Prometheus sets down in cinemas this Friday and it seems the planet is excited for varying reasons. For some, it’s Ridley Scott’s return to Sci-Fi. For others, it’s the lure of a thoughtful piece that deals with origin and destiny. Others happily anticipate another legitimate entry into the legendary Alien Franchise. And a sickly few (Bless ‘em) are just onboard for a gory R-rated Horror Film.

Doubtless, Prometheus is all this and more.

Because it’s also a soddin’ great big Space-Ship!

Today, we’ve deemed it prudent to take an in-depth glance at that shiniest of shiny which is the Weyland Corporation’s Flagship!


Having taken over the UK’s 007 sound stage (and increased its dimensions by 33%) Production Designer Authur Max was wary about designing the titular craft.
Apparently, “Spaceships are very hard not to make clichéd.”

Bearing this in mind, Max went for a distinctive, insectoid aesthetic. So in an effort to grab the attention of audiences, the Weyland Corporation built and funded vessel now looks like an interstellar ladybug!

...or...Firefly...

Defined by its angular bulk and articulate limbs, Prometheus is propelled by four rotating nuclear powered ion plasma engines, which allow for Faster Than Light travel.

In a press release from 20th Century Fox, Max says he wanted “to do something that was state-of-the-art, which would represent a flagship spacecraft with every technology required to probe into the deepest corners of the galaxy. We looked at a lot of NASA and European Space Agency designs, and played around with those ideas in the context of what space travel would be like a generation from now.”

Well, as prospective investors, we managed to gleam the following from Weyland Industries.com

Prometheus is technically a HELIADES class vessel, the first of its kind developed for FTL deep space exploration. Its engines are driven by a 2.1 terawatt Raw Lambda Fusion (RLF) reactor and it has the ability to provide a stable molecular integrity for both ship components and crew during transportation.
FTL is all well and good until someone gets vibrated straight out of Space/Time!

This ICC-certified and compliant star-ship has a payload capacity of 9 megatonnes and a redesigned airframe, medical bay, libratory and over a dozen Holograph Environment Simulator-compatible chambers.

Despite the beetle-like carapace, Max and Scott decided Prometheus was first and foremost a boat. And as such, deserving of a viewpoint, a window.
Well, in late 21st century futurespeak, Prometheus gets a 360degrees, reinforced viewing platform!

And while Hard Sci-Fi buffs will argue that windows are unnecessary and superfluous luxuries which weaken overall hull integrity, it should be noted that Prometheus’ wrap around canopy features a blast shield. So just chomp on a couple of chewable chill pills there, folks!

In addition to the two-tiered bridge, Prometheus comes stocked with its own mess hall, ready room and some cramped crew quarters, barring those of Weyland employee Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), whose boast a Fazoli Piano and Swarovski Chandeliers!

We don’t know if all Weyland employees enjoy this nepotism. We just know the ones that look like Charlize Theron do!

While the ship’s resident cybernetic David 8 (Michael Fassbender) monitors the crew’s vitals over the two year FTL trip to the moon of Zeta 2 Reticuli, Prometheus’ Hypersleep chambers are capable of suspending the body’s autonomic functions while maintaining the health of individual cells throughout stasis. Holographic displays communicate with Prometheus’ mainframe, supervising metabolic conditions to suspend cell function.

Hypersleep chambers can be programmed to initiate, maintain and terminate stasis. The zero-loss lithium ion batteries in its tertiary backup system allow the chambers to continue functioning for a full century in case of emergency.

Presumably getting up for work in the morning pales in comparison to rising after a 100 year Hypersleep...

Finally, in addition to space-faring essentials like a well stocked medical bay, intergalactic communication antennae and lifeboat modules, Prometheus’ lower hull supports a vast garage and cargo bays, packed with robust all terrain vehicles.


“We had to create vehicles that could actually be driven on a hostile surface, which is undulating and rocky,” says Max, noting it took crews eleven weeks to construct the buggies and rovers seen in the final production.
“We needed transportation that would be industrial enough to deal with these environments but at the same time give us a futuristic characteristic.”

In all likelihood, despite it honour as the project’s title, the actual ship itself is bound to feature only secondarily once the “Big Questions” start getting batted around and the gruesome alien squirmers start... I dunno, squirming.

But for those Sci-Fi buffs among you, rest assured the sets and designs have been mapped out with the kind of intricate detail you’d expect for a high concept Science Fiction film to the tune of $130million. Just don’t expect each bell and every whistle to feature in the final cut.


For further technological insights into the world of Prometheus, visit ProjectPrometheus.com