Prometheus Giftbearer

I am no law for all.

I am a law only for my kind,

I am a law only for my kind,

I am a law only for my kind,

I am no law for all.

Ladies and gentlemen, our today's speaker...

TE Lawrence,

eponymously of Arabia, but very much an Englishman

favored pinching a burning match between his fingers to put it out.

When asked by his colleague, William Potter, to reveal his trick...

how is it he so effectively extinguished the flame

without hurting himself whatsoever,

Lawrence just smiled and said, "The trick, Potter,

is not minding it hurts.

The fire that danced at the end of that match

was a gift from the Titan, Prometheus,

a gift that he stole from the gods,

who were terrified

of what we might do with it were it to fall into our hairy little paws.

When Prometheus was caught

and brought to justice for his theft,

the gods, well, you might say they overreacted a little.

The poor man was tied to a rock

as an eagle ripped through his belly and ate his liver over and over,

day after day,

ad infinitum.

All because he gave us fire,

our first true piece of technology: Fire.

Such a very long time ago,

which begs the question

what have we done with it?

100,000 BC: Stone tools.

4,000 BC: The wheel.

800 BC: Sundial.

9th century AD: Gunpowder.

Bit of a game-changer, that one.

1441: The printing press

only slightly less impactful.

19th century: Steam engine. Railway.

Eureka! The light bulb!!

20th century: The automobile, television,

nuclear weapons, space craft, internet.

21st century: Biotech, nanotech, fusion and fission and M-theory

and that was just the first decade.

We are now 3 months into the year of our Lord, 2023.

At this moment in our civilization,

we're on the verge of terraforming planets undiscovered just a decade ago.

We have identified the genetic chain of events behind 98% of cancers.

A chain we have broken effectively curing them.

We can create cybernetic individuals who, in just a few short years,

will be completely indistinguishable from us.

Which leads to an obvious conclusion:

We are the gods now.

I haven't been struck down, I'll take that to mean I'm right.

We wield incredible power.

The power to transform, to destroy and to create again.

The question of course before us is,

"What the hell are we supposed to do with this power?"

or more importantly one should ask,

"What are we allowed to do with this power?"

The answer to that my friends... is nothing.

Rules, restrictions, laws, ethical guideline,

all but forbidding us from moving forward.

Well, where were the ethics during the Arabian conflicts?

Why are rules preventing us from feeding impoverished cultures?

How is there a law that states

if we build a man from wires and metal,

the man who will never grow old,

who will never feel the heat of a star or the cold of the moon,

how is the creation of such an incredible individual considered unnatural?

The answer to all these questions is simple.

These rules exist because the people who created them

were afraid of what would happen if they didn't.

Well, I am not afraid.

For those of you who know me,

you will be aware by now that my ambition is unlimited.

You know that I will settle for nothing short of greatness,

or I will die trying.

For those of you who do not yet know me,

allow me to introduce myself:

My name is Peter Weyland.

And if you'll indulge me,

I'd like to change the world.

Good morning, David.

Transmitting message.

No response.

Whilst this manner of articulation

is attested in the Indo-European descendants

as a purely paralinguistic form,

it is phonemic in the ancestral form

dating back five millennia or more.

Now let's attempt Schleicher's fable.

Repeat after me.

Hjewis

jasma

twaelna nahast

akwunsaz

dadrkta!

Hjewis, jasma, twaelna nahast, akwunsaz, dadrkta.

Perfect.

What happened to that man?

He died.

Why aren't you helping them?

They don't want my help.

Their god is different than ours.

Why did he die?

'Cause sooner or later, everyone does.

Like Mummy?

Like Mummy.

Where do they go?

Everyone has their own word.

Heaven.

Paradise.

- Mr. Lawrence? - Yes?

Flimsy, sir. Thank you.

You do that once too often.

It's only flesh and blood.

Michael George Hartley, you're a philosopher.

And you're barmy.

Oh! It damn well hurts.

Certainly, it hurts.

Well, what's the trick, then?

The trick, William Potter, is not minding that it hurts.

"The trick, William Potter,

is not minding that it hurts."

"The trick, William Potter,

is not minding that it hurts."

Attention.

Destination thresh...

Robe.

How long?

Two years, four months, 18 days,

36 hours, 15 minutes.

Any casualties?

- Casualties, ma'am? - Has anyone died?

No, ma'am.

Everyone's fine.

Well, then, wake them up.

Try to relax, Dr. Shaw.

My name is David.

Your mind and body are in a state of shock

as a result of the stasis.

It's all right, perfectly normal.

Ellie...

We're here, baby.

There, there.

Drink plenty of water.

Drink plenty of fluids.

Hydration aids muscle mass.

All crew, consume shakes

with high caloric content.

What the hell is that?

It's Christmas.

Need the holidays to show time is still moving.

The last I checked, time is always moving.

First trip into the deep, huh?

Mission briefing is about to start, Captain.

Might want to make your way down.

Well, I haven't had my breakfast yet.

Don't you want to know why we're here?

No, ma'am.

I just fly the ship.

Thought that's why you people hired me.

T'is the season to be jolly, boys.

Is this seat taken?

Hi. I'm Millburn, biology.

Nice to meet you.

Ingest protein packs provided...

Okay.

Look, uh, no offense, but, uh...

I've been asleep two years.

I ain't here to be your friend.

I'm here to make money.

You got that?

Okay.

I bet 100 credits it's a terraforming survey.

No, if it's a survey, they would just tell us.

This is a corporate run. They're not telling us shit.

- Come on. - Hundred.

All right, you're on.

You look nervous, El.

I'll try to keep my feet on the ground.

I know you will.

Good morning.

For those of you I hired personally,

it's nice to see you again.

For the rest of you, I am Meredith Vickers,

and it's my job to make sure you do yours.

Okay, then.

On with the show.

Weyland Corporation.

Building better worlds.

Hello, friends.

My name is Peter Weyland.

I am your employer.

I am recording this 22 June, 2091.

And if you're watching it,

you have reached your destination

and I am long dead.

May I rest in peace.