Prometheus Quotes
Following clues to the origin of mankind a team journey across the universe and find a structure on a distant planet containing a monolithic statue of a humanoid head and stone cylinders of alien blood but they soon find they are not alone.
[last lines]
Elizabeth Shaw: Final report of the vessel Prometheus. The ship and her entire crew are gone. If you're receiving this transmission, make no attempt to come to its point of origin. There is only death here now, and I'm leaving it behind. It is New Year's Day, the year of our Lord, 2094. My name is Elisabeth Shaw, last survivor of the Prometheus. And I am still searching.
Elizabeth Shaw: Final report of the vessel Prometheus. The ship and her entire crew are gone. If you're receiving this transmission, make no attempt to come to its point of origin. There is only death here now, and I'm leaving it behind. It is New Year's Day, the year of our Lord, 2094. My name is Elisabeth Shaw, last survivor of the Prometheus. And I am still searching.
Charlie Holloway: What we hoped to achieve was to meet our makers. To get answers. Why they even made us in the first place.
David: Why do you think your people made me?
Charlie Holloway: We made you because we could.
David: Can you imagine how disappointing it would be for you to hear the same thing from your creator?
Charlie Holloway: I guess it's good you can't be disappointed.
David: Why do you think your people made me?
Charlie Holloway: We made you because we could.
David: Can you imagine how disappointing it would be for you to hear the same thing from your creator?
Charlie Holloway: I guess it's good you can't be disappointed.
David: A superior species, no doubt. The hypersleep chambers will impress, I trust.
Elizabeth Shaw: So they were traveling somewhere?
David: I've managed to work out the broad strips, it's fairly evident they were in the process of leaving, before things went to pot.
Elizabeth Shaw: Leaving to go where?
David: Earth.
Elizabeth Shaw: Why?
David: Sometimes to create, one must first destroy.
Elizabeth Shaw: So they were traveling somewhere?
David: I've managed to work out the broad strips, it's fairly evident they were in the process of leaving, before things went to pot.
Elizabeth Shaw: Leaving to go where?
David: Earth.
Elizabeth Shaw: Why?
David: Sometimes to create, one must first destroy.
Charlie Holloway: David, why are you wearing a suit, man?
David: I beg your pardon?
Charlie Holloway: You don't breathe, remember? So why wear a suit?
David: I was designed like this because you are more comfortable interacting with your own kind. If I didn't wear a suit, it would defeat the purpose.
Charlie Holloway: They're making you guys pretty close, huh?
David: Not too close, I hope.
David: I beg your pardon?
Charlie Holloway: You don't breathe, remember? So why wear a suit?
David: I was designed like this because you are more comfortable interacting with your own kind. If I didn't wear a suit, it would defeat the purpose.
Charlie Holloway: They're making you guys pretty close, huh?
David: Not too close, I hope.
Peter Weyland: [from TED Talks viral video] 100,000 BC: stone tools. 4,000 BC: the wheel. 900 AD: gunpowder - bit of a game changer, that one. 19th century: eureka, the lightbulb! 20th century: the automobile, television, nuclear weapons, spacecrafts, Internet. 21st century: biotech, nanotech, fusion and fission and M theory - and THAT, was just the first decade! We are now three months into the year of our Lord, 2023. At this moment of our civilization, we can create cybernetic individuals, who in just a few short years will be completely indistinguishable from us. Which leads to an obvious conclusion: WE are the gods now.
Charlie Holloway: These are images of archaeological digs from all over the earth.
[pointing to different images]
Charlie Holloway: That's Egyptian, Mayan, Sumerian, Babylonian. That's Hawaiian at the end there and Mesopotamian. Now this one here is our most recent discovery, it's a thirty five thousand year old cave painting from the Isle of Sky in Scotland. These are ancient civilizations, they were separated by centuries, they shared no contact with one another, and yet...
