There is a question plaguing Prometheus viewers that sounds as though it would be better served as a joke told by your inebriated uncle at the post-Thanksgiving dessert table: “What did David the robot say to the alien engineer?” The punchline is… not as funny as you’d think. But it does solve one of the mysteries of Ridley Scott’s nebulous science fiction film.
To contextualize (here’s where the spoilers begin): late in the film, David (Michael Fassbender) awakens the only remaining member of the race of beings (“Engineers”) that is credited with mankind’s creation, hoping that he will be able to aid a dying Prometheus crewmember, Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce). Previously, David had happened upon the sleeping body during his solo exploration of the cave that Prometheus had traveled to the planet to investigate. Upon reviving the Engineer, David poses a statement in a foreign language, identified by The Huffington Post as Proto-Indo-European. Then, after a moment of eerie anticipation, David gets his answer: the Engineer rips his damn head off, and starts killing everyone he can find.
So, you’ve got to imagine that David’s cryptic comment was pretty significant; up until now, most fans could only speculate upon theories regarding said message. But luckily for those with a taste for concrete answers, the translation of David’s question has been revealed, courtesy of linguistics expert Dr. Anil Biltoo, who worked personally with Fassbender on Prometheus to teach the actor how to speak the foreign language.
Long story short, here’s what David said:“This man is here because he does not want to die. He believes you can give him more life.”So, there it is: one of the thirteen Prometheus questions answered. So… how is it? Does it fill in the gaps you felt were missing from the movie? Does it leave you just as aggravated about the open-ended nature of the story? Were you, in fact, happier not knowing exactly what David said, reveling in the fun of imagining your own possibilities? Or are you simply fluent in Proto-Indo-European, and therefore knew this all along? Damnit, this was supposed to eliminate questions!
More:
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‘Prometheus’ Theories: Greek Mythology Offers Answers (SPOILERS)
‘Prometheus’ Mysteries Solved (By You!)
