tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post7225494284846407301..comments2024-03-29T04:57:26.162-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Ask JKM a Question #62: The Xenomorphs in Prometheus?John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-53814202560764606092013-05-12T08:31:40.895-04:002013-05-12T08:31:40.895-04:00Now what is also interesting is that although the ...Now what is also interesting is that although the hammerpede appeared to just kill Milburn from the inside (perhaps he was seen as a threat to the 'pedes that were beginning to mate)given that it is so similar to the facehugger we can't rule out that it laid an embryo inside Milburn and that embryo would later develop into the egg laying Queen. Since the 'pede is a less evolved precursor of the classic facehugger it does not have the ability to provide its host with oxygen, much like the Trilobite. Indeed, the engineer at the end of the film appeared lifeless before the Deacon burst from his chest. Thus, the classic facehugger is the next generation from the hammerpede. The following quote is from Lindelof's commentary and what is interesting is that he seems to imply that the 'pede does more than kill - "...here we see these little worms, which we understand is going to be the beginning...(the black goo) interacts with these worms and those worms grow into much larger and nastier worms that have the capability of infecting humans...that's track one."<br /><br />The fact that Lindelof very explicitly says that the 'pede has the capability of 'infecting' humans is very interesting, and it seems to imply more than its acid for blood, given what we see it do. I mean it knew exactly where Milburn's mouth was and targeted it very specifically. So if the 'pede did deposit an embryo in Milburn the reason we don't see it burst from his chest is due to the misdirection of the film makers but enough is implied; Milburn was orally raped. And remember, it was Milburn who commented on the dead engineers' exploded chests and if one looks closely they also have holes in their helmets. It's clear; they were attacked and infected by the 'pedes during the outbreak. The worms provide context for everything; to the worm-like new born xenos, to what passed on the egg laying, to what happened to the engineer on the derelict on LV-426. Big things have small beginnings indeed.<br /><br />Cheers, Skeptical GnosticAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-83320160471655757262013-05-06T07:49:41.405-04:002013-05-06T07:49:41.405-04:00I think the hammerpede as the progenitor of the cl...I think the hammerpede as the progenitor of the classic xenomorph is absolutely correct and I am astonished that not many picked up on it. There was a deleted scene showing Milburn finding shed skin where there was snake-like trail marks left in the dirt, since there are no eggs around that shed skin clearly came from a worm shedding its skin into a hammerpede. The hammerpede is the missing link here and since the film makes such a point of showing its acid for blood and its facehugger-esque traits and behaviours I think it is pretty damn obvious. Thus, what we see with the worms are a chain of events that happened during the outbreak at the facility 2,000 years ago; the Jockeys cargo got out of control (the melting urns) and worms were infected by the mutagen and hammerpedes got loose; one or two made their way on the derelict and laid eggs which explains why the Jockey set down on LV-426.<br /><br />The evolution of the xenomorph started with worms and it explains how the xenomorph species inherited its worm-like traits; shedding skin, laying eggs...<br /><br />If you notice the xeno's less evolved cousins; the squid-esque Trilobite and the Deacon were attached by umbilical since they are 'live births', the Deacon is even attached to a placenta no less, indicating that it is not an egg layer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com