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Early draft of, "The Crossing" reveals more about David and Shaw

Alien-Covenant.com/forum/
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cuponator3000

MemberChestbursterMar-09-2018 6:06 PM

We Got This Covered posted an article (http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/alien-covenant-draft-script-shows-different-opening-sequence/) that details some of the differences between an early draft of Ridley Scott's prologue to Alien: CovenantThe Crossing, and what we saw on online. 

Basically: 

- Shaw survived off of fruit and water found on the Juggernaut

- Shaw reattached David's head because she was afraid of him dying, leaving her alone in space

- David puts on a nice guy act and the two even show hints of becoming something even more than friends

-David drops the act once they arrive at Planet 4. He snaps Shaw's neck and bombards the Engineer city. 

As the author of the article wrote, this version is much more explicit in it's telling of their journey. I like it! I enjoyed what we received very much, the ambiguous nature of the motivations and what not are very cool and fit with Scott's Prometheus

Still though, I think a more explicit telling of their journey and relationship would have done Covenant some favors. PLUS this would have been a better way to show Shaw's end in my opinion. To see all of that and then her true fate in Covenant, wow. 

What do you guys think? A cool idea, or  is the final result better?

Not a map, an invitation

46 Replies

Ingeniero

MemberPraetorianMar-09-2018 9:29 PM

"David drops the act once they arrive at Planet 4. He snaps Shaw's neck and bombards the Engineer city."

I expected something like this because turning on Dr. Shaw in an instant seemed to be the most reasonable action from David. 

One of the things I liked about the Dr. Shaw character was her ability to convince herself of things (regarding the Engineers, not her faith) and somehow with the best tools, success was guaranteed and she was correct in all her assumptions. It was then realistic to me because I could relate to that mistake. A lot.

So, the loneliness angle and David taking advantage of it seemed the perfect prelude to turning on Dr. Shaw in an instant.

Thank you cuponator3000. Nice topic.

SpecialOrder937.com

Leeta

MemberOvomorphMar-10-2018 7:30 AM

I really like the little details that were in the draft but I prefer David having a warped love turned deadly for Shaw than him just turning on her like that. And him killing her because of rejection, in my opinion, and not being able to cope with the feeling seems better to me. I also didn't mind the mystery of her death. 

cuponator3000

MemberChestbursterMar-10-2018 8:03 AM

Thanks, Ingenerio! I basically agree that this script featured a pretty fitting send off for Shaw. 

Then again, I see Leeta's angle. It's a little more horrifying and harder to handle that we don't know what happened. It was presumably a drawn out death too. I could imagine this leaked scirpt ending with the bombing, but instead of Shaw dying it could have ended on her waking up (or something) and seeing the tail end of David's work. The last two shots could be Shaw's shocked, horrified face and then either David's tear or some cynical snear. 

Not a map, an invitation

Ingeniero

MemberPraetorianMar-10-2018 8:59 AM

Overall, I agree and prefer the mystery to Dr. Shaw's fate with the shock of walking up on her in David's lab Leeta as it was shown in the film. I also like the "warped love" from a synthetic that was designed to project emotions that has gone mad.

The altar to Shaw in Advent is great.

Dr. Shaw was not cured of the infection that bore the trilobite pulled out of her in the MedPod.

So, whatever changed her to produce the octopus demon that took the Engineer would continue to change her body.

This could be seen with the obvious changes to her head in Alien: Covenant in addition to the the changes to Dr. Shaw made by David himself.  

I wished to see more of the interaction between Elizabeth and David in how they left LV-223 and certainly wanted to read about it in Alien: Covenant Origins but this too added to the mystery. 

I'm convinced that David was just playing along and had Dr. Shaw work with him in the navigation above to placate her.

Whatever he told her would have been a lie in regards to her navigation participation and he knew he needed an organic host so I guess he kept her alive and altered the Engineer sleep chamber to house Shaw before her health collapsed. And protect her from the mutagen bombing.

The Engineer that Peter Weyland met on LV-223 survived the "incident" long ago that killed many Engineers while the lone Engineer was asleep in the hypersleep chamber.

