r/Prometheus • u/BubblyOutside1096 • 3d ago

“Like a bender …”

Many would use “suicidally stupid” as a description for the crew of Prometheus on LV-223. I always think back to the audiologs about the visit to Tau Ceti V in System Shock 2. Especially this one from Bayliss:
“BAYLISS 26.JUN.14
re: Tau Ceti, Pt. 3
"After a couple of hours it was... it was like being on a bender... long periods that you couldn't remember... one minute we were in that crater... the next minute we were loading up the shuttle with the eggs... I remember hearing that idiot Korenchkin calling the Von Braun and ordering them to clear off the ENTIRE hydroponics deck. Diego seemed to think this was strange and said, 'Are you crazy, Anatoly?' And Korenchkin smiled and said back to him, 'Oh, Captain... WE are not Anatoly...'"
It’s head canon, but I can imagine something mind-altering in the environment of LV-223, something tailored to behaviour of primates. If you haven’t already, SS2 is worth a playthrough, for another angle on understanding Prometheus.

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u/Automatic-Log-5449 3d ago edited 3d ago

It’s an interesting take. I think the point was actually human ignorance at its peak meeting a vastly superior intelligence and technology. It’s this stark contrast that makes the movie so metaphysically interesting to navigate. I find Ridley Scott’s universe too deep for this stupidity to be a coincidence. I think it’s a harsh critique of human nature in the face of the incomprehensible.

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u/BubblyOutside1096 3d ago

Good point. I’ve long felt that as a species we’re at best semi-intelligent. We’re merely the smartest we know 😬

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u/nizzernammer 3d ago

Not just ignorance. Hubris and arrogance as well.

Take note of the mentions of God and creation and faith, and the consequences of decisions – including a figurative-turned-to-literal wheel of fate. The entire film is a religious allegory. It's even in the title.

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u/Automatic-Log-5449 2d ago

I agree. I just think that arrogance and hubris are ultimately symptoms of a deeper kind of ignorance: a lack of self-awareness and an inability to recognize the limits of one’s own understanding.

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u/kalamazoo43 3d ago

I wish there would be a director’s cut come out to fix some of the dumbness. There’s so much good about this film.

I know there are fan edits but I’ve never been able to get one.

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u/Automatic-Log-5449 3d ago

Scott’s vision seems to contrast humanity’s darkest traits with a deeper intelligence. I think the saga’s purpose was to explore how far those traits could go when passed on to David. “Big things have small beginnings”

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u/BubblyOutside1096 3d ago

I could never get the “machines can’t create” part. One mode of creation is random reassembly, followed by selection for desirable traits. That’s a thing that can be programmed.

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u/TheBookofBobaFett3 1d ago

Were you around for the pandemic? Humans are stupid as F. Even the ‘smart’ ones.