Clura said:
Now, I suppose there could be a link... but I can't think of a passage that explicitly states as much.
The power of Lovecraft's writing lies in suggestion and the imagination of the reader rather than specific statements (see my TL;DR post about
Amnesia: The Dark Descent). It might also be possible that scientific research back then regarding the origin of our species and its evolution in the estimated era of the Earth's history might not have been as good as it is nowadays - I would have to look back on that (but it's late and I need to go to bed soon). There are, however, strong hints on the human species being the unnoticed and unintended side-effect of a failed experiment conducted by a hyper-advanced and unfathomable extraterrestrial species.
Clura said:
Alien:
In Lovecraft narrators are interested in pure science. They want to know how stuff works. This is admirable... which makes it all the more tragic when it ends in ruin and madness.
In Alien the corporation and all the crew members are basically driven by the profit motive. Somehow I can't get myself to care when a group of people looking to profit from the sale of a bio weapon get wiped out by said bio weapon.
Indeed, the typical Lovecraftian "hero" is a solitary scholarly bent man with a background that is either struggling to get by or born in a family of upper-middle class origins (all of these backgrounds are reflections and projections of Lovecraft's own life). However, personal preferences aside, deviation from the typical role of a character belonging to the intelligentsia (e.g. the protagonist from
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth) does not necessarily detract its potential for achieving "Yog-Sothothery" or a narrative faithful and effective to the Lovecraftian tale.
Let me clarify: I do not believe that the Xenomorph is Lovecraftian - it is slightly Lovecraftian. The inky-black, slimy and faceless alien shares traits with a Lovecraftian horror. Along the train of thought that Lovecraft had when he wrote
The Shadow Over Innsmouth--ignoring the supposed "dangers" of miscegenation argument--showcases the unspeakable abominations that are born from the union of non-human life forms and human beings. Prior to the expansion of the
Alien franchise in James Cameron's formulaic, though somewhat entertaining,
Aliens, the Xenomorph was defined on its "unknowability." It resembles a human figure, but it clearly is not human; it bleeds highly corrosive acid capable of burning through everything, but the Xenomorph does not melt from its own blood (alien materials argument) et cetera.
Where it fails to be truly Lovecraftian, however, is the fact that there's a profit margin behind the motives of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in seeking to enslave and experiment upon the Xenomorph as a biological weapon to basically earn a lot of money. It's disconcerting to see how neoliberal capitalism has provided the human population with a shield against normally insanity-inducing monstrosities in the relatively near future. Joking aside, the Xenomorph is simply not the Lovecraftian horror it should be as it is killable (they die by the dozens with a well-placed sentry turret) and they're, ultimately, fathomable ever since the post-
Alien era (from
Aliens and onwards).
Plus, it's so much more fun to throw Marxist critical theory or, especially, Freudian psychoanalytical criticism at the series.
Clura said:
Another problem with Alien is the character of Ian Holmes. He's the resident scientist that does some quite dubious things in order to preserve the creature for the company. Sadly, he turns out to be an android. So much for plumbing the depths of the human soul...
Ah, but those are elements belonging to another environment entirely: transhumanism. We'd best be using
Blade Runner and
Deus Ex as points of referents when we talk about the role of Ian Holmes.
Clura said:
Prometheus:
I'm not sure about this one but don't humans develop from a fragment of Engineer DNA? Humans are then a form of degeneration not an experiment. Anyway, its a thouroghly stupid movie that rips off At the Mountains of Madness but cuts all the good stuff. I could go into detail but I will spare everybody a TLDR rant.
Yes, they do, which already shows a far more deliberate and personally invested project of the Space Jockeys. They literally sacrificed one of their own to set the events leading to the creation of our species in motion. It is possible that this member of their community was a criminal or there might be a ritual or honour-bound code of conduct behind all of this. Ultimately, it might be best that we simply wouldn't know all too much to at least keep some of the incomprehensibility element that might still remain in
Prometheus and the inevitable number sequels it will spawn. Wishful thinking, I know.
We are, however, the deliberate offspring of that experiment. Obviously, we became far smaller in size, less intelligent, less physically strong et cetera. The only upside we had was racial and ethnic diversity (because, as we all know, the gods are always white or pale - but I am digressing). All in all, we were an experiment that succeeded: we were born. However, we had a purpose that remained unfulfilled after the mysterious and cataclysmic event that caused the Space Jockeys on the research facility in
Prometheus to become dysfunctional and non-operational. Thus, the human species was allowed to live for a longer time than our creators might have intended. The reason why we are still alive is, probably, because we were simply forgotten and abandoned because of other reasons (likely the Xenomorph, or not). Hence, the failed experiment element pops up, but in a rather non-Lovecraftian manner. Yes, we're not the product of a white man in the sky with a long beard who loves us in his rather questionable ways, but we also served a possible purpose. If the human species had a specific purpose to achieve and its creation was intended for some grand design regardless of its amoral/loveless approach, we still have a somewhat special place in the cosmos whilst we simply do not have this luxury in the Lovecraftian horror tale. Cosmic insignificance and all that.
TL;DR
Yeah, they have Lovecraftian traits, but not enough of them to truly be considered Lovecraftian. Sorry if I left the impression that I implied otherwise, such an argument would require exaggerations of the Lovecraftian properties of the Xenomorph and the Space Jockeys and that would hardly be academic.
Is anyone getting sick of my TL;DR posts yet? If I'm overdoing it, please say so. Thank you.