I can only assume Dr. Shaw was protected during the bombing while in the hypersleep chamber. Hopefully the Engineer robe David made into a sleeping bag for her is really padded because I can imagine David's juggernaut landing on Planet 4 was turbulent.

 

 

SpecialOrder937.com

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterMar-10-2018 11:20 AM

@Ingeniero

"Dr. Shaw was not cured of the infection that bore the trilobite pulled out of her in the MedPod. So, whatever changed her to produce the octopus demon that took the Engineer would continue to change her body."

How do you know this? What we know is that Shaw repaired David after sometime, at least month after Prometheus, we know this because of the longer hair in the Crossing and in the leaked prologue it is stated the date is 8th of April (which curios as Easter falls on the 4th in 2094, thank the Goo that David is not also Jesus). Yet, anyone depicted as being infected dies/is transformed within a day/two... I haven't seen Advent to notice other sign of infections on the body of Shaw, but there should have been if we look at Holloway and Fifield, or the Engineers. I don't know what was on her head, but it might be the results of David's experiments. 

But the most for me the most fascinating thing in the prologue is the display of engineer tech. Running water, air, fruits growing on strange whines, a very nice contrast to the "primitiveness" of the Covenant.

Yet more talk about dead characters...

Ingeniero

MemberPraetorianMar-10-2018 1:00 PM

ignorantGuy, Dr. Shaw was barren, unable to have children.

Then she has a child/trilobite born in a day. Body changes. My assumptions above were based on these changes not being confined to a single day of horror from the mutagen infection from Dr. Holloway. 

You may be correct. Shaw was infected, cured like no other in the franchise, and then infected again by David on Planet 4. 

Yet more talk about characters in the future, yet to be born....nice.

Where is April 8th in the Crossing?

 

SpecialOrder937.com

Ingeniero

MemberPraetorianMar-10-2018 2:40 PM

I see what you're referencing now regarding April 8 in the Logan script now ignorantGuy. I thought I had missed that in the Crossing.

SpecialOrder937.com

Ingeniero

MemberPraetorianMar-10-2018 2:53 PM

Interesting:

"Deep-Space Colony Ship USCSS COVENANT CREW: 14, +1 SYNTHETIC
PASSENGERS: 3600
MISSION: Terraform and Populate DESTINATION: Origae-6

DATE: 2103, 239 light-years from Earth"

"In a darkened PASSSENGER CRYO-STASIS HOLD, a kiosk beeps, awakens. NAMES SPILL OUT on a screen crusted in ice. Dim green light flickers out over 3600 CRYO-PODS, under a thun blanket of snow .. The pods sweep up along the huge curbed wall, defying gravity..."

There are obvious items that were changed for the Crossing but it is interesting to see the thinking before the re-write. It is as if they took small details of the Logan Crossing draft and worked them both into the Crossing and Alien: Covenant

SpecialOrder937.com

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterMar-10-2018 8:38 PM

@Ingeniero

Sorry for not being clear regarding the April date... I don't think we can be sure about anything about lore as it might be changed if a third movie is made. However, the trilobite could have been only mutated sperm which is not infectious, for example...

And to be an @-hole, why is Logan not credited as a writer for the Crossing when lines are clearly taken from there?

Ingeniero

MemberPraetorianMar-11-2018 10:39 AM

No sweat ignorantGuy...I was responding to the topic synopsis and didn't remember April 8 in the Crossing. I really thought I forgot it.

I wasn't trying to be a technical @-hole either when you cited the script and April 8. I love it when the script and background information leaks out and we can discuss them and tie meaning to the concepts as kernel ideas that eventually became fruit in the film and promotional material.

We are singing in harmony regarding Logan not credited as a writer. His work made it's way into Alien: Covenant in a few ways. And, you're correct to question my interpretation above as far as "How do you know this?" regarding Dr. Shaw's anatomy.

That above is my interpretation of how they handled Dr. Shaw opposed to the original leaked script in the topic. 

