How did David know how to open doors in the "cave"

He spent more than 2 years alone onboard the Prometheus, learning ancient languages and deciphering hieroglyphs that the engineers had left to humanity a long time ago. He's an android, with a computer brain. He can problem solve alot faster than humans and that's why we see him going through a process of pressing certain buttons, in certain sequences, nothing happens, then it builds on his data and he then solves the problem FAST. That's how he knows how to open doors and speak to the engineers in their language and my guess is that he knows EVERYTHING about the history of the engineers, our history and why they made us, everything regarding the black stuff's origins and it's intended purpose, what the murals really are and what they are depicting and why they intended to destroy us around 2000 years ago. He would have learnt all that during the time he spent on LV 223, in that temple.

So you saying it was magic? :D yesh magic is always the answer forget logic! David was a mere calculator compared with the engineer technology and that door should of had encryption and bio reading abilities and things we never even thought of yet I reckon he would never get it even if he spent a million years but they were lazy and said aw let him just get in...and were was all the other security - nothing was there at all :O ...

I agree he definitely knows about their culture beforehand, and has big things in mind for them, but he'll have some things figured out wrong down the road when he starts to trust Shaw with the knowledge he has. When did he even pick up the location of their home world. I can't remember. Was it in the star chart when he found out they were going to Earth? It probably factors into his plans to go there. David is doing exactly what Shaw wants and exactly what he wants if the Elder culture is from somewhere relatively straightforward to get to and he's already mapped it out. At this point he does know everything he possibly picked up, everything he needs to know, & believes to know to make his plans and decisions (because he's drawing from ancient writings and even some of his interpretation could be slightly off), At the same time he could have picked up many additional things along the way if he did take a second or two to analyze the mural while looking at what was coming out of the urns.

David learning about them beforehand, knowing what to do, and having a plan to deal with them that changes as he goes is a big part of the connection to Lawrence of Arabia.

Imo, the whole point of the scenes where he's onboard the Prometheus, alone, learning, was to show later how he knew what to do once in the temple. If someone asks 'how did David know how to open the doors and start up the juggernaut' the answer would be, 'watch the scenes where he's alone on the Prometheus, when the others are in stasis'. Otherwise, what would be the point of those particular scenes?

Yes that was the idea it just didnt feel very real - this idea that david is an superman genius goes too far. Imagine him trying to get into a human door like this say a simple one without bio readers such as eye scanner etc. so its like a number pad ok? Now open the door! So say there was 7 digits in the code thats 10000000 possible combinations so he does like 5 a second that would be 23 days to do them all. Now take the fact that the engineers are way in advance of this and would more than likely have bio reader reading DNA and would know the difference between a human and engineer anyway you get the idea...it was all just so unreal...

Big Question: did MOTHER (or Prometheus's equivalent) INVENT David to have a story to send back to Corporate Headquarters? What really happened on LV-223, on the mission to find our real origins? Eh?

"..I suspect there might have been writing close or next to the buttons on the door that might have indicated their meaning.." From the movie viewpoint...Savid is on a ladder pushing buttons,,which openned the door to the Big Head Room. THe writing next to the doot panel creates a problem for me,,in that they seem so high off the tunnel floor that the use of a ladder was needed. I couldn't gauge how high David was off the floor but it certainly higher than any Engineer we have seen, Did the buttons needed to be 'pushed' to actually open the door? Or was it operated by some sort of remote control device so a ladder might not be needed, I recall on a thread someone asking where the ladder came from. As awkward as it sounds it must have been stored nearby for the purpose David was doing..openning the door! Sort of a safety device to keep unauthorized Engineers(or others) out of the room. @Mala'kak Please keep the detailed posts coming, I learn something each time I read them,,sometimes that is quite a few reads.

",, David is doing exactly what Shaw wants and exactly what he wants if the Elder culture is from somewhere relatively straightforward to get to and he's already mapped it out..." If this is true did David want Shaw to survive because he wanted to show the Elder culture a human specimen?

I assume this is all going somewhere even if it's just a short subject in the next movie. It all feeds back to Weyland, ultimately. And you have to ask the question, why would they dress Guy Pearce up as an old man if they weren't going to use him again?

So you think there is more to the Weyland story..than what we have seen or know? I am not a fan of flashbacks.. Hmm, maybe some sort of time travel storyline..

generally not a big fan of flashbacks either. however, Coppola did an incredible job with flashbacks in godfather II. it can be done. I might like to see scott do a bit of that. Dreamlike flashbacks would be nice. Maybe even a stylized representation of davids memories (utilizing guy pearce).

"..I couldn't gauge how high David was off the floor but it certainly higher than any Engineer we have seen,.." In a previouis post I wrote this line. While watching the scene when David first enter ths doorway leading to the Orrery,,there are two(i think) tall Engineers seemingly Guarding the doorway They have not been explained to me,,but this version of an Engineer could be tall enough to reach the door panel David uses to activate the Big Head room door. David uses a ladder,,but these guardian Engineers might fit the bill as far as using the big Head room door control panel. Who or what these giants are I don;t know. What storyline do they represent,, I don't know. Heck they could just be there for decorations.

@ Mauro I don't think people are pushing the [i]Lawrence of Arabia[/i] reference far enough. It's not just a vehicle for witty sayings. Lawrence lived, ate and fought alongside the Arabs - I think David has done the same with the Jockeys. That offers a more logically explanation than having to believe he just fluked everything including how to fly a spacecraft of alien design. Of course, we need a timeline change to include that theory.

".. I think David has done the same with the Jockeys..." Do you think it was actually our David that was getting cozy with the Engineers? Or was a previous model that has now transferred the accumulation of knowledge to the Characteor we know as David? In any case I bet our David didn't sign up for this cruise planning to get his head ripped off his body!