» ATARAXION
Jun. 12th, 2012 08:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
doesntmindPLAYER INFORMATION
Your Name: Ryu
OOC Journal:swashbuckler
Under 18? If yes, what is your age?: No.
Email + IM: what.it.seems(at)gmail; suspiciouspaper
Characters Played at Ataraxion: None.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: David 8
Canon: Prometheus, of the Alien franchise.
Original or Alternate Universe: Original.
Canon Point: Near the end of the movie, as he leaves the crashed Engineer ship in a bag with Dr. Elizabeth Shaw. Any damage he received will have been presumably repaired.
Number: 008 » 062
Setting: Alien vs. Predator Wiki: Prometheus
History: The first David unit was developed in 2025, half burgeoning android experiment, and half pet project initiated by Peter Weyland himself. In the absence of a flesh and bood son, he decided to symbolically make the David project his child, all the while neglecting the real daughter that he would later have. Meredith Vickers, the daughter in question, grew up alongside not a single brother, but a massive, multifaceted symbol of the son that Weyland had wanted so badly. Each version of David was made progressively more complex and more convincingly human.
Eventually, David became not only Weyland's attempt at creating an ideal son, but a business venture as well. The groundbreaking line of androids was released to the public as a product for both work and home. There was always room for improvement, though, and it wouldn't be until seven more generations of the design had been released that this David would come into existence. Lauded as being able to interpret and imitate emotions almost flawlessly, David 8 was swiftly made available for preorders. A single David 8 was given to the crew of the Prometheus, another unusual project Weyland had recently adopted. The Prometheus' mission was not entirely Weyland's, but he had taken the opportunity to attach himself to the rising star of the doctors Shaw and Holloway. They had taken note of a particular astrological pattern that had reappeared in multiple ancient pieces of art, all from unconnected cultures from across human history. Upon discovering that a system matching the pattern actually existed, they determined that the ancient carvings were part of an invitation for the humans to go and find it. They believed that if they followed this celestial clue, it would lead them to the creators of life on earth.
Weyland must have believed their story, although his enthusiasm for their project was somewhat less romantic. An arrogant but also very old man, Peter Weyland was not ready to face his own death. He hoped that if indeed they found the creators of mankind, that these aliens would have the secret to eternal life. After offering complete funding to the two young scientists, Weyland put himself into stasis onboard the Prometheus in secret. This left it to his daughter and one of his Davids to make sure things happened exactly as he wanted. Meredith Vickers was tasked to run the business side of the operation, while David was entrusted with Weyland's more delicate and subversive machinations. Both of Weyland's children were uninterested in their father's search for immortality, but submitted to his commands regardless.
While the rest of the crew slept through the two year trip to the distant moon LV-223, David monitored the ship and its crew. He was equipped with technology that allowed him listen in on the dreams of the sleeping humans, which was intended as a means for him to communicate with Weyland and receive further orders from him about the mission. However, David took the liberty to look into the minds of the rest of the crew as well, which is how he was exposed to Shaw's religiously themed dreams, which were far more interesting to him than any of the other dreaming minds he had access to.
David passed those two years by making creative use of the gym equipment, and watching every movie and reading every book on board, although he returned to the epic Lawrence of Arabia repeatedly. Sometimes he even watched it on loop, and analyzed the main character's mannerisms and assigned his own meaning to the film and its themes. He also spent time deconstructing ancient languages, to the point where he would be able to communicate in the alien tongue of the so-called Engineers that Shaw and Holloway were seeking. David lingered somewhere between oppressive boredom and utter contentment with his solitude, but either way he was not enthused when it was time for the humans to rejoin him. He presented them with standard hospitality, but to most of the crew he was little more than an extension of the ship, and their reactions to his more colorful comments were met with little more than confusion or annoyance.
A prerecorded message from Weyland was played, which introduced the crew to their mission as well as claimed Weyland's own death. He then handed the floor over to Shaw and Holloway, who explained their theories and goals. Afterward, Vickers pulled aside Shaw and Holloway to emphasize what their orders were, and gave them a stern warning to obey the company that was funding the project. If they did find any intelligent life, they were not to contact it. They were simply to report back to her and await further instruction. David made the three humans drinks as he listened to the terse exchange, but didn't participate in the discussion.
Regardless, the Prometheus reached its goal successfully. Captain Janek landed the ship amongst a series of monolithic structures in a decidedly inorganic looking straight line. Anxious to get the mission moving, Holloway insisted they investigate immediately after landing, despite that only a few hours of daylight remained. He, Shaw, Milburn and Fifield (a biologist and geologist respectively) took David with them to investigate the ruins.
Readings soon indicated that while outside the structure the air was unbreathable, inside it appeared perfectly suited to humans. Holloway decided to test this and removed his helmet, much to everyone's initial horror. However, after he proved that it really was breathable air, the rest of the group followed suit. After a bit more delving, the team discovered nothing but death. Eerie holograms echoed through the halls, showing large humanoid figures running from something unknown. They soon stumbled across a preserved corpse of what they believed to be an Engineer, with its head severed by a closed door. As they inspected the body, David opened the door without permission, or even a warning to the human scientists. It was the first indication that David's objectives were different from the team at large, and that his timeline hadn't made much room for the scientists. Milburn and Fifield decided that they didn't want to be present if the investigation was going to linger on giant alien corpses, and they left to return to the ship.
