Still confused by Alien: Covenant? Fret not, the home video release may offer some answers thanks to some incredibly revealing deleted scenes.Covenant marketed itself on being a return to the franchise’s space-horror roots, but it was very much a sequel to Ridley Scott’s previous prequel Prometheus. We picked up with Michael Fassbender’s Peter O’Toole-influenced android David, who, following the death of creator/father Peter Weyland, has evolved from dutiful, curious child into a life-developing psychopath of his own.At the core of the film was the reveal that David bioengineered the iconic Xenomorph using the black goo pathogen favored by humanity’s own creators the Engineers, with the film leaving him on the Covenant alone ready to enact his machinations on 2000 unsuspecting colonistsWe did a series of articles explaining what exactly went down in the movie and what its ending meant upon release, but there were still gaps that required assumption leaps. Now, however, the Blu-ray’s deleted scenes and related features provide a few more answers.
David’s Xenomorph Experiments Explained
![Alien: Covenant Deleted Scenes Explain How David Created the Xenomorphs](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Davids-Experiments-from-Alien-Covenant.jpg)
Covenant (and its prequel short film The Crossing) told of how David traveled from Prometheus’ LV-223 to the Engineer homeworld with Elizabeth Shaw, whom he slowly developed feelings for after she repaired him following his premature beheading. Upon arrival at the planet, he exterminated the Engineers with canisters of black goo, believing them flawed Gods, and set about making his own prime species. He experimented on various beings, including Shaw, eventually synthesizing the eggs that hold the facehuggers that lay the xenomorph into a host.
Short film/epilogue Advent goes deeper into this inter-movie period. Although the actual alien biology is kept vague (being, you know, entirely made up) we get clarification of the liquid’s DNA-altering capabilities, as well as how it affects various species differently. Importantly, we learn that it’s a genetic nanotech, not organic; the Engineers made it and so its products are pre-existent, explaining how the xenomorph could appear in a mural in Prometheus.
The various stages of aliens are adaptations of this involving extensive meddling with indigenous life – we have confirmation that the species David’s made in the film are the fourth generation of his meddling and it’s suggested the facehugger is a mutation of a native creature on the planet. Overall, it appears David is playing with God’s toys, rather than making his own playthings straight up. There’s also written mention of “hive like mind”, which makes the xenomorph’s sound more bug like and ties more into Aliens, which we’d previously theorized was no longer canon.
The most interesting part in here, however, are more details on what he did to Elizabeth Shaw. Previously we knew David killed her as part of his experiments, but now the true horror of his designs comes to light. The Engineers were unsuitable subjects for tampering (likely due to his biological genocide), whereas human DNA was ripe for manipulation (perhaps because it first synthesized us) so David was forced to turn to Shaw. He wanted to make her “more than human” but when she made her (totally rational) reluctance clear he simply killed her and began to advance towards the zenomorph. All of this is delivered in the android’s typically cold manner, making it all the more unnerving.
Covenant itself was rather light on Noomi Rapace, likely to avoid direct narrative connections to Prometheus, but the marketing has finally given her arc a sense of closure.
David’s Plan Wasn’t To Leave The Planet
![Juggernauts in Alien Covenant](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Juggernauts-in-Alien-Covenant.jpg)
A deleted scene also reveals a small yet key aspect to David’s plan in the movie. His goal at the time seemed to be getting off the planet – hence using John Denver – but now it appears to be something a little more complex.
When he first leads the survivors across the barren expanse of the Engineer city, a cut sequence took them by a landing hole with several juggernaut space crafts in. This directly challenges the idea of David as Robinson Crusoe and instead makes the tale of him being stranded all an act. What he really wanted and was waiting a potential eternity for was humans on which to continue his experiments – at first just to birth his xenomorph. It seems that it was only learning of the colonists that tipped him to leave the lost paradise.
Now, though, he has a new plan teased at the end of Covenant, and the bonus features provide some context for that too.
