David the watcher...

couldn't have been that long bearing in mind the neomorphs hadn't been alive for long plus he needed the crew if he wanted off the planet. also the neomorphs wernt his creation so again for his to see his creation born he couldn't allow the crew to be killed

ali81

Yes, but was watching the sky for ships to arrive? How was he aware that somebody landed and were? Even if he monitors the activity of the crashed Juggernaut, the lander was several miles from that spot. 

The short answer is it does not matter it is only a plot convenience. 

ofcourse for the plot he has to arrive so he is somehow aware they have landed. it may have been the explosion that drew his attention and being an android, he would have been able to have covered the distance much faster than any human

"The short answer is it does not matter it is only a plot convenience. "

Exactly and this has been the case with many things with the Prequels so far,  they dont think out explanation because they feel they are not needed as they are merely Plot Convenience.

Trying to explain it, i guess we cant be 100% sure if David could Monitor incoming Ships from some place in the City, we cant say for sure if this is possible or not....  The Engineers maybe could Monitor their Own Ships, but as far as other ships... this depends on IF the Engineers are aware of how Advanced other Civilizations are in the Galaxy for Thousands of years, or if they have no Concerns.  We have the Conspiracy that David set up the Whole Neutrino Burst Trap... but i think thats a Rabit Hole we best avoid lol

We can go by a few things we KNOW for certain...

The Neomorph Gestation and Births appear to happen quite fast and there is a bit of a Walk from the Covenant Lander to the Cathedral Dome  and the best CLUE is Hallet's Mouth Burster as he gestated this Neomorph for as long as it took the Crew (not at full speed due to ill Crew Member) to get from the Juggernaught to the area just SHORT of the Lander.  Plus we have to Factor what a additional 10-15 Minutes from when they Entered the Juggernaught (Hallet gets infected) until they leave the Juggernaught to head back to the Lander.

There is NO WAY David could have Witnessed the Explosion from the Cathedral and so he must have been Wondering within a 15-20 Min Walk away from where the Lander was with by COINCIDENCE the Flair Gun and so either David was Aware Some How of the Crews Arrival and the Potential they would be Infected... or David was on a routine WALK and always took the Flair Gun with him for Protection.

@BigDave sorry but to defend against what, as the whole animal life of P4 was wiped out? Were there Morph from the days of the bombardment? Or was he carrying the gun for nostalgia we he had to defend against stuff? And wasn't the whole idea that he could control the Morphs?

Of course he knew about the crew and it's exact position but how it's just plot-hole (or he did not know exactly and he wondered around and by chance arrived on time). Even Prospero from The Tempest (with whom David is frequently compared on the Utubz) divines the location of his brothers ship.

How did RS get a free pass on Blade Runner 2049 on plot holes? I could formulate myself an answer but why don't modern writers care a lot more about the integrity of their plot's?

" it may have been the explosion that drew his attention and being an android"

Although a Movie Run Time does not show how long a Actual Event would have taken, i find it unlikely David would have noticed the Explosion from the City, and if he did, then be able to arrive within the Time-Frame after the Explosion to his arrival.

Assuming this MAP is Accurate.

The RED Circle has to be the Area of the Neomorph Attacks they have to fall in or around this area.    The GREEN Line would be the Distance in a Straight Line from the Crashed Juggernaught to the Lander.

The Explosion happened once the Crew had arrived close to the Lander.

David would have to had had noticed the Lander Coming in and then Quickly Ran to get the Flair Gun and then Run to the area prior to the Lander.

Or he would have had to have been out and about with the Flair Gun and either been close to the Neomorph Attack then witnessed the Explosion (Area in BLUE or about) or he would have either been IN/Around the Mountain Ranges within the YELLOW area with the Flair Gun when he noticed the Crew Heading Half Way towards the JUGGERNAUGHT or he would have had to be in these Mountain Ranges in YELLOW and seen the Crew Walking around the Area of the NEOMORPH attack and then Ran Back to get the Flair Gun.

"Were there Morph from the days of the bombardment? Or was he carrying the gun for nostalgia we he had to defend against stuff? And wasn't the whole idea that he could control the Morphs?"

This was something i was about to mention in my next post before i noticed you beat me too it...

The walking around with the Flair Gun for Defense, would mean MAYBE Morphs from Before Could be around, we have to ask what was the effect on LIFE on the Planet and How Many Organisms where on the Planet Prior... but doing so would be going down a unnecessary RABBIT HOLE

And then we have to ask... Could David Control them?  David was not Afraid of the Neomorph and he surely had seen them or similar many times before...  He Would have LIKELY found out they was afraid of FIRE

So the only reason he would Carry the Gun was just in case ANY Morphs may be around and as a Just in Case Protection, but it appeared there was NO Morphs when the Crew Arrived and maybe David would not need it for his Protection.

I was about to mention those points you raised as i also think David just carrying the Flair Gun around on a Day to Day Basis is maybe a bit odd...

I was working on the MAP Diagram while you must have posted those GOOD Points...  and so my only Explanation would be David witnessed the Ships Arrival or he saw the Crew leaving the Lander and then he HEADED to where ever he had the Flair Gun Kept.

But it is as you pointed out before... Purely a Plot Convenience/Point

I simply figured David sent the transmission and was always somehow monitoring for some kind of response. I think as BD pointed out, that this may not have been his first rodeo since he came onto the scene with flares. After all, it seems one of the neomorphs got away in AC and was never accounted for?

I think we were supposed to just believe that David was expecting guests and was pretty much prepared.