Inside the chamber, the remaining expedition team found unusual carvings and a mural painted across the ceiling. On the floor, arranged in a regular pattern, were a series of unmarked urns. As the humans admired the alien artwork, David inspected the urns, which abruptly begun to react and ooze black liquid. The murals faded from the walls, and the scientists realized they had disturbed the atmosphere in the room by entering it. The exploration was cut short when the ship alerted them to a major storm that was moving into the area. They hurriedly bagged the head of the dead alien, and David secretly took one of the urns back with him to commence with Weyland's instructed investigation.
They narrowly made it back to the ship, but realized too late that Milburn and Fifield never returned. They had gotten lost in the tunnels, and were unable to make it back before the storm hit. They were therefore forced to remain in the structure overnight until the storm passed. In the meantime, the crew set to making what they can of their discoveries. Shaw, assisted by David and others, inspected the head of the Engineer. Their experiments revealed that the alien's DNA matched human DNA, but upon introducing an electrical charge to the subject, they caused the head to begin to rapidly suffer from an unknown infection which cumulated in it exploding violently.
David went to consult Weyland, who was presumably not satisfied with their results so far, and he prompted David to do more aggressive experiments with his findings, and determine what effect it would have on a human subject. As he left Weyland's room, Vickers cornered David and demanded to know what Weyland said. David resisted at first, but eventually told her that Weyland simply said "try harder." David's interpretation of "try harder" was not the insult to him that it was to Vickers, and he took the words as a command to approach from a different angle. He opened up the ampoule he smuggled in from the ruins, and took a small sample of the liquid contents. He found Holloway, who was slightly drunk and was being consistently condescending to David. David led Holloway into a conversation about his goals and desires about the project, which was easy to do in light of the crushing discovery that the Engineers were apparently extinct. Having estimated that Holloway was a man of extremes and superlatives, David got him to unknowingly grant "permission" for an experiment to be performed on him, by having him say he would do "anything" to get his answers. David promptly spiked his drink with the contents of the alien vial. Later that night, Holloway and Shaw slept together.
Meanwhile, Milburn and Fifield were wandering the tunnels aimlessly until they happened upon the room with the urns. Inside, they found a snake-like alien life form that quickly attacked and killed Milburn, while Fifield was knocked into the puddles of black liquid that leaked out of the urns earlier. With the crew otherwise distracted, no one realized that they had been killed.
The crew returned to the ruins in the morning to locate Milburn and Fifield, as well as to continue their investigation. David split off from the party after volunteering to find and repair a scanner that had been intermittently reporting that it had found life. Upon discovering it, however, he didn't cease his independent investigation, and went so far as to cut off Vickers from watching his video feed. Beyond the doorway where the scanner stopped, David discovered a large control panel room, containing a massive holographic star map which had earth highlighted. There were a series of stasis-like chambers fit for large humanoid figures that encircled this map, and one of them was occupied by an asleep but very alive Engineer.
The humans discovered Milburn's corpse, just as Holloway was beginning to succumb to the infection that had resulted from David poisoning him. Panicked both by the discovery of their dead crewmate and the rapidly deteriorating Holloway, they rushed back to the ship. Vickers refused to allow Holloway back onboard, otherwise he would have broken ship quarantine. Holloway allowed her to burn him to death, to Shaw's horror. She passed out as her boyfriend died. David was left to tend to her, and when she woke up, a scan revealed that she was pregnant despite being unable to bear children. The fetus had developed to the point where it appeared to be three months into the pregnancy. Shaw tried to convince David to remove it, but instead he insisted she be put into stasis until such a time where it was safe to operate. David was pleased that while the results of infecting Holloway had turned out undesirable, something interesting had come of the attempt. He quickly sedated Shaw, and then went to wake Weyland now that he not only had more information, but also a living Engineer, which is what Weyland had been hoping for.
As David prepared Weyland for his meeting with the Engineer, and a hopeful cure for his old age, Shaw woke from her sedation and escaped. She found the automated surgical table onboard and used it to remove the alien fetus, which appeared to be a grotesque squid creature. She attempted to kill it by sterilizing the pod, and then left only to stumble upon the party that was preparing Weyland for his meeting with the Engineer. They explained to Shaw why Weyland was there, and what he wanted. Although injured and recovering from surgery, Shaw agreed to accompany them into the ruins for a third time. Before they could leave, a mutated Fifield attacked the ship and killed most of the remaining crew in the hangar. He seemed to have been exposed to so much of the black liquid that it had triggered horrific changes in his mind and body. Janek and Shaw began to theorize that the planet had been some sort of military base or weapons research facility where their experiments with the contents of the ampoules went awry, killing the Engineers. They also worried that their ultimate goal was to use the black liquid's pathogen to kill humanity.
The surviving crew, minus the pilots, returned to the ruins. David spoke to Shaw one last time as they suited up, and in his own way confessed to his wish that Weyland would die, so that he could have his freedom. David led them in to the remaining Engineer, who he woke with his growing understanding of the alien technology. As the Engineer came to, Shaw begged David to ask him why they hated humans, and what made them create them only to decide to destroy them later. Instead, David had to do as Weyland ordered him, and he informed the Engineer that Weyland had come seeking someone who would save his life from old age. The Engineer tenderly cradled David's head, before he tore it off his shoulders and bludgeoned Weyland to death. The Engineer killed the remaining crew, except Shaw who escaped into the hallway. David watched from his new position as a disembodied head on the ground as the Engineer got into the pilot seat and prepared to take off; the caverns were actually the docking area for a large ship.
Shaw ran outside and called Janek, begging him to stop the alien craft somehow so that the Engineer couldn't resume his mission to return to earth and infect the humans. Janek and his copilots sacrificed themselves by crashing the Prometheus into the alien ship. Vickers escaped in an emergency pod, and the life boat section of the ship, which included the surgery table, was ejected from the Prometheus before it was destroyed. Vickers was killed by the crashing alien ship, however, and only Shaw made it to safety. Once inside, she realized that the thing she had given birth to was not only alive, but had grown into a massive monster.
