be a way to keep it moving while maintaining that creepiness and horror since the Xeno hasn't really scared anyone since A3. I would like to see it tie into Alien in one more 3 hour movie personally. All things can not be answered but the longer this goes on, the more it can be viewed as having painted itself into a corner.

dk I would like to see at least one more movie too, otherwise the story is just left hanging in limbo. I agree, the Alien itself no longer has the ability to shock or frighten. It can still be a part of the story though.

There is so much potential. If Ridley could have followed through on his original plan, I feel it could have been very interesting. Problem is, you can't keep changing direction and wiping out what your last movie set up. I feel a Covenant sequel would do this too, to a certain extent.

What really excited me was the idea of one director making a series of movies which would follow on with a similar tone, fresh ideas and fit together seamlessly. Sadly, that hasn't happened.

That's been the biggest problem with the Alien Franchise, apart from the first two, none of the movies really sit well together. 

Where to now I wonder? Please Disney, take a chance!

Thanks cuponator3000. Just some strong leadership and a firm vision/direction is all we need  :)

BigDave my apologies if I came across defensive. I don't like endings Eg. I love Firefly/Serenity....watched them too many times to count. BUT, Never seen the last episode of Firefly "Objects in Space". This way for me the series has never ended lol :-p

Sadly the Beast is being relegated to nothing more than Bio-Weapon, used in mass.... and so its kind of much like how the Iconic T-800 had lost that Awe Inspiring Sparkle after the first TWO movies, as well it was not Unique but just a Mass Produced Killing Machine made to Hunt down Humans.

Great words!!! Couldn't agree more! There has been that lingering lacklustre disappointment with the Terminator series since Judgement Day. Boring old mass-produced killing machine T800s, and now T1000s (thanks to Genisys)

Lets not be Terminator. 

"BigDave my apologies if I came across defensive"

No problem, you never came across as that at all ;)

I have never seen those TV Series, i think i seen a few Firefly Episodes... oh i get you now....  you like things that leave the ending open?

I do think some Mystery would be nice, but i think there is a certain selection of the Fanbase who want all the answers.  I think Prometheus had that Balance, it offered enough, without Spoon Feeding the Answers....  A Sequel would have continues with some answers but not Spoon Fed anything..  But Sadly FOX felt most fans wanted Xenomorph Answers and to see the Beast again.

@I Moon Girl

Totally Agree with everything,  the beast is not so cooked, but showing it more would surely just relegate it to a T-800 or Space Jason etc.

@cuponator3000

Indeed i think there are ways to explore things connected to the beast, give a fresh take on it, the Neomorphs for example.  Because showing the Traditional Xenomorphs has been over done, and now we know its Origins, and how its now a Creation by David, the only interesting thing about the Xenomorph NOW.. is HOW/WHEN/WHY it ends up on LV-426 and to explore Why David has a interest in WHY create it but (AC answers a lot of this) and then to explore IF/WHY the Engineers have a interest in Davids Creation..... 

But we still could explore LV-223 why it was created, HOW/WHEN/WHY those Experiments and Black Goo, and we see there are many many ways we could see Related Organisms created from this Process.

They to to explore ways to Evolve/Experiment the Xenomorph or show alternative future or past versions of it,  that differ from the Alien Franchise 1979-1997 Versions.

THEY could have explored something more Alien as far as the Xenomorph Origins, something very Giger-esque... but this appears to not be the case NOW..... HOWEVER...  we could explore something more Giger, if they explore the Origins of the Pathogen or first Xenomorph Ancestral Organism it created.

@daliens

I agree with some of that, and indeed the Star Beast was more than a Bio-Weapon... We could have seen a complex Organism being found by the Engineers and Re-Engineered for the Black Goo and their Technology...  But the route we have been shown is they are just a Product of Davids Experiments and Hybridization with Organisms created from the Black Goo.

It appears from Prometheus the Xenomorph was intended as a Bio-Weapon....  Alien Covenant now appears to more so show us this is the case..   But its open for RS to explore Davids Relationship with it and have it that David is interested in its creation and to Nurture and Evolve it.

Rather than David created it just to KILL humans.

@Gavin

Indeed i got the picture the Xenomorph was just some Hybrid Advanced Parasitical Organism, i would like to think they are not as Basic as Space Ants, but they are far from as Advanced as say a Civilization.

Also i agree, exploring some Malevolent Agenda and Psychology to the Beast could make it more interesting, rather than it being something  that relies on Instincts to Survive.

@Lone

Certainly, i can see some of your reply is touching on what Gavin also said.  "Yes, it’s lifecycle seems horrific to us, but he’s not evil per se, he just goes about his day to day business of procreation"

So i think the whole Psychological Aspect behind what does the Xenomorph think/feel, does it have goals and ambitions...  This is what separates many Organism's on Earth from Humans.

