The LV-223 Hammerpede: Why Wasn't Millburn More Cautious? - Explained
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- The Hammerpede came as a result from LV-223's worms and contact with the Accelerant. Biologist Millburn seemed to get a little too friendly with the creature, and paid dearly for it. Why was he so careless?
Be sure to subscribe for the latest videos!
Facebook: / alientheoryyt
Twitter: / alien_theory
Instagram: / alientheoryyt
The hammerpede opened a "hood." Anyone with even a basic understanding of animals would know that behavior like that is a warning, basically the hammerpede telling him to fuck off and that it can and will hurt Milburn if he didn't back off. The thing gave fair warning, and anyone, especially a biologist, would know to back off after that (not that he should have gone near it in the first place.)
Seriously, were cobras supposed to be extinct by then? How did he not recognize the threat warning?
Not necessarily. The Hognose snake does this to scare off attackers and then simply plays dead if the display doesn't work. But, yep, I would have backed off. Heck, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near that room in the first place.
Yep just like a King Cobra back on earth'/!!!
If Milburn was smart he should've got the hell out of there along with the other person
Bad writing. It's that simple
I am a biologist and I can safely say that most procedures call for extreme caution when encountering new organisms. Whether it be to prevent damage to the organism/ecosystem, to prevent cross contamination from it to you and vice versa, or to prevent it from accidentally being introduced to a foreign ecosystem where it could cause problems and possibly become an invasive species.
As a biologist you should know that its entirely normal to handle new organisms with a well tested biohazard protective suit .... in the premise of the movie, the space suit was even able to withstand the metallic storm ... and they have not met any creature of that size able to penetrate the suit as the movie is set before the first alien movie ...
Please be logical and fair ...
@@88feji After having additional experience in my field, I stand by my previous statement that Millburn's was neither cautious nor professional concerning how to interact with a newly discovered species. Also, I agree with Captain Shays' comment below that the opening of the hammerpede's hood is a clear warning sign that Millburn ignored. However, the whole scene was there to both move the plot along as well as show Millburn's overenthusiasm.
@@jedijam91 he was super enthusiastic but yeah, deleted scene or not he made the wrong decision
Something like this being introduced into our biosphere would quickly kill all the high life forms. Humans unfortunately would be the first to suffer. Don't mess with alien life that's clearly incompatible with earth life!
Didn't Vickers make sure to hire the not best scientists & crew for the mission? Millburn conducted himself at the level that Vickers had wanted & expected (prior to getting killed).
Follow my old science teachers advice, "If you don't know what it is, leave it alone. If you do know what it is then don't piss it off.'
Words to live by.
Top advice
All I can figure is he felt protected by the suit.
That combined with the fact that he is a biologist and has never seen naturally occurring extra-terrestrial life.
And that he's dum!
They were all idiots!
He’s just a fucking idiot is why 😂
thats very logical
I have a question. In Aliens, Hudson says "Is this gonna be a standup fight or another bug hunt?" Is this meant to imply that the Colonial Marines have already seen and fought against Xenomorphs or some other form of alien life?
Judge Lazar they've encountered other alien life before
Good question
Judge Lazar
The Marines probably encountered hostile lifeforms similiar and/or almost aggressive as Xenomorphs before but probably not as parasitic nor deadly as Xenomorphs
"Another bug hunt" might imply they've been on wild goose chases for supposed bugs before but never encountered any. When Frost questions the term xenomorph Hicks wearily and sarcastically replies "It's a bug hunt" which again could mean they are tired of hunting bugs but have never seen any. This might be backed up Ferro earlier saying of Ripley "apparently she saw an alien once", implying none of them have seen any aliens (including bugs). Just my 2C.
Marine has never encountered Xenomorph before this is made clear when they saw the Xenomorph hive and they had no clue what hive made off or the chest buster scene none of them had clue that victim had chest buster inside her.
Part of me wonders if the characters in Prometheus were written to be so illogical or stupid that the audience would never question their deaths.. but rather be puzzled at the mystery of how they managed to make it out of puberty.
Given how bad both films were, it's hard to believe they were 'written' at all.
The deleted scene should have been included. Regardless though, Milburn was incredibly naive and foolish not to treat the creature with more caution. Even the little worm he encounters in the deleted scene could have been dangerous. Frankly, much of this "scientific" portrayed in _Prometheus_ act unprofessionally. Then again, Weyland may have recruited brilliant but erratic would be scientists on purpose in order to give plausible deniability to whatever wonders they discovered on their journey when they returned to Earth.