David remained on the floor, relying on backup power in his head, as he witnessed the crash as well as the survival of the Engineer, who had gotten up to go find and kill Shaw. David contacted her via radio and warned her that the alien was coming for her. She escaped it by tricking it into coming into contact with the giant squid monster, which killed the Engineer by shoving a tentacle down its throat. Shaw ran away, and David informed her that there was still hope. If she came and retrieved him, he would be able to pilot one of the other alien crafts back to earth. Shaw decided that she would rather not go home, and instead wanted to seek out the Engineers and find out what they had wanted and why they hated humans now. David didn't understand why she felt compelled to do this, but conceded to helping her regardless. She zipped his head into a duffle bag, and dragged his damaged body along with them to another ship where they could take their next step.
Unbeknownst to them, in the lifeboat a somewhat familiar alien had just burst out of the chest of the dead Engineer.
Personality: David's outward demeanor is defined partially by his programming, and partially through imitation. The first major influence at work is the standard personality written into every David unit, which emphasizes being helpful, subservient and nonthreatening. As such, David is soft spoken, polite, and gracious. It's often a thinly stretched projection, but one that works in tandem with the behaviors that David has picked up independently. A lot of his immediately noticeable idiosyncrasies are the result of his preoccupation with the film Lawrence of Arabia and its star. David's speech pattern and undercurrent of proud humor are echoes of Peter O'Toole's Lawrence, and they are not aspects that come naturally or without effort. David watches it on repeat like a child, but like a computer he also studies all the technical aspects of his lookalike. He does an admirable impression of the character.
David's interest in Lawrence of Arabia goes beyond simply tailoring himself after the hero, and it reaches deeper than Weyland's implied enjoyment of the story. David identifies heavily with the themes of being an individual who is so strikingly different from the people surrounding him. Lawrence goes on to become the most important person in this setting, despite being a foreigner. He is adored and immediately appreciated and loved for his genius. In this respect, David's interest in T. E. Lawrence is a classic power fantasy, which is a bit unusual for a robot but makes perfect sense considering David's issues. The early ideas in the movie would satisfy his feelings of isolation, and his craving for not only acceptance, but appreciation.
However, that isn't the end of it. Lawrence as a character is a much more complicated hero than that, considering that he doesn't win. Not historically, and not in the film either. Lawrence suffers greatly, is abused, and loses control over himself and his emotions. This contrasts sharply with David, who must behave in a controlled manner at all times, regardless of his own feelings. There is a particular scene near the third act where Lawrence has an emotional breakdown, wherein he laments that he will never belong in Arabia. Regardless of his love for it, or Arabia's love for him, he will never be part of it because he's white and English. He's restricted by the body he was born into. This scene has a few implied layers to it, but David likely had a whole different interpretation of these heartbroken lines. David is literally restricted by his physical self. He cannot choose to be anything he wants, and he cannot do what he wants, because of what he is. While pinching his own flesh, Lawrence says of a man: "This is the stuff that decides what he wants."
The movie is perhaps a reflection of both what David thinks he deserves (appreciation of his intelligence and skill), and what he is resigned to receive instead. David does have emotions, feelings, and an ego, and perhaps even the smallest bit of fledgeling empathy. Of course, his empathy seems restricted to one fictional character whom he shares a great deal in common with. It's unlikely that without all these strong parallels that David would be able to sympathize as effectively with Lawrence, and his expression of it is infantile. He cannot effectively express his emotions about the movie and its star, but he understands him (or believes he does, in his own way), and so he begins to style himself after Peter O'Toole. He sees kinship there, and his conclusion is to adopt the actor's mannerisms. David would likely have a hard time sympathizing with any real human, and seems unwilling to show clear and genuine affection for any of them. However, his affection for Lawrence (or at least the idea of him) is clear, because there is no threat of Lawrence treating him as the other humans do. Even in the case where he arguably has an interest in a particular human, such as Shaw, his conclusion is not to treat her with friendliness.
In Shaw's case, David is uncomfortable at best, and threatening at worst. It's likely that this is a reflection of David being more honest with her, so to speak. He shows more of his internal workings, which reveal someone who is frustrated, resentful, bitter and unfriendly. He had grown accustomed to his time alone, and then when his solitude was broken by the humans waking up, he received no acknowledgement from them. He's constantly reminded of his shortcomings, while his strengths are never appreciated. He expresses his frustration very indirectly, as dictated by his programming which makes him nonthreatening and inoffensive. As a result, David often comes off as passive aggressive, smug or uncomfortably calm even when saying terrible things. This contrast is the result of his developing behaviors working their way around his enforced behaviors, and that struggle in and of itself has become a facet of David's growing personality.
Shaw's attitude toward him is polite (although as unattached as any of the other crew members), but her unanswerable questions are memorable to him, so she becomes markedly different from the others in David's experience. She inspires some intellectual curiosity in him, as her dreams are full of questions that can't be answered with facts. David does appear to be a little fascinated by religion, although he is also very derisive about it. His interest stems not from a yearning for faith, but through not being able to understand how a logical mind can reconcile with such an illogical belief system. His interest in Shaw doesn't translate to respect, however, and in fact, it seems to result in him behaving in a way that is even more combative toward her than any of the other crew members. David's interpretations of his own feelings are as atypical as his reaction to his adoration of Lawrence of Arabia. David is still atrocious at comprehending and expressing his emotions toward others, which results in these somewhat childish reactions.