 

SpecialOrder937.com

Ati

MemberPraetorianMar-11-2018 3:11 PM

So they grew some grapes, they made and drank wine, then they got drunk, had sex (yes I know, but David has a big and strong... tongue) - who knows, perhaps they got married as well... And at the end of the journey David snaps her neck. Awesome... We see this in every movie. :/

Svanya

AdminPraetorianMar-11-2018 3:46 PM

Featured this, very interesting post. 

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-11-2018 4:35 PM

Bit Tired now... so i will do some in-depth analysis of this Prologue, but i think its Great with what we got and NOT this Bag of Incoherent and inconsistent errors..

Looking at this Draft for the Crossing, and then looking at the Flaws of Alien Covenant... a Pattern has emerged and i have GRAVE CONCERNS if John Logans Penned Alien Covenant 2 happens.

And we have people who are displeased with Lindeloff lol....  at least his draft is Coherent some what... Spaights is very coherent but very Robotic.

We have been given here just Lazy Plot Devices to Explain Certain things....   Fruit on the Juggernaught? Water that Dr Shaw drinks from and Baths... i mean do the Engineers have like a Built in Spa on these ships LOL

This may seem like a Drinking Mans Rant ;) Guilty.. but i will give a more detailed break down tomorrow or tuesday.

But this draft if we had this word for word/scene for scene would just basically make DAVID just a CRAZY Robot...  it also implies Dr Shaw had Fallen for David and it basically does not add up to the clues in Alien Covenant.

PS  FTL Travel and yet a Head Still Floats near by...  Just not well thought out at all... basically lets anything become a McGuffin.

PS Ridley Scott Drop us a Email ;) i will write you something, as i dread to think what Logans concocted for the sequel...   Looking at this Draft and how AC is set up... it would paint a picture that David would just Turn all those Colonists into Eggs/Experiments.

But i think a lot had been changed after this Prologue, and i think the elements that made it to the Crossing Viral fitted well.  Half of the stuff not included seemed  a mess... thats just my Opinion though.

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-11-2018 4:47 PM

I will say this Crossing throws some interesting clues though, i wonder how much of this matches the plans for AC as far as Planet 4?

I am not a Fan of Davids Head and Shoe floating in Space while at FTL, and yet remains close by... or the Convenience of the Ship having a Fruit Tree, a Water Feature, and then they do some Cooking too... 

Nope to me the Engineers Ships looked set up like something that Holds the Cargo, The Engineers and then they go into Cryo-sleep.. I think John Logans Crossing they have basically tried to think how do we explain how Dr Shaw Survived, and also get past how to answer the Question... How Does Dr Shaw manage to get into those Cryo-Sleep Pods without the Mask the Engineer had, and the way the Tubes connected to the Suit.

A Answer could be Dr Shaw was fused with a Suit?

But nope the other way around is have the Ship have A Garden, a Water Feature for Bathing/Drinking and Appliances to do some Cooking.

But what it also raised with interest is that Planet 4 is about 240 Light years from LV-223 which would put it in the 200-300 Light Year Distance from Earth.

It also means our Engineer Ships Travel about 200-400 Light Years per Year... a lot depends on what we draw from the Months Dr Shaw was on the Ship.... which could be 6-12 months.

Another FLAW.... the Defense Systems on Planet 4, would surely mean they had more detection methods than we actually saw in the Movie, yet David got through to Bomb them.

Another FLAW... If Davids Agenda was to Bomb the Engineers and Kill Dr Shaw, then why wait until we arrive at Planet 4, he could have killed her at any point...

The only logical explanation would be her wanted to see the look on her Face when she had arrived, and see her excitement at finally getting some answers... to then at that moment Kill her..

This depicts David as Totally Twisted and Ruthless... which if we go by this Mentality, does not spell well for the Covenant Crew and so a Covenant 2 will be David just creating Experiments and Xenomorphs from the Crew.... so no real Human interaction.

I just find it very unimaginative and incoherent kind of writing...