But like what snake would be able to get through a space suit though...
My theory is that Millburn was a subpar scientist to begin with. No reputable scientist would take off blindly on a mission with no information. The same is true of the geologist. Weyland may have thrown a lot of money at scientists, but the good ones would have steered clear of such a dodgy proposition.
Vickers hired them because she wanted the mission to fail. There’s commentary in the original script that the scientists are supposed to be dumb
@@aliray1165 worst scientists she could hire. that would makes sense
@@diehard200 yep that’s what she did!
That scene with the worms was pivotal, it should have been included in the movie.
My question is why did they even choose to "get some rest" in the chamber that is morphing from the change in atmosphere & black goo oozing out from the vases everywhere?! The deleted scene would be better at explaining Millburn's enthusiasm towards the worms but it's still no excuse for both of them lacking common sense of danger, especially since they where both so afraid of the numerous dead engineer corpses they've encountered. Bad/rushed writing overall for the exploration scenes of the structure.
The decapitated engineer corpse right outside the door to the chamber was the reason Millburn and Fifield left the group earlier in the movie. Yet another reason to wonder why they went back.
Watched Prometheus again recently. The entire scientific portion of the crew can be described as such: Worst scientists ever!
Middle of Knowhere or the dumbest smart people ever.
I didnt realize till now that creature wasn't just an indigenous creature. I guess I need to watch it again. and yeah the stupidity of these scientists requires "the suspension of disbelif" if anything does
@@henrytoledo4103 i think they got used to living in space where viruses doesnt exist and they forgot that this planet has life
You guys all realise the scientists are supposed to be stupid. Vickers hired them because she wanted the mission to fail.
@@aliray1165 if only they had filmed that scene, it would have explained so much.
I really hate it when they remove a pivotal scene that explains something later on. This makes do much more sense now... Never understood why he wasn't more cautious....but now I get why he was so excited. We didn't know that the worms were the most advanced lifeforms that they've ever found untill this point.
It ultimately comes down to plot vs pacing. In my opinion the best films from a construction perspective can accomplish both, but sometimes plots are to creative and monumentally big to pace fluently. Take Interstellar for example, not the best paced film but successful because it chose to focus completely on the engrossing plot. I wish Prometheus did this because once the deleted scenes are added in the movie honestly goes from a solid 7 to a 9. In my opinion the real biggest flaw of Prometheus is that it doesn't have a directors extended cut.... yet! (Cmon Ridley now is the perfect time with Alien Covenant on the horizon)
Even though it's a new discovery, it still looks like a cobra, and even has its "hood" flared out to threaten him in a similar manner. Approaching it the way he did still didn't make much sense and just makes him look stupid.
Of course, it probably would have attacked and killed him anyway, because the accelerant or whatever might have made it a lot more aggressive, but then we might have actually felt sorry for the characters in that case.
Yeah, but being advanced isn't the same as being friendly.
Has there been any word on Ridley doing a Director's cut? I hear its been done as a download by some Fan trailer organization of some type.
advanced actually is a pretty big hint an organism most likely will not be friendly.
How did the guy with the floating balls that mapped out the caves get lost?
The actual map was on the ship
-Creepers-
It makes no sense. Fifield was getting a read out from the pups. He should have been able to get out easily. Perhaps there's a missing scene that would explain this.
The explanation is very simple: Idiotic writing.
Prometheus was a fucking clusterfuck of bad writing, such a shame
plot hole like a mofo!
i wouldn't care that the movie would be five hours long. i just want it to make sense.
stupidity was the real contagion in this film... if l saw an image of people fleeing an area while on investigating l'm either obtaining back up or I'm outta there!!!
Run like hell! That's what I do
As long as it ain't in a straight line, that is.
Matrix..nice:)
jobanh7ify I would've dropped my shit and ran so far leaving everyone in the dust get on the ship and flying my ass home
I think that despite his enthusiasm, he should have been able to recognise what really looked a lot like a threat display. Ripley asks in Aliens whether IQs dropped sharply when she was away, but no, apparently spacefarers have always been that idiotic.
What was the purpouse of the Hammerpede because here's the thing to me,he didn't infect Milburn,it just killed him.
Broken finger from Life movie it's to further demonstrate the properties of the black goo.
