Janek's discovery

He says something like, "it's a research facility, maybe military." After he went to the ampule room looking for the two scientists, and after fighting the re-animated Fifield. It's actually the most obvious answer.

Who knows, maybe he has a military background as a pilot and was able to pick up on it as opposed to scientists who wouldn't have any reference for this?

Come on writers? Come on Tommy 8 more like. He was off the ship when they went to get Milburn and Fifield, and only found Milburn. He was in the temple standing over Milburns body. He asked about the urns... Shaw says 'they weren't like this before' Shaw says they have to go (cos Holloway is ill) and Janek says "I gotta man down over here". When they bring Holloway back, Vickers meets them at the door with the flamethrower, and Janek is saying "we can freeze him" -echoing the only black character on the Nostromo - Parker How did you miss that?

People have suspected since 1979 that the derelict was carrying eggs as weapons... And by the way if the captain is on the bridge most of the day,what does he see when he looks out the window? Giant hardened dome, with huge wall encircling it ,and a Giant skull carved on the side. The after they describe the place and he goes in to look for Milburn and Fifield he sees all the urns and the controls systems, he's going to put it together. He's not interested in the 'why' questiions like the others. who seem distracted by it at times. He askes "what."

Ha ha...it was some of the laziest writing I've ever seen! Terrible piece of exposition - I half expected Shaw to reply "what are midichlorians?" Shoddy!

"I gotta man down over here," sounds very much like someone who's been in a military or paramilitary outfit. Chance and Ravel were very "hoorah" as well. Scott has consistently said that the xeno-tech was [i]military[/i] from the beginning.....ie: the derelict was a "bomber"......

Thank Damon Lindelof for the crappy writing and thank Ridley Scott for allowing it. Lindelof is a hack.

@Cypher And thank [i]@Cypher[/i] for summing up this quite stupendously ridiculous case of Willful Assault against Cine-visual Entertainment. The Prosecution rests.

@Tommy 8 And it was a last minute discovery, because that dialogue has been likely added.. In the trailer he just says: "You know hat this is?: Hell"

So I was in the military and you are assuming I would have figured out it was a weapon? I'd have no freakin clue after the team spent like 10 mins in the place and basicaly walked through a cave and 2 rooms. Terrible writing. Also how about Fifield and the other guy, they freak out and leave, the other team leaves and gets on their vehicles but no body notices that ALL the vehicles are still there and they drive off, get to the ship, wheres Fifield? Oh right cuz we have the van and 2 quads I thought they walked....Back to Fifield...him and the other guy are freakin out, lost, then they hear a life form is present 2 kliks west or whatever, yet they were so lost they figure out to go in the opposite direction. Still freaked out they see a snake and try to pet it. Most ppl dont pet earth snakes let alone alien snakes. COME ON! Does any of this sound rational?

Just a wild guess on his part, really. For all we know it could have been a health spa.

He's says it's an installation MAYBE military. Hes just guessing because of what had been going on. When I was watching the movie I never even considered it to be a home world. It looked like a base with run ways for aircraft to me.

You guys are right. I missed that Janek DID go off the ship. Thanks for clarifying that for me. It makes more sense now.

He's frustrated, people are dying, he's coming up with a theory. Also, of course, it's a plot device to give the viewer more information in a short period of time. Not brilliant writing, but it got the job done. And, the scene is meant to also set-up that he will make the sacrifice when the time comes, as he has to do when Shaw tells him what needs to be done. Sometimes you have to write a scene for 2 minutes of viewing time, not 10.

I do agree that he suddenly came up with that conclusion, although it was somewhat obvious that LV223 was not a home planet from the very beginning. Keep in mind, he was watching everyone's cameras the whole time, and acted as the main line of communication. I thought it was very peculiar when he displayed complete apathy towards Fifield and the biologist trapped in the temple during the storm. He tells them their on their own, and keep warm. (blame as a Military mind, or focused on face-hugging Charlize). When the duo discover all the engineer bodies, He just stares at the screen blankly. He doesn't contact anyone or inform the scientists. He has no second thought about dismissing as a glitch.

dismissing the life-form reading*

I could have sworn Janek said that he was ex military and said to Shaw that it looks like a military facility for weapons of mass destruction. I could be confusing two different things though, as I've only seen the movie once and that was almost a week ago.

