What caused the hole in Millburn's Helmet?

Good question Lone! I never noticed that until now. Maybe, when he fell, it smashed on a rock? Or maybe Fifield did it? We all saw what he did to the crew member that went to investigate him outside the door.

Could be Necro!

Why wouldn't the Hammerpede have escaped by that time. Or would it have taken a while before it laid it's little cargo inside Millburn?

Not sure Lone. It's yet another question that will probably never be answered. All i can think of, is that, the hammerpede is apparentely the pre-curser to the facehugger, so maybe it was attempting to deposit something inside him? Maybe it did but we don't see it?

Lindelof's fault

Yup, it's just an endless debate, we'll be on this merry-go-round forever! LOL

Yep :) We'll b on here when we're OAP's having a debate about it LOL. But we will probably be really grumpy because we have bunions and arthritis Haha.

Hahaha, I've already got arthritis in my fingers, so there's no hope for me!

Oh no Lone! I think i'm getting it aswell :( It's all the typing we do i bet

It's really annoying sometimes. I think mine stems from having drawn for most of my life, from the time I could hold a crayon!

Screenshot of milburns helmet
Perhaps ??

The hammerpede is my best guess. It would had no problem making a hole in Millburn's helmet, or any helmet at all. So yes, hammerpede for me.

Well I suppose the Hammerpede could have gotten out, then popped back inside again to scare the crew, Ford in particular! :D

There's no follow up regarding what it deposited inside Millburn, yet that must be the reason for it to still be inside him when the crew return.

Yes, it could be happen like this, good point.

This image is not very clear but it's the only one I could find. None in the site gallery.

When watching the scene, and I did yesterday, you can clearly see black (Goo residue?) around the edges of the glass! 

This is another anomlity or plot flaw in the movie, which there are a fair share...

I guess when they filmed the movie they like a lot of it never really thought each scene through....

Saying that they can pass this down to Ambiguity and as said, could be explained away as either he fell and smashed his helmet on floor after he died etc.... or Fifield did it...

We just dont know and any could do, better i guess than a mistake by the production crew etc...

As for the black marks well yes they could been from a burn like Acid Burn but surely not by the Hamerpede unless it left and then wanted to go back inside, unless its a case of face rape and the 2nd Hammerpede wanted sloppy seconds? lol

But then yes the Goo after he fell and smashed the visor seems the best explanation.

Ridley wanted to do this just because it looked cool (in fact he did the same trick as with the chestburster of Kane), and also the creature needed a escape. IMO there is no real explanation for that, but of course we can speculate and maybe it was the acid and at the same time the hammer was eating to Milburn or just using his body as a shelter, or both. In addition, it could be trying to absorb his DNA.

Ok I don't even know how to pronounce "Hammerpede" LOL.

Yes I am feeling the centrifugal force of the merry go round....
around and around we go.

Sure, let me take a guess at this one too. (Small interjection here) I really appreciate this site more and more ever time I come here. All of this never stops amazing me at the incredible depth and understanding of the posters on this blog. Simply incredible how much everyone here gets this movie.

I have been rewatching several of the scenes in the movie not fully realizing the significance of the biological technologies portrayed with a greater mastery than I had previously understood.

For example: The smaller (nano-machine silver worms in Dr. Holloway's eye), there is so much more to this movie. Scott left us all some real puzzles for sure. my best guess is that Milburn's cells have been used or have undergone a complex change in some other unknown process that we have to fill in for the time being. I think Scott is making us think about the science fiction here more than just showing it.

He could have had an elaborate scene depicting everything with the Hammerpede; however, it would not have moved the plot forward that much. We would still have been left with more questions.

It seems to me that the real prize is the engineers. This movie is all about layers within layers. I can only think the Engineers are very elaborate constructs for an end purpose as well...very complex biological machines that evolve extremely lethal and deadly synthetic and biological weapons. To me they are limited in understanding the role they play in a much more elaborate society on another world. I always think in limited terms about drone weapons. This movie is years ahead of its time for depicting a richer detailed way to combine all of the elements for bio-mech-drones that are weapons. It's one thing when a weapon flys over a city it is another when a weapon claws is way in and then starts making copies of itself that you cannot  separate from the population. These are machines with metal and organic parts at the atomic level, tough to kill.

When the Engineer’s head explodes you see the same green tissues separating the layers of the vascular system that has some type of acid for blood. This same structure is seen clearly in Aliens VS Predator when one of the Predators slices off part of the Alien’s head with the multi-blade knife. I cannot help but to think that the Engineers are an evolved weapon making better weapons. They are not part of of a leadership cast. 

Maybe Fifield was, I think he could kick him in the snout!

I dont think thats black goo because remember when things burn they turn black and possibly the hammerpede either rammed its way out or burned its way out with some kind of molecular acid. Perhaps we'll never know what happened.

I'd assume the hole was when he fell or something or maybe ot just a mistake with the production. Just a mionor continuity error?