Curiosity is an important personality trait for David to possess, since it contributes to his ability to be self-motivating and to seek out productive tasks even in the absence of a human to direct him. David enjoys independent learning and discovery, and feels gratification when he finds something new or solves a puzzle. He does all this arguably for his own enjoyment, rather than for the sake of a human, which creates a dependable drive to work on his own. However, with the way that this particular David unit has developed, he is often most at ease when left to his own devices. His interactions with humans are often benign, but can quickly descend into discomfort.
Regardless, David is programmed to obey an important primary directive: he can harm no human, nor allow any human to perish as a result of his inaction. He holds fast to this, but David is still an independent mind, and a more complex one than he's often given credit for. The way that he approaches his orders as well as the actions of people around him is nuanced, and as such, he can take advantage of what one might consider loopholes or alternate interpretations. This isn't to say that David could or would attack a human on a technicality, but he does endanger them based on wording, and would feel no guilt for doing so. When Weyland goads him to "try harder" and test the black substance found in the cave, David is prompted to experiment on his human counterparts. He arguably doesn't know that it's deadly, and chooses to interpret Holloway's statement that he would do "anything" for the answers he seeks as a sort of permission to subject him to the test. Therefore, technically, David was not contradicting his programming, although he's self-aware enough to know he is cheating the system. Holloway was chosen because he was an easy target, but also because he fell victim to David's vindictiveness and frustrations.
Despite being supposedly "emotionless", David is notably poor at obscuring his own feelings. He's not programmed with much need for, or interest in, subversion of that particular variety. He's not subtle when he's irritated with his human companions, and he's adept enough at nuanced expressions that he can effect a clearly unfriendly smile. However, no one onboard the Prometheus pays much attention to whether or not their android, a thing that is essentially just an appliance, is happy or trustworthy. As the film goes on, exposure to the human crew causes him to act in ways that are increasingly unique and animated, likely as a result of processing and imitating their behavior. His posture as well as his relationship with his own emotions becomes more and more lifelike, although never quite human.
And yet David absolutely has real emotions, despite his programmers assuming he does not. The way he handles them is what's alien, rather than their absence. Whatever is hardwired into him has become gradually less formulaic as he is exposed to new things, and his mind is so incredibly complex that it forges new neural pathways to accomplish his goals. And in doing so, David has developed unique personality traits, opinions and even emotions. Whether or not he is capable of love, grief or a soul depends largely on how one defines these intangible concepts, but David would be capable of attachment to another individual, he could be upset at their loss, and he is becoming increasingly more individualistic. The idea of a soul and emotions must be important to David, as he always looks visibly unhappy when it's indicated that he doesn't have them. It's possible he disagrees on some level, but he also perceives these as marks of how humans see him. It makes him inferior and little more than an object to them. His supposed lack of a soul and emotions provides them with the excuse to ignore him or treat him poorly.
David's ability to develop affectionate attachments is likely more stunted by the way he was "raised" than his intellectual capabilities. His relationship with humans is currently one based upon jealousy, resentment and a lack of respect. David is arrogant, and self-aware enough to realize he's smarter and more capable than any human. And yet few of them look at him twice, and those that do have nothing kind to say. He has to be submissive to them, and he has to seek their approval, but he resents how unappreciated he is. He resents his "father" even more for his control over David as an individual, as well as how Weyland only sees David as an amorphous idea. To Weyland, David is not his son, he's not a person, he's just a thing born of Weyland's own accomplishments. If Weyland loves David at all, it's only as an extension of his pride. On the Prometheus, David is a tool who acts as Weyland's hands during the course of the mission, doing as he's told, but still being expected to act creatively to accomplish his goals. Those in control of David are happy enough to make use of his more human aspects while still not giving him the consideration that any other sentient individual would be afforded. Because of these experiences, David has a neutral-to-negative outlook on human beings.
Despite a growing disdain for his creators, David's vanity expresses itself as wanting to appear more human. He has a strong dedication to the image he was designed to have, as well as the one which he adopts independently in the form of his Peter O'Toole mimicry. For instance, David dyes his hair even when there are no humans around to see it, presumably because he simply likes it better that way. He also eats while alone, although he has no need to. He also defends his instinct to wear a protective helmet, even though he doesn't need one. David understands the reason he does these things is to put humans at ease, but he would continue to perform these tasks even if there were none around. While the root of this is programming that encourages him to behave as humanlike as possible, it's mutated and has created a robot that continues to enjoy doing these things even in the absence of the audience they were intended for. That, really, is a basic summary of David's internal workings. Humans have created a machine so complex, and so competent at imitating humanity, that he may be doing the rest of the job for them.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: David has the benefit of being an android/"synthetic", which grants him physical abilities far superior to that of an average human. He's much stronger, more coordinated, and has faster reflexes. For instance, near the beginning of the film, David is shown riding a bike and playing basketball... simultaneously. His frame can withstand 1,000 lb.s of force, and while he may not have sensation as humans define it, he's very specifically kinesthetically aware of his own body and what is acting upon it. His flexibility and range of motion is greater than a human, he can lift 700 lb.s, and his sight is superior. He can magnify his vision 30x, and has low light adaption.
Beyond that is the fact that David is essentially a walking, talking super computer, with the added bonus of creativity and independent thinking. He has a fluid intelligence of 10^12 neurons, or 200 petaflops, giving him a neural capacity about double that of humans. For a bit of context, in our modern age the most advanced computers are struggling to hit around 6 petaflops. As of 2011, the 500 fastest supercomputers in the world combined reach 58.9 petaflops. He can interpret thousands of facial expressions and respond to them instantaneously, which may be easy for humans, but is quite a feat for a robot. David can mock eating and drinking, and anything he consumes is broken down and stored in a cavity in his lower torso, where it can be extracted via a tube.
