The Space Jockey

On the question of size and slight differences in design that is merely artistic licence. It is entirely clear from one of the Furious Gods Documentary PODS that they worked painstakingly to 'make' the reveal in Prometheus work and for the audience to make the connection. People may not like it but that's the reality.

My own view is that Monster Zero moves into much more fertile and interesting territory when he speculates on how the Space Jockey has come about. 

In my work, both the Juggernauts and their pilots are the result of playing with the creation tool. The Juggernauts are both alive and mechanical and the underlying matrix which drives them has one source which manifests itself in a number of different ways. 

The creatures of the Moon have not only pursued sub-creation through hosting but also experimented with evolutionary techniques on themselves and other living creatures. The thing that they created drives everything and in the case of ship/pilot leads to a symbiotic relationship which Elizabeth and to a much greater extent David interfaces with. 

I also felt it was important to elevate in the story the particular Engineer and his ship which became the SJ and Derelict. Like the Engineer celebrated/worshipped in the Pyramid, the SJ has a unique and important back story. 

In a sense what I am saying is the physical distinctions are much less important than how you place these characters in the story you wish to tell. If they are crucial to the story in a unique way that makes them "big" in a much more profound sense and can give them importance in a new and intreaguing way.  

"...evolutionary techniques on themselves"

This makes total sense from a human standpoint, who doesn't want to be taller, stronger, faster, etc...? I can only imagine what humans will do to themselves given the technology.  Instead of super soldiers...maybe designer genes are where it's at?

I think Regarding what Ridley Scott had intended, then for me it was NO Surprise the Space Jockey were BALD HUMANOIDS as this is WHAT we saw with HR Gigers Concepts for ALIEN, and also his Space Jockey Concept looked like a Space Suit.

It was intended to have a Taller Race of Engineers but it was a Creative Decision at the Time of some of the Production to go with a Smaller Engineer/Space Jockey Race because Ridley Scott does Prefer to be as Practical as Possible and like to NOT use CGI if he can.  This is in Part as to WHY we had Zombie Fifield as RS was a Fan of the Work that Sean Haris had put into the Action Scene.

I think that YES there are Differences Aesthetically between the Derelict and Juggernaught and Engineers Space Suit and the Space Jockey, but these are INTENDED and RS was Happy with the Result, while they MAY-NOT look the Same they are Intended to be for all Intensive Purposes and RS does-not LOOSE any Sleep over HOW they are NOT like Identical etc.

The Scale of the Engineer is something that RS does-not have a Issue with either, and so IF we had a Conclusion then maybe we should NOT go and Expect to see a 13ft Being in that Pilot Chair.

The Actual Pilot Chairs of the Derelict and Juggernaught are Similar, including the Size, its only in ALIEN and Prometheus the Pilots are NOT the same Size, but as Dallas has said "it looks like its GROWN out of the Chair" and so that could be ALL the Explanation we NEED/GET.

For me the Slight Aesthetical Differences were NO PROBLEM... the Scale was a BIT, i think its a Shame our  Engineers were NOT like 9-10ft Tall, but this does-not RULE-OUT there are 9-10ft Tall Engineers.

I will add that we have NOT yet had a Conclusion... and so we can Speculate a Little.

IF they got to Conclude the Prequels we could always be Introduced to Taller Humanoids who they can Reveal as either a Sub-Creation of the Engineers or even the Engineers Creators.  They could make this Race/Being as 10ft Tall and they could be Very Human/Engineer looking or maybe Slightly Different.

Maybe like this? or even Less Human.

I do Suspect that IF we got a Conclusion then the Revelation i Suspect would have been either a Sub-Creation by David or David himself.  Even if this would NOT be 13-15ft Tall... i dont think RS would have Cared about HOW things looked Physically it would be as Michelle said... HOW the STORY FITS and is TOLD that is more Important to Ridley Scott.

Regarding the Space Jockey being something the Engineers had Created/Engineered.... then YES i think that was what we was being SHOWN as FAR as the LV-223 Engineers being those PILOTS and also being a Enhanced Super Soldiers of their Society.

IF we are willing to ACCEPT those LV-223 Engineers are a Engineered/Enhanced version of the Engineers then WHO is to say the Engineers have NOT got even more BIGGER GUYS they have Genetically Enhanced?

The Middle Image is what we would have GOT had say the Space Jockey Suit been about 10ft as Intended before Mid-Production and Shooting.

While its NOT as BIG as the 13ft Space Jockey, it would look Close Enough and well the GUY had Grown out of his Chair ;)

And who is to say there are NOT like 9-10ft Engineers or Sub/Enhanced Creations?

I dont think that RS had EVER intended to show us the Actual Space Jockey from ALIEN so it did-not Matter to him (Kept it a Mystery), but with the Direction of AC i think had he Concluded the Prequels it would NOT have bothered HIM if we had to Accept the Space Jockey would be the SAME as the Pilot in Prometheus.

But i do Suspect he would have THROWN a Curve-ball that would have Displeased the Fans.

It'd be cool if David would narrate the history of the Engineers. He must know a bit about them after ten years?

David ( voice over )"...The Engineers ever expanding empire was never seriously challenged..."

Footage of juggernauts and large cities.

"..But all good things must come to an end....."

Footage of death and destruction.

"The arrival of the Slomalgut ( dead ones ) championed their end. A terrifying race of super beings, bent on the cultivation of living tissue....."

"...The Engineers quickly began modifying themselves in a failed attempt to slow down the Slomalgut ....."

"It'd be cool if David would narrate the history of the Engineers. He must know a bit about them after ten years?"

I think he would Learn Quite a LOT as Ridley Scott had said the Cathedral is where the Engineers had STORED all their Knowledge like a Giant Repository of Knowledge.

