The Eye - Symbols in Alien Covenant
Another interesting symbol in the opening scene of Alien Covenant is the eye. We see a close up of David’s eye right before his very important conversation with Peter Wayland.Â
The Eye of Providence sometimes referred to as The All-Seeing Eye of God is the symbol of God watching over humans. Although the eye symbol can be found in many different cultures and religions, it is Freemasonry that seems to play a significant role in terms of Alien Covenant. I think it’s because allusions to Freemasonry were so noticeable in Prometheus.
The above Freemason “Grand Architect of the Universe” symbol is actually very similar to the eye symbol. The central part is a letter G which in this context means Grand Architect or the G - Star. G type stars can potentialy create suitable places for life on specific plantes within their solar systems (like our sun).
In ancient Egypt we can find The Eye of Horus representing protection, royal power and good health. Horus was the sky god often depicted as a falcon - looking at us from above.
But there’s also another Egyptian god often related to the idea of the eye – the god of Ra or Re normally represented by the following image:
Ra as a god of sun was viewed as a ruler of everything that he created. That’s why Ra was also considered the creator of the mankind that came to be from his tears.
In esoteric there’s an idea of the third eye or the invisible inner eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight.  It is often encased in a triangle. And thus we get to the geometric figure of the triangle. A symbol of trinity. In the western hemisphere in the Christian world we usually think about Holy Trinity but trinity can mean many different things: (spirit, mind, body) or (power, intellect, love) but also (creation, preservation, destruction). If we take the following triangle:
the both sides resembling the roof are complimentary, while the opposite side is a result of combining of two others (like in a father, a mother and the child).So sides “a” and “b” are necessary foundation and side “c” is a product.
The triangle in occultism is a summoning symbol, in which the new entity should arrive. So it’s viewed as a portal through which a new can come in. Since whatever comes through might be dangerous, the summoner must be standing in the middle of the circle for protection (another important symbol).
So why David’s eye appears for so long in the opening scene of Alien Covenant? His eye represents a new creator that outgrew his own creator.He feels superior, more intelligent, stronger, faster, and deprived of all the human weaknesses. He’s immortal. In the same time he is like a bird in a cage. This case is our human world that is limiting him. Like the eye in the triangle. The powerfull entity that seeks the way to manifest its own incredible will power.
Peter Wayland describe David as his own son. Perfect son with only one shortcoming - the lack of soul. How was it possible for Wayland to know this, is beyond the scope of this post, but one thing is certain: ambition of David to prove his quality could not be at easy anymore. A typical father-son relation problem.
And so we have an eye of David looking at us, or do we look at him? The rays around the above image are sometimes protruding from just a bottom part of the triangle suggesting the look from the above - from the sky - to home of gods - the home of creators.
