WhilePrometheusisn’t as bad as some of its detractors claim, there is one part of Ridley Scott’sAlienprequel that I still resent. Althoughthe entireAlienseriesis pretty convoluted, 2012’sPrometheuswas one of the first movies in the franchise to flagrantly over-complicate things. I still remember how surprised I was when, less than a decade after the arrival of 2004’sAlien Vs Predator, Ridley Scott’s prequel introduced a new version of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s origin story, complete with a new CEO and founder. Lance Henriksen’s Charles Weyland was replaced by Guy Pearce’s Peter Weyland.
Prometheus’ Forgotten Sequel Totally Changes ALIENS' Ending
Before Alien: Covenant, Prometheus had another sequel that took place after the events of Aliens, and this forgotten sequel changed Aliens' ending.
This change was ameliorated over a decade later whenAlien: Romulus’ endingtied the franchise together, neatly fusing the additional lore of Scott’s prequel to the original franchise timeline. Viewers will likely learn more about the Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s early years inFX’s forthcomingAlienTV showAlien: Earth, butAlien: Romulusalready managed to streamline some of the many retcons found inPrometheusand the prequel’s 2017 sequel,Alien: Covenant. However, even Fede Alvarez’s straightforward reboot couldn’t undo my least favorite part ofPrometheus’s needlessly convoluted story, a pointless plot detail that I can’t forgive even 12 years later.
Prometheus Made The Black Goo Integral To Alien Mythology
Ridley Scott’s Prequel Centered On The History of The Engineers
I truly wishPrometheushadn’t made the black goo so central to theAlienmythos, since neither Scott’s prequel nor the subsequent movies in the series were able to justify its existence. The “Black goo” is first seen inPrometheus’ enigmatic opening sequence, wherein an Engineer consumes the liquid before disintegrating and dying almost instantaneously. Like so many moments inPrometheus, this scene looks great and explains almost nothing. In an experimental short film, it would be a bold, striking image for viewers to ruminate on. In theAlienprequel, it is a non sequitur that proceeds to go precisely nowhere.
The Black Goo Has Never Been Properly Explained By The Alien Movies
Prometheus And Alien: Covenant Left The Goo A Mystery
Thanks toDavid’s creepyPrometheuspoisoning plot, viewers learn that the goo is as lethal to humans as it is to Engineers. The “Black goo,” as players ofAlien: The Roleplaying Gamecan attest, is a potent bioweapon developed by the Engineers. Also known as “Prometheus Fire,” the goo is used by the advanced alien race to wipe out entire planets. This is all fascinating information, but none of it is made clear inPrometheusorAlien: Covenant. While viewers don’t need everything to be spoon-fed,theAlienmovies don’t thrive on ambiguity. The horror franchise works thanks to its simplicity.
Prometheus' Black Goo Made Alien’s Canon Needlessly Complicated
Scott’s Alien Prequels Left The Franchise’s Lore Convoluted
Alienisn’t Tarkovsky’sStalker, so saying thatPrometheusleft the goo unexplained to challenge viewers feels like a cop-out when the movie was a major mainstream Hollywood blockbuster. I always assumed that the black goo’s explanation was cut for the sake of pacing or run time, and this would ordinarily be fine if it weren’t for its impact on the series more broadly. The biological specfiics ofAlien: Romulus’s nastiest deathare never explained in detail, but the movie’s story is punchy and effective enough for viewers to forgive this oversight.Prometheus, in contrast, is deliberately paced and pointedly philosophical.
Ironically, the prequel never really justifies the Xenomorph’s existence.
The opening scene ofPrometheusis eventually revealed to be a sci-fi retelling of the Prometheus myth. An outcast and renegade, the disintegrating Engineer grants humanity its existence by sacrificing his body and providing it with the building blocks of human DNA.The Engineers develop Xenomorphs to destroy humanityso they can maintain intergalactic dominance, but this irreversibly complicates the franchise’s mythology. Since the black goo is capable of wiping out entire planets, it would make much more sense for the Engineers to use this bioweapon when eliminating humanity. Ironically, the prequel never really justifies the Xenomorph’s existence.
There Was An Easier Way To Create A Xenomorph Origin Story
Prometheus Could Have Explained The Xenomorph’s Discovery
What makesPrometheus’ Xenomorph backstory so frustrating is the fact thatAlien’s prequel didn’t need to explain where the Xenomorph came from. Scott’s prequel leaves a lot unexplained, from the nature of the black goo to the origins of the Engineers themselves. The Xenomorph’s origins could have been another compelling mystery that was left intentionally unsolved, and this might even have made the monsters scarier.Ripley’sAlienfranchise storynever felt compelled to explain the origins of the Xenomorph and, to this day,Alienand its first sequelAliensremain the franchise’s most acclaimed outings due to this simplicity.
The reason I can’t standPrometheus’ black goo subplot is that it demands further explanation and exposition. I don’t want a string ofAlienfollow-ups that exist solely to explain the story of the earlier movies, but this is what the lore ofPrometheussets up. I can’t imagine that many viewers were clamoring to know where the Xenomorph originally came from beforePrometheus, but it is hard to watch the prequel without wondering what the significance of the inexplicable black goo is. Instead of clarifying things, Scott’s prequel only made the franchise’s backstory more complicated and necessitated further spinoffs.
Alien’s Black Goo Mystery Means Ridley Scott’s Covenant Follow-Up Must Still Happen
Alien: Romulus Linked Its Canon To Scott’s Prequels
Alien: Earthshowrunner Noah Hawley admitted that he didn’t care for the revelations about the origins of the Xenomorph seen in Scott’s prequels. Interviewed byKRCW’sThe Business, Hawley admitted that the idea of the Xenomorph as a recently invented bioweapon wasn’t “Useful” to the story he wanted to tell. This means thatAlien’s David prequel storylineneeds a follow-up more than ever, sinceAlien: Earthobviously won’t be exploring the black goo and its origins any further. The show’s exploration of Weyland-Yutani could have justified this plot focus, but Hawley understandably isn’t interested in the storyline.
FX’sAlien: Earthis set to be released in early 2025.
The black goo is something of a dead-end for theAlienfranchise, but a future project still has to explain its existence.TheAlienmovies can’t simply ignore the Engineers because they occupy an awkward space in the franchise’s mythology, and the only thing that could makePrometheus’ subplot more frustrating would be subsequent movies ignoring it entirely. TheAlienseries can’t forget about the goo any more than the franchise can drop the Xenomorph itself, but this makes me wish that 2012’s prequelPrometheushad never mentioned the existence of the confounded substance in the first place.