Cybermat47 yeah but i mean,"in the universe" purpouse like...it's biological reason,not cinematic purpouses
Broken finger from Life movie i think the scene its more about the black goo then the hammerpede, the hammerpede is just to show that whatever touches the goo will become an aggressive mutated version of itself
Problem is they cut out showing the creatures before they got mutated.
Locust Zedicus exactly I think the movie would have been better without all the cuts thats why if you see my top comment i had a different theory
If it looks like a NOPE, then it's a fucking NOPE!
Most of the deleted scenes/alternative scenes should have been included, would have helped make the film better. I really enjoyed Prometheus but agree with a lot of people that it could have been done better, the extra footage would have helped.
Even in the original script, this scene was stupid
Whos Nick yeah but a movie plot has to happen...
Any horror/scifi movie where the characters made nothing but smart choices would be boring as hell and over in 20 minutes
@@virginiapicker no it just requires a lot more thought to create a good script. There's plenty of other ways he could have gotten in trouble with that creature that didn't involve directly antagonizing it.
@@virginiapicker Characters can make smart choices and still have things go wrong for them. Bad luck exists, and there may be no choice that would lead to a good outcome to begin with.
Or you can have different characters with different reactions or reasons for their behaviour. In _Alien,_ Ripley keeps the airlock closed with Kane outside specifically to prevent a dangerous parasitic lifeform being brought on board. Ash opens it.
Bad writing killed Millburn. One moment he and Phifield were scaredy cats fleeing the ship, the next ooh whats this. I'm gonna touch it. Huh? The extended cut addresses some of the inconsistencies but it still has poor writing in the end.
I feel like there's a variety of reasons why he wasn't more cautious.
1. the excitment of discovering new life
2. feeling protected in his suit
3. He couldn't have known it had the capability of breaking his arm.
I missed the part where his head is cut off and regenerated immediately ! Thats crazy ! In Alien Covenant basically any living thing can be a host. Raccoon, rat, ant, bee, plant etc... The possibilites are endless, thus making David very happy. He must have been bored alone for 10 years lol, so he found a hobby !
The mistake he made was he was thinking like a biologist not a xenobiologist. He made assumptions about the organism based on his knowledge of organisms on earth. There in lies his mistake.
Albert Wesker 1969 - Agreed. He essentially treats it like a snake. That's his downfall. Sooo many biologists are snake freaks. haha
Of all the gripes people have with character actions on Prometheus, I think this is the most easily explainable.
I know this post is a year old but "thinking like a biologist"? The creature was behaving like one of the most dangerous creatures on earth: the hooded cobra. It was giving every sign of "stay away or I will fuck you up" that you would see on a terrestrial creature. His problem was thinking like a 3 year old and NOT like a biologist at all.
Exnihilo Adnihilum - Much like the actual biologists (for evidence, look to those who have television shows), who often jump at the chance to handle the deadliest snakes in the world. So, yes, his mistake was trying to approach it like a snake, not a potentially far more dangerous lifeform.
Also, he was hired by Vickers, to sabotage the mission. 😜
Not really...the closest thing the hammerpede resembles on Earth is a cobra...which should also not be approached and provoked at close range. So really silly behaviour, especially for a biologist.
Yeah, I've NEVER seen a biologist grab a cobra. 😂
All they had to do was make him frightened and cautious, but still apprehensively approach it (being a scientist and all). Having him all giddy and happy made ZERO sense, as the thing is obviously taking a snake-like defensive stance like a cobra (an animal he's surely familiar with), and he had established his character as a bit of a chickenshit in prior scenes.
the deleted scene definitely would've proved better for the film...goddamned editing and rewrites.
my question is that is engineers are simply creating a bio weapon version of the xenomorph, where did they truly come from if they have a home planet. obviously this might be explained in future movies but it feels like the xenomorphs are a perfect organism and bioengineering created somewhat bastardized variants
All the deleted scenes needed to be in the film. They were primarily cut for pacing, and while I do believe pacing is important in a good film, if you have to choose between pace and plot I'll always suggest plot. All 30 minutes of the deleted scenes were pretty much crucial to the film, whether it be fleshing out characters, explaining motivations, actions or shedding light on the general events of the film. The deleted scenes actually make the characters very compelling and likable, not that they weren't before, but it just adds so much to them.
Yap it should have been included I agree. Not having it made this senior biologist look extremely unprofessional and childish. Not the demeanor of someone selected for this mission.
