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We have just uploaded the 54th episode of the Alien vs. Predator Galaxy Podcast (right-click and save as to download)! Our newest episode sees myself joined by Alien: Covenant concept artist Colin Shulver!

Colin talks about nearly missing out on the opportunity to work on Alien: Covenant, the backstory behind the Sil-like Neomorph concepts, deconstructing the Alien to make it more biological in look and more!

You can also head on over to ArtStation and check out more of Colin’s work on Alien: Covenant.

Keep checking back in for new exclusive content and the newest episodes of the Alien vs. Predator Galaxy Podcast. In our next episode we’ll be looking back to 1987 for a late 30th anniversary focused on Predator.

What did you think of our latest episode? Be sure to let us know down below! You can also listen to any of our previous episodes in the Podcast section under the News tab on the main menu. We hope you enjoy!

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So Colin confirms that Oram's and Lope's xenos are protomorphs; David's work in progress, thus the eggs and huggers are prototypes too, this makes any inconsistencies with the life cycle post-Alien completely moot.

Thank you for that colorful and lovely username (didn't you used to be Necronomicon II?). I think it's been pretty clear for a long time that these are a different (earlier) iteration of the Alien. That is certainly one way to try and explain away any discrepancies but it'd still really be conjecture or an interesting aside.

Great to get confirmation that the protomorphs exist

I don't think it was it ever in question that these were an earlier/different iteration of the Alien?

Then why is it superior then? (speedy impregnation/gestation period and such.)

Listening to Colin Shulver in this podcast and to Dane Hallett and Matt Hatton in another podcast, it has become clear to me that the decisions made around the appearance of the Giger creature in Alien Covenant were more stylistic than story driven. Personally I absolutely loved the design of the creature in Covenant. I think the emaciated, skeletal and deformed appearance gave it a haunting look. But I am not too sure that Ridley and the writers were driven by any sense of progressive biological or generational evolutionary process that should lead us to see the biomechanical features that some here are expecting to see from the creature. In fact, the novelization of Covenant mentions the xenomorph as being biomechanical, which although not shown in the movie, and confirmed in this podcast by Colin as being strictly organic, is very telling of the direction of the series and what story was intended to be told in this movie.

Quote from: bobby brown on Aug 08, 2017, 10:05:50 AM
Then why is it superior then? (speedy impregnation/gestation period and such.)

Would you agree that whether or not the creature was superior is relative? Yes, the life cycle appears to be faster—but is faster necessarily more effective or advanced? You could argue that a slower, more unpredictable, unknowable beast is "superior" because it knows how to stalk its prey.

IMO Protomorphs felt much more animistic than older Xenomorphs. Also I read on different site that Ridley Scott in DVD commentary said that they can regenerate.

Quote from: lv_226 on Aug 08, 2017, 02:31:11 PM

Quote from: bobby brown on Aug 08, 2017, 10:05:50 AM
Then why is it superior then? (speedy impregnation/gestation period and such.)

Would you agree that whether or not the creature was superior is relative? Yes, the life cycle appears to be faster—but is faster necessarily more effective or advanced? You could argue that a slower, more unpredictable, unknowable beast is "superior" because it knows how to stalk its prey.

I wouldn't say it was superior. It was more of an instinctual animal. You saw that when it attacked the crane.

Not buying it.

Don't need to buy it just look :P

" They weren't true Xenomorphs, they were protomorphs, works in progress, "

Ridley Scott did a terrible job establishing that in his movie.

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It makes sense to me that if David creates those eggs and what we see in Covenant are all protomorphs, just iterations before the xenomorph, that David is going to think at some point 'Hang on, surely I can't build all these eggs myself and keep doing so', and might think to create something that can lay the eggs for him.... hence a queen existing. Which as much as I hate the idea that the Queen then wouldn't be something organic and alien, at least makes some kind of sense.

I do love these interview podcasts, you can get a nice bit of insight into the particular departments of the movies.
Colin seemed like he enjoyed his time on both projects which is always good to hear. Keep em coming!