![Wetland Yutani Logo from Alien Covenant](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Wetland-Yutani-Logo-from-Alien-Covenant.jpg)
David Is Working With The Company
There’s more to the Advent piece than just explaining xenomorph geneology. The whole thing is framed a message from David to Weyland-Yutani sent after the end of the film wherein he offers an olive branch to the company. Covenant ended with David impersonating Walter and sending W-Y an initial message covering up his return as he made his descent to rule over “hell”. We get that reaffirmed here, but the openess of his decist suggests he’s now trying to work with his creators rather than decieve them.
The company have been a background presence throughout the prequel films but we’ve not witnessed much of the typically nefarious organization we know them to be from the original films – fitting of all the talk of creators, most of their involvement centered on CEO Peter Weyland. It seems now we’re moving past that to the company we know from the originals who would habitually override standard procedure to try and claim the perfect organization for its science/weapons division.
The way David talks does raise the question of their involvement in his actions thus far – is he truly autonimous or still under the thumb of Weyland’s ghost? – but practically what this does is explain why they were so driven to capture a xeno in the original films; they were made aware of such a creature by its creator.
Of course, the message is of questionable canon given that David breaking the Walter act could just be an easy way for this bonus feature to convey a lot of information with ease. But assuming the content is faithful regardless of delivery, we still get a pretty seismic reveal…
Daniels Is The Host For A Queen
![Katherine Waterston as Daniels in Alien Covenant](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Katherine-Waterston-as-Daniels-in-Alien-Covenant.jpg)
At the end of Covenant, David had two facehugger embryos (his wolves) and almost 2000 subjects (his sheep) to play with. What exactly he’s plotting is left vague for the purpose of terror, but a few hints suggest something darker than most would have imagined.
In the video, David talks about the final step of his plans – to create a Queen. The video cuts out as he places a hand on Daniels tube, indicating that Katherine Waterston’s character is set to be the next unwitting human test subject. Whether this is something transformative, experimental or will lead to gestation isn’t divulged, but it pretty much confirms Daniels won’t be getting to build her cabin any time soon (as well as providing another Aliens link).
On the topic of Daniels, there are a few more scenes detailing her personal life and a flashback featuring James Franco, but they only serve to accentuate the character moments rather than the mythology.
The later video clips as scattered and pretty much recount the information we’ve already discussed, but end on a chilling note as David promises “there will be no turning back. My creatures will be set loose… to rule this galaxy.“
More Hints Of David’s Downfall
![Guy Pearce as Peter Weyland and Michael Fassbender as David in Alien Covenant](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Guy-Pearce-as-Peter-Weyland-and-Michael-Fassbender-as-David-in-Alien-Covenant.jpg)
Finally, there’s a hint at how all this will end. One of the deleted scenes extends the creation prologue with David explaining Wagner’s “Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla”, wherein he bascially sums up the movie’s message of creators versus creations. This is yet another highlighting of how hubris brings down Gods, something already heavily prevalent in Covenant and a refernece that directly applies it to David. The dialogue is obvious, but it would seem to nod towards the intention to have the android ultimately fall foul of his creation just as the Engineers and man have before.
Upon release we theorized that David was in fact the Space Jockey seen in the original film, and this only provides greater thematic grounding.
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Of course, while all these elements help explain the film and deepen the prequel mythology, none would quite fit in the movie as it’s currently structured so their removal makes sense. Whether we see these threads explored later depends entirely on if a sequel is greenlit, something that’s looking less certain than it did in May – Ridley Scott was at one point talking of four more movies but the box office whimper of Covenant has put all that into question.
However, should things go to plan (which really hinges on a successful home video release) then these give a very strong idea of what to expect in the connecting Alien films.
Next: What Will Alien: Covenant’s Sequel Be About?
Alien: Covenant is available on Blu-ray and digital download now. Keep your eyes peeled for the #AlienCovenantContest hashtag for a cool Alien competition.