[he gathers the hologram images to line up and he goes through each one]
Charlie Holloway: The same pictogram, showing men worshiping giant beings pointing to the stars was discovered at every last one of them. The only galactic system that matched, was so far from earth, that there's no way that these primitive ancient civilizations could have possibly known about. But it just so happens, that system has a sun, a lot like ours. And based on our long range scans, there seemed to be a planet. Just one planet with the moon, capable of sustaining life, and we arrived there this morning.
Fifield: So you're saying we're here because of a map you two kids found in a cave, is that right?
Elizabeth Shaw: No.
Charlie Holloway: Yeah. Um...
Elizabeth Shaw: No. Not a map. An invitation.
Fifield: From whom?
Elizabeth Shaw: We call them Engineers.
Fifield: Engineers? Do you mind, um, telling us what they engineered?
Elizabeth Shaw: They engineered us.
Fifield: Bullshit.
[pointing to different images]
Charlie Holloway: That's Egyptian, Mayan, Sumerian, Babylonian. That's Hawaiian at the end there and Mesopotamian. Now this one here is our most recent discovery, it's a thirty five thousand year old cave painting from the Isle of Sky in Scotland. These are ancient civilizations, they were separated by centuries, they shared no contact with one another, and yet...
[he gathers the hologram images to line up and he goes through each one]
Charlie Holloway: The same pictogram, showing men worshiping giant beings pointing to the stars was discovered at every last one of them. The only galactic system that matched, was so far from earth, that there's no way that these primitive ancient civilizations could have possibly known about. But it just so happens, that system has a sun, a lot like ours. And based on our long range scans, there seemed to be a planet. Just one planet with the moon, capable of sustaining life, and we arrived there this morning.
Fifield: So you're saying we're here because of a map you two kids found in a cave, is that right?
Elizabeth Shaw: No.
Charlie Holloway: Yeah. Um...
Elizabeth Shaw: No. Not a map. An invitation.
Fifield: From whom?
Elizabeth Shaw: We call them Engineers.
Fifield: Engineers? Do you mind, um, telling us what they engineered?
Elizabeth Shaw: They engineered us.
Fifield: Bullshit.
[from trailer]
David: Hello. I'm David.
Interviewer: What can you do, David?
David: I can do almost anything that could possibly be asked of me. I can assist your employees. I can make your organization more efficient. I can carry out directives that my future counterparts might find distressing or unethical. I can blend in with your workforce effortlessly.
David: Hello. I'm David.
Interviewer: What can you do, David?
David: I can do almost anything that could possibly be asked of me. I can assist your employees. I can make your organization more efficient. I can carry out directives that my future counterparts might find distressing or unethical. I can blend in with your workforce effortlessly.
Young Shaw: [on the ship, Prometheus, David checks on the crew who are in hypersleep, he gazes upon Shaw and sees what she's dreaming of, which is from her childhood when she is with her father in a foreign land looking at a funeral procession] What happened to that man?
Shaw's Father: He died.
Young Shaw: Why aren't you helping them?
Shaw's Father: They don't want my help. They're God's different than ours.
Young Shaw: Why did he die?
Shaw's Father: Sooner or later everyone does.
Young Shaw: Like mommy?
Shaw's Father: Like mommy.
Young Shaw: Where do they go?
Shaw's Father: Everyone has their own word; heaven, paradise. Whatever it's called, it's someplace beautiful.
Young Shaw: How do you know it's beautiful?
Shaw's Father: Cause that's what I choose to believe. What do you believe, darling?
[at that point David comes out of watching he dream]
Shaw's Father: He died.
Young Shaw: Why aren't you helping them?
Shaw's Father: They don't want my help. They're God's different than ours.
Young Shaw: Why did he die?
Shaw's Father: Sooner or later everyone does.
Young Shaw: Like mommy?
Shaw's Father: Like mommy.
Young Shaw: Where do they go?
Shaw's Father: Everyone has their own word; heaven, paradise. Whatever it's called, it's someplace beautiful.
Young Shaw: How do you know it's beautiful?
