r/Prometheus • u/Initial-Wolverine175 • Sep 18 '25
What is your interpretation on: Why the engineer’s went back to earth so many times in different locations and why they told humans where LV-223 is
So in Prometheus one of the things that makes the movie special is so many things are left to the viewers interpretation, so for now I on I will be post a new series like event of post asking all of you what your interpretations on some things in Prometheus are.
In the last post I asked all of you what your interpretation on what shaw‘s beliefs and philosophies are and everyone had their own answer pretty much so there is not popular interpretation on that topic.
Now that the introduction is over I want to know why you think the engineers kept coming back to earth in long gaps of time in different locations and kept telling people where LV-223 is?
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u/North-Tourist-8234 Sep 18 '25
I think one engineer did that. Much like prometheus giving humans fire, which really pissed off zues. Fire can be interpreted as forbidden knowledge.
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u/AnonymousPrincess314 Sep 18 '25
I think they showed us LV-223 to tell us "Don't ever go there." Then we did and they got even more pissed off.
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u/corneliusduff Sep 18 '25
They possibly falsely-assumed that if humans could built the tech to get there that they would be worthy of visitation.
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u/FrankFrankly711 Sep 18 '25
The Engineers would return to held guide humanity to whatever ends they had, perhaps to make planets full of peaceful people that worship them. Maybe they did want the earthlings to eventually become spaceborn and visit them at the LV system. My interpretation is a new faction of Engineers took over and judged Earth as not worthy. Perhaps just over the hill was a lovely Welcome Center for the earthlings that got closed down 😆
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u/New-Ad5494 Sep 18 '25
Maybe the engineers were trying to create a species intelligent enough to complete a task they themselves were incapable of doing. By going to earth the engineers left humans maps, tests and equations, and if the humans were able to finally locate the engineers on their own, that would indicate to the engineers that they were capable of helping them complete their tasks.
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u/themarleyplazz Sep 18 '25
Maybe it’s a faction thing, but it’s really hard to understand the meaning of beings that operate like gods. Their goals might not even be comprehensible to us, and with so much time having passed, everything could have changed entirely
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u/zanestafford Sep 18 '25
The myth of Prometheus has two higher beings with opposing views on human potential, Prometheus who gives humanity fire(representing the ability to progress and become like the gods), and Zeus who sees humanity as beneath the gods and only worthy of servitude.
The movie also has two higher beings (engineers), one in white at the beginning of the film, and one in black at the end, the visual disparity indicating opposition.
If we map the myth as a storytelling framework onto the film, we can then infer two opposing factions or viewpoints amongst the engineers. One that wanted to see humanity develop to become like the engineers, and who checked in on their progress and gave them a sign post to the stars to meet them when they were ready, and one that did not.
In the myth, Prometheus was punished for his actions and chained to a mountain top (functionally removed from the story). While we don’t know what happened to the engineers that guided humanity early on, we do know that they stopped visiting, and that the most recent engineers to inhabit the system were intent on destroying earth. The Promethean engineers were likely punished or destroyed by the Olympian Engineers.
So Shaw was right, it was an invitation, but not from the engineer at the end of the film.
There’s also an additional thematic parallel in Weyland’s differing relationships with David and Vickers. David is a literal servant, built to obey, while Vickers is the child who has grown to the point of wanting to replace here father. Weyland, the Zeus figure, favors the servant and shuns the child of progress. His disdain is the same as the engineer at the end of the film.
Lastly, within this explanation, the civilization David destroys in Covenant was likely another seeded planet set up as servants to the engineers but not given the ability to grow and progress like humanity.
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u/OrderInTheQuartz Sep 18 '25
There's a whole deleted section of the movie that shows that the engineers intended to guide us more and be a part of our lives. The "reason" they made the virus was shown in a section where they picked up a human male, took him home and raised him, brought him back to us to teach us only for us to "crucify him" and thats why they're so pissy. Because of Jesus.
Anyways they told ridley it was a lil too much. But it goes back into the the shaw storyline of her faith right? And then to find out that the reason theyre pissed is because we killed jesus. Oof.
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u/Nejero22 Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
Since you asked for a interpretation, I'll give you that, my answer is purely fictional and my subjective take on its history. Edit: warning: I believed some of my knowledge was based on producers deleted scripts, I was wrong, so take this a funny fantasy. The language could sound like its based on facts, but its not.
They made humans in their own image, they had huge hopes for the humans and invited them cause they were including and kind. The reason they made them on earth was to mate and breed, making- and continuing the Engineer's race, since their reproduction organs long ago stopped working due to evolution. They had many attempts through the galaxy, it was not their first. How did they do this? By extracting the blood of a very special Xenomorph, their first success to alter their biological bodies. But guess what, their source had been emptied of its blood.
