Countdown to Alien: Covenant: The Engineers

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The species now known as the Engineers got their start as a very small bit of background in the original Alien. Just a few minutes of screen time have been enough to keep audiences intrigued for over 30 years.

Originally just dubbed ” Space Jockey” or the “Pilot”, the first onscreen appearance of the Engineers was in 1979’s Alien. When the crew of the Nostromo lands on LV-426, they are answering what they believe to be a distress call from a derelict spacecraft. Entering a large chamber in the derelict, they find a large and unusual sight. The remains of a long dead humanoid, at the wheel so to speak of the crashed ship.

The movie’s director, Ridley Scott, envisioned them as being intergalactic pilots. This one in particular transporting biological weapons in the form of Xenomorph eggs. As the original concept goes, the eggs would be dropped on planets during war, with the goal of wiping out entire civilizations. So the Engineers are aware of what these eggs do, but did they come across them, or create them themselves? These are some of the ideas that are being explored in the newer films, starting with Prometheus.

Biomechanics

Designed by Swiss artist H.R. Giger, the Xenomorphs, Enigineers and their technology all share a biomechanical look; a fusion of organic and machine structures. But, there’s a definite design. The look links all three in a way that leads one to believe that the Xenomorphs were possibly created by the Engineers. The ribbed look of the ships melds with the exosuit that the Engineers wear; quite literally in fact, the first Engineer we see seems “connected” to the control system of the ship. These both in turn resemble the look of the Xenomorph, whose armor-like skin invokes a machine. It’s a very distinct style. Unfortunately this is about all that is given on the Engineers and their place in the universe, at least in any major way, until Prometheus.

Their history is delved into a little in various books and comics that were interspersed between the movies over the last few decades. The official canon status of these is a little convoluted and unclear but interesting nonetheless. In the comic book appearances, they have an elephant-like look to them, no doubt an attempt to match the suit shown previously. Also, in the novelization of Alien, Ash describes them as a kind and gentle species.

This greatly conflicts with how they are portrayed later.

In The Beginning

Prometheus sought to be not just another Alien movie but to expand on that universe by exploring the underused alien beings, the Engineers. This movie starts to tackle some very big topics.

How did we get here?

Who created us?

Why are we here?

Most if not all civilizations have creation myths, some even have vague references to “beings from the skies” visiting Earth thousands of years ago. Prometheus attempted to combine the two. Using similar star charts found in locations on Earth assumed to have no contact with each other, a course is charted across the stars. The crew discovers an abandoned facility, possibly for the last 2,000 years, that was used to produce a biological agent; “black goo”.  After an examination of the remains of the previous Engineer inhabitants, it’s determined that their DNA is a match to ours. They are where humanity came from ages ago.

But what was the purpose in our creation? This is still left vague by the end of the movie.

It seems that an event 2,000 years ago possibly changed the minds of humanity’s creators, one that led them to potentially wipe us out. Humans were only spared due to an outbreak of some kind at this facility, that wiped out the Engineers before their work could be completed. So it’s possible that the hieroglyphs, the literal writing on the walls, were left to send us into a trap all along.

This is what I’m hoping is revealed in Alien: Covenant.

Answers?

As I’ve said before, there is something just plain creepy being hinted at in humanity’s creation within the context of these films. Mankind’s vision of a benevolent creator might be slightly misinformed. They might have been merely an accident, or just a means to an undetermined end. An accident that deeply disappointed our creators, so much so that they sought our extinction.

There are multiple threads being weaved around this story, not just in regards to mankind’s creation, but what the creation can create. Seeds have been planted that humans themselves could be partly responsible for the creation of the Xenomorph. From artwork seen in the facility from Prometheus it is clear that the Engineers had at least dabbled in the Xenomorph experimentation. Perhaps humans refined it. Or defiled it.

Another of humanity’s creations, the android, are also proving to be a bit more than they may be able to handle.

A great movie contains answers, but also leaves viewers with more questions. This movie should be no exception. With the follow up to Alien: Covenant already announced, Alien: Awakening, they are laying the groundwork for a more in depth look into the Engineers. I’m hoping to get the answers, and here’s to hoping that they terrify.