Shaw's Father: Cause that's what I choose to believe. What do you believe, darling?
[at that point David comes out of watching he dream]
Janek: You know, if you wanna get laid, you really don't have to pretend to be interested in the pyramid scan. I mean, you could just say, "Hey, I'm trying to get laid." Heh.
Meredith Vickers: I could. I could say that, right? But then it wouldn't make sense why I would fly myself half a billion miles from every man on Earth if I wanted to get laid, would it?
Janek: Hey, uh, Vickers. Hey, Vickers. I was wondering... Are you a robot?
Meredith Vickers: [scoffs] My room. Ten minutes.
Meredith Vickers: I could. I could say that, right? But then it wouldn't make sense why I would fly myself half a billion miles from every man on Earth if I wanted to get laid, would it?
Janek: Hey, uh, Vickers. Hey, Vickers. I was wondering... Are you a robot?
Meredith Vickers: [scoffs] My room. Ten minutes.
Peter Weyland: [from TED Talks viral video] T.E. Lawrence, eponymously of Arabia but very much an Englishman, favoured pinching a burning match between his fingers to put it out. When asked by his colleague William Potter to reveal his trick, how is it he effectively extinguished the flame without hurting himself whatsoever, Lawrence just smiled and said, "The trick, Potter, is not minding it hurts." The fire that danced at the end of that match was a gift from the titan Prometheus, a gift that he stole from the gods. When Prometheus was caught and brought to justice for his theft, the gods, well, you might say they overreacted a little. The poor man was tied to a rock, as an eagle ripped through his belly and ate his liver over and over, day after day, ad infinitum. All because he gave us fire. Our first true piece of technology, fire...
Peter Weyland: [from TED Talks viral video] To those of you who know me: you will be aware by now that my ambition is unlimited. You know that I will settle for nothing short of greatness, or I will die trying. To those of you who do not yet know me: allow me to introduce myself. My name is Peter Weyland, and if you'll indulge me, I'd like to change the world.
Janek: Just got a ping about one click west of you.
Millburn: What do you mean "a ping"?
Janek: Well, whatever that probe is picking up, it's not dead. It's reading a life form.
Fifield: What?
Millburn: Okay, what you mean, "a life form"?
Fifield: Is it - Is it moving?
Janek: No, I don't think so.
Fifield: No, Captain, you're obviously not seeing what we're seeing down here. But if you were, you wouldn't be talking about a bloody ping, yeah?
Janek: I know, boys. Your signal has been coming in sporadically since the storm hit.
Fifield: That's no good to us down here, Captain! Is it - Is it moving? Are these things moving?
Janek: No. No, it just disappeared, actually. Must be a glitch.
Millburn: What do you mean, "a glitch"?
Janek: All right, boys. Sleep tight. Try not to bugger each other.
Millburn: Captain, what do you mean, "a glitch"?
Fifield: Millburn. What does he mean? Wait. Now, he said - He said one click west, yeah?
Millburn: Yeah.
Fifield: Now, we... We don't want to check that out, do we, huh?
Millburn: Shit, no.
Fifield: Where are we gonna go?
Millburn: East.
Fifield: Yeah, east.
Millburn: A fucking glitch, man. "Pings, glitch, life form." What the fuck?
Millburn: What do you mean "a ping"?
Janek: Well, whatever that probe is picking up, it's not dead. It's reading a life form.
Fifield: What?
Millburn: Okay, what you mean, "a life form"?
Fifield: Is it - Is it moving?
Janek: No, I don't think so.
Fifield: No, Captain, you're obviously not seeing what we're seeing down here. But if you were, you wouldn't be talking about a bloody ping, yeah?
Janek: I know, boys. Your signal has been coming in sporadically since the storm hit.
Fifield: That's no good to us down here, Captain! Is it - Is it moving? Are these things moving?
Janek: No. No, it just disappeared, actually. Must be a glitch.
Millburn: What do you mean, "a glitch"?
