The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci painted in the late 15th-century
As an apprentice, Leonardo was taught a wide range of skills in areas including metallurgy, plaster casting, carpentry, chemistry, metal working, leather working, and mechanics. He also refined his artistic skills in modelling, sculpting, and painting. David’s botanical illustrations are reminiscent of his work, which is the aesthetic Ridley Scott, Matt Hatton and Dane Hallett had in mind for his laboratory.
This mural painting portrays the scene that Christ was having his last supper with his 12 apprentices before being arrested. The one sitting in the middle is Christ. And the apprentices are on 2 sides.Christ said to them that one had betrayed him, thus each of them appeared different motion of both body and facial to that saying.
The picture of the USCSS Covenant crew before their departure for Origae-6, the position of Captain Jacob Branson in this picture was intentionally made. It was the last meal before his unfortunate demise, although he did not voice any opinion that he would be betrayed(in the clip). It was a foreshadowing that Walter or their perception of who was Walter, would be the one to betray the crew on their mission. All the crew are facing the camera, leaving it to the viewer to interpret who the accused may be(this also may be addressed in the upcoming book Alien: Origins where Captain Branson, Dany and Lope try to find out who tried to sabotage the USCSS Covenant before their mission to Origae-6)
Other similarities between Jesus and Jacob is that both were carpenters which is also symbolic of another God: Tvashtar (the first-born creator, God in Vedic religion), was the “clever-handed carpenter God” who adorns heaven and earth with forms. Tvashtar was a first-born creator just as Jesus is known to us through scripture, who also created all things.
The choice of building the cabin on the lake is also symbolic, it is believed mankind evolved from a prehistoric fish 30 million years ago that crawled out of the water and began the evolutionary lineage. The house could also be perceived as a heaven, for something to ascend to (As pointed out by @gothic-fiction-in-space).
Water which is a very important symbolic element appears in all Alien films from:
Prometheus: the water in the pyramids on LV 223 which helped manufacture a breathable atmosphere and opening sacrifice of the engineer on the waterfall
Alien: the drinking bird on the USCSS Nostromo and the water dripping from all the equipment in the docking bay.
Aliens: Newt in the sewer.
Alien 3: Apart from the place dripping with moisture and Ripley’s escape pod crashing into the sea, it was water reacting with the lead which killed the Runner Alien.
Alien Resurrection: the Aliens swam through water in the flooded craft
In the Weyland Industries webpage MODULE 1.7, EARTH RESOURCE BREAKDOWN. Water is highlighted as a precious reserve, secondary to Coal, Gas and Oil. Showing us we may run out of what we need most before we could deplete the resources we use that pollute our planet and atmosphere.
Which brings me to the mission itself, I believe that the USCSS Covenant apart from being an obvious Ark is also symbolic of the salvation provided by Weyland Yutani from the flood of population on earth. Sir Peter Weyland having reversed global warming had taken away the literal flood, but created a human flood by creating the medpod and curing most Cancers and diseases.
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