Striker163 Not all the deleted scenes. The additional stuff between Weyland and the Engineer, for instance, still makes its resulting actions utterly incomprehensible. It has no idea what he is saying. The 'Engineers' script actually made this scene perfectly logical, but it got completely changed for later versions.
+Xenomorphine see here's the thing, we don't understand the engineer's biology completely. All our language comes from them. Actually when the Engineer language was designed they combined numerous earthen languages. Whose to say he didn't understand? But either way, for the sake of plot we are to assume he understood what he was saying. The Engineer speaking adds all new dynamics to the engineers. Why did he indulge them in a conversation, was he waiting to see if they had rectified whatever made them unworthy in the first place? Why would the Engineer even give him a chance in the first place? Those questions and more drive the narrative of this new prequel saga. The other extended scene that is worth noting is Shaw vs the Engineer, the engineers behavior when encountering the human architecture of the lifeboat is incredibly interesting. As much as he wanted to kill Shaw, he was equally curious about the images on the screen, the design of the chandelier. He didn't even strike first.
No, modern English did NOT come from them. Even the Normans or Anglo-Saxons wouldn't have a clue what someone was saying if we went back in time and talked to them with our own modern language, because it's evolved and changed so very radically. The thing went to SLEEP longer ago than the English language has even existed - it has nothing to do with biology. It literally had no way, whatsoever, to know what Weyland was saying in that deleted scene.
It's like if someone came up to you and made a grand speech in Nigerian, Swedish or German. No matter how good/bad it was, you wouldn't be any the wiser, because they'd be speaking in words you simply don't know how to interpret.
Now, if Ridley Scott had the good sense to simply have David 8 TRANSLATE Weyland's words - the very reason why the droid was even BROUGHT ON THE MISSION, that would have solved this incredibly obvious plot-hole. But he didn't, which left the scene nonsensical in the extreme - and David 8's presence on the ship utterly pointless.
Originally, the 'Engineers' script gives a completely understandable reason for the Engineer's reactions. If memory serves right, it's because the thing is pissed that the humans have just infected it. In 'Prometheus', however, that doesn't happen, leaving a totally psychotic reaction without any logical reason.
I'd have been more cautious, but then, I've seen Alien.
Why wasn't Millburn more cautious? Because this movie is a compilation of mistakes. Next video.
Because this movie will be the example future screen writer teachers give to their students as an example of "How not to write a script"
Personally, I would say he felt protected wearing the hi-tech space suit. As foolish it may be I wouldn't be scared of a snake wearing an armored suit like that.
You left out something extremely important that is an alternative explanation. He has some type of armored gauntlet that might have been adequate for dealing with something like a poisonous snake on Earth. Given that and the scene you mention, those two factors together could explain why he felt that he wasn't vulnerable to something like this, even if it were hostile. That could easy have been included in the script, "Don't worry, it can't hurt us through our protective gear." That one sentence or something like it would have rescued that scene.
This is just another one of the many (many... many...) problems with Prometheus. Same with how the Engineer flipping the fuck out and suddenly killing ARMED HUMANS surrounding him *_without any information as to the current situation_* is just stupid as hell as well. The Engineers seem long-lived and intelligent. If humans that should NOT be capable of being there are there in front of him, what's to say they don't have an entire fleet of ships right above the planet? He has no idea. So his best response is to... suddenly flip out and start beating to death humans that are armed with weapons... Yeah. That's dumb. No two ways about it.
But you don’t know the history around why he’s pissed off. Much greater mystery than you’ve given it.
@@aliray1165
"the history around why he's pissed off"
Don't care. Doesn't matter.
"Much greater mystery than you've given it"
It's shit.
@@matchesburn ok.
@@aliray1165 A mystery that was not and never will be answered is not an interesting mystery. Ridley Scott should not be stooping to the level of JJ Abrams.
@@ReddwarfIV ok
everytime time i see a snake, i offer my hand as a snack. It never fails.
Last time I was this early, there were more good Alien movies than bad ones lol
I think Millburn just felt too safe in his suit that was supposed to protect him from the aggressive environment.
He had no way of knowing that the creature of that size could break his arm or use an acid that will burn through glass.
He still should be more careful, if he wished to capture that creature, he should have gone for it prepared (get a container, tools), if not, he should neither bother nor scare animals in the wild for no reason.
While I like the deleted scene and wish it had been included, I think the real reason Millburn is so flippant with the creature is that he has spent the whole film trying to impress Fifield, and when the hammerpede shows up and scares his new friend, he sees it as an opportunity to score social points.
