Alien Movie Universe

Was Alien:Covenant a religious allegory?

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makefree00

MemberOvomorphJun-23-2017 7:28 PM

1. So the colonists were fulfilling a new covenant with their creator. However, this new covenant was broken when the colonists refused to spend an extra seven years in cryosleep in order to get to the planet they had originally planned to colonize.
2. Seven years to reach their new world because each year represented the seven days of creation wherein God created the universe in six days plus one day of rest (the sabbath).
3. They broke the covenant in order to go to a planet that seemed, at first glance, easier to settle. Sloth is one of the seven deadly sins.
4. The planet was uncharted despite all the deep space probes that had been done. Meaning God was telling them it wasn't meant for them.
5. I think in the film they described this uncharted planet as "almost earth". The John Denver song Country Roads starts with the line "Almost heaven". The anti christ is supposed to appear almost exactly like Christ since Satan is the father of deceit, the ultimate counterfeiter. David followed Satan's example and almost perfectly mimicked Walter.
6. And it was the highly religious captain who made the key decision to break the covenant which led to the disaster. He knew more than any of them that he broke their promise to God. He was also the only one who had the conviction to kill one of the demonic beasts. However his trusting Christian nature led him to look into the pod.
7. Shaw was also laid out like Christ on the cross, with a kind of crown of thorns upon her head.
8. Once they broke the covenant, God wasted no time in bringing down his wrath. "The judgements of the lord are true and righteous altogether"

9. When the colonists originally landed on this forbidden planet, they easily could have landed on dry ground. Instead they landed in water. Water is used in baptism. By choosing to land in the water they were choosing to be baptized on this new land.
10. They were also landing on what appeared to be a lake which could be an allusion to the lake of fire where unbelievers and sinners are supposed to be condemned for eternity. When the lander exploded later in the film, the waters of baptism became a kind of lake of fire.
11. The captain was led underground by David. Underground is usually equated with hell, the underworld., death, where the dad are buried, and where Satan resides.
12. David could have allowed the captain to remain unconscious until the alien burst from his chest but instead he chose to awaken the religious captain so that the captain may suffer just as Christ suffered on the cross who's suffering was historically significant. David wanted the captain to suffer horribly, which betrays a level of sadism that's practically satanic.
13. David awoke the captain by casting stones upon him. In the Bible it says "let he who is among you without sin cast the first stone". Certainly David was not a being without sin. He was full of sin, satanic actually, and so casting stones upon the captain was one way of saying "I am without sin". Another lie from the father of lies.
14. When the Captain awoke, perhaps suspecting his own impending sacrifice, he asked David what David believed in. David took a long meaningful look upwards as if looking up to God, perhaps to mock him, and then David replied "Creation". As soon as David spoke this word, the captain was sacrificed so that David's creation may live. This to me was perhaps the climax of the film. What God intended is that life begets life, that creation begets and enriches creation. David/Satan's intention is that creation destroys life. Satan's act of creation is specifically designed to kill God's preferred creatures: humans.
15. The antichrist is described as a being that is almost an exact copy of Jesus Christ except that there's just something somehow off. When David makes a mistake in identifying the author of the Ozymandias poem Walter points out that when one note is off an entire symphony is destroyed.
16. Walter also had the power to heal himself similar to how Christ had the power to heal others. David had no such healing power.
17. When the survivors make it off the planet, they fly up into the sky. Flying upwards into the clouds is associated with going to heaven. They brought David/satan with them. Satan, in the bible, is a fallen angel.
18. David as Satan, a fallen angel, descended from the heavens to destroy all life on this place considered engineer paradise. The engineers clearly appeared to be a very peaceful, religious people. He turned their paradise into a hell where he alone reigned. Literally all life was wiped out.
19. Daniels also spoke of the lumber and nails that they had stored to build a new home. Wood and nails are materials that are intimately associated with Christ, since Jesus was a carpenter, he built things, he built homes for people like Daniels and and the captain who perished in the fire.
20. David was revealed as Walter when Daniels asked him about building her home on the lake. David symbolically could not understand what she was talking about. Jesus, as a carpenter, literally built homes, whereas Satan is a being who cannot understand such an act.
21. When Daniels flights David she took the nail and stabbed him with it just as Christ was impaled with nails on his wrists up on his feet. She stabs him underneath the chin to nail the jaw to the roof of his mouth to get him to stop speaking more lies as he is Satan, the father of lies.
22. Upon beginning their exploration they discovered wheat. Wheat is converted to bread. Bread carries great significance throughout the Bible. Jesus broke bread with his disciples at the last supper and broke bread with sinners throughout the Bible. Catholics, when they go to mass, consume a wafer of bread representing the body of Christ, and a sip of wine representing his blood. Since blood was already everywhere, I suppose Ridley didn't see the need to work wine into the plot somewhere, lol.
23. Shaw wasn't able to bear children. It's from her barren womb that David took the eggs that were converted into the alien pods. Shaw had a barren womb which means that she was not meant by God to bear children. David defied God's will and so her womb created demonic creatures.
24. The claw that crushed the alien = the hand of God?
25. In the title for the next film "Alien Awakening" the term awakening perhaps could be an allusion to the resurrection of Christ after three days in the tomb. Unfortunately for ridley the title alien resurrection had already been taken.

