I am of the mindset that David recreated the xenomorph from an ancient, preserved ovomorph vivisection kept on Paradise and later shown in his research during Alien: Covenant. You are right; it's probably a little bit of both, upgrade and inferior version. In some ways, it's methods are more direct, but the creature's actions are also less measured and calculated. It is an oversimplification of XX121, hence why David is just now updating to make his own queen based on XX121's genetic data. In some ways it is more direct and efficient. However, it is flawed and short-sighted. It doesn't adapt into different castes or function the exact same way that the more ancient XX121 variant does. Instead, it just genocide.

That exactly what canon says and I explain it in this video

I remember when I first assumed this was the case when watching covenant for the first time and being very very against the idea of this human maid android making the xenomorphs that we're familiar with, and still am, I felt not only that it downplayed the engineer's relevancy but also took away what made the alien truly alien, barely knowing a thing about them other than what's shown on the front cover, resultingly I treated Alien Covenant like a fair chunk of Predator fans treat Shane Black's The Predator, as I felt it tried to retcon the Xenomorph into something less interesting, I very much prefer the Idea that the Xenomorphs we see in the first films at least originate to a degree from something almost unfathomably ancient, and that perhaps the engineers may have merely discovered the species and made minimum modifications to them, namely the biomechanical exoskeleton, Project Archeron has a multi video fan film from a couple years ago that shares a similar view. example, maybe the Praetomorph created by David could be largely similar to some sort of extinct Ancestor Xenomorph from thousands or even millions of years ago, perhaps even before they were discovered and slightly modified by Engineers. when I started to see various details pointing out the more likely outcome of the Praetomorph being a recreation of the original animal, I almost immediately subscribed to that idea as I feel it redeems the original Plagiarus praepotens including the mystery of it's past, while still having a place for Plagiarus linesteres, as a more recent variant strain brought up by human and android medalling. afaik the derelict ship in the first alien film was laying there on LV426 for a very long time, somewhere I read that the pilot was described as fossilized, which takes 10,000 years minimum to occur, that's pretty much the big one I tend to think about. EDIT: here's what I hypothesize for an in universe evolution of the xenomorph - engineers, or another species, either discover the ancestor to, or artificially create Xenomorph XX121 - prefer discovery theory due to more mystery, with engineers merely adding a biomechanical exoskeleton as armour, I like to view an ancestor Xeno as looking like both XX121 and Praetomorph but without exposed tendoms or biomechanics regarding other species, see Project Archeron's Alien Awakening unofficial fanfilms, which introduces Progenitors, the fanfilms share similar (but not identical) views to what I believe - XX121 is mass produced - as a bioweapon, possibly leading to creating a pathogen variant as a less costly production method - Engineers attempt to Save Xenomorph genetic code into a variant of the Pathogen - either made as an alternate to Xenos, or a more destructive weapon, I believe there is more than one type of Pathogen and I think most will agree with me on that, since each one is used differently with different results - Xeno-Pathogen tries to recreate Xenomorphs on it's own with whatever faunal genetic material it comes into contact with - leading to aberrant impure xenomorph-like monsters, Deacons, Neomorphs, Hammerpedes, Abominations, I do not think the Deacon is a Xeno ancestor, but an artificial creature made by accident with the xeno-pathogen that some Engineers celebrate, creating new life without evolution, the mural in Prometheus being a display to brag about said achievement - many centuries later after Engineers have seemingly disappeared, David successfully recreates a strain of Xenomorph, the Praetomorph - which is his attempts at recreating the Xenomorph, resembling the ancestor Xenomorph before XX121, but looking very rushed since it's muscles and ligaments are exposed, I feel this could enforce how Xenomorph XX121 is still the perfect organism by the standards we project onto it, with a hypothetical ancestor Xeno and the Praetomorph being near-perfect

It seems the Xenomorphs are created with the black goo which are replica of the blood of Deacon. So everything goes back to Deacon, the OG monster, the base/foundation for every mutation. Then the engineers develop the black goo from Deacon or to replicate Deacon. Which David finds and experiments with it with everything. Neomorph resembles Deacon greatly but has a white, organic appearance likely a more fungi/plant-based variant of the Deacon main strain. David then mixed the black goo with Dr. Shaw and human DNA and created the protomorph/praetomorph, a prototype for the main xenomorph, but having more human-like organic features. He will then perfect them into the main xenomorphs. So Deacon -> Black Goo Black Goo + Plants -> Neomorph Black Goo + Humans -> Protomorph +perfection -> Xenomorph Honestly by this point it just makes me more curious about the deacon rather than the xenomorph lol

Yeah, the idea of David's Protomorph being the first Xenomorph was stupid.

Yeah for sure!

*Protomorph, not "Praetomorph".

@@Xenosaurian Sorry but you're incorrect. A Praetomorph is the kind of adult alien seen in Alien:Covenant that made it onto the Space vessel that David engineered thru his experimentation on planet Paradise. The Protomorph is what has been called the Deacon in Prometheus that came out of the Engineer's body at the end of the movie. Check with the Official canon Alien RPG Core Rulebook, it explains all.

@@jafleming0409 Sorry, but you are incorrect. The Covenant Xenomorph has always been known officially and by fans as Protomorph, and the term "Praetomorph" was introduced later by Andrew Gaska exclusively for the Alien RPG and is just confusing, redundant, and a mangled spelling of Protomorph. The Deacon has always been known as the Deacon, and NEVER as "Protomorph"! It was at one point in a piece of early concept art referred to as "Proto-Xenomorph" and that was never picked up by fans or any official products. The Alien RPG doesn't get to dictate canon anymore than any other person or product.

Sure thing man, you call it what you want and we will call it what we want?