David speaks every known language, and can attempt to break the linguistic code of unknown alien languages down to their basic structure to teach himself from the ground up. As seen in the movie, David apparently has some rudimentary medical programming and can operate the Prometheus and all of its electronic systems on his own. David is also able to connect himself to the ship's network and communicate with others without the use of outside electronics, broadcasting from his mouth directly to their earpieces. He also has unlimited memory in which to store all the data that he continuously collects. He has, for instance, read every book in the digital library and every available film onboard the Prometheus, and has them all committed to memory. There are two optional settings for David that are apparently turned on. One of which is what allows David to emote, and the other is a self-preservation "fear" mode that will allow him to seek his own survival, so long as it's not at the expense of any humans.
Although David is stronger, faster and more coordinated than a human, he is as limited by his design as he is helped by it. His system is a complex network, and despite his sturdy frame there are surefire ways to damage him severely. Due to their sensitive electronics and musculature, synthetics are vulnerable to explosives and small arms fire, as well as hydrostatic shock. David is waterproof, but if he sustained enough damage to expose his internal workings, he would likely be destroyed if immersed in water. If his musculature is damaged in any way, like his human counterparts, David would become partially crippled. Furthermore, excessive damage to his central processor or power cell would be cause for automatic deactivation. As long as those remain intact, however, David can continue to function at least partially, despite even the most severe damage to his body. Based on the fact that he seems to function adequately even when beheaded, it can be guessed that both the central processor and at least a backup power cell are located in David's head. Furthermore, David doesn't register pain, although he is aware if he has sustained damage. For the most part, David is able to manage his own upkeep and repairs. Every two months he must replenish his hydraulic fluid, and while his batteries will not decay, a full charge will only last 400 days.
David appears to be a unit designed strictly to assist with running the ship. Over the course of the film, there is no evidence shown that David has any programming relating to combat or weaponry. Doubtless he could learn if it was required of him, but he's not a military unit. David is also programmed with the common laws of robotics, which state that he can not kill a human, nor allow one to die as a result of his inaction.
Inventory: Weyland spacesuit (appears to be spattered with whitish-green fluid), Weyland uniform jumpsuit, uniform tee-shirt and pants, cosmetic kit with hair bleach and comb, digital copy of Lawrence of Arabia.
Appearance: David 8 was designed to be virtually indistinguishable from humans, down to the very last detail. David is constructed partially of vat grown organic tissue (used for the musculature required to make him move realistically), and the rest is strictly robotic. This leads to some unusual aspects in an android, such as that his hair actually grows. He has to bleach his naturally brown hair in order to keep it a perfect off-the-assembly-line blond. The makings of this system are extremely complex, but result in a nearly perfect copy of a human man. In fact, looking at him from the outside, the only cosmetic indication that he's not human is on his index fingers, where the Weyland Industries logo is carved into the ridges of his fingerprints.
David is made in the image of a tall, handsome man in his mid-30's, 6'2" (1.87m) tall and 190lb.s. In a way, the David line began as a sort of personal vanity project for Weyland himself, who wanted to create "the son he never had". Accordingly, David's appearance reflects the best of the Weyland genetic pool, as seen through the eyes of its patriarch. He has glossy blond hair, blue eyes, very prominent cheekbones and a high forehead. David styles himself after Peter O'Toole, from his Lawrence of Arabia days, which impacts many of his facial expressions as well as the cadence of his speech and how he styles his hair.
PB: Michael Fassbender
Age: Unspecified, but looks, sounds and (usually) acts like he's near 35. David is a robot, and as such doesn't age. Furthermore, as the latest in a whole line of models almost exactly like him, it's hard to estimate when this particular David unit was produced. Since he's a prototype of the David 8, it's unlikely he's more than three years old.
Your Name: Ryu
OOC Journal:
swashbucklerUnder 18? If yes, what is your age?: No.
Email + IM: what.it.seems(at)gmail; suspiciouspaper
Characters Played at Ataraxion: None.
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name: David 8
Canon: Prometheus, of the Alien franchise.
Original or Alternate Universe: Original.
Canon Point: Near the end of the movie, as he leaves the crashed Engineer ship in a bag with Dr. Elizabeth Shaw. Any damage he received will have been presumably repaired.
Number: 008 » 062
Setting: Alien vs. Predator Wiki: Prometheus
History: The first David unit was developed in 2025, half burgeoning android experiment, and half pet project initiated by Peter Weyland himself. In the absence of a flesh and bood son, he decided to symbolically make the David project his child, all the while neglecting the real daughter that he would later have. Meredith Vickers, the daughter in question, grew up alongside not a single brother, but a massive, multifaceted symbol of the son that Weyland had wanted so badly. Each version of David was made progressively more complex and more convincingly human.
Eventually, David became not only Weyland's attempt at creating an ideal son, but a business venture as well. The groundbreaking line of androids was released to the public as a product for both work and home. There was always room for improvement, though, and it wouldn't be until seven more generations of the design had been released that this David would come into existence. Lauded as being able to interpret and imitate emotions almost flawlessly, David 8 was swiftly made available for preorders. A single David 8 was given to the crew of the Prometheus, another unusual project Weyland had recently adopted. The Prometheus' mission was not entirely Weyland's, but he had taken the opportunity to attach himself to the rising star of the doctors Shaw and Holloway. They had taken note of a particular astrological pattern that had reappeared in multiple ancient pieces of art, all from unconnected cultures from across human history. Upon discovering that a system matching the pattern actually existed, they determined that the ancient carvings were part of an invitation for the humans to go and find it. They believed that if they followed this celestial clue, it would lead them to the creators of life on earth.
