Alien Origins: worm theory

[img]http://i.imgur.com/ABrKDws.png[/img] Feel free to critique this presentation on the origins of the xenomorph. Note the original design was created by Meshuggah ([url=http://www.prometheus2-movie.com/community/forums/topic/23986][1][/url]), and key additions provided by Doomtrain (with deleted scene commentary text identified by MadEye). Note the precise flow chart above along with the supporting evidence below was first synthesised in another forum ([url=http://www.prometheusforum.net/discussion/4631/can-bacterial-drums-of-shit-turn-into-eggs-or-did-hammerpedes-lay-the-eggs-some-thoughts-][2][/url], [url=http://www.prometheusforum.net/discussion/4755/direct-prometheus-alien-connection/p5][3][/url], [url=http://www.prometheusforum.net/discussion/4834/alien-origins][4][/url]). Worm theory has also been mentioned more recently by Meshuggah on another thread ([url=http://www.prometheus2-movie.com/community/forums/topic/25230][5][/url]). List of supporting evidence for worm theory (will add to if necessary); - worms lay eggs (/hermaphrodites) - adverse environmental conditions (silica) - "Has a funny habit of shedding its cells and replacing them with polarized silicon, which gives him a prolonged resistance to adverse environmental conditions." - hammerpede makes hiss - hammerpede sheds its skin - hammerpede has a tail - hammerpede has acid for blood - hammerpede head shape is identical to facehugger head shape - hammerpede seeks to enter the target - Deacon has placenta/umbilical cord (it does not lay eggs) - Deacon has human teeth - Mural indicates true intent of Engineers with urns: a Deacon Project (the xenomorph is an artefact / biohazard) - Lindelof quote 1 (on the Deacon): "Is it an egg layer?" - Lindelof quote 2: "...here we see these little worms, which we understand is going to be the beginning, and I think the idea is that we are starting very, very, small." - Lindelof quote 3: "I felt that the punchline of Prometheus was going to be that there is human DNA in what we come to know as the human Xenomorph. If what we see at the end of the film is a queen or a progenitor of the eggs in Alien is all up for interpretation. We feel that there are clues in the movie that lead one down a path." (implies the existence of a non-human Xenomorph) - growth of worm (to hammerpede) = growth of sperm/parasite (x100) - deleted scene 'Our First Alien' notes say "Biologist Millburn makes an exciting discovery in the Engineer pyramid which could very well represent the first stage in the evolution of a far more dangerous organism" - deleted scene 'Skin' notes say "Millburn and Fifield make an odd find (which may strike a chord with Alien fans) in the pyramid. Could it be a clue as to what killed off the Engineers?" - supporting research regarding the capability of worms identified by Meshuggah (and Doomtrain); http://www.cracked.com/article_19988_the-5-most-nightmarish-worms-planet_p2.html, http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressrelease/bizarre_bone_worms_emit_acid_to_feast_on_whale_skeletons Some minor points I have noted so far with respect to the worm theory; - both the Deacon and the worm do not have eyes - so this property of worms cannot be used to justify the theory - there exists a minor discrepancy - the obfuscated trilobites in the mural have tails. I am guessing they were not shown for a reason: they don't match the film regardless Note there are a few extensions of worm theory floating around, but these appear more speculative (e.g. the xenomorph being the product of the Deacon and hammerpede, rather than the mating of hammerpedes; the urns containing a parasite themselves rather than being designed to mutate sperm; the biomech features of the xenomorph and the life support systems of the face hugger coming from exposure to Engineer tech / pressure suit; etc). There is also ongoing discussion with respect to the creation of the goo (designed to make Deacons) and its connection with both the dome mural and the sacrificial scene at the beginning of the film. ::: Worm theory walkthrough ::: The progenitor of the xenomorph ("big things have small beginnings"); [img]http://i.imgur.com/MyIHFuW.jpg[/img] The murals communicate the Deacon Project being worked on by the Engineers on LV223 (before it all fell apart); [img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CUK6ya-q-0/T9T4Em-PweI/AAAAAAAAFRU/MmdvcIsQvOo/s1600/Alien+Mural.jpg[/img] Shows the beginnings of what happened to the engineers ("What killed them?"); [img]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121121114055/avp/images/0/02/Tumblr_mbqtsvwNWD1rhq7xgo1_500.png[/img] And for reference, the next generation hammerpede; [img]http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/9426/efkt.jpg[/img] "Well, as I said, I'm still... collating, actually, but uh, I have confirmed that he's got an outer layer of protein polysaccharides. Has a funny habit of shedding his cells and replacing them with polarized silicon, which gives him a prolonged resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Is that enough?"; [img]http://www.prometheus2-movie.com/media/Sand%20Storm.jpg[/img] The Deacon life cycle being based on rage and impregnation (explication of which would never pass for anything but an R-rating) - they exploit the host's reproductive system rather than laying unprotected eggs (which is a worm artefact); [img]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mat2rk8vfO1rhq7xgo1_500.png[/img] Confirmation of the intended use of the ampules to create Deacons - the xenomorph is an artefact; [img]http://www.prometheus2-movie.com/media/deacon_alien_prometheus_born.jpg[/img] It is possible the acid secreting worm was attracted to the local environment of the terraforming facilities (in particular, the atmospherically contained ampule rooms), and surfaced full dune style and all.