That the scientists in Prometheus are not completely rational actors but make foolish mistakes is not a bug, it's a feature. The history of human exploration is littered with people who should have known better making stupid, impulsive choices and being damned for it. Expecting someone to not be an idiot because they have a degree in the sciences is exactly the kind of hubristic thinking the movie lampoons.
That's exactly how I interpreted it, too. Dude just wanted to look cool and in control in his field in front of the aloof "cool" guy he wanted to befriend.
Though the deleted scene would've helped immensely...
MajorB You make a good argument, I actually never considered that. I don't think I agree though but it's all good, let's just hope Covenant is a masterpiece.
The deleted scene establishes Millburn as having the character trait of being excited to see alien life. That would turn his excitement at seeing the Hammerpede into consistent behaviour for him, instead of being totally at odds with the only other piece of characterisation he gets - fleeing in terror from a dead body. Making it consistent would help the audience draw a line between his reactions to living alien fauna versus dead sapients.
In my head-cannon, we use Millburn as an example in biology classes everywhere to teach what NOT to do.
Snakes don't have to be huge to deliver venom.
I think the deleted scene should have been included in the final film.
My problem was that he was treating it like a puppy, not some kind of alien serpent that was hissing at him and displaying what is the Earthly equivalent of threat posture.
I recently rewatched this again. I just have to say, has anything friendly or in the mood to be poked at ever hissed at anyone?
Beyond a cat who knows the person (usually owner), which have more mood swings than anything else on the planet.
Even if he was excited, as an 'experienced' living person, let alone a biologist, he should have had a clear sign to stay back.
Even its body language was clear. If not predatory, it was openly agitated and displaying the most basic of aggressive physical tells of "hey. Back off. I'm warning you."
Plus there's the contradiction how he and Fifield were quick to get out of there due to holograms and a non-deadly dead alien (which would still more than likely be of major interst to a biologist). Yet something that 100% was easy to tell could probably react in a defensive way, let alone aggressive, was a cute little pet to him. (Plus he was excited at finding life as large as a worm, but evidence of bigger things in a dead organism wasn't exciting? It doesn't fit to me.)
I feel even if the previous scene was in, it would provide to help to explaining his mentality. But even as just a person, let alone a 'professional' in his field, his actions were just...daft.
Maybe if it was just this one thing, I could forgive it. But there were so many things in this movie, I just can't let it go.
Believe me. I have tried. I've rewatched this movie 3 or 4 times. And each time I just can't help feeling like there are just too many unprofessional 'professionals', and too many scenes that were forced into the script because they had the idea and didn't want to throw most of th ideas they had out.
Although they did drop scenes, I think there were many subplots, scenes and characters that could have been trimmed for a stronger and more concise story.
I felt AC improved on this. But still wasnt quite there. Many characters who died I had no idea who they even were, but it at least felt a bit more focused.
All in all, the scene would have helped a tiny bit. If his excitement was the only issue in the movie, it could have been forgive. However with what we got...it was just silly.
You obviously never met my ex-wife...
I could've sworn this scene about the worms was included when I saw it in the theater.
Some of the smartest people I know suffer from a profound lack of common sense. They are brilliant and can explain a whole host of complex things in detail, but when it comes to simple things....it seems like it never occurs to them.
Thinking about this, I was thinking the Hammerpede could have hypnotized him in some way, like due to its bodymovements or perhaps some sort of inaudible sound.
It brought him in close and went in for a kill, and probably used his body as some sort of organic nest by laying eggs in him and having its brood eat him from the inside out.
Maybe I went a little too far into detail there but considering this is part of the Alien universe, I'm probably not all that far off. haha
Millburn won the 2093 Darwin Award.
I don't know, I think that he was a little afraid of it considering he jumped away from it like 2 or 3 times. He was being cautious, but he tested it and it didn't strike so he kept getting closer. This thing was either testing him back or just waiting to strike when it knew it had a chance. He was definitely excited, but I think he tested it repeatedly and it didn't do anything so he wanted to get closer and closer.
all the deleted scenes from.movies need to be in the actual movie. many not so many people who have hated this movie
But if they had been included, the movie would have sucked less...
This is what I've been saying for a long time. People go 'Oh, if I was there I'd have done this.'
Seriously, if you're a biologist, and possibly the first person to ever discover an alien species, there's a strong chance that, in your excitement, you'd forget about caution. It's the pure adrenaline of making an incredible discovery, and it's very realistic if you understand human curiosity.