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-11-2018 5:06 PM

"And him killing her because of rejection"

Leeta

Indeed this is what i was drawn to, if anyone studied David from Prometheus, his reaction to how he was treated and referred to by Holloway and David, his fascination with Laurence of Arabia and stuff.    We could paint the Picture that David is very much like Pinocchio we can see that he appears to want to have more Human Interests (Laurence of Arabia) he feels he is Sentient, he must see he is Superior to Humans, yet was made to Serve.

And then if we see how Dr Shaw Reacted to him, in-spite of how David had been towards her (the Theatrical Ending to Prometheus) we can see then from the Crossing that we got, that David had noticed how KIND and different Dr Shaw was to him, how maybe he felt she treated him different to how other Humans had done.

The Nature Boy Lyrics from the Trailer Hold very True IMO

"Then we spoke of many things: Fools and kings" maybe links to Weyland.

"Then he said to me"


"The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is to love and be loved in return"

This paints a picture that Davids Emotional State was influenced by how he was treated, and so in Dr Shaw he felt treated better...  We can look at Davids comment to Daniels near the end of Alien Covenant...   in regards to "what kind of a world can we build" which David replies.. "if we are kind, it will be a kind world"

These paint a better picture for David and his Actions rather than being a MAD ROBOT...

So we see in the Crossing Dr Shaws Hair has grown by a amount that would take 10-12 Months, certainly at least 6-9 months, so it seems Dr Shaw had to spend many months interacting with David before she built up the Confidence to TRUST him, you can imagine the Many Months of Interactions between them before she puts him back together again (RS did say prior to AC, that she SLOWLY puts him back together again).

So they become FOND of Each Other...  David maybe feared being Alone and had Fallen for Dr Shaw, so he had no choice but to Bombard the Engineers (while Shaw was in Cryo-sleep).  Because here is NO-WAY he could risk Dr Shaw meeting these beings and merely being killed, or even that David would be killed too... he wants to Survive, he wants Dr Shaw to Survive.

And Hence the Bombardment..

I would assume David makes some excuse to why he had to do so, or why it happened, and David would then say the Atmosphere was Infected so that Dr Shaw is Confined to the Juggernaught, and this allows David to get up to all the stuff he had been doing.

I think on ONE-HAND David Made Advances to Dr Shaw, as he saw their Love as more than Platonic which may have freaked Dr Shaw out... and David may have seen this as Rejection and that Dr Shaw is no different to Humans...

And on the OTHER-HAND maybe she grew suspicious and wandered outside and discovered that actually the Environment was not as Infected as David let on...  i would also ASSUME she discovered some of what David was doing, and maybe he had a Proposal for her, that she also Rejected and then she tried to escape before David then Killed her.

THIS ^^^ is how i interpreted the Crossing with Alien Covenants Clues and David from Prometheus etc.   I feel this is interesting.

But the Crossing Draft in this Thread, actually gives us a Totally different and less interesting picture.

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterMar-11-2018 9:12 PM

@BigDave

Well the script clearly contradicts you... Shaw falls for him, they cuddle/have sex and she even she asks him about his ambitions (of course he does not answer). In short, he is not treated like a toaster, yet in the movies script he lies to Walter that he will be treated only as that, which seem to be also a lie.

Also in that script, David wants to rule the galaxy, he was not afraid of humans (of primates), or of the Engineers (which he considers to be some freaks of nature). For that he would have use his Xeno "soldiers" (as opposed to him, the general) and the engineer fleet.

Judging from all of this for Logan only the Roman Empire and James Bond villains are important, not sci-fi, which is a minor genre (as opposed to James Bond).

Also if this scripts are from 2015 and the story was already established as an Alien movie, why even leak the Blomkamp Alien project. It was clear that nobody wanted 2 alien movies in such a short distance. 

