One of Covenant's biggest points of contention are the Engineers wiped out by David. Because they look so different to the Engineers shown in Prometheus some of us have wondered if maybe they're a different 'race' of Engineer, or perhaps a different form of live altogether created by the Engineers. But lately I've been wondering what if they aren't Engineers at all?
What if the 'Engineers' in Covenant were actually humans?
Prometheus has already established some strong parallels between the Engineers' relationship with humans, Earth and Christianity (the dead Engineer on LV-223 being 2000 years old, Ridley Scott's suggestion that Jesus was an Engineer, etc) as well as taking some obvious inspiration from the ancient astronauts theory. The pictographs discovered by Shaw and Holloway tell us the Engineers have regularly visited humans throughout history, and many actual (real life) stories and legends from ancient cultures (and indeed the Christian bible) make mention of "gods from the sky" and share concept of humans visiting heaven. For example:
"And it came about when the LORD was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven". 2 Kings 2:1
"God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them". Hebrews 11:16
"The poor man died and was carried away by the angels" Luke 16:22So what if these beings in Covenant are actually humans who were brought to heaven/paradise from Earth by the Engineers? This could explain the differences in their appearance to the Engineers in Prometheus, and their similarities to humans. It could also explain why they gathered to welcome the Juggernaut ship as David arrived. In The Crossing prologue, David tells us that he "learned of the Engineers' ways" - perhaps David learnt of paradise, the Engineers' heaven for humans, and decided to destroy it as punishment for the Engineers. We already know of his distaste for humans - the opportunity to destroy a colony of humans "chosen" by the Engineers may have been too tempting for David to resist.
If this is true, I think it adds an interesting new dimension to the story. Engineers created humans; humans created AI; and AI has destroyed the heaven created for humans by the Engineers. David has literally turned heaven into hell ("serve in heaven or reign in hell"). It also means that Shaw was murdered in heaven. I can also see this taking the story towards a "the creators of humanity vs. humanity's creation" angle, which Ridley has been teasing.
Thoughts?
(Also I'm a long-time fan of the series, particularly Prometheus, and this is my first time visiting this forum - so hello 
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