Its a question of is the Parasitical Life Cycle or Implying some kind of Cultured Intersect behinds its actions going to be more HORRIFIC

A Predator as far as a Spider, a Wolf, a Lion or a Shark etc, only sees its Prey for Survival...   It never considers how its Actions could be harmful to its Prey...   Humans can make a choice when hunting...  do i need to kill that Deer, can i live off the Fruit and Veg...   We can have regret/remorse for killing and especially our own kind...   Nearly all other Organisms dont possess this.

Would having the Xenomorph have a similar Psychology to a Human make it more Terrifying?  Or again too Human?  It depends how its handled i suppose.

"The Black Pathogen, as presented in PROMETHEUS, appeared to be a masterstroke, allowing for a Morb origin lesson and a melting pot of endless permutations"

Indeed, and i totally agree with Prometheus as far as how you saw it,  RS had even said its NOT a Alien Movie, it was meant as something to TIE the Space Jockey Race to the Franchise, but a number of Fans will always want association with the Xenomorph and its Origins and expected Prometheus was going to do this.

I don’t think the beast is cooked at all. As a main dish it has always been well garnished with bloody victims, and that’s about it. Well, there are quite a few things that have just not been served up that should be on the menu. Firstly, I would really, really like to see someone get their head ripped off by a facehugger, and that’s just the starter.

I would also like to see some tactical use of facehuggers, such as a form of hostage taking. Surely the advantage with a facehugger is that it renders someone immobile, and if a ransom is not paid within a certain time, pop goes the xeno, along with a ribcage or two.

My biggest gripe is the constant reference to the xeno being a weapon, whilst never really being shown how effective use of xeno deployment works. A weapon by definition requires tactics; otherwise it is just a thing like a shoal of piranha.

If the xeno is indeed a weapon, then is it a weapon devised as a deterrent, and if so against what? Is there an anti-xeno proliferation programme?

And another thing, If you blow into the face of a xeno will it be yours to command, and possibly use as close protection.

Xeno’s are also supposed to be intelligent, which makes me wonder if they could have ever developed their own technology given the right conditions for them. I think there are a lot of avenues that have just not been explored.

Xenos as weapons are the nuclear option imo. They always seem to get out of control. 

Face huggers as hostage takers- that is a new idea and a pretty interesting one.

Thanks BigDave

But its open for RS to explore Davids Relationship with it and have it that David is interested in its creation and to Nurture and Evolve it.

It seemed to me that David was very interested in studying the xenomorph, tried to imprint on it even. He said in Advent that these creatures would rule the galaxies, so he did regard them as more than weapons, but rulers.

I wonder when did he send the messages to WY we see in Advent. He could have done it much later, after he arrived on Origae 6 and was prepared for a confrontation with WY. He used Walter's code for the reports in the meantime,  as we saw at the end of Covenant. 

We should see as well how the xenomorph from Covenant gets the shape of the Big Chap from Alien. That's among the few things still not cooked about the beast.

@Batchpool +1

I thought that i was the only one who thought this way.

I would really to see how xenomorph evolved after decades or even centuries of life. Would a decades old xenomorph drone become sentient ? Would it become way more than just a killing machine ? 

The queen in Aliens seems to be smart enough to understand the deal Ripley wanted to make with her, in order to escape. And it was a relatively young queen leading a small and young hive.

I would be curious to see how smart/sentient can decades/centuries old xenomorph be. Will they be able to build strategies advanced enough to beat an human army ? Will they become resilient to the marines weapons or find out efficient counter measures against them ?

I would really annoyed and disapointed to see another alien xenomorph showing the same cycle. Ridley wasted an opportunity with Alien Covenant imho. Instead of wanting to piss off fans, he could have shown a radically different type of Xenomorph and/or xenomorph cycle !

Imagine a very ancient sentient Xenomorph, trapped by the engineers, which escape from captivity thanks to David attack of the Planet 4  and which will make a deal with David in order to build a weapon based on its dna to destroy engineers.

DK: Maybe a bit off-topic but anyways. I enjoyed the Weyland TED-talk because it showed us what he was about. Unfortunately they did not include that in Prometheus. They could at least have had a shorter version of it because it sort of explains him.

Lone: Maybe it is about finding the right story? I am not sure if they shall show it too much though since there are other monsters that they could have also.

Characters is number one that gets into a situation of terror. I would like it to be a variation of a morph but maybe one that has just got some features of it (take the Squid as an example) since it would be repetitive to see the Xeno over and over again.

The black goo is interesting but I hope that we never get an explanation of where it came from. It is perhaps even more interesting than the monster it self, at least that is how I look at it. Some things should be left to the imagination.

I hope that we will get to know some more about the Engineers but the got to be done in a way that is interesting.

