The Telepathic Engineer

Gfan89
MemberOvomorphJanuary 09, 20142811 Views23 RepliesI think that the Engineers may be telepathic.
It stands to reason that a more advanced race would have a more sophisticated way of communicating, and its something of a trope in sci-fi for highly evolved humans/aliens to acquire this ability.
I'd have to watch the scene again, but it seems like the Engineer is almost concerned for Shaw, as she frantically puts in her questions and buckles in pain, so there's perhaps some empathy that he reserves for Shaw and not the others, which would be somewhat strange if he can not understand her supplications, but not so strange if we assume he has insight into her thoughts and motivations.
And discovering David's "inhumanity" may have happened as he turned his mind to him; reading no thoughts, our Engineer realized David's artificial nature, and thus attacked him. Perhaps the Engineer then assumed, out of alarm and perhaps fright, that all of Weyland's cohorts were similarly counterfeit, and dispatched them. Regardless, he could know via telepathy they were supporting Weyland in his selfish quest, and Shaw wasn't, as he sensed her anxiety and pain. Shaw was really the only "good" one out of the lot, and perhaps the Engineer could read that from her thoughts. Thus, she was not attacked in the Juggernaut.
Furthermore, the Engineer never really attacks Shaw except in Vicker's escape module, and then it seems as if he's only trying to restrain her (again, I must rewatch).
And then consider the deleted segment of that same scene, where the Engineer seems to mull over the recording of the violinst. When he discovers Shaw, there is a standoff that is interrupted by Shaw as she moves to escape; the Engineer made no move against her. And afterwards, when Shaw attacks the Engineer with the axe, the Engineer could be said to be merely defending himself; showing a great deal of restraint at that, seeing as at one point he raised her up by the neck and didn't rip her head off (which he easily could have, considering the ease with which he beheaded David). And then he presses her head between his hands; perhaps trying to hold her still, to commune with her via Vulcan mindmeld (lol)?
If this is all true, it makes that Engineer's fate somewhat tragic.
I think this could be why the scene was edited down the way it was, with the removal of the Engineer's dialogue with David and Weyland. It may have been that Ridley had the scene whittled down to allow for this interpretation to be more valid, as he may elaborate on the concept of telepathy in the sequel.