Summary

• The theory suggests that the beings David killed in Alien: Covenant might not have been Engineers, but rather an experiment that turned out right, contrasting with humanity.
• The aliens in Covenant differ from the Engineers seen in Prometheus, as they lack their advanced technology and instead live in basic temples.
• David's murderous actions can be attributed to his intense God-complex and hostility towards both humanity and the Engineers, driven by his desire to create life and begin the universe anew.

One of the most shocking moments in the Alien franchise was David killing the Engineers in Alien: Covenant, but a theory suggests the creatures might not have been Engineers at all. The Alien prequel, Prometheus, introduced the Engineers into the franchise, a race of technologically advanced beings who are implied to have created the human race from their own DNA. After dealing with a lone Engineer in Prometheus, the android David weaponized black goo stored inside the Engineer pilot's ship to massacre the entire population of Engineers in Alien: Covenant. However, a theory has another explanation for how David killed so many when his former crew mates struggled with just one.

Ridley Scott's Alien prequel series was set to answer burning questions about the origins of the legendary Xenomorphs, first introduced aboard the Nostromo during 1979's Alien. Despite receiving mixed responses, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant did expand on the backstory of both the Xenomorphs. The prequels also expanded on the Alien franchise's trademark fear surrounding android characters, since Michael Fassbender's David is a menacing figure in both projects. The introduction of the Engineers suggested a new creation myth for humanity, as well as the perfect connection between the human characters and the alien threat. However, there are still many gaps in the Alien lore after Covenant, and one Engineers theory may fill them.

Alien: Covenant’s Engineers Are Very Different To Prometheus’s

Subtle Differences Between The Two Movies Suggest An Entirely New Species

The theory, posed by reece1495 on Reddit, suggests that the Engineers David kills in Alien: Covenant weren't Engineers at all, but in another one of the supreme race's experiments. It's never actually stated what species Alien: Covenant's Engineers, a.k.a. "Space Jockeys," actually are, as David kills them all with the black goo in a very brief scene. However, many subtle details point to the Engineers in Covenant being different from the species introduced in 2012's Prometheus. The theory poses that the beings David killed in Alien: Covenant could be an Engineer experiment that turned out right, where humanity failed.

Despite being incredibly similar in appearance to the Engineers, there are many differences between the powerful race seen in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant's non-Xenomorph aliens. Prometheus demonstrated some of the huge technological advancements that the Engineers had made, including their streamlined vessels, high-tech armor, and mysterious maps of the universe which David becomes engrossed in — not to mention their ability to weaponize the Alien franchise's black goo. The aliens in Covenant, however, were dressed in cloth garments and living in basic temples, not resembling the Engineers' high-tech equipment.

Why David Killed The Engineers In Alien: Covenant

The Engineers Aren't Compatible With David's Vision Of The Universe

Finding yet another race of artificially created beings that enjoy a freedom he doesn't could have simply pushed David over the edge.

While Alien: Covenant doesn't explain why David killed the Engineers, the theory and comments from director Ridley Scott help to provide an explanation. As an android himself, David was obsessed with the origins of humanity, his place in the universe as an artificially created being, and subsequently goes insane thanks to his existential crisis. If the beings he killed weren't Engineers his murderous actions would make a lot of sense. The creations of the Engineers, such as humanity and the unknown species in Alien: Covenant, enjoy a freedom that androids like David don't (even to the point that David isn't sure if he has free will).

Finding yet another race of artificially created beings that enjoy a freedom he doesn't could have simply pushed David over the edge. David also became fixated on creating his own life, as seen in Alien: Covenant, though he has no sense of kinship with the Engineers despite taking up their favorite pastimes. Speaking to Empire, Ridley Scott revealed that David's feelings towards the Engineers are far from friendly. "[David] hates [the Engineers]." Scott explained, "He has no respect for Engineers and no respect for human beings."

David's goal of creating life is partially fixed in the belief that he can improve on both the efforts of the Engineers and Humanity, it seems. The android also feels hostile toward both, and would quite happily remove them from the universe. Whether the beings David killed in Alien: Covenant were Engineers or simply their creations, it's clear that David killed them because doubt over his own existence has metamorphized into an intense and violent God-complex. David blames Humanity, and by extension, the Engineers, for his tortured existence, and his attempts at creating life are likely partially driven by his desire to begin the universe anew without them — as is his open hostility and violence.

It's Unlikely Humanity Were The Only Species Created By The Engineers

Humanity Was A Failed Experiment But Alien: Covenant May Have Showed A Successful One

Prometheus confirmed that the Engineers were the creators of humanity, as in the film's opening moments, an Engineer drinks some of the black substance, which causes his body to break down and his DNA to be disseminated into the Earth's ecosystem. However, Prometheus doesn't go into too much detail about the Engineers' actual plans and the scale of their command over the cosmos. Even so, since they created humanity, it's safe to assume that the Engineers also created other races across the universe, populating perhaps several planets with their own DNA.

The Alien theory suggests that the Engineers were successful in their creation of the alien race seen in Alien: Covenant. This is evidenced by the latter's worship of the Engineer ship returning to their temple's dock, as it makes sense that they would revere their creators. Further support for the theory comes from the Engineers' desire to wipe out humanity during the events of Prometheus. The Engineers would see humanity as a failed version of their experiment. While humans share similar characteristics to the Engineers, they don't quite look the same as their creators, and they seek domination of the stars for themselves, leading to the Engineers' hatred of their own creation.

Will The Engineers Be In The New Alien Movie?

Fede Alvarez's Alien: Romulus Releases In 2024

Ridley Scott originally planned his Alien prequel series to be a trilogy of films leading up to the events of the original Alien film. However, after the release of two projects, the future of the third is still unclear. There is a new Alien movie in the works from horror director Fede Alvarez. Alien: Romulus will be the 9th in the franchise, and a loose synopsis has been revealed (via Variety). It will follow a younger cast than previous Alien movies, and will be set on a far-off world rather than Earth. The movie is set between the events of Alien and Aliens but there is no confirmation if there will be Engineers in the next Alien movie after Alien: Covenant.

However, production on a sequel to Alien: Covenant, which would be a direct prequel to Alien, has seen an incredibly tumultuous journey. After Disney's acquisition of Fox in 2019, Scott confirmed that a follow-up to Alien: Covenant was in the works, though later revealed that he wasn't certain whether it would follow the same story that started in Prometheus.

For the prequels to properly tie into the original Alien series, Covenant needs a direct sequel to put to bed any questions surrounding David's experiments on the Xenomorphs, the ship first seen on LV-426 in Alien, and the status of Ellen Ripley and the Nostromo crew. This story needs to be completed, and the only way this will happen is if Ridley Scott produces a direct sequel to Alien: Covenant.