Janek: All right, boys. Sleep tight. Try not to bugger each other.
Millburn: Captain, what do you mean, "a glitch"?
Fifield: Millburn. What does he mean? Wait. Now, he said - He said one click west, yeah?
Millburn: Yeah.
Fifield: Now, we... We don't want to check that out, do we, huh?
Millburn: Shit, no.
Fifield: Where are we gonna go?
Millburn: East.
Fifield: Yeah, east.
Millburn: A fucking glitch, man. "Pings, glitch, life form." What the fuck?
Fifield: Can you get a message to the scientist and that zealot girlfriend of his?
Janek: Mmmm hmmm.
Fifield: You got a pen nearby?
Janek: Nope. Nope, think we got it.
Fifield: Tell them I said #static interference# themselves.
Janek: #Laughs#
Fifield: Copy?
Janek: Copy that. Alright boys, keep your head down and we'll come and get you in the morning.
Janek: Mmmm hmmm.
Fifield: You got a pen nearby?
Janek: Nope. Nope, think we got it.
Fifield: Tell them I said #static interference# themselves.
Janek: #Laughs#
Fifield: Copy?
Janek: Copy that. Alright boys, keep your head down and we'll come and get you in the morning.
Janek: Where the hell you going, doc? You know what this place is? Those Engineers, this ain't their home. It's an installation. Maybe even military. They put it out here in the middle of nowhere because they're not stupid enough to make weapons of mass destruction on their own doorstep. That's what all that shit is in those vases. They made it here. It got out, turned on them. The end. It's time for us to go home.
Elizabeth Shaw: One of them is still alive. Don't you want to know what they have to say?
Janek: I don't care.
Elizabeth Shaw: Right. All you do is fly the ship.
Janek: That's right.
Elizabeth Shaw: But you must care about something, captain. If you didn't, why are you here?
Janek: How about this? No matter what happens down there, I can't bring none of that shit back home with us. Can't let it happen. And I'll do whatever I have to to see that it doesn't.
Elizabeth Shaw: Make sure you do, captain.
Elizabeth Shaw: One of them is still alive. Don't you want to know what they have to say?
Janek: I don't care.
Elizabeth Shaw: Right. All you do is fly the ship.
Janek: That's right.
Elizabeth Shaw: But you must care about something, captain. If you didn't, why are you here?
Janek: How about this? No matter what happens down there, I can't bring none of that shit back home with us. Can't let it happen. And I'll do whatever I have to to see that it doesn't.
Elizabeth Shaw: Make sure you do, captain.
Peter Weyland: [as a holographic recording] Hello, friends. My name is Peter Weyland. I am your employer. I am recording this, 22 June, 2091. And if you're watching it, you have reached your destination. And I am long dead. May I rest in peace. There's a man sitting with you today. His name is David. And he is the closest thing to a son I will ever have. Unfortunately, he is not human. He will never grow old and he will never die. And yet he is unable to appreciate these remarkable gifts for that would require the one thing that David will never have. A soul. I have spent my entire lifetime contemplating the questions: Where do we come from? What is our purpose? What happens when we die? And I have finally found two people who convinced me they're on the verge of answering them. Doctors Holloway and Shaw, if you would please stand. As far as you're concerned, they're in charge. The Titan Prometheus wanted to give making equal footing with the gods and for that, he was cast from Olympus. Well, my friends, the time has finally come for his return. Doctors, please. The floor is yours.
Fifield: Look, I'm just a geologist. I like rocks. I LOVE... rocks. Though it's clear you two don't give a shit about rocks but what you do seem to care about is gigantic dead bodies. And though I don't really have anything to contribute in the gigantic DEAD BODY ARENA... I'm gonna go back to the ship. If you don't mind.
Janek: What is the atmosphere?
Ravel: Atmosphere is 71 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, traces of argon gas.
Janek: Whoa, now, that's weather.
Charlie Holloway: Just like home.
