Prometheus: Use of Von Däniken's Concepts

leading from:  
Prometheus - The Return of the Space Jockey
and 
Erich Von Daniken
 

Erich Von Däniken

a) In 2010, at the time when he was prepping for Prometheus, Ridley revealed that Erich had guessed correctly, there had been standing here on Earth and elsewhere, highter creatures. It is a time before the existence of HR Giger's monster and so he would have to create something new.

b) Ridley Revealed that he knew about how in the ‘60s there was a guy called Erich Von Daniken who did a very popular book called Chariots of the Gods, and that he proposed previsitation, which we all pooh-poohed. But Ridley understood that the more we get into it the whole matter, so it went the more science accepts the fact that we’re not alone in this universe, and there’s every feasible chance that there’s more of us out in the universe, not exactly as we are, but creatures that are organically living in other parts of this particular galaxy. And so the famous scientist Stephen Hawking said that he thinks that there are and that he hopes they don’t visit. Because if they do, they’re way ahead of us.

c) Ridley understood that NASA and the Vatican agree that it's almost mathematically impossible that we can be where we are today without there being a little help along the way. That's what they were looking at in Prometheus, some of what they believed were Eric Von Daniken's ideas about how the human race came about.

d) A Doctor Who series called Tomb Of The Cybermen aired in September 1967 showed signs of lending the shape to the scenario of Prometheus, the co-writer of the script Kit Pedler although not entirely convinced about the honesty of Von Daniken still thought that there was something there in his ideas as it offered a myth to the modern technological world

Source Quotes

1. Sehr lange bevor. Scott orientiert sich an Erich von Däniken: «Der hat richtig geraten. Vor Millionen von Jahren hat es hier und woanders höherstehende Geschöpfe gegeben». Es ist eine Zeit, in der HR Gigers All-Monster noch nicht existiert. «Ich muss etwas Neues erschaffen.»"(12,05.2010 Blick (Swiss newspaper))
   Google translates this as "Very long before. Scott is based on Erich von Daniken: "He has guessed correctly. Millions of years ago, there have been standing here and elsewhere higher creatures ". It is a time when the HR Giger's monster does not exist all. "I must create something new."
2. It only makes passing reference to its 1979 inspiration and pays heavy tribute to author Erich von Daniken's ideas in his 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? -- which argued that we are not alone and another sentient entity might have spawned us. (The Hollywood Reporter, (9:00 AM PDT 5/16/2012 by THR staff) Secrets of Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus': An Earthquake, Never-Seen Photos and Nightmarish Monster)
3. Ridley Scott:“In the ‘60s there was a guy called Erich Von Daniken who did a very popular book called Chariots of the Gods?, and he proposed previsitation, which we all pooh-poohed. But the more we get into it, the more science accepts the fact that we’re not alone in this universe, and there’s every feasible chance that there’s more of us, not exactly as we are, but creatures that are organically living in other parts of this particular galaxy. (Stephen) Hawking said he thinks that there are and that he hopes they don’t visit. Because if they do, they’re way ahead of us.”  (Empire, May 2012, p76) 
4. Rildey Scott: NASA and the Vatican agree that is almost mathematically impossible that we can be where we are today without there being a little help along the way. That's what we're looking at (in the film), at some of Eric van Daniken's ideas of how did we humans come about. 
   
   ( Ridley Scott, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace Tease 'Prometheus' at CineEurope, 6:26 PM PDT 6/28/2011 by Scott Roxborough, Hollywood Reporter)
5. A very modern myth was featured: Erich Von Daniken's 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? This was Daniken's first book which postulated the noted incredible idea that Mankind had been regularly visited by alien astronauts throughout pre-history, and this had been recorded by the ancients in their architecture, sculpture, and well, everything really if you believe von Daniken. His worked captured the imagination of the public and the scorn of archaeologists, spawning innumerable copycat books with their own theories that Egyptian pyramids or Stonehenge had been built by alien visitors. Although easy to debunk, von Daniken's work can appear to a certain imagination. "He was interested in Daniken." Jeannette remembers, " he thought he was a bit of a fraud but felt there might be something there. " Mark Pedler agrees" He was a big fan, although he went off it for a bit, with Chariot of the Gods? Total rubbish! His bookshelves were full of books on ancient Persian mythology and Inca stuff.' Kit thought that von Daniken offered a modern myth to a technological world. Instead of the faces of ancient gods, it offered aliens in space helmets emerging from spaceships to give knowledge to man. (The Quest for Pedler: The Life & Ideas of Dr Kit Pedler)