It would have been Great to see and Learn more about the Engineers for sure, we do have Ridley Scott and also Jon Spaights has mentioned Quite a Bit about them. And Creation/Evolution and Genetic Engineer seems to be their MAIN OBJECTIVE as Opposed to Creating Horrors to USE to Destroy Life.

"The Juggernauts are both alive and mechanical"

Yes Michelle thats what it seemed from ALIEN.... it was that Strange Merger of Organic and Non-Organic, were you had a Hard Time to FIGURE OUT as to what is Organic and what was NOT... the same can be said about the Xenomorph.

The Juggernaught and Engineer Suits (Space Jockey) did look much more Mechanical and ONLY a SMALL % Organic looking..... again it was a Creative Decision to TONE DOWN the HR Giger Aesthetic.   But Ridley Scott would Claim the Differences are down in Part that in Prometheus they are Pristine/New and in ALIEN they are Degraded and Worn.  But he also indicated that the Ships are Different Models, and One being Older than the other.

I think the Parts of the Aesthetic the Ship looked to have Bone Structures but the Color was Grey-ish and so Matched the Xenomorph to a Degree...  a BIG MISTAKE was that the Space Jockey looked like BONE COLOR...

The Prometheus Chair is a Uniform Grey Color.... the ALIEN one we see some of the Chair is that kind of Color, but some of it has become Washed Out like Bone Color and so is the Space Jockey Suit......  Yet the Rest of the Derelict seems to Maintain that Grey-ish Color.

There is NO real Explanation for this... its something they DONT think we would even Consider to ASK about..... but you could FIND a Explanation well come up with ONE.....  being Thousands of Years Old etc and Derelict could Explain that.  Maybe being a Mix of Organic and Synthetic/Mechanical could too.

This becomes a Problem with the AC Plot.

As far as them being LIVING.... well YEAH thats what HR Giger had thought, he also said he FELT they was GROWN and had also Mentioned about them being like PLANTS.

But it seemed they Steered away from a LOT of ideas of HR Giger and his Aesthetic to a Degree...

"a BIG MISTAKE was that the Space Jockey looked like BONE COLOR"

I think this only applies if the filmmakers revisit the derelict on LV-426. If David opens the seat and we see a 13 ft. mutated Engineer ( the bones at least ) then we'll know.....But if the derelict is rebuilt Prometheus style...Then..*shrug*

The difference is much easier to explain then the difference between the Nostromo CRT tech and the flat panel Prometheus/Covenant tech.

We discussed if RS would do CRT's for Prometheus...Wonder if he would change the SJ on lv426?

Where's Gavin? He had some great derelict insight.

Yeah sometimes you are STUCK with Limitations of Movie Making at the Time, they could have had Prometheus go and USE like CRT but then in the Year 2090 surely our Space Ships would NOT be using CRT... Especially a Flag-Ship.  And thats Basically as to HOW he Explained it... the Nostromo was Basic and NOT a Flag-ship.

I dont think RS would loose Sleep over how OUTDATED the Tech in ALIEN looks for 100 Years from NOW... and i think he would also NOT be Concerned with say HOW the Derelict and Juggernaut and Space Jockey Suits look slightly Different.

But in 2010-2011 you have the Technology to Portray a 10-12 Foot Space Jockey Race, and they had Considered this even as Production Began..  But seems they Decided to just go for USING the 7ft Actors and Play with Camera Angles etc to make them seem Taller......

They could have used Special Effects like we have seen in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and in Game of Thrones, but RS is a FAN of using as Less as Possible and having a 7ft Actor who can Directly Interact with the other Cast was his Preferred Choice.

It seems he NEVER had the Intention to SHOW US the Space Jockey event at the Time of Prometheus and so some MYSTERY would have been KEPT.

Where he could have said something like.... so NOT every Human is 6ft.... so NOT every Engineer is 8ft and so we can have some Taller than Average Men at 7-8ft then maybe the Engineers can have Taller than Average Engineers at about 10ft?

Yeah I thought about that....( Maybe a teenage Engineer in Prometheus? 1000 year lifecycle? 200 years till full size...). .....But with the SJ chair fitting him and the hibernation chamber fitting him, I dropped that idea. Unless the ships are grown for you? 

I have Adjusted a Few Scenes from Prometheus like it would look if they used Re-Size Special Effects and the Result gives us a 10ft Engineer.

I think they had this in Mind but then for sakes of Time and Practicality they just went with the LIVE SHOT of the Actors rather than having to Re-scale/Edit the Engineer.  This would add TIME and Budget and Ridley Scott is a FAN of using as LESS after-affects as Possible and trying to CUT COSTS (Why Half the Space Jockey Pilot Chamber and Egg Chamber Scenes Re-Used most of the same SET).

But as we have Discussed on here it seems RS is Happy with the End Product, and NOT every Man is 5ft10 some can be 7.5ft even 8ft... and so we could have 9-10ft Engineers..... Especially if the LV-223 Guys are Genetically Enhanced/Engineered.

"hibernation chamber"

Yes thats a Good Point, this was Clearly made to FIT the Actor Ian Whyte inside and so would Accommodate a up to 8ft Being. (likely 7.5ft)  again these Cyo-Pods where in the Pilot Room for the sakes of Time/Budget as in the Earlier Drafts the Engineer awoken from  another Area and went to a Device to be Fitted into the Space Jockey Suit.

Its just Easier to have Combined the Cryo-Sleep Pods into the Pilot Chamber as far as Budget and Time, and WHILE this makes another Aesthetic Difference to the Derelict we have to Remember the Derelict is likely a Different Model so they are Similar but there Sizes are Different and Internal Layout would be a Little Different.

Look at this painting what a creature may be Space Jockey https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/629378116683523636/