Alien Covenant could have been good but it just turned into a movie a bout a mad android that wants to create things and hate mankind.

Now they have added a certain amount of explanations to it but they could add some tings about it that we ever will know the answer too. In this case it could be kept un-cooked so to speak.

" Surely the advantage with a facehugger is that it renders someone immobile, and if a ransom is not paid within a certain time"

Thats certainly something very Original.....  so we could see some kind of Criminal Gang or Terrorist Group get its hands on the Organism.  using it as a Hostage for Ransom as you implied is a good idea.... it would be a Foolish Folly for the Criminals/Terrorist though, because you can almost see this back fire on them and then have to deal with the Threat they have unleashed.

I certainly think and its as i have said that you have to think of some new ways to deal with the Xenomorph and i feel even then we have to careful how much we do this.

The beast is cooked for me as far as the following.

*It no longer has that Scare Factor it had before, and especially after Alien Resurrection and the AVP movies it became Diluted, i feel Alien Covenant could have resurrected the Fear of the Original but it did not do the beast any justice. 

*It no longer has that Mystery/Enigma about it, this is a consequence of exploring its Origins, and Sadly when we look at the Engineers, the Black Goo and then David using this to create the Xenomorph, they all dont have that same Awe Inspiring Effect like when we first saw the Derelict and had many Questions in our minds to what this was all about.

We have seen a EVOLUTION of the idea behind the Xenomorph.

*Star Beast we are shown it simply is the remains of its Once Civilized to a degree Species, a highly evolved Species but a Deadly One, and with no Adults to Nurture it, then we are left with a Wild Beast.

*Alien left us the Enigma of the Derelict having these Eggs in some kind of Cargo Hold, and the Dead Space Jockey and it left us wondering what the connection was...  Creators? or merely someone who discovered the Xenomorphs?

After Alien (and more so after Aliens) Ridley Scott had confirmed to us that the Derelict was some kind of War-ship the Cargo a Biological Weapon.

*Aliens introduced the kind of Insect/Hive aspect which could make us think this was a Organism the Space Jockey used purely because of its destructive nature, or was they Engineered like this by them.

*Prometheus introduced us to the Black Goo/Sacrificial Goo which on one hand was shown to be used to Create/Evolve Life, and on the other was shown it can be used to Mutate/Evolve Life but by doing so it in effect KILLS the Original Life. The movie also implies this substance is used as a Cleansing Tool a Bio-Weapon to a degree and it is connected to the Xenomorph DNA in some way.

*Alien Covenant seems to imply that this substance not only destroys but creates hybrid forms of the Xeno-Virus and by experimentation and cross-hybridization David ultimately creates the early form of Xenomorph.

We cant be 100% sure where Ridley Scott was going next, but it appears he would be sticking with David creating the Xenomorphs, and that the Beast would go through some upgrades before it becomes what it was in ALIEN and i think RS was going to portray it as some AI Creation that is Engineered by David.

So it looks like the Xenomorph to David is no more of a cross between what David was to Weyland and some Hybrid Organism created from the results of the Black Goo Pathogenic Mutagen.

The original Alien was really frightening because we knew virtually nothing about it. Remember the look on Brett's face when he encountered it?

As audience members we had that exact same experience. No idea what in the hell it was, no time to process exactly what we were looking at, yet instantly realising that it was super deadly!

No other portrayal of the Alien has been able to recreate that.

That's why Ridley wanted to move things in another direction. The Engineers, The Black Pathogen, The Baby Deacon, (shoot me, I liked it!) The Hammerpede, even the incredibly large, cuddly, vagina monster- Cuddles, what an awesome trip that was! All successful, Proto-Morb family members it seemed to me. Plus, Prometheus opened the door to other permutations of deadly Morb offspring.

There were so many possibilities, so many routes for this story to follow. Prometheus was the right way to go. It's never too late.... 

Ps I still long to see some creepy, horrifying, egg-morphing!!

A slow egg morph would be interesting to see- start to finish- while seeing the victims lose their humanity. The black goo in Prometheus sort of did that in its own way. However, this would seem to be an admission by RS that the scene in Alien should not have been cut.

Big Dave: I agree that the Xeno is not as threatening as before but I believe that the black goo sort of could take that place if they do not explain it too much. Hopefully they will not make the same mistake with the black goo that they did with the Xeno. Unfortunately Scott was a reason why it was made worse since they made it so it was a creation by David.

Maybe the Engineers and the black goo could take that place that the Xeno had. They both need to be made a mystery at least parts of them. It would be bad if they explain all about the goo and the Engineers.

I believe that Scott has made it worse by making it a creation of David but it could be saved so it will be a re-creation. Hopefully it could be a re-creation of other beasts that the Engineers have done before, that would be nice.