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-11-2018 10:02 PM

Talking about Incoherent... i guess my ramblings were a bit like this, One Should not attempt to analyse stuff when very tired and not long back after a over 5 Liters beer/ale fest in a few hours lol

"Well the script clearly contradicts you"

I certainly have to agree, regarding the draft.  When i had interpreted Dr Shaw and David from Prometheus to Alien Covenant, the clues led me down a different path just as with what Leeta had said.   But any kind of theory has to be down to own personal interpretations as the movie and Crossing were both ambiguous to a degree.   HOWEVER.. this earlier draft for the Crossing paints a different picture for sure.  This draft if i can try and make sense of it in a way to Logically connect some elements seems to show that David has a Agenda from Day One and here merely played Dr Shaw at a game...  and it appears he had NO feelings towards her what so ever...

This version paints David as a even worse Psychopath than we thought, his twisted mind was playing with Dr Shaws feelings, he was waiting to see her BELIEVE she would finally get her answers and then waited until this moment to KILL her... thats one Evil SOB it would be like getting someone to fall for you, you take them to say Iceland Pamper them and take them to a Volcano and get on your knees.. they think you are about to Propose and then you shove them into the Volcano.

So now i have to to look at it with more Clarity, thats one pretty nasty David...  Which makes the Whole Shrine etc to Dr Shaw and comments he makes regarding her, now something that shows this Robot is clearly very Disturbed so i kind of like this aspect.

But a David like this would have serious intentions for the Covenant Crew, where his Agenda would be Paramount... however looking at this Psychopath, we could see him still set up a Colony and Fool the Colonist to thinking they found Paradise... only to then Reveal his Horrific Intentions.  I can kind of buy this take on David.

I just feel the alternative Crossing portrays Dr Shaw a bit odd, but i think my main gripe is the Vines with Fruit, and the Water Room..  but as i said before (and i may have been harsh) these are used as a Plot Device to explain how Dr Shaw could survive for months on that Ship while pondering Putting David together.  Because there is no way she could survive for months unless she went into Cryo-Sleep and we could see the Engineer was connected to the Cryo-Pod in a certain way.

I think maybe we can look at a reason for David being upset... i mean he offered Dr Shaw a way off that piece of ROCK that is LV-223 only for Dr Shaw to then not put him back together, despite David getting them off LV-223 in TWO Halves and showing Dr Shaw how to operate the Ship and in Return she sends his Head into Space.

So i can see why the Fruit Tree and Water Room were needed, but i just think they could have given us a different way of doing it, because when we saw the Juggernaught in Prometheus and Alien Covenant... having a Garden Room and Water Room just did not seem so fitting for a Ship that we had to assume was Advanced and could Travel very fast and far and that Cryo-sleep was used by the Engineers.  So no need for the Garden/Water Rooms... but they was a necessary plot device to allow Dr Shaw to survive.

The Floating David Head... is something i am not a fan of, but what i try and do is come up with Logical ways to explain something a bit illogical... and so for Davids Head... i assume maybe the Juggernaught is Protected inside some kind of Bubble, and they use this to allow them to FTL Travel and so anything outside the ship but within this Bubble would travel at the same speed as the Juggernaught.

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-11-2018 10:14 PM

I think some of the draft was well done, other parts i was not a fan off and they kind of did not fit with what the Alien Covenant Movie but more so the Actual Crossing Viral showed..... maybe i was a bit harsh and jumped the Gun to point out this inconsistency.

We Do-Not really know what state the Covenant Draft was at the time of this Crossing one, so changes to the movie and Crossing drafts could have been made after....

The whole Bombardment Scene appears to be slightly different too, as in the Crossing Video we see the Engineers start to Flock towards the Hanger when they realize a Engineer Ship is returning.

Also we have things in AC and the Crossing that have to indicate to us that Dr Shaw Salvaged the Wreckage of the Prometheus and Life-Boat for a number of items we see used in the Crossing and in Alien Covenant.  So this implies there was a number of changes in the Crossing from this earlier draft.

I kind of think the version that we got could have been longer, but i certainly would not have had a number of elements from this earlier draft but thats just individual opinions.

Looking at AC and the Crossing we got, i am draw to David misunderstanding Dr Shaws Treatment of him as more than Friendly, and David falls for her... gets rejected and as a Android with Emotions and while not Human, i feel some Emotions David would really struggle with.... and rejection could be one of those.