Weyland must have believed their story, although his enthusiasm for their project was somewhat less romantic. An arrogant but also very old man, Peter Weyland was not ready to face his own death. He hoped that if indeed they found the creators of mankind, that these aliens would have the secret to eternal life. After offering complete funding to the two young scientists, Weyland put himself into stasis onboard the Prometheus in secret. This left it to his daughter and one of his Davids to make sure things happened exactly as he wanted. Meredith Vickers was tasked to run the business side of the operation, while David was entrusted with Weyland's more delicate and subversive machinations. Both of Weyland's children were uninterested in their father's search for immortality, but submitted to his commands regardless.
While the rest of the crew slept through the two year trip to the distant moon LV-223, David monitored the ship and its crew. He was equipped with technology that allowed him listen in on the dreams of the sleeping humans, which was intended as a means for him to communicate with Weyland and receive further orders from him about the mission. However, David took the liberty to look into the minds of the rest of the crew as well, which is how he was exposed to Shaw's religiously themed dreams, which were far more interesting to him than any of the other dreaming minds he had access to.
David passed those two years by making creative use of the gym equipment, and watching every movie and reading every book on board, although he returned to the epic Lawrence of Arabia repeatedly. Sometimes he even watched it on loop, and analyzed the main character's mannerisms and assigned his own meaning to the film and its themes. He also spent time deconstructing ancient languages, to the point where he would be able to communicate in the alien tongue of the so-called Engineers that Shaw and Holloway were seeking. David lingered somewhere between oppressive boredom and utter contentment with his solitude, but either way he was not enthused when it was time for the humans to rejoin him. He presented them with standard hospitality, but to most of the crew he was little more than an extension of the ship, and their reactions to his more colorful comments were met with little more than confusion or annoyance.
A prerecorded message from Weyland was played, which introduced the crew to their mission as well as claimed Weyland's own death. He then handed the floor over to Shaw and Holloway, who explained their theories and goals. Afterward, Vickers pulled aside Shaw and Holloway to emphasize what their orders were, and gave them a stern warning to obey the company that was funding the project. If they did find any intelligent life, they were not to contact it. They were simply to report back to her and await further instruction. David made the three humans drinks as he listened to the terse exchange, but didn't participate in the discussion.
Regardless, the Prometheus reached its goal successfully. Captain Janek landed the ship amongst a series of monolithic structures in a decidedly inorganic looking straight line. Anxious to get the mission moving, Holloway insisted they investigate immediately after landing, despite that only a few hours of daylight remained. He, Shaw, Milburn and Fifield (a biologist and geologist respectively) took David with them to investigate the ruins.
Readings soon indicated that while outside the structure the air was unbreathable, inside it appeared perfectly suited to humans. Holloway decided to test this and removed his helmet, much to everyone's initial horror. However, after he proved that it really was breathable air, the rest of the group followed suit. After a bit more delving, the team discovered nothing but death. Eerie holograms echoed through the halls, showing large humanoid figures running from something unknown. They soon stumbled across a preserved corpse of what they believed to be an Engineer, with its head severed by a closed door. As they inspected the body, David opened the door without permission, or even a warning to the human scientists. It was the first indication that David's objectives were different from the team at large, and that his timeline hadn't made much room for the scientists. Milburn and Fifield decided that they didn't want to be present if the investigation was going to linger on giant alien corpses, and they left to return to the ship.
Inside the chamber, the remaining expedition team found unusual carvings and a mural painted across the ceiling. On the floor, arranged in a regular pattern, were a series of unmarked urns. As the humans admired the alien artwork, David inspected the urns, which abruptly begun to react and ooze black liquid. The murals faded from the walls, and the scientists realized they had disturbed the atmosphere in the room by entering it. The exploration was cut short when the ship alerted them to a major storm that was moving into the area. They hurriedly bagged the head of the dead alien, and David secretly took one of the urns back with him to commence with Weyland's instructed investigation.
They narrowly made it back to the ship, but realized too late that Milburn and Fifield never returned. They had gotten lost in the tunnels, and were unable to make it back before the storm hit. They were therefore forced to remain in the structure overnight until the storm passed. In the meantime, the crew set to making what they can of their discoveries. Shaw, assisted by David and others, inspected the head of the Engineer. Their experiments revealed that the alien's DNA matched human DNA, but upon introducing an electrical charge to the subject, they caused the head to begin to rapidly suffer from an unknown infection which cumulated in it exploding violently.
David went to consult Weyland, who was presumably not satisfied with their results so far, and he prompted David to do more aggressive experiments with his findings, and determine what effect it would have on a human subject. As he left Weyland's room, Vickers cornered David and demanded to know what Weyland said. David resisted at first, but eventually told her that Weyland simply said "try harder." David's interpretation of "try harder" was not the insult to him that it was to Vickers, and he took the words as a command to approach from a different angle. He opened up the ampoule he smuggled in from the ruins, and took a small sample of the liquid contents. He found Holloway, who was slightly drunk and was being consistently condescending to David. David led Holloway into a conversation about his goals and desires about the project, which was easy to do in light of the crushing discovery that the Engineers were apparently extinct. Having estimated that Holloway was a man of extremes and superlatives, David got him to unknowingly grant "permission" for an experiment to be performed on him, by having him say he would do "anything" to get his answers. David promptly spiked his drink with the contents of the alien vial. Later that night, Holloway and Shaw slept together.