The people saying 'I'd have done this' need to shut up. How on Earth do you know what you'd do in that situation? If anything, you'd freeze up, which would result in the same outcome anyway.
I know it's a very aggressive mutated worm that killed a guy, but come on, those hammerpedes are just too cute looking
Idk I'm weird
All the deleted scenes needed to be in the film. They were primarily cut for pacing, and while I do believe pacing is important in a good film, if you have to choose between pace and plot I'll always suggest plot. All 30 minutes of the deleted scenes were pretty much crucial to the film, whether it be fleshing out characters, explaining motivations, actions or shedding light on the general events of the film. The deleted scenes actually make the characters very compelling and likable, not that they weren't before, but it just adds so much to them.
It's also important to remember that Millburn thought Fifield was cool and wanted to be his friend, so a lot of what he does in the film is to impress him
That deleted scene helps explain his attitude, but still doesn't justify his behavior. There's plenty of earth creatures smaller then the Hammerpede and deadly enough to kill a man, there's no reason to assume it's safe. But then, the whole team was pretty reckless, so what's one more idiot.
Bad director! Even if he were on earth, he wouldn't approach an unknown species the way he did , on AN UNKNOWN ALIEN! Jesus that pissed me off
Consider. Most people are taught not to approach even domesticated animals without caution because just about everything can attack, hurt, or kill us under the right circumstances. That a world renowned biologist would ignore all this while approaching an alien life form actively warning him to stay away...
He deserved what he got.
SHORT ANSWER: The writers were sloppy and the character was an idiot.
They got lost in the temple despite the area being mapped by the drones & having the map displayed in their HUD.
Not their hud, the Prometheus map room. They didn’t have access to that.
Weren't these two goofs that got lost also the stoners? If yes could be why they weren't more cautious.
Because he was high. When I've smoked enough I won't even approach a wild boar, just in case.
wild boars are dangeraous lol it will fuck you up
Stupid writing though, your on a multi billion expedition to discover creators of humanity.
*Hey let's get stoned before we go into an alien structure and act like complete idiots*
this extra scene HAS to be included for any understanding of the character whatsoever. without the extended scene the film makes other members of the team that much less believable. I've always thought that Fifields behaviour to be unprofessional to the point of insult. tnx 4 loading the xtra scene, just a massive shame it wasn't included originally.
Simple answer; shit writing. So much promise but the writing was hacked when, he who shall not be named, entered the picture...
He made it a puzzle box. There’s still plenty of unexplained mystery in this film. Like loads. I’ve got a theory though....!
Millburn didn't see any teeth or claws and thought there is no danger, or at least, his costume would protect him.
He was surprised to see how strong the hammerpede was.
He was shocked when he saw that the creature was capable to break his arm.
crap writing. like the entire film. the film should have just been called "Stupid People in Space"
Or "Spaceballs Reloaded".
02:21 Oh the ecstatic joy on Milburn's face.
Why? Are u serious? Because of the GARBAGE writting. No need to thank.
The worm should have appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself on his arm before he could do anything about it. Have him slowly unwrap the worm as he sweet talks it, and just when it seems to be working, have it go berserk and attack. You could practically use the same dialogue.
Millburn was wearing armour. They all were. Look at the suit he's wearing. There's no reason that thing should have broken his arm. I would imagine that the helmet was made out of bullet proof glass. I think he was feeling very confident and didn't expect the thing to have enough strength to snap his suit and then his arm, and then be able to tear through armour and get into his body. I think he was less careful than he could have been, but I'm not so sure about "careless". I wouldn't be afraid of a rattle snake if I were wearing a suit like that. I doubt he would have expected it to be anything more than a common snake.
for the sake of field biologists, like the one so very of put by that part of that particular scene, they really should have reconsidered that deleted scene. It totally added to the absurdity of their entire expedition. I couldn't get over that.
Hey- you do a bang-up job on your site. You, sir are a real fan of your chosen material. Kudoes!
The foolishness the astronaut scientists in both Prometheus and especially Covenant was always way too unbelievable for me and really hurts the franchise imo
Kane (after egg opens) "In the name of science, I'll stick my face in it!"
Millburn (hissing open alien cobra) "In the name of science, I'll pet it!"
Both were fools!
