As the second of Ridley Scott's Alien prequels, Alien: Covenant picks up on the themes we
saw in Prometheus and continues to build a backstory for the Xenomorph we first met in
Scott's 1979 Alien movie.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here and in this video, I want to take a look at
some of the easter eggs and details in Alien: Covenant that only die-hard fans will have
spotted.
Do let me know about your favourite easter eggs or any others you spotted in the comments
below and also subscribe for a chance to win this awesome Alien: Covenant merchandise.
I've got two packs to give away and each one includes a T-shirt, a cap, a keychain bottle
opener, metal playing cards and a set of pin badges.
Obviously, there are spoilers ahead for Alien: Covenant, so be aware of that or come back
after you've seen the movie.
When the Covenant crew land on the planet, two of the team are infected with Neomorph
spores after they disturb the local flora causing the spores to be released into the
air and enter their ear or nostrils.
This airborne means of infection is actually a call-back to a rejected script for Alien
III by writer William Gibson.
Gibson's story, which would have been the sequel to director James Cameron's Aliens
movie, explored the theme of genetically altering Xenomorphs into bioweapons.
And this idea also links to David's experiments in Alien: Covenant and how he combined the
lethal "black liquid" pathogen with DNA from the Engineers and Elizabeth Shaw to produce
his own experimental alien creations.
During the confrontation between David and Walter, David quotes one of the most famous
lines from John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, in which Satan declares, "Better to
reign in Hell than serve in Heaven."
There's a parallel between David's story in Alien: Covenant and Prometheus and how he
turned against the humans he served, and the themes of Milton's Paradise Lost which tells
the story of the fallen angel Lucifer, and how he corrupted mankind in the Garden of
Eden, after he was banished to Hell when he rebelled against God.
By the way, "Paradise Lost" was the original title for the Prometheus sequel until it was
changed to "Covenant".
And that title change is interesting because in the poem "Paradise Lost", Adam experiences
a vision of future events right up until the Biblical Great Flood, which ties in with the
idea of the covenant God made with Noah who built the ark that saved humanity and the
animals.
And just like the Biblical story of the ark and the Great Flood where each species came
in twos, did you notice how all the crew on the Covenant are couples?
And, at the end of the movie, David himself also brought a pair of alien embryos onto
the Covenant ship.
And the seed of David's rebellion against humankind was planted during that opening
scene in Alien: Covenant where we see the first moments of David's creation and self-awareness
with Peter Weyland.
In that scene in Weyland's room, David names himself after the statue of Michelangelo's
David, likely because he felt that looking at the statue of David was, in some ways,
like looking in a mirror, in other words, both synthetic and statue were perfect creations
that would long outlive their human creators.
Intriguingly though, the choice of David and Walter for the names of the two synthetics
in Alien: Covenant is actually an homage to the producers of all the Alien movies.
Alien: Covenant features the drinking bird toy that has appeared in several of the Alien
movies, starting with Ridley Scott's 1979 film.
I'm curious as to whether this is just an easter egg or whether there's a deeper meaning
to the repeated placement of the toy bird on various ships.
Perhaps it's just a fun souvenir from home.
Or could it suggest the monotony of their lives on board?
Or maybe the reason it's there is hinted at in Prometheus where a programmed message plays
after the crew wake up, encouraging them to drink enough water.
Along with the original Alien movie, one of Ridley Scott's best-known sci-fi films is
1982's Blade Runner starring Harrison Ford, and there are a number of easter eggs and
possible links between Blade Runner and Alien: Covenant.
For example, this emergency signal which appears in Blade Runner also appears in Covenant as
well as Prometheus.
And one of the scenes in Alien: Covenant tips its hat to a scene in Blade Runner.
When Daniels uses a nail to stab David, he mocks her saying "that's the spirit!"
In Blade Runner, Batty impales his own hand with a nail and moments later taunts Deckard
as they fight with the line "that's the spirit!" Ridley Scott is also a producer on the sequel,
Blade Runner 2049, and that movie's trailer teases a suspended humanoid figure which bears
some similarity to the Engineers from the Alien movies.
With both films coming out this year and apparent easter eggs and references between the two
movies, could this be Ridley Scott hinting at a possible shared universe?
Talking of crossovers, there's a nod to Predator in the scene on the Covenant where the alien
chases Daniels and Tennessee through the ship.
We get a point-of-view shot for the alien as
it hunts the remaining pair of crew members.
But the Predator franchise is no stranger to this type of POV shot, and of course, that
franchise crossed over with the Alien franchise in the Alien vs Predator movies.
So, were there any other easter eggs or Alien connections you spotted in Alien: Covenant?
And what do you think about a possible crossover between Alien and Blade Runner?
Don't forget to comment about the movie and subscribe for your chance to win one of these
[two] awesome Alien: Covenant merch packs.
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Thanks for watching and see you next time.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!