Prometheus Writers Audio Commentary Preview

[SpeedyMaxx]

Wait until you've seen the trombone before you jump to conclusions.

That's what I'm saying.

[Local Trouble]

Is it rusty?

[SpeedyMaxx]

Is it rusty?

Oh, most certainly, but it's no patch on Ridley Scott.  I work in media, not elder care.

[Cvalda]

I'll just leave this here:

How Prometheus Ripped Off The X-Files

From the article:

If you still need more proof, you're probably a die-hard Ridley Scott fan who will not be swayed.

Pretty much.

Also, Googling "Prometheus X Files ripoff" gives you 12,300,000 hits. It's not like only a few people noticed.

[SpeedyMaxx]

In fairness, "is Obama a Muslim" is at 308,000,000 hits, so let's take that as we will.

And that random online opinion column is great, but it's just one more dude's opinion on the Internet.  I really don't care about it anymore than you care about mine.  So once again, we have the dilemma of the unstoppable force and the immovable object.  That said, I told you before you could have the last word, and you can have it as many times as you like.

[ShadowPred]

Oh, look, other people are here.  Let's see...

Well, first, I wouldn't really cite Internet reviews as a source.  That said, ShadowPred, I believe the stuff on The X-Files was in fact alive - a sentient virus which - well, let's see at Wikipedia:

an alien virus that thrived underground on Earth, in petroleum deposits. The virus is capable of entering humanoids and assuming control of their bodies. It has sentience and is capable of communicating. It was revealed to be the "life force" of the alien colonists, which they seemingly used to reproduce their kind, as well as infect other alien races in order to conquer the universe.

The Syndicate in cooperation with the alien Colonists developed a delivery mechanism that would be used to introduce the virus into an unsuspecting public upon colonization. Africanized bees, extremely aggressive that would sting indiscriminately, would carry the black oil virus through a transgenic corn crop specifically engineered to carry the virus and to attract the bees. The bees would be released on colonization and the infected human beings would become a slave race. The Syndicate, however, secretly tried to create a vaccine to protect themselves, which they codenamed "Purity Control." While the Purity Control project ultimately fails, a rival Russian shadow group was successful in developing a weak vaccine which eventually fell into the hands of the Syndicate.

The plot to cooperate with the alien colonization plan was implemented with the aim of being given access to the black oil for the transgenic corn, in order to perform experiments with it in an effort to develop a vaccine. This attempt was semi-successful, as the "weak vaccine" administered to Scully while in the Antarctic alien ship was able to cure her infection and cause the entire ship to depart its underground residence. After the events of the 1998 film, the Syndicate, as well as Mulder and Scully learned that the black oil can either take over a host's body or incubate within other life forms, including humans. Once infected with the gestational form of the black oil virus, a human host gestates the immature alien form after 96 hours, or sooner if the surrounding temperature is raised significantly, killing the host in the process.

I can barely understand half of that shit, but almost none of that is what I understood the stuff in Prometheus to be.  That stuff was a biological tool the Engineers apparently used to create or transform life, something which grew beyond their control and later fell into the wrong hands.  They also apparently used it to fashion material to raze planets.  This is ancient, classic sci-fi story stuff - the power of otherworldly gods sent down to smite mankind.  The similarities to the X-Files are superficial at best, I think, and end there. 

As Bat Chain said several pages ago and much better than me, all of this stuff, from both this film and X-Files, is really sourced in much older science fiction - Green Slime, The Blob, and then further back to a host of literature and fiction prior.  Both works deal in that idea of transformative artifacts of alien masters and admittedly, have a similar visual cue, although I think that goes way back with the Alien films.  It's how the stories use this plot device that largely differs, and in the television show I think the above speaks for itself.  Again, it's apples and oranges.  Different stories, different aims, same classic trope.  If you see plagiarism, you see it, if you don't, if you don't.  Life goes on.

And as for the other remarks, the cordial flattery is appreciated, guys, but Ridley Scott's a little old for me and I always played the trombone better than I gave head (and I was shit at the trombone).  Plus I can't quite forgive him for A Good Year (or Someone to Watch Over Me).

I, uh...I'm not arguing anything about the Black Goo/Slime about Prometheus and X-Files...I have only been adding my say about the Black Goo in Prometheus. I never once even mentioned X-Files on this...why am I being singled out in BOLD lettering?

[Vulhala]

Because trombone. That's why.

[Cvalda]

That said, I told you before you could have the last word, and you can have it as many times as you like.

And yet you keep posting.

[SpeedyMaxx]

I apologize - I was only bolding your name to indicate a screen name, something I do from time to time, though admittedly not consistently.  Just an odd online affectation.

As for why I pointed it out to you, I was responding to something you were discussing with Gazz (see?) a few pages ago, something about the review not "proving" the TV show and the film didn't use the same black gunk.  If I misread it, my bad.

[ShadowPred]

Trombone, what?


*looks back a page*




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j4rCOzXJZg#

I apologize - I was only bolding your name to indicate a screen name, something I do from time to time, though admittedly not consistently.  Just an odd online affectation.

As for why I pointed it out to you, I was responding to something you were discussing with Gazz (see?) a few pages ago, something about the review not "proving" the TV show and the film didn't use the same black gunk.  If I misread it, my bad.

I am so terribly confused right now, I think I'll just take my leave so far.


Oh, and before things get too out of hand, I suggest to get back on topic soon.

[SpeedyMaxx]

Trombone, what?


*looks back a page*




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j4rCOzXJZg#

I take any and all "Prometheus fans = cocksuckers" jokes in good spirit.  I live on the edge, what can I say.

Oh, and before things get too out of hand, I suggest to get back on topic soon.

I like the topic too.

[ShadowPred]

The topic is not about the Goo! Read the thread's title...this goes for everyone.

[Gash]

The topic is not about the Goo! Read the thread's title...this goes for everyone.

Cool, cos the last few pages have bored the shite out of me.

[ShadowPred]

I actually only JUST saw that this argument has been going back FAR LONGER than I thought. It made me cry.

[thecaffeinatedone]

from the article in question
"Black oil that turns an arguably normal person into a violent being.  Check.

Yeeeah, but not qute. X-files did that and they ripped off Alien by having the 'violent being part' come out of the infected person's torso.