Being as he was in a sealed environmental suit, he could have thought he would be protected from an attack. Looking at the hammerpede, you wouldn't think it had the strength needed to snap someones arm, and it didn't show fangs or anything, so he might not have thought it would get through the suit.
This was the first ludicrous scene that got the snowball of ludicrous scenes rolling in this movie. It was all fownhill after that.
I kept telling my friend why is he trying to touch thing when he knows nothing about it. I have tried watching it again 2 other occasions, after seeing this movie in the theaters, and I cannot make it through the entire movie... All 3 times I kept repeating.... “yeah right. Like that would really happen”
Headcanon. The Engineers designed humans as 'sacrifices' or at the very least programmed into us certain behaviors when coming into contact with other species they designed. Black Goo produces creatures that are intended to use us as raw genetic material. Anything that is produced by the Black Goo, such as Xenos and Hammerpedes, has an atavistic hypnotic effect that was imprinted on us in our very inception-it makes us see these creatures as less of a threat, and to lower our guard-enough for them to make contact with their intended hosts.
Plot stupidity has a handy explanation-we were simply designed to act this way.
The deleted scene would have helped explain Millburn's friendliness towards the worm-thing.
The deleted scene, which I'd never seen before, adds a lot more credence to the guy's actions. Before this, I considered it one of the doesn't make sense things that the movie is infamous for.
A topic I'd be interested in seeing you cover is the origin of the term "xenomorph". The term seems to be first used in Aliens when Lt. Gorman is briefing the marine squad. He says "We've lost contact with the colony and a xenomorph may be involved." What does he mean by that? Its clear that the creature has not been discovered yet. Frost replies "Excuse me sir, a what?" And earlier when Ripley is briefing the group of Company execs its clear they've never heard of it either. So where does the term come from? Why is there a name for a creature that heasn't been discovered and what did Gorman mean when he said it?
Including the deleted scene would make it better. In the original it didn't make sense that 2 guys that were few hours earlier afraid of an alien corpse now wanted to be friendly with a quite big space snake.
Biologist here. Millburn committed a hugely stupid breach of every possible biosafety protocol ever by even entering that temple without sterising his suit. He then proceeds to TAKE HIS HELMET OFF.
Finding new life or not, you DO NOT break these protocols under ANY circumstances. Although the life on LV is made of stronger stuff, he could have concievably killed his new discoveries with the common cold.
yes I wish the deleted scene would have made it to the Final Cut and still he should have also taken more precaution why appreciate the worm.
Someone once said the hissing the Hemmerpede made should have been warning enough to stay away.
I think the deleted scene should've been included. The worms present in that deleted scene look more like the mutated hammerpede, with a smooth body. The worms we saw in the cave (when one of the crew lifts their foot to reveal what was stepped on) had legs & looked more like centipedes.
I think it would've been a better idea to instead of dumbing down the explorers to instead brighten them up, have them make all of the smartest possible decisions and even when they're at their best- that's when the creatures still overpower and outsmart them. I think it would add even greater emphasis to their threat if they're able to take down genius explorers rather than "let me grab the alien snake that is very clearly giving me a threatening display"
You make quality content brother. Your voice is soothing and great to listen to as well.
Keep this up and you'll go far! Wish you all the best.
The thing I've never understood is, you can have the scene play out EXACTLY the same way, except simply have had Millburn be concerned about the creature's aggressive pose and it would have alleviated all issues with the scene. They go into the room, the worm rises, he backs off, it raises its hood like a cobra, Millburn and Fifield back away from it, Millburn states something like "just move away slowly without any sudden movements" or something, and then it or another one strikes regardless. Scene progresses the same way, but has none of the ridiculous character issues that have come under scrutiny for the scene. Why it wasn't shot that way in the first place I'll never understand. The Prometheus parody sketch (czcams.com/video/yFYmv6t_Xyg/video.html) of asking him to touch the snake and he remarks "it looks pretty pissed off sir" and they all comment "when in doubt, check it out!" wouldn't have had such rich source material to parody if the characters had simply been attacked by a nasty creature even after demonstrating comment sense precautions, it's the script that decided to be illogical with the character's actions and there's no fixing that even with the deleted scene re-added. It improves it slightly, but it's still ridiculous. I myself love reptiles, I think snakes are absolutely beautiful creatures, but seriously, if something stood like a cobra and flared its hood at me, I would not for one second ever dare to try and touch the damn thing.
