The dot pattern in the caves seems to be based off of the star map drawing in the famous "Betty Hill" abduction case, which, if accurate (which is of course a huge if), seems to depict the view one might have from Zeta Reticuli 2 (which is where LV-426 is located).

While that's a perfectly reasonable explanation on its own, it doesn't match with what Scott himself has said about the xenos, which is that the derelict on LV-426 is already centuries old when the crew of the Nostromo finds it less than fifty years after the events of Prometheus.

Except I'm pretty clear the Engineers' motives for creating life on Earth are still unknown. I don't think there's any reason to believe humanity aren't just one of many side projects they have going on.

Good point. Though in fairness, the Engineer might have been a Ripley-esque survivor (of sorts).

That explanation could work. "It's a warning, not a distress beacon" and all that.

No, the map quite clearly shows the ship was one section of the base. Most of the action took place outside of the hangar.

"My favorite is the big plan of the engineers was to simply go to sleep for two thousand years to wait out the escaped creature then get right back to work. Apparently calling home for help was simply too embarrassing."

Not necessarily. Sometime writers do leave things intentionally mysterious. It's not always a strong tactic to take, especially if you're trying to explain something, but Tolkien (among other authors) once said that there were things better left unsaid in a story and questions to which even he didn't have the answer.

Really, the Ancients are considered one of the worst parts of Stargate? I thought they were pretty much integral to the entire show's premise.

Y'know, Star Trek and Stargate both used the same plot device. I don't quite understand why Prometheus is held to a higher standard than them in this regard. Alien was never hard sci-fi.

Good point. Different specialists might have different reactions. A biologist would presumably be accustomed to dead bodies, even alien ones, but a geologist wouldn't be and might be more... on edge.

That actually bothered me a bit in the opposite direction. It was framed as rational in the movie, but I don't see why it should be: if I came across a decapitated alien in a space derelict I wouldn't immediately think I was in a house of terrors.

Actually, I think Oldwookiee was pointing out that in Avatar they can repair spines but it's not easy or cheap, hence why Sully is still restricted to a wheelchair despite the advanced technology of the future.

I agree for the most part. The film was flawed, there's no doubt about it, but it was neither the masterpiece people wanted to be nor the disaster that some say it is now that they've seen it. It's somewhere in between, either very good or mediocre depending on how your individual preferences and prejudices line up.

The dimmer image to me wasn't really important with Prometheus because it had a dark color palette anyway. I also never suffered from eyestrain but then, I never do with 3D.

"It feels like the Mother of Ursula and the hag from Snow White."

I can't really disagree fully with anything Ms. Newitz had to say. I even agree with the fact that the film feels oddly like a big-budget version of The Thing (as did everyone I went to go see it with) although, for the life of me, I can't put an exact finger on why it comes off so strongly like Carpenter's 1982 film.

That is a really good one as well. I can see why it was left out (it's less notably epic) but it's nonetheless heroic to be sure.

I'm not saying she didn't grow as a character. But she could have just let someone else take the radiation, she just threw her life away because she was feeling guilty. It was less a heroic sacrifice and more an example of suicide.

Eh, YMMV. To a certain degree, her sacrifice was completely pointless.