'Prometheus' trailer: 'Alien' prequel question put to rest

Ever since Ridley Scott started talking about his first foray back into science fiction since 1982's Blade Runner, the geekosphere has been all Twitterpated over whether the film is, in fact, a prequel to Alien. First it was. Then it wasn't. Then it was again, kinda. Well, now Scott has unveiled his first real peek at the film, and there should be no doubt: Prometheus is definitely a prequel to Alien.

Exhibit A: The photo to the right. Any Alien fan will tell you that is the seat of the "space jockey," the giant humanoid creature the puny humans in Alien come upon before they're beset by the phallic-headed (and mouthed) extraterrestrial monstrosity that bleeds acid and occasionally mixes it up with the dreadlocked dudes from Predator. Those creatures definitely don't show up in the new Prometheus trailer (and it sounds like they won't be showing up in the film, either). But the mere fact that Scott chose to show us the space jockey's fancy barcalounger — let alone the other obvious, direct homages to Alien — should put all that speculation about the connection between the two films finally to rest. I mean, it won't, but it should.

Check out the trailer, and then let's discuss a bit more:

The other clear sign that we're meant to connect Prometheus to Alien is the reveal of the title that uses the exact same technique from the trailer for Alien. Watching it again, I also noted the similar eerie screaming-sonar-like sound cues, the massive crescent-shaped ship, the electronic map featuring a prominent wire-globe, the racing through narrow corridors, the screaming in terror in a space-suit — well, see for yourself:

There are a few details in the Prometheus trailer that hint at the new directions the film will be heading, like the shots of the giant humanoid head also revealed in the film's poster, and the shot 'round the 0:44 mark of a dude in a spacesuit with a grody-looking head seemingly attacking another crewmate. Mostly, though, this teaser just works, doling out just enough spooky cool eye candy to keep audiences baited for what Scott has in store.

At least, that's my take. What's yours?

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