It's a very valid question, but the bigger question is, HOW DID THEY GET LOST IN THE COMPLEX TO BEGIN WITH? They left before the rest of the group, and Fifield was the one who released the drones to make the map. So how did he and Millburn get lost and have to spend the night there? It makes no sense.
The deleted scene would have certainly explained his eagerness in getting familiar with the hammerpede. It would also show how quick the black goo creates mutations from a small worm into a deadly snake-like creature. Why did they leave it out?!!
When that worm hissed and bared it's teeth at Milburn THAT should have been warning enough for him to leave that creature alone. He was being extremely careless. I think he may have been trying to show off for Fifield and it obviously got him killed.
Millburn turning into a xenomorph that spits more space cobras...
Yes i think the deleted scene should have been put in, that makes so much more sense now
As for a topic i'm not sure you've covered this one
But in the comic Batman Vs. Aliens, there is a scene with a Alligator Alien, whih is frightening to behold, but i'm thinking on the particulars of how exactly the facehugger pulled that one off
I feel the scene should have been included as well as the opening with him. It shows how uncautious he is in social situations and life obstacles. Willing to joke with someone who might kill him just over breakfast. And willing to put his hands in front of a Alien creature who is clearly in a defensive position.
Both those deleted scenes show even past all his studies, has no ability to see when a lifeform is threatened
It is my personal theory this was inspired by a real life organism. A similar genus to the hammerpede lives on Earth known as hammerhead worm or Bipalium. The creature can regenerate lost parts in a matter of weeks and can create a new head and body when cut in half, which creates a new worm. It is carnivorous, eating other worms, slugs, and insects.
They absolutely should have kept that in the film. The way he was behaving was so unrealistic, this would have provided at least some context.
Thank you for this!! I recently was explaining the worms and failed to notice that there were worms on the planet, i thought they came from the cans!
I think the deleted scene could have helped give credit to the scientist's actions. Without it, his fascination is hollow and unexpected.
I think that he was trying to make an impression on his friend, who at first said that he did not join the journey to make friends. You can clearly see this in other scenes also, with him trying to agree with him on everything. So I think that he is scared, but does not what his "friend" to know it, instead he behaves like a fool.
honestly even though I am not a biologist and am more so just someone interested in the fabrics of evolution, I think that if Millburn was to be more cautious that the Hammerpede should actually show more persay predatory behavior after feeling that Millburn is a threat as to allow for Millburn to get killed off while not making him seem comically stupid to try petting it in the first place, I'm fine with his enthusiasm getting the better of him before, but he should of tried backing off by the time it opened it's hood.
Sean Harris is virtually unrecognizable as Fifield, from his role as Ian Curtis in 24 Hour Party People.
I was not aware of this delete scene. It certainly helps explain, at least in part, Milburns seeming lack of caution. It is possible, his assessment of the larger, mutated versions, was based entirely on the smaller, harmless , non-mutated versions encountered in the deleted scene. This does not mean Milburns throwing caution to the wind was excusable, but at least it is understandable now to some degree. The only thing to consider is, humanity still has not encountered anything other than simple, primitive life forms. Biologists have no precedents for approaching complex alien life forms. Again, the lack of previous contacts does not mean biologists wouldn't have protocols developed to help guide them should such a case arise. If they did, Milburn certainly wasn't following them here.
A human biologist encounters an alien creature that resembles a pissed off cobra... and then wants to pet it.
That deleted scene doesn't explain anything about his incredibly stupid behavior, the only explanation that I have, is that Milburn was completely stoned.
the hammerhead started to behave like a snake does when it feels threatened. the flaps popped out, it hissed just like a Cobra would before it strikes. I'm no biologist but I think Millburn shoulf have totally picked up on that and got the fuck back.
Thank you for this video, and for your series in general
Perhaps his earlier exposure to the creature infected him with something similar to the Toxoplasmosis Gondii brain parasite that cats transmit to mice and humans. It makes mice much more reckless instead of being fearful, and has been documented to have the same effects on humans.
I feel like it desperately needed that first deleted scene but that also wouldn’t have been enough. A better version of the scene might have involved Fifield being more involved and perhaps goading Millburn into showing how good of a biologist he is and proving it by interacting with this new species.
almost every deleted scene in this film seems like critical information. it sucks when they hack the vision of a director. ..to save a few min. that worm scene is vital to explaining his reaction later
it should've been added, it would make sense. I believe he then would've assumed that the bigger worm was just that, bigger and not a threat like the smaller ones.