Alien Movie Universe

David, the Engineers and "Das Rheingold"

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jdvyne

MemberOvomorphMay-25-2017 1:58 PM

I recommend listening to Wagner while reading my topic :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El_s9SJv9B8

 

In Prometheus we had the themes of Prometheus in greek mythology and Lucifer in christianity (which are the same) and it gives a perspective how to understand the background of the movie.

I think in AC RS gave us another motif - that of "Das Rheingold". At the beginning of the movie David plays a part of that opera on the piano, Weyland says that, without orchestra, it sounds anemic. At the end David listens to that same part but in full orchestra. To me that marks some kind of development with David - from incomplete (piano only) to fully developed (full orchestra). And I think Davids development and backstory ties to the story of "Das Rheingold" which is a part of "Der Ring des Nibelungen" which consists of 4 parts, with "Das Rheingold" being the first and "Götterdämmerung" (which can be translated to twilight/dawn of the gods) being the fourth.

As far as I can tell we've been talking about the engineers and RS and where the story might go and so on and so forth but I think in order to understand what RS's thinking behind AC is we ought to take a closer look at Richard Wagners "Das Rheingold".

In short: it's a story about gods, love and a device (ring in this case) that gives its owner the power to rule the world.

At the beginning the mermaids from the rhine had a treasure. Then there came a dwarf Alberich (David?) who tried to get one of the mermaids (Shaw?) to love him (Like David trying to be a human, getting Shaw to love him) but they mocked him rejected him (Maybe Shaw rejected David also because he's just a robot?). Alberich then, out of anger, renounces love, steels the virgin treasure (black goo?) and makes a ring out of it which gave him endless power (David synthesizing the protomorph or whatever from the goo?). The god Odin manages to steal the ring and Alberich curses it: whoever doesn't posses it will desire it, and who possesses it will be plagued by sorrows and will eventually be killed and robbed of it by its next owner (David being the new owner of the black goo and killing its previous owner - the engineers).

The only question here being if David represents Alberich or Odin or maybe partially both ot them. The motif is clear: there is some device which gives endless power, it was stolen and it is cursed and corrupts its owner.

Meanwhile the giants have built a Castle for the gods. To pay them Odin ultimately gives them the ring and the curse is showing. In the end the gods and the giants are fighting - and this is where "Götterdämmerung" comes into play. Here for you english guys the english wikipedia article about Götterdämmerung:

In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is a series of future events, including a great battle, foretold to ultimately result in the death of a number of major figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), the occurrence of various natural disasters, and the subsequent submersion of the world in water


Now, if you take RS comment that he is going for a war of worlds scenario and if you think that RS has intentionally started AND ended AC with "entrence of the gods in walhalla" - which will burn eventually (pic related) - then I think this is a good starting point for a discussion about the background of AC and where the franchise is going :)

6 Replies

jdvyne

MemberOvomorphMay-25-2017 1:59 PM

Has it yet to be unlocked by the mods or have I made a mistake?

Tiwaz

MemberChestbursterMay-25-2017 4:43 PM

A little detail that is often forgotten. Ragnarok is the final battle between the gods and the giants. While the Einherjar (humans wo died in battle) fight alongside the gods. Unless im mistaken, it's been years since I read the Edda.

Eine Theorie die nicht auf Etwas solidem basiert ist für gewöhnlich nur Geschwätz.

BigDave

MemberDeaconMay-25-2017 6:38 PM

Nice Post.... Indeed there are connections to that Opera.. for sure we dont know how literal they would be however, but to a degree yes some themes are surely connected.

 

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

BigDave

MemberDeaconMay-25-2017 6:44 PM

when i looked at the Das Rheingold connection after the rumors many months ago regarding David and Weyland Scene being in the movie and David playing that piece..

I was drawn also to that Picture that is in the OT... and others and indeed Ragnarok  at which point i wondered if those Burnt Engineers was the result of Ragnarok in which David arrives at the aftermath.... the End of Ragnarok, shows us that the surviving Humans Líf and Lífþrasir begin to start this World A-New and its very much like Adam and Eve.. and with the place being called Paradise, i felt this Paradise could have had a Ragnarok  connection.

But alas... after the movie release this is not the case.. or so it seems.

 

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

Tiwaz

MemberChestbursterMay-26-2017 7:53 AM

With the age of the derelict eggs still open for debate (Here) I'm wondering...

Recently, in the novels, they introduced a third race. But why? They had the engineers already. Moreover Tim Lebbon (Author) stated he wasn't supposed to go in the Engineer-direction. Again, why?

That makes 3 factions, the Engineers, the humans and , well, "the others". That somewhat reminds of Ragnarök and the 3 "races" it involves. Two powerful parties with mankind somewhere in between.

Will we see the third race in the upcoming movies? And if so, who are the gods and who the giants in the end?

Just letting my thoughts fly. ;)

Eine Theorie die nicht auf Etwas solidem basiert ist für gewöhnlich nur Geschwätz.

QueenElizabethShaw

MemberChestbursterMay-30-2017 10:22 PM

Giving this a bump as it seemed interesting enough that it'd be cool to see it discussed further.

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