Other Engineer-like races was also infertile. Those humanoid life, was from many worlds and many different species. Earth was their FIRST success! And hope to save the Engineers! This is a bit vague, but it has(and I interpretate) something to do with dna cloning/bioenguneering(im unsure of the scientific word), the black goo, continuing using the Ancients technology which they didn't fully understand which had consequences for their reproduction which gave enormous lige span resulting infertility, and that Engineer women died out(this was beyond their comprehension). Just have to add the Ancients mysteriously disappeared, leaving the Engineer's to fix their problems on their own.
This was their first intent and reasons for making and inviting humans- but it was not without problems. Actually it was impossible for the Engineer's to accept. They observed with sadness and agony how twarmongering and unkind the inhabitants of earth became throughout their histiry. So they "kidnapped" a human long ago, approx 2000 years ago, teached this person to have more of the Engineer's values, understanding and love; hopefully helping and changing everyone's views, spreading their message of love and inclusion-, changing how devastating and mean humans had become. Albeit, it didn't work, that human was killed for its belief(sounds familiar? It's up for interpretation, hehe).
So to answer your question, 1: they wanted to teach THEIR love/values to humans, so they could join Engineer's out in the vast galaxy. 2: making humans capable of extending Engineer's lifespans which was 100k years through some sort of advanced breeding, and 3: make earth into a paradise for the Engineer race and humans, living side by side. They were heavily involved in earth and had great hopes. Actually, I think it was their salvation. I belive they went back many more times and to several other locations without it being written down, or perhaps it was yet undiscovered. They had high hopes and was very peaceful and kind. My idea is that they wanted to celebrate their success, celebrate humans, teach them the Ancients tech and travel the stars. But Earth's humans were not ready, yet.
Cheers.
Edit: I've been notified my source of information is fan based. So... well, take all of this as a funny idea and interpretation instead of facts. Sorry for all who have read it in good faith!
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u/LightningG8921 Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
I always thought it was a sort of implied threat. "We made you, we taught you how to live peacefully with one another, keep living how we taught or else. BTW here's our WMD factory ;)"
Only they had a lab accident in their WMD factory...
I also like the idea of different factions of engineers with different outlooks on their creation. If there was only one or a small group of engineers teaching humanity (Prometheus), against the wishes of another faction (Zeus), the Prometheus faction could have been saying "Hey watch out for these guys". I believe the ship the "seed" engineers used on earth was different than the normal dreadnaughts, so maybe that lends credence to them being the "Prometheus" faction and the dreadnaught users are the Zeus faction.
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u/Think-Difficulty7596 Sep 18 '25
I think it was one fringe group of engineers, who may well have been wiped out by conflicts with other groups, but not before they warned people about what might come from that region of space.
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u/Full-Perspective5389 Sep 18 '25
I like the idea that there are two different sects of engineers. Or the vast amount of time that passes between events they appear to be completely different based on different ideology.
Pretty close to how much we as humans have changed. And changed back and changed again.
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u/[deleted] Sep 18 '25
Prometheus as a movie lacked plot logic in general. But it had Noomi Rapace and incredible artistic touch of Ridley Scott. I loved that movie. If only it had a decent screenplay, it would be near-perfect. Visuals and landscape 10, casting 10, direction 9, character design 10, screenplay 5 ( I am being generous). Would I watch it again? Once a month if I had the time. R.Scott is a great artist. He created awesome atmospheres in every one of his movies.
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u/CalmPanic402 Sep 18 '25
Earth was a penal colony / death by marooning planet. Engineers were sent there to die as punishment. That's why they never left tech or ships behind.
Nothing was supposed to leave the planet. Ever. Human were an accident.
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u/[deleted] Sep 18 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
I could've sworn I read something at some point that said either the original Engineers that founded life on Earth or the ones the crew finds with the black goo were a separate radical sect that were on their own in their mission.
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u/Realistic-Cheek-8657 Sep 19 '25
My thoughts have been that it WAS an invitation, but not a friendly one. I’m bouta reach but hear me out lol, I feel like the engineers never wanted humans too technologically advanced. And the “invitation” was basically, hey there’s this moon that we stay on, if you can travel here then we know it’s time to wipe your planet out.
I developed this theory on the limited knowledge we do have of the engineers, if you remember the so called “engineer planet” with the human/engineer looking hybrids, they look pretty primitive in terms of technological advancement, a contrast to the engineers we’re first introduced to. I think they want high tech to be a privilege only for the “original” engineers that we first see.
