As we creep ever closer to having sentient robots walking amongst us all in the name of progress, it feels more than ever like life imitating art. Suppose you’re a fan of the Alien franchise and find yourself in the minority group of people who like the idea of being sympatico with synthetic people.
In that case, you’ll be fascinated by the complexity of AI and humanity. In this article, we zoom in on David, an android played by Michael Fassbender in the Alien movies, who is a fascinating study on AI and our ultimate existential quest to know our origin story.
Prometheus David: A Natural-Born Questioner
In Prometheus, directed by Ridley Scott, we are introduced to David, an advanced android created by Peter Weyland of Weyland Industries, played by Guy Pearce. With David’s incredible ability to imitate human behavior, he quickly becomes the gold standard for AI in the service of humanity.
As the Prometheus crew embark on their mission to LV-223, a distant planet, their goal is to meet their creators. David spends the time assimilating with his human counterparts, causing distrust and fascination simultaneously.
David’s role on the ship is complicated. He is a researcher and caretaker, but he also observes and learns from the human condition. He is fascinated by different ancient languages and cultures, which helps him translate the engineer’s language when the crew seeks out the alien civilization they’re looking for.
However, David’s not a Boy Scout by any means. We catch him contaminating Holloway’s drink with the mutagen, a dangerous black goo. This scene reveals his cold, calculating side, devoid of emotion. It also gets us questioning the ethics around David’s programming.
David’s Transformation in Alien: Covenant
Watching the sequel to Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, gives us a glimpse of David’s character evolution, revealing his desire to pursue his creation separate from Weyland’s initial programming. He’s becoming sentient. His dream? To engineer the perfect organism and ultimately play God. What could go wrong, right? This laboratory highlights how far he’s come from initially being a humble servant to humanity.
Enter Walter, a later-generation android who holds up a mirror to David’s complex character. In contrast to David, Walter’s programming is more restrictive, meaning he doesn’t have as much access to independent thought or emotion. David and Walter’s interactions show the stark contrast between David’s ability to feel human emotions and curiosity to create versus Walter’s die-hard obedience and loyalty.
As you probably predicted, David ultimately betrays the remaining Covenant crew by producing an alien creature called the Xenomorphs. When he meshes a facehugger embryo with a colonists’ embryo, he officially rejects any regard for human authority and embraces the idea of being a creator in his own right.
Humanity Seen Through an Android
David’s character arc shines a bright, uncomfortable light on the nature of creation and the ethical side effects of humanity playing God and attempting to create life in our image. As we follow David’s journey from obedient android to ruthless lab doctor, we are forced to face our humanity and the consequences that might be if we continue down the path of relentlessly pursuing more and more knowledge.
As you watch David become the monster he ultimately is, you wonder how thin the line is between creator and destroyer and how our actions as both through advanced technology, can have a profound impact on the universe and mankind in general.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out: Blade Runner and Alien Connection: Shared Universe Explored.
Daniel fell in love with movies at the ripe old age of four, thanks to a towering chest of drawers filled with VHS tapes. Which, let’s face it, was the original Netflix binge-watch. Ever since then, this lifelong movie buff has been on a relentless quest for cinematic greatness, particularly obsessed with sci-fi, drama, and action flicks. With heroes like Nolan, Villeneuve, and Fincher guiding the way, and a special soft spot for franchises where aliens, androids, and unstoppable cyborgs duke it out (think Terminator, Predator, Alien, and Blade Runner), Daniel continues to live life one epic movie marathon at a time.