I may have been a bit harsh on Logan... i think he has done some good stories in the past but maybe Sci-Fi is not his best subject, when i look at the Crossing in this Topic and Alien Covenant there are things that had been done, that i personally dont think was done well... but thats just my TWO CENTS and there are even things in Lindeloffs and Spaights drafts for Prometheus/Alien Engineers that i find a Flawed too.

A part of my rant was having a laugh to... i was not being to serious, but then mixed with some parts i was venting some disappointment at some odd things... it could come across as totally bashing Logan ;)

I have had some time to rest and also sober up (mind you i was only  Tipsy but shows you dont look at stuff as well as when you have had NO drinks lol)   And so i can come back with more clear prospective on this draft

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-11-2018 10:38 PM

Just Re-Read the draft and noticed a few things..

Firstly where i wondered if David felt upset at doing his part of the bargain only for Dr Shaw to Eject him into space... its clear that her reasons for this are because of the way he began to behave and how he was attempting to Re-attach himself... so i missed that.

Other things for me as far as the writing seem a bit flawed, in terms to how Dr Shaw would act and speak compared to what we was shown in Prometheus... but then every writer can have a different take on a Character.

There are a number of Spelling Mistakes... which i find ODD and also some other discrepancies... which makes me wonder is this just that Logan has not paid attention to detail?

One element being

TEN YEARS LATER

Deep-Space Colony Ship USCSS COVENANT

CREW: 14, +1 SYNTHETIC

PASSENGERS: 3600

MISSION: Terraform and Populate

DESTINATION: Origae-6

DATE: 2103, 239 light-years from Earth

Yet Dr Shaw mentions it being April 8th (she thinks) so we have to assume April 2104 (2094*), she latter mentions he became unstable TWO Months ago.  (so about February 2104 2094*).  And then Months pass.

So we are looking at what?  June-September 2104? 2094*

Yet the last part mentions 10 years latter, when in fact 10 years later than 2103 (2093*) would be before they even arrived on LV-223 in Prometheus...  Maybe this is just a hindsight.

I do WONDER has this been confirmed as a legit draft? or could it be a Fan Made one?

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

ignorantGuy

MemberChestbursterMar-11-2018 11:34 PM

@BigDave

That's 8th of April 2094 however... and the events of Covenant are a little bit less then 10 years after.

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-12-2018 4:08 PM

Opps....  Indeed realized my Typo's  yeah i meant 2094 so i edited it with 2094* so the post now makes sense with my post...

Also edited the 10 years after i meant 10 years prior... silly me ;)

Looking at the Paradise Lost Draft just a quick peak it appears this Crossing (in spite of errors) is written by Logan (well at very least the same person).

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

Leeta

MemberOvomorphMar-13-2018 2:38 AM

This depicts David as Totally Twisted and Ruthless... 

He was too stereotypically evil in this draft, in my opinion. As I said in my original post, him developing a dark love for Shaw gave him more character for me then him thinking, 'heheheheh, I'll just wait for the right moment and then...Pow!' 

 

Michelle Johnston

MemberChestbursterMar-13-2018 2:53 AM

I check out the site from time to time to see how much of the early work on the Prometheus follow up has surfaced. 

This draft is very interesting because it shows the screen writer pitching expositional narrative whose prime objective is to maintain the momentum of Prometheus.

However it has a very substantial in built difficulty. After ten minutes David has hoodwinked his maker, destroyed the Engineers and bait and switched Shaw.

We then watch a movie where the hapless Covenant arrives. In other words the ambiguity of the final film has more dramatic tension than the spelt out exposition. We would simply be waiting for David to knock them off.

The real point though is this demonstrates the difficulty with making Michael the centre of the movie, rather than carry on the search for our creators with Shaw and David as, the can we trust him facilitator, which would have an added dimension if he genuinely responded to Elizabeths healing of his body. There was a good deal of potential creative tension in that with the discovery of the Engineers mythology as the back drop to their journey. I also like the idea that the original infection of Shaw or should I say Holloway had down stream consequences for Shaw and if David became capable of intimacy with Shaw-David.

