What is Going On in ‘Prometheus’? A Universe of Questions, Answers and Theories

PETER WEYLAND

The self-proclaimed god

If you’re looking for the film’s metaphorical “Prometheus” look no further than Peter Weyland as played by Guy Pearce, a man that is not only looking to bridge the gap between man and the gods, but believes he has actually done it.

In the video included to the right, Weyland quotes Nietzsche, again from “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” saying, “I am a law only for my kind, I am no law for all.”

I presume this statement was made as Weyland prepared to take the stage for the viral TED Talk 2023, which I’ve included below, wherein he describes human advancement to the point we can build cybernetic beings indistinguishable from ourselves thus proclaiming, “We are the gods now.” A statement that makes the audience in attendance shift and murmur nervously.

Gods are believed to be all-powerful and immortal. Part of the narrative of Prometheus is Weyland’s desire for immortality, the last step to becoming what he believes to be a true god. Also, at the center of the film are a couple of other ideas, one being the search for the origins of mankind and with that, I believe, the search for an answer to the eternal question, “What is the meaning of life?”

That said, Weyland’s desire for immortality is contradictory to the question. After all, what is life without death? Like the titan Prometheus before him, he is on the verge of overstepping his boundary.

Science, it seems, can only take us so far as the film explores the difference between science and faith, suggesting the two can peacefully co-exist. However, there is also the implication that perhaps it’s best to stick with faith in some instances and not go searching for the answers. You might not like the answer you receive.

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