The way the ampule room and cargo hold were filles with canisters led me to believe they were bombs..of Weapons of some sort, Their shape influnced my thinking.. Janek was in position to see all of the video feeds..and could easily be the key to really deciphering this story. You sort of wonder if David had advanced knowlege of the pyramids because of how easily he openned the various doors.. Vickers was sort of interested in the video feed...but not all the feeds all of the time. Finally when Janek and Vickers were having their 'dance'..where was the video feed of Fifield and Millburn when they meet their snake.??. Even if there were intermittent trransmission problems I just bet that there was some feeds sent,,so that Janek could review.the feeds overnight spot the snake and take immediate action. I thought Janek showed great leadership when he actually found the ampule room and when it was time to take down the Juggernaut..

You guys who are saying it doesn't look like a homeworld are bending over backwards to support this poor bit of writing. Here on Earth, our homeworld, we have runways and military bases. There's absolutely zero proof that the engineer's cities were not on the other 95% of the planet they did not explore. I support Tommy 8, I think it's ridiculous how Janek was able to discern the purpose of the entire planet and the engineer's presence there with as much specificity as he did, based on what little he knew. Poor writing.

If the cities were on the moon then they were well hidden When the Prometheus entry scenes to the moon it seemed to me that much of the moon could be seen, not close perhaps. There should be some type of evidence that it was a settled or Bad writing perhaps .. very bad. How old were the Engineers? If it was a homeworld I think the ship could have detected something, somewhere, somehow.

Prometheus had very efficient story telling with a minimum of ordinary exposition, telling a big story in little time, relying on visual cues, subliminal cues, seemingly incidental audio etc. to provide depth for those who wanted it, all adding up to a very unusual movie experience and we would expect no less from Ridley Scott, yes? Fun, classic and intelligent sci fi with a LOT going on between the lines. You can not be stupid, lazy, cynical or any combination of the above and produce a film like this. These people worked REALLY hard and exercised considerable talent and vision to entertain you, you thankless curmudgeons. So there.

@Mikeandike The Prometheus surveyed the moon at low altitude for hours, and they found nothing prior to the pyramids. Ergo, it's an outpost. Janek picked up on the [i]many[/i] clues that led him to the conclusion that this was not the Engineers' home. With the pile of dead bodies, a death chamber oozing canisters, and a cargo hold packed full of urns arrayed for all the world like shells in an ammunition dump, you don't have to be Einstein to figure out what's going on. Please explain which part of that amounts to "poor writing".

"..You can not be stupid, lazy, cynical or any combination of the above and produce a film like this..." Actually these are the same traits needed by the audience to have an enjoyable movie experience. As far as Janek talking to Shaw about the possible Military installation it was not so much what he said but how he went directly to Shaw almost busting down her door to tell her what he thinks. This seemed quite sudden considering that his previous scenes with her were not as direct. Perhaps the death of Holloway caused Janek to think of how serious the event have been and are leading up to more grief for the crew. It is curious he went to Shaw and not others, Vickers for example. Afterall he is just a pilot and Vickers/Janek have a connection so to speak.

Shaw/Janek start a bonding when they discuss the seeping urns in the Tunnels. Of special interet is the conversation between the two after Janek mentuions a Military instalation. Shew is quit forceful in pinning down that janek does care aboput something..than just to fly the ship. Her remark 'Make Sure You Do, Captain' c ame sudden and with great emphasis that she hope janek takes to heart. To me this is the first resolve I saw from Shaw of what the kind of leader she could be. This is a hint of the Shaw we see in the end. I think Janek has more resiliance that we expected. This is the kind of person i would want to go to Paradise with as he is pratical, active, and can be quite motivated to accomplish an impossible crash. I sort of wish that the trio of David/ Shaw/ Janek would be touring rthe Engineer's world. It make me think there is some balance in the huamn world andsome common sense to kick Engioneer/xeno buttsd when needed.