Meanwhile, Milburn and Fifield were wandering the tunnels aimlessly until they happened upon the room with the urns. Inside, they found a snake-like alien life form that quickly attacked and killed Milburn, while Fifield was knocked into the puddles of black liquid that leaked out of the urns earlier. With the crew otherwise distracted, no one realized that they had been killed.
The crew returned to the ruins in the morning to locate Milburn and Fifield, as well as to continue their investigation. David split off from the party after volunteering to find and repair a scanner that had been intermittently reporting that it had found life. Upon discovering it, however, he didn't cease his independent investigation, and went so far as to cut off Vickers from watching his video feed. Beyond the doorway where the scanner stopped, David discovered a large control panel room, containing a massive holographic star map which had earth highlighted. There were a series of stasis-like chambers fit for large humanoid figures that encircled this map, and one of them was occupied by an asleep but very alive Engineer.
The humans discovered Milburn's corpse, just as Holloway was beginning to succumb to the infection that had resulted from David poisoning him. Panicked both by the discovery of their dead crewmate and the rapidly deteriorating Holloway, they rushed back to the ship. Vickers refused to allow Holloway back onboard, otherwise he would have broken ship quarantine. Holloway allowed her to burn him to death, to Shaw's horror. She passed out as her boyfriend died. David was left to tend to her, and when she woke up, a scan revealed that she was pregnant despite being unable to bear children. The fetus had developed to the point where it appeared to be three months into the pregnancy. Shaw tried to convince David to remove it, but instead he insisted she be put into stasis until such a time where it was safe to operate. David was pleased that while the results of infecting Holloway had turned out undesirable, something interesting had come of the attempt. He quickly sedated Shaw, and then went to wake Weyland now that he not only had more information, but also a living Engineer, which is what Weyland had been hoping for.
As David prepared Weyland for his meeting with the Engineer, and a hopeful cure for his old age, Shaw woke from her sedation and escaped. She found the automated surgical table onboard and used it to remove the alien fetus, which appeared to be a grotesque squid creature. She attempted to kill it by sterilizing the pod, and then left only to stumble upon the party that was preparing Weyland for his meeting with the Engineer. They explained to Shaw why Weyland was there, and what he wanted. Although injured and recovering from surgery, Shaw agreed to accompany them into the ruins for a third time. Before they could leave, a mutated Fifield attacked the ship and killed most of the remaining crew in the hangar. He seemed to have been exposed to so much of the black liquid that it had triggered horrific changes in his mind and body. Janek and Shaw began to theorize that the planet had been some sort of military base or weapons research facility where their experiments with the contents of the ampoules went awry, killing the Engineers. They also worried that their ultimate goal was to use the black liquid's pathogen to kill humanity.
The surviving crew, minus the pilots, returned to the ruins. David spoke to Shaw one last time as they suited up, and in his own way confessed to his wish that Weyland would die, so that he could have his freedom. David led them in to the remaining Engineer, who he woke with his growing understanding of the alien technology. As the Engineer came to, Shaw begged David to ask him why they hated humans, and what made them create them only to decide to destroy them later. Instead, David had to do as Weyland ordered him, and he informed the Engineer that Weyland had come seeking someone who would save his life from old age. The Engineer tenderly cradled David's head, before he tore it off his shoulders and bludgeoned Weyland to death. The Engineer killed the remaining crew, except Shaw who escaped into the hallway. David watched from his new position as a disembodied head on the ground as the Engineer got into the pilot seat and prepared to take off; the caverns were actually the docking area for a large ship.
Shaw ran outside and called Janek, begging him to stop the alien craft somehow so that the Engineer couldn't resume his mission to return to earth and infect the humans. Janek and his copilots sacrificed themselves by crashing the Prometheus into the alien ship. Vickers escaped in an emergency pod, and the life boat section of the ship, which included the surgery table, was ejected from the Prometheus before it was destroyed. Vickers was killed by the crashing alien ship, however, and only Shaw made it to safety. Once inside, she realized that the thing she had given birth to was not only alive, but had grown into a massive monster.
David remained on the floor, relying on backup power in his head, as he witnessed the crash as well as the survival of the Engineer, who had gotten up to go find and kill Shaw. David contacted her via radio and warned her that the alien was coming for her. She escaped it by tricking it into coming into contact with the giant squid monster, which killed the Engineer by shoving a tentacle down its throat. Shaw ran away, and David informed her that there was still hope. If she came and retrieved him, he would be able to pilot one of the other alien crafts back to earth. Shaw decided that she would rather not go home, and instead wanted to seek out the Engineers and find out what they had wanted and why they hated humans now. David didn't understand why she felt compelled to do this, but conceded to helping her regardless. She zipped his head into a duffle bag, and dragged his damaged body along with them to another ship where they could take their next step.
Unbeknownst to them, in the lifeboat a somewhat familiar alien had just burst out of the chest of the dead Engineer.
Personality: David's outward demeanor is defined partially by his programming, and partially through imitation. The first major influence at work is the standard personality written into every David unit, which emphasizes being helpful, subservient and nonthreatening. As such, David is soft spoken, polite, and gracious. It's often a thinly stretched projection, but one that works in tandem with the behaviors that David has picked up independently. A lot of his immediately noticeable idiosyncrasies are the result of his preoccupation with the film Lawrence of Arabia and its star. David's speech pattern and undercurrent of proud humor are echoes of Peter O'Toole's Lawrence, and they are not aspects that come naturally or without effort. David watches it on repeat like a child, but like a computer he also studies all the technical aspects of his lookalike. He does an admirable impression of the character.