I have said it before but a faith based Shaw coming up against a mechanical view of creation whilst David the synthetic develops very complex feelings for Shaw could have had the enigmatic quality of BR2049. What is existence what is cognitive self starting life.... oh and who are our creators and what does LV223 represent small things like explaining Prometheus and what we are seeing rather than junking it. 

 

chli

MemberChestbursterMar-13-2018 9:45 AM

Xenovirus

It’s interesting that in the early draft the black goo is called “xenovirus” hinting at in the early stages of the Covenant project the idea wasn’t that David created the xenomorph? The name “xenovirus” hints at the black goo either is derived from a xenomorph (xeno-dna) or the black goo leads to a xenomorph (when humans or engineers are exposed to it)? In either case, the xenomoph would be known to the engineers and thus David not being the creator?

In this early script, David also kills Shaw as they arrive at Planet 4 which also gives the impression that David wasn’t thought of as the creator of the xenomorph from the beginning? He would need Shaw alive to be able to experiment with her and create the eggs?

The idea that David created the xenomorph, therefore, came later on in the Covenant project?

chli

MemberChestbursterMar-13-2018 12:30 PM

The Flashback scene

Another interesting thing is that they have moved David’s flashback scene (when he exterminates the engineers with the pathogen). In the early script, it was in the beginning as they reach Planet 4 (not a flashback). In the later one when David and the rest reach the engineer city and they see all the dead bodies, and in the movie, it is moved to when Walter and David are on the balcony overlooking the dead city.

OhioDude25

MemberOvomorphMar-13-2018 2:45 PM

So it is no longer called Alien Awakening?

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-13-2018 4:39 PM

"It’s interesting that in the early draft the black goo is called “xenovirus”

I would say this was purely to allow the reader to connect to the Xenomorph as its better than McGuffin Virus or Black Goo Virus.

sure there was a connection.... it appears John Logan was brought in to change the Story to bring the Xenomorph back into it as a result of the Black Goo and Prometheus mission rather than to confirm the Xenomorph Pre-existed.

Not sure i can contribute much today (drinking and meds again) so i may have to come back to some things including Michelle ;)

So i have to keep things to less Thought Provoking for now ;)

" David also kills Shaw as they arrive at Planet 4 which also gives the impression that David wasn’t thought of as the creator of the xenomorph from the beginning?"

Who knows... maybe he could have used her body for experiments, we really cant be 100% sure what the thought process had been...   The Source i had from February 2015 based off the Paglen/Green Draft from October 2014... seemed to hint that by showing David Re-Create Something.. would provide us clues to how Something was Created Before... and that Dr Shaw would be required to allow this Re-Creation to take place...  This is actually what we got in Alien Covenant, just slightly different and now its not a Re-Creation but a Actual Creation.

I think the moving of the Bombardment Scene actually was ideal as showing it in the beginning would have given too much away.

Regarding Michelle's post... i have to get back to this when i can muster some more brain cells ;)   I will add that the Crossing Draft did paint David in a quite basic fashion,  i felt it was not the more interesting way to explore things... because we now if we accept this, and what the Logans Movie Drafts seem to show (not read them really yet) is that the next movie would be something along the lines of David just churning out Xenomorphs with the Covenant Crew.... he arrives at Origae-6 with loads of Eggs and a Company Ship arrive and discover them and well Davids Xenomorph Army is unleashed...

This goes against RS when he said the next movie would be less Xenomorph and more AI... because Logans drafts appear to lead up to the opposite.

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-13-2018 4:43 PM

"So it is no longer called Alien Awakening"

Regarding the Sequel...?

We cant be sure... it appears the idea was Alien Awakening, but then some contradictory comments  seem to hint Alien Awakening happens between Prometheus and Alien Covenant and others after Alien Covenant and a Alien Awakening fits more prior to Alien Covenant... it does not fit a sequel... not with how RS claimed the next one would be less Xenomorph.

But we really cant be sure what state the movie was in.. John Logan had apparently had a nearly ready to go Script as of last summer, but its been Limbo since.