4 Replies

esther85

MemberOvomorphJun-24-2017 10:55 PM

Hi there! Huh, you wrote a lot of good thoughts, theories. Yesterday i wanted to reply, but because it's a pretty long and interesting post and unfortunately my English isn't good át áll, I wasn't enough brave writing a comment :D naaaa but today... 

1-2. Wow, I didn't think about this. Honestly ín this case the 40days/40 years would be a better choise, but this connection between the 7 days/7years and creation/time of the journey is a very good idea.

3-4. Good point about the Covenant thing. I was also wondering, whose covenant we are talking about in this film. You have a good interpretation of this. I didn't think about this before, so here's another possibility for the meaning of the.title. 

5. Okey, I agree, but.for me Walter isn't a Jesus type figure át all. He did nothing to think this, át least for me. David alsó isn't the antichrist for me. But indeed, hé is a luciferian/promethian character. 

The interpretation of the John Denver song is brilliant :) a very sarchastic way. Maybe David uses this song with an aim. 

6. Yes, you are right. But honestly i couldn't like this character, they made him a totally silly and weak  person. Shaw was a definitely good christian character, but Oram... Eeeh. But that's just my opinion.

7. The position of Shaw for me isn't like Jesus on the cross át all.

8-9. Well, maybe maybe. But it's a bit too much religious connection for me. I emphasize FOR ME. It doesn't mean, you are not right  in this question. 

10. Very good point. The lake of fire allegory fits here. Just for me the water isn't the water of baptists.

12-13. Okey, so David is a satanic, luciferian, promethian character. The "cast the first stone" thing is a good point of your interpretation, but again: Oram isn't a Jesus character. I think, in this film arent any Jesus type character. And when an alien chestbust, it's sure you wake up because of the pain. David wanted to mock Oram, that's why he waked him up. He would feel the pain when the alien was born. 

David for me isnt that bad character. I'm a protestant, so please, don't misunderstand me. Ín my opinion the power of the Satan also makes us to be better. There's a really good book:

Imre Madach: The Tragedy of Man. 

Indeed, Lucifer is a negative figure, but not that evil. Hé has the power, but also has a faith, because God created him too. His faith is always Fall.

Na so David is a kind of Lucifer, but just think about that: he started to be a creator. Hé loves his creations. We never saw such love from the Engineers to Humans (actually they wanted to wipe out us), and Humans to Androids. (Nobody liked David). And what do we see from him? Hé teaches his creations, alsó say nursery rhymes to them... Hé loves them, hé is a kind of good creator, a good father. But is he egoist? Yes. Narcist? Yes. Hé has a lot of "bad point", but hé is also a good father. Are we blaming on him, because hé uses us and the inhabitants of planet4,such an object? Mmm, yes, we can. But what are we doing here on Earth ás Humans? We mutating organism to produce more and more antibiotics, we make experiments on animals etc etc. We arent better at all, even worse. Só David's character is a bit plural. I can't see him just a simple villain.

13. Good thoughts, just again, I don't think, David want to destroy life. He created another type of lifeform. We , humans also create things that needs destroying lifeforms. just God, who could create from "nothing". In the Prometheus we saw another theory about creation, which belongs tó the sacrificial . It's pure, better than mutating everything just for living in a "better world". Uh, maybe it seems, i hate Mankind! Noooot at all, just because you wrote about David as a bad villain, I just wanted to show another point of view.

20. Very solid point, thank you. 

22. There's no bread just wine... Or who knows. Dead bodies ás bread , wine ás blood... 

 

 

Starlogger

MemberChestbursterJun-25-2017 6:20 AM

Good thought provoking discussion. Well thought out and well done!

StoneColdET12

MemberOvomorphJun-28-2017 10:17 AM

nice discussion makefree00! i can definitely see some religious allegory in the movie. some of your suggestions may be a little far fetched but none the less I applaud you. the whole shaw being virgin mary is pretty cool. Have you seen the short clip of the crossing? when shaw is laying in the cryosleep chamber theres definitly a virgin mary vibe going on.  

RZA

MemberOvomorphJun-28-2017 5:31 PM

There has to some deliberate connections I'm sure. If not it's still interesting to find all the parallels. Thank you. This was a great read!

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Alien: Covenant is a sequel to 2012's Prometheus as well as a prequel to 1979's ALIEN. Alien fans looking to know more about Alien: Covenant should check back often. Alien-Covenant.com is an information resource for film enthusiasts looking to learn more about the upcoming blockbuster Alien: Covenant. Providing the latest official and accurate information on Alien: Covenant, this website contains links to every set video, viral video, commercial, trailer, poster, movie still and screenshot available. This site is an extension of the Alien & Predator Fandom on Scified - a central hub for fans of Alien and Prometheus looking to stay up-to-date on the latest news. Images used are property of their respective owners. Alien: Covenant, Prometheus and its associated names, logos and images are property of 20th Century Fox and are in no way owned by Scified and its related entities. This is a fan-created website for the purpose of informing and exciting fans for Alien: Covenant's release. If you have any questions about this site, its content or the Scified Network in general, feel free to contact Scified directly.

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