Coming into 2012, "Prometheus" was the biggest cinematic mystery box of the year, and, once it was released, it basically continued to be kind of mystifying. Now that it's set to hit home video, fans are still scouring the supplemental material for more clues, where they can uncover a colorful Easter Egg that may connect the film to Ridley Scott's own "Blade Runner" universe.
Buried somewhere on the disc is a text note written by Peter Weyland, the egomaniacal CEO portrayed by Guy Pearce in "Prometheus." In the note, Weyland speaks about his early career in the field of robotics and particularly references a "mentor and long-departed competitor" who inspired him.
This mentor insisted that Weyland should "put away childish things" and to "come work for [him]" in the hopes that the two would "take over the world and become the new gods." Weyland's note continues in this fashion and eventually mentions that he decided to take "another trajectory" from this competitor.
So, who is this mysterious mentor and competitor? He's never mentioned by name, but it's almost certainly Eldon Tyrell, who was portrayed by Joe Turkel in "Blade Runner." In the film, Tyrell was the creator of the Replicants, a race of synthetic beings who performed slave labor.
A few lines in Weyland's note here make it clear that this is the case; for one, this mentor is said to operate out of a "pyramid overlooking a city of angels" ("Blade Runner" is set in Los Angeles, and the Tyrell building literally resembles a pyramid). Secondly, the note mentions that these creations are "genetic abominations" that were "enslaved" after being implanted with false memories.
Obviously, this is a neat little connection between Scott's two sci-fi franchises; however, how seriously should it be taken? Since Scott is gearing up to return to the world of "Blade Runner," this might fuel speculation that he's got some sort of cross-over in mind.
I'm not sold, though; it's just as likely that this ended up on the disc because someone working on the film is having a little fun.
Besides, if it is a harbinger of things to come, the chronology gets a little tricky; though "Prometheus" takes place a good 70 years after "Blade Runner" (which was set in 2019), marketing indicated that Weyland's android creations were groundbreaking, which would obviously conflict with the world of "Blade Runner," where Replicants have been a known commodity for years.
Then again, history has proven that filmmakers and studios care much less about continuity and chronology than fans, so this could just be a minor hurdle that would be ignored if the "Blade Runner" and "Alien" universes end up becoming intertwined.