It's actual name is Protomorph, not Praetomorph (that's Andrew Gaska's idea and I'm not subscribing to it).

Same

Awesome, thank you so much for your support, plenty more alien content in the pipe 5X5

Glad you enjoyed it!

I can see David doing a test on his new xenomorph creation by having it fighting the previous praetomorph version

would've been such a scene! to bad.☹️😣

*Protomorph, not "Praetomorph".

Yes Praetomorph, that is an established name I see commonly used for the covenant alien, and is an accepted name for it, afaik the term "protomorph" is a blanket term for any xenomorph-like entity that isn't pure xenomorph, and the term "protomorph" was seemingly originally used for the Deacon occasionally, so if you don't want people getting Praetomorphs, Neomorphs, and Deacons mixed up, I'd advice using the word Praetomorph when describing the covenant alien, this video calls the covenant alien Praetomorph, and most of the updated (and what I view as more reliable) sources do the same, look it up EDIT: I will stand corrected on one point I mention as it seems the term protomorph was used in the concept stage of the deacon's development before covenant. that said, this means the term protomorph was contextualized before the release of Prometheus for the Deacon, not with the Praetomorph in covenant

@@nyarlathotep194 No, it's Protomorph as it's always been since the beginning. It's specifically used to refer to the Covenant Xenomorph created by David. The term "Praetomorph" is just a redundant mangled spelling of the name introduced later by Andrew Gaska in the Alien RPG. The term Protomorph has NEVER been used for the Deacon, but you're referring to the obscure term "Proto-Xenomorph" that was used in a piece of early concept art and which many people do not know about, and they know that creature as the "Deacon" only. Nobody will get confused by calling the Covenant Xenomorph for Protomorph because that's the name that was assigned to it by both fans and official products. Using the name "Praetomorph" is more confusing though.

Yep

... and Stone.

It seems easier to kill though just pure aggressive attacks makes it easy to be targeted in the open

As if you'd want to encounter any alien species within this franchise.

It is still a product of our fantasy. Truth is that out there there cold be way more "alien" and ferocious. Other than disgusting.

*Protomorph, not "Praetomorph".

Are xenomorphs for sale?

Might be worth more than a dollar to the company

👍

I prefer to talk in universe only

CGI has ruined everything, including writing. This current era of cinema, culture and pop culture is primitive, and has regressed due to tech, rather than having evolved. I expected so much more. Better CGI? The aliens moved much more realistically in Aliens, where the actors leapt from wall to wall using wires. This CGI subspecies is like an angry ant. Gone is the cool, enigmatic creature.

*Protomorph, not "Praetomorph".

@@Xenosaurianfor the record, I was referencing the preatomorph.

@@combineadviser3405 And I was saying it's *Protomorph, not "Praetomorph".

The franchise has definitely been pretty messy since around 2012 or so.

I like the expansion

@@ProjectACHERON Expanding the universe is one thing, but they definitely could have done things better.

Isn’t that every xenomorph though?

*Protomorph, not "Praetomorph".

@@ProjectACHERON No captain Orams alien had non sharp human like teeth 🦷

@@Xenosaurian research both and then come back and talk to me 😂🤌

@@giovannig2278 Huh? I've followed this franchise and its products for years. The Deacon has never been called "Protomorph". The Protomorph is the Covenant Xenomorph. The name "Praetomorph" is just a redundant butchered version of the original name Protomorph.

it's only really "inferior" in terms of being unable to perpetuate itself through reproduction. without a queen, there's no way for the species to spread, other than through the eggs that David 8 handmade. otherwise the praetomorph is definitely more beastly than a xenomorph warrior, though maybe still shy of the bigger bioforms like the xenomorph praetorian and such

Ugh. Do you prefer Ghostbusters 2016 to that IPs original too?

*Protomorph, not "Praetomorph".

Valid! Honestly the Praeto is one of my favourite incarnations for me, right up there with the Runner from Alien 3 and the incarnation from Alien: Isolation.

*Proto, not "Praeto"...@@PrinceFlashmo

No the deacon is the protomorph, the creature developed by David on paradise is named the praetomorph

@@ProjectACHERON Nah, it's commonly known as Protomorph. The Deacon is just the Deacon.

They have similarities but are quite different too. The Resurrection Xeno looks filthy and disgusting with a red/brown-ish colour. It looks better in AVP1 tho which is just the same suit but painted black and metallic looks more sleek and iconic

No.

I think you need to rewatch both movies, because the way both alien branches are born and how they are brought to existence is different. Resurrection's aliens are genetic hybrids of Ripley 8 and the Xenomorph XX121 strain, that's why they look more fleshy and the Queen has a womb. It's implied that because of they are considered to be slightly more intelligent than average xenos by doing things like: Setting traps for humans, using the weaker of the 3 trapped aliens to escape, and pressing the button that freezes the scientist out of revenge. Covenant's Protomorphs (Praetomorphs) are part of David's experimentation using the black goo and Dr Shaw's reproductive system to engineer his own perfect organism. That's why David refers to Shaw as his Queen or the first Queen, because supposedly he used her eggs to develop the eggs we are familiar with the Queen Alien typically laying. Though you'll notice that for this particular alien when born, it comes out already bipedal and more fully formed, able to use it's arms, rather than the usual snake-like appearing chest burster that slithers around. Lastly, the Covenant Alien is far more simple minded and animalistic than any other type before because it is still imperfect, just a prototype. (Protomorph, prototype, AYEEE gottem) Though I get the confusion, because ultimately they're all part of the same family tree, just different variants.

I watch weekly

*Protomorph, not "Praetomorph". But no, the Protomorph is not the same as the Xenomorph from Resurrection.