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

chli

MemberChestbursterMar-13-2018 9:14 PM

BigDave & Michelle

It would be interesting to read the original scripts by Harper and Green, but I suppose they aren’t around on the Internet? “MacGuffin virus is perhaps a good name for the black goo since it’s not explained in detail how it works and is made (although we get some obscure description of it through David in “Advent”). At least we know from Prometheus that it does give rise to some kind of xenomorph creature seen in the mural and the deacon.

The original scripts by Harper and Green perhaps had a more direct continuation of the story (about David and Shaw) which Logan abruptly and literally kills off very early on? The prologue in the script is then deleted altogether but we get to see some of it in “The Crossing”, though. At the end of “The Crossing” we also see David unleash the pathogen on the engineer world so we already know what he has become and what he’s done?

To continue the story of David and Shaw would have been very interesting (although we do get most of it from “The Crossing”, David telling about it in AC, and “Advent”. In AC we get the story of David and Shaw through the new characters’ (The Covenant crew) actions, dialogues and discoveries where we (the audience) are forced to do some puzzle making as well.

If there ever will be a continuation of the Alien saga leading up to the original Alien movie, I think there will be new main characters (maybe a couple from the colonists) and Daniels and Tennessee are dead (experimented on).

BigDave

MemberDeaconMar-14-2018 1:25 AM

Certainly would chli

If i come back to my comment about the Xeno-Virus i think it may appeared to be harsh... i can come across like that at times i think, where i dont intend on discrediting other people.  Just my Opinion.

so certainly its interesting to ask why it was referred to as the Xeno-Virus, this is a term that has been used on here and no doubt other sites way prior to Alien Covenant.. i am even guilty of using this term before...    The reasons we do this is because well its kind of like a Virus that imprinted Xenomorph Traits, that has to be connected to the Xenomorph in some way....

That with Alien Covenant the actual connection is the Xenomorph is the result of this Xeno-Virus... so it kind of seems odd to call it a Xeno-Virus is it pre-dates the Xenomorph... but then as it can lead to a Xenomorph i guess it can apply still.

Prometheus and Alien Covenant show us that the Xenomorph, Neomorph and Deacon are all results of the Black Goo, so its  a case of do we have any real NAME for related Organisms?  I mean we have orders like Reptiles, Birds, Primates so its a case of what does all these Morphs have as far as a Name... And well we dont have one... all we know is they are connected to that Black Goo and i guess as the Xenomorph is the more widely known of these Morphs, the Xeno-Virus just seems to stick more as explaining what the Pathogen is.

The Black Goo has always been a bit ambigious, the Advent Viral Video does give some more depth to it, but slightly makes it more complicated... were as Prometheus clearly shows it to be quite simple... and we need to remember Spaights Nano-Scarabs are the same thing, just they changed Scarabs to the Goo.. If we then look at Alien Engineers then the Goo is simply a Mutagenic Pathogen that Manipulates DNA, it breaks down DNA/Traits of a Organism that is infected with the Sacrificial Goo, into a new Substance that then passes on Traits of Sacrificed Organism.

It is thus likely the Urns contained something related to the Xenomorph that was Sacrificed....  If the Engineers became Facinated with a LION and felt its DNA and Traits would be something they would want to incorporate into other Life-Forms, then they could Sacrifice a LION with Sacrificial Goo, collect the Genetic Material/Pathogen that becomes of the Sacrificed LION and store these into Glass Vials/ampules (as seen with the Black Goo) then Bombard a Target with these and if they infect a Human/Engineer we basically get THUNDERCATS Humanoids lol

This ^^^^^ is basically what Prometheus kind of showed, its what Jon Spaights Alien Engineers showed as far as the Scarabs... and so the original concept was this is some kind of Creation/Evolutionary Tool...   which fits perfectly with the whole back story of the Engineers.

But those at FOX have kept changing how it works first with the Weyland Agent A0-3959X.91 – 15 File... that basically contradicted what we saw in Prometheus.

Then we get the Advent Viral which complicates what was essentially a simple Creation Tool.

R.I.P Sox  01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

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