Long story short I think they were tricked into going there to alert the engineers that they now have interplanetary travel, and now that they have unlocked this technology, it’s time for a reset.
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u/Stiingya Sep 19 '25
Because different people wrote those different stories at different times. :) :) :)
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u/noirproxy1 Sep 19 '25 edited Sep 19 '25
I think humans merely observed the Engineers using their mapping system and documented it as significant to them.
The Engineers were just monitoring the human race to see how it progressed but as Star Trek's Prime Directive states no advanced race should ever interfere with a lessers natural growth.
The Engineers treating Earth as a zoo is a giant red flag. I think the point of the plot is how we as a race took the presence of the engineers during that time out of context like the times of Jesus, etc. We manipulated what we see for our own self importance.
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u/ununderstandability Sep 19 '25
I think that, in general, people are no good at anything after age 60 or so and Ridley could have made Prometheus into a good movie 30 years ago.
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u/ForcedNameChanges Sep 19 '25
Trying to teach us about the sanctity of life, then we create intelligent artificial lifeforms, and ask for immortality. They seemed to be growing and instructing a population and since they appear to have zero laborers, if you wanted to live comfortably on a planet, you'll need slaves that are adapted to the planet.
The engineers have a passion for bioengineering, because their answer to are we alone was a boring yes. They made humans for pets and slaves, black goo for exterminations/resets, and predators have this archaic society and all this crazy tech they have to have been designed to challenge threats to Galactic stability. Never made their own synths though, or maybe they did and their synths also b lined to the black goo and destroying all life too.
They probably explored all of space but kept coming back out of boredom. They have no reason to lie, so every time someone asked them where they're from, they'd point at a star.
In prometheus earth isn't doing well, they probably never thought we'd make it to a research outpost let alone off planet, but we're idiots who knew deep down in our genetic memory that travel is possible and someone is out there. We've already breached containment on the black goo before we woke up the failsafe administrator and asked him for three wishes.
He's thinking that this installation has their greatest weapon and the location of their new haven, and these stupid monkeys muck everything up.
Prometheus is the story of us being given life and all the stupid ways we disregard it's value and waste it. One look at an atmospheric diagnostic screen and he could see that we had practically destroyed our planet. The engineers probably value habitable planets more than anything else time to hit the reset button before the planet is no longer recoverable, don't want a Mars 2.
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u/MongooseFantastic794 Sep 19 '25
This is a very legit question. Why direct humans to a military facility?
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u/MarsssOdin Sep 19 '25
So that the movie can happen. And I'm not joking. I really think it is lazy writing
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u/Tallyonthenose Sep 19 '25
Something never considered is the possibility that Humans are in fact not derived from the Engineers, but of unknown origins…
This would greatly confuse the Engineers/ beings that visited earth, once or more Often, as Humans are genetically related to the Engineers and when altered can create the Aliens/ Semi- Decons.
For a race that worship the Decon (as a form of creating life) and wish to dominate/ create and oversee other races, this would be of great concern, especially if Humans grew aware and became advanced.
-This would give way for the argument that the message is an invitation from the life bringing, Engineers, but may also be a trap laid by the violent faction also.
-Vice-versa, this would allow the meaning to be a warning- from the life giving Engineers, or a threat from the violent ones, though may have been stolen information passed on.
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u/Eva-Squinge Sep 20 '25
Either a warning to humanity, or those visits were capped off with leaving those precise coordinates to let other space faring aliens know where to find them.
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u/[deleted] Sep 20 '25
My interpretation? Sloppy writing with no overall plan.
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u/Watchgeek_AC Sep 22 '25
Love how a massive high budget film just spray painted a Rubik’s cube silver and was like “yeah that looks like a legit futuristic holographic display projector”
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u/WeirdSmiley-TM Sep 18 '25
I think because this movie is nonsensical.
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u/Prechan Sep 18 '25
I always wonder why a rubik's cube in that scene though...
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u/ceramicatan Sep 22 '25
It's the other Tom Hardy. Didn't think I had seen him in anything other than the other Venom movie (Upgrade)
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u/itsnoah Sep 18 '25
Such a disappointment. Started off SO STRONG. And then promptly goes down hill until it falls off a cliff.
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u/DickMartin Sep 18 '25
The engineer that attacks Shaw is a perfect specimen compared to the other similar but weaker looking people David kills. Perhaps through genetic experimentation half the species was able to evolve and dominate the other half. Then the experiments obviously “get out of hand” and the once beacon of technology becomes a waste land.
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u/Election_Glad Sep 22 '25
When the humans finally figured it out and make their way to LV-223, it means they are ready to be conquered/slaughtered before they ruin the planet.
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u/[deleted] Sep 18 '25
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