Just how many weird alien secrets are there in Ridley Scott's Prometheus? The longer we look at the trailers, the more we see. We've combined a ton of screngrabs from both the new U.S. and the UK trailers for Prometheus — and here are all the surprises we uncovered.
First and foremost, these trailers appear to be all about Noomi Rapace's character, Elizabeth Shaw. So what do we know about her? Well we now know that she's a scientist and an archaeologist. And with all the handholding going on in the new UK trailer I think it's safe to say she's at least dating the character Charlie Holloway, played by Logan Marshall-Green (and perhaps that is the couple seen in bed together in the last trailer).
In a previous interview with Digital Spy Rapace revealed that her character starts out very naive and becomes a warrior: "She's a believer, she's full of faith, she's a scientist and archaeologist. She goes on this journey in space and she changes into a fighter, warrior and survivor. She's very much a typical Ridley Scott woman!"
And with all the screaming, crying, possible praying, definite medical procedure and constant torso-rubbing, we think something truly terrible happens to this believer.
What are a couple of nerds in love doing on this mission? This is all finally revealed in the trailer, thus revealing Prometheus' real mission (but with the suit Charlize Theron and Michael Fassbender as the robot David on board you can bet there's an ulterior motive in play). But more on that later, the scientist are working with the crew of the Prometheus (owned by the Weyland-Corps) to investigate an ancient "star chart" which leads them to the planet where all the shit hits the fan. This is all explained in this debriefing moment, which hints strongly of old H.R. Giger concept art for Alien.
But back to Shaw for a hot minute. This entirely trailer is crafted almost entirely around Shaw's experiences. In fact, she's the first human you see waking from stasis in this yellow pod contraption. Which is not only bad-ass, but shows us that these white bandages are in fact some sort of future undaroos. Here they are, before she gets them all dirty.
So the Prometheus crew follow an ancient star chart, hidden in ruins and hieroglyphs, that they optimistically believe is an invitation. Which we all soon finally find out isn't. Here's a shot of the Prometheus cockpit waking up, very similar to the awakening in Alien — who wants to take bets on what the ship's computer is called? Father?
What they find on this mystery planet is even MORE Giger concept art, from Alien! Behold the egg cathedral — originally planned to make an appearance in Alien, but cut due to various reasons. Inside this pyramid was wonder and mythology and all sorts of cool space jockey shit we never got to see. Maybe even the whole backstory to the Xenomorphs, which would make sense as it's rumored that this is what Prometheus is about as well (sort of).
So the crew farts around the giant stone head room (all stuff we've seen before) but it all starts to change once Shaw (again!) asks Prometheus if they can see what she's seeing. What does she see? (Well we can't be sure if this is cut in the actual order it will air.) The ceiling starts to change (Shaw cries a single tear), and then a flashlight wanders past a motherfucking Xenomorph statue! OMINOUS.
Meanwhile, back on the ship Janek (Idris Elba) and the boss lady Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron) monitor the probes the team released. No surprise here, there's life in this dead planet somewhere!
Cue "all hell breaking loose." Panicked people start freaking and David the android makes us all crap out pants by merely smiling. There is nothing good to come of that smile. Clearly the robot is fascinated by these little moving bits.
In fact, David's SO FASCINATED, he brings a few specimens back to the ship. We don't know if this particular specimen is directly related to the little dancing bits — but the canister David is pulling the creature out of does look like the same container the things were dancing on top of. Remember he is the very last person in the trailer we see who says, "Big things have small beginnings." Perhaps he was talking about the wiggle worm that infects one crew member's eye. Is there new life breeding inside humans, life that needed to be disturbed to grow? Life that never should have been disturbed?
Remember, Weyland-Yutani was always fascinated by the deadly beauty of the Xenomorph. It's the perfect weapon. Perhaps this death wonder was instilled in their robot David as well.
Thanks for the image embrodak!
Is this the small beginning David was referring to? A creature makes itself at home in Holloway's eye.
Besides the dancing bits and rock canisters that fascinate David, there's this slime. Slime that appears later on, inside people's helmets and appears to be mutating crew members into crazy creatures.
While we know this is a stab in the dark, we think the slime and the wormy eye creatures are directly related to whatever wiggly pink slime beast shows up in the UK trailer and rips into someone's arm. Meanwhile in the US trailer, someone screams "CUT IT OFF, CUT IT OFF, CUT IT OFF." Did they mean their own arm?
David continues to be fascinated, but now on a Global scale.
OK now we're going out of order — while everything is going to hell and the giant round ship prepares to take off (and then quickly crashes) a lot of really fucked up stuff is happening to Shaw. Specifically, in this medical pod. We believe this to be Shaw for various reasons. Mainly because she's shown in the same underwear with the same bruises. And the black splotches on her legs and whites, seem to match the same splotches inside the medical pod. This could be blood (as the red in blood is often turned a bit black to trick the censors) — or it could be some sort of alien byproduct. Look carefully, you can see something at her head, held down by prongs.
See the creature wiggle?
Look even closer. Could this be Prometheus' version of the classic "face hugger"? Is creature being implanted inside Shaw, or removed? We're not sure if there's a real need for Shaw to have a boyfriend on board, plus there was that sex scene hinted at in the earlier trailer. Our guess? She has sex with her boyfriend, after he contracts the wiggly worm eye. He then passes on whatever he has to her.
The between the leg shot inside the medical pod only seems to hint stronger that something is amiss inside show, it looks like it's taking aim between Shaw's legs, even if the action seems to be happening by her head, that's a loaded camera angle.
ANOTHER THEORY: / Over at Prometheus Movie, a lot of folks think David is behind Shaw's medical pod capture. And that she isn't getting an alien taken out of her, rather, put in her. It's a first generation Face Hugger, which would explain why it's by her head! This is a very valid point.
But if David didn't do it, how did Shaw get there? How did she get in this pod she clearly is struggling to get out of? Another possibility, we blame this guy.
Shaw seems to agree.
If you don't remember out bald headed friend from the first trailer, here's a great shot of him from the intro of this trailer. Rumor has it, these are the space jockeys. And clearly they have big plans for Shaw and Earth.
As they seem to be spending a lot of time in the Space Jockey Throne Room.
Looking at star charts of Earth.
Another great shot of the space jockey suit.
BUT WAIT, that's not it! One scene from the previous trailer was repeated in the new US trailer. And that is a group of crew members in space suits, with guns, seemingly protecting another hunched over figure in a space suit. Now we can see David clearly trying to help this hunched figure. Could this be the same man we saw in a wheelchair that David was kneeling before? The same figure that Shaw stumbled onto half naked, presumably after her weird alien surgery?
Could this be Guy Pearce, as Peter Weyland? Is that why the fictional TedTalk was revealed, to do origin story groundwork for this monster? Is this that ulterior motive? Perhaps.
The only thing that doesn't hold up 100% is knowing that Shaw is in the medical pod. We DO see Vickers in her underwear (be it briefly), so it COULD be her. But the bruising and splattering all points to Shaw.