Ford: Only if you're breathing through an exhaust pipe. CO2 is over 3 percent. Two minutes without a suit, you're dead.
Ravel: Atmosphere is 71 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, traces of argon gas.
Janek: Whoa, now, that's weather.
Charlie Holloway: Just like home.
Ford: Only if you're breathing through an exhaust pipe. CO2 is over 3 percent. Two minutes without a suit, you're dead.
Meredith Vickers: [asking how long the Prometheus crew has been in hyper sleep] How long?
David: 2 years, 4 months, 18 days, 36 hours, 15 minutes.
Meredith Vickers: Any casualties?
David: Casualties, ma'am?
Meredith Vickers: Has anyone died?
David: No, ma'am. Everyone is fine.
Meredith Vickers: Well, then wake them up.
David: 2 years, 4 months, 18 days, 36 hours, 15 minutes.
Meredith Vickers: Any casualties?
David: Casualties, ma'am?
Meredith Vickers: Has anyone died?
David: No, ma'am. Everyone is fine.
Meredith Vickers: Well, then wake them up.
Meredith Vickers: Weyland found you impressive enough to fund this mission. But I'm fairly certain your Engineers are nothing but scribblings of savages living in dirty little caves. But let's say I'm wrong, and you do find these beings down there, you won't engage them, you won't talk to them. You will do nothing but report back to me.
Charlie Holloway: Um, Miss Vickers, is there an agenda that you're not telling us about?
Meredith Vickers: My company paid a trillion dollars to find this place and to bring you here. Had you raised the monies yourself, Mr. Holloway, we'd happily be pursuing your agenda. But you didn't. And that makes you an employee.
Charlie Holloway: Um, Miss Vickers, is there an agenda that you're not telling us about?
Meredith Vickers: My company paid a trillion dollars to find this place and to bring you here. Had you raised the monies yourself, Mr. Holloway, we'd happily be pursuing your agenda. But you didn't. And that makes you an employee.
Chance: Well, come on. Pay up.
Ravel: Pay what?
Chance: What do you mean, "Pay what"? Something is manufacturing breathable air down there. That, mate, is terraforming.
Ravel: No, no. The bet was why we came here. If you said that dead old man wanted to talk to Martians, then I'd pay.
Chance: Oh, come on. A hundred credits. Put it towards a lap dance with Miss Vickers.
Ravel: Pay what?
Chance: What do you mean, "Pay what"? Something is manufacturing breathable air down there. That, mate, is terraforming.
Ravel: No, no. The bet was why we came here. If you said that dead old man wanted to talk to Martians, then I'd pay.
Chance: Oh, come on. A hundred credits. Put it towards a lap dance with Miss Vickers.
Meredith Vickers: If you're really going down there, you're going to die.
Peter Weyland: Very negative way of looking at things. Exactly why you should have stayed at home.
Meredith Vickers: Did you really think I was gonna sit in a boardroom for years arguing over who was in charge while you go look for some miracle on some godforsaken rock in the middle of space? A king has his reign, and then he dies. It's inevitable. That is natural order of things.
Peter Weyland: Very negative way of looking at things. Exactly why you should have stayed at home.
Meredith Vickers: Did you really think I was gonna sit in a boardroom for years arguing over who was in charge while you go look for some miracle on some godforsaken rock in the middle of space? A king has his reign, and then he dies. It's inevitable. That is natural order of things.
Elizabeth Shaw: But you don't understand. You don't know. This place isn't what we thought it was. They aren't what we thought they were. I was wrong. We were so wrong. Charlie, Dr. Holloway's dead. We must leave.
Peter Weyland: And what would Charlie do now that we're so close to answering the most meaningful questions ever asked by mankind? Hm? How can you leave without knowing what they are? Or have you lost your faith, Shaw?
Peter Weyland: And what would Charlie do now that we're so close to answering the most meaningful questions ever asked by mankind? Hm? How can you leave without knowing what they are? Or have you lost your faith, Shaw?
