Summary

• Prometheus introduced David, an android who embarks on a journey to fulfill his creator’s wish.
• David’s words to the last engineer are quite direct and not as provocative as they seem in the film.
• Despite his few scenes, Guy Pearce’s portrayal of Weyland in Prometheus adds complexity to the mythology of the Alien universe.

Prometheus expands the Foreigner franchise with a lot of fascinating backstory and lore, but it also raised some questions, including that of David’s words to the last engineer. While Prometheus is generally considered one of the smaller Foreigner Films, it is important to establish the extended tradition premises of the following films such as Federal And RomulusThe film introduces David (Michael Fassbender), an android created by billionaire Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) and sent aboard the ship Prometheus to fulfill his creator’s wishes.

While the dynamic between David and Weyland is not central to Prometheusit is central to the overarching thematic ideas that Ridley Scott explores in the film. Just as Weyland searches for his creator, the Engineers, the android David also explores his relationship with be Creator. In the crucial scene where Weyland meets the last engineer, Weyland uses David’s language skills to communicate, whereupon the last engineer attacks them violently.. He kills Weyland and beheads David, raising questions about what the android said.

David’s message to the engineer in Prometheus explained

David speaks on behalf of Weyland, but what does he say?

In a 2012 article by The Bioscopistthe author explains that he spoke to Dr. Anil Biltoo, the linguistic consultant who worked at Prometheus, and asked for an English translation of the line. The line is Proto-Indo-European, which David learns earlier in the film. In the scene he says: “This man is here because he doesn’t want to die. He believes you can give him more life.” The translation makes Weyland’s goal clear: he wants to meet his creators and achieve immortality.

Guy Pearce’s Weyland is one of the most fascinating characters in Foreigner Mythology, although there are only a short number of scenes. He has expanded it into Alien: Covenant in the opening scene and is even in the new Alien: Romulus connects the prequels with the originals. He is a rich billionaire who has developed a god complex and believes that with the help of the Prometheus crew he can find the answers to humanity’s biggest questions. Ironically, he is killed almost immediately after his encounter with the last engineer.

Why the Engineer attacked the crew of the Prometheus after David used the alien language

The motives of the last engineer are not entirely clear

Although the film suggests that David has his own motives here, what he says to the last engineer is not really provocative and raises further questions about why the creature reacts the way it does. It seems as if the reason he attacks them is because his civilization had already turned against humanity and he was surprised to have been awakened by them. He probably just saw her as an obstacle that prevented him from getting on his ship and leaving the planet. Prometheus is a bit confusing, but there are some interesting takeaways for the larger franchise.

A deleted scene from Prometheus further explores this exchange and provides the motivation for the final Engineer’s attack, but this is not what ultimately happens in the film.

Sources: The Bioscopist