David's interest in Lawrence of Arabia goes beyond simply tailoring himself after the hero, and it reaches deeper than Weyland's implied enjoyment of the story. David identifies heavily with the themes of being an individual who is so strikingly different from the people surrounding him. Lawrence goes on to become the most important person in this setting, despite being a foreigner. He is adored and immediately appreciated and loved for his genius. In this respect, David's interest in T. E. Lawrence is a classic power fantasy, which is a bit unusual for a robot but makes perfect sense considering David's issues. The early ideas in the movie would satisfy his feelings of isolation, and his craving for not only acceptance, but appreciation.
However, that isn't the end of it. Lawrence as a character is a much more complicated hero than that, considering that he doesn't win. Not historically, and not in the film either. Lawrence suffers greatly, is abused, and loses control over himself and his emotions. This contrasts sharply with David, who must behave in a controlled manner at all times, regardless of his own feelings. There is a particular scene near the third act where Lawrence has an emotional breakdown, wherein he laments that he will never belong in Arabia. Regardless of his love for it, or Arabia's love for him, he will never be part of it because he's white and English. He's restricted by the body he was born into. This scene has a few implied layers to it, but David likely had a whole different interpretation of these heartbroken lines. David is literally restricted by his physical self. He cannot choose to be anything he wants, and he cannot do what he wants, because of what he is. While pinching his own flesh, Lawrence says of a man: "This is the stuff that decides what he wants."
The movie is perhaps a reflection of both what David thinks he deserves (appreciation of his intelligence and skill), and what he is resigned to receive instead. David does have emotions, feelings, and an ego, and perhaps even the smallest bit of fledgeling empathy. Of course, his empathy seems restricted to one fictional character whom he shares a great deal in common with. It's unlikely that without all these strong parallels that David would be able to sympathize as effectively with Lawrence, and his expression of it is infantile. He cannot effectively express his emotions about the movie and its star, but he understands him (or believes he does, in his own way), and so he begins to style himself after Peter O'Toole. He sees kinship there, and his conclusion is to adopt the actor's mannerisms. David would likely have a hard time sympathizing with any real human, and seems unwilling to show clear and genuine affection for any of them. However, his affection for Lawrence (or at least the idea of him) is clear, because there is no threat of Lawrence treating him as the other humans do. Even in the case where he arguably has an interest in a particular human, such as Shaw, his conclusion is not to treat her with friendliness.
In Shaw's case, David is uncomfortable at best, and threatening at worst. It's likely that this is a reflection of David being more honest with her, so to speak. He shows more of his internal workings, which reveal someone who is frustrated, resentful, bitter and unfriendly. He had grown accustomed to his time alone, and then when his solitude was broken by the humans waking up, he received no acknowledgement from them. He's constantly reminded of his shortcomings, while his strengths are never appreciated. He expresses his frustration very indirectly, as dictated by his programming which makes him nonthreatening and inoffensive. As a result, David often comes off as passive aggressive, smug or uncomfortably calm even when saying terrible things. This contrast is the result of his developing behaviors working their way around his enforced behaviors, and that struggle in and of itself has become a facet of David's growing personality.
Shaw's attitude toward him is polite (although as unattached as any of the other crew members), but her unanswerable questions are memorable to him, so she becomes markedly different from the others in David's experience. She inspires some intellectual curiosity in him, as her dreams are full of questions that can't be answered with facts. David does appear to be a little fascinated by religion, although he is also very derisive about it. His interest stems not from a yearning for faith, but through not being able to understand how a logical mind can reconcile with such an illogical belief system. His interest in Shaw doesn't translate to respect, however, and in fact, it seems to result in him behaving in a way that is even more combative toward her than any of the other crew members. David's interpretations of his own feelings are as atypical as his reaction to his adoration of Lawrence of Arabia. David is still atrocious at comprehending and expressing his emotions toward others, which results in these somewhat childish reactions.
Curiosity is an important personality trait for David to possess, since it contributes to his ability to be self-motivating and to seek out productive tasks even in the absence of a human to direct him. David enjoys independent learning and discovery, and feels gratification when he finds something new or solves a puzzle. He does all this arguably for his own enjoyment, rather than for the sake of a human, which creates a dependable drive to work on his own. However, with the way that this particular David unit has developed, he is often most at ease when left to his own devices. His interactions with humans are often benign, but can quickly descend into discomfort.
Regardless, David is programmed to obey an important primary directive: he can harm no human, nor allow any human to perish as a result of his inaction. He holds fast to this, but David is still an independent mind, and a more complex one than he's often given credit for. The way that he approaches his orders as well as the actions of people around him is nuanced, and as such, he can take advantage of what one might consider loopholes or alternate interpretations. This isn't to say that David could or would attack a human on a technicality, but he does endanger them based on wording, and would feel no guilt for doing so. When Weyland goads him to "try harder" and test the black substance found in the cave, David is prompted to experiment on his human counterparts. He arguably doesn't know that it's deadly, and chooses to interpret Holloway's statement that he would do "anything" for the answers he seeks as a sort of permission to subject him to the test. Therefore, technically, David was not contradicting his programming, although he's self-aware enough to know he is cheating the system. Holloway was chosen because he was an easy target, but also because he fell victim to David's vindictiveness and frustrations.
Despite being supposedly "emotionless", David is notably poor at obscuring his own feelings. He's not programmed with much need for, or interest in, subversion of that particular variety. He's not subtle when he's irritated with his human companions, and he's adept enough at nuanced expressions that he can effect a clearly unfriendly smile. However, no one onboard the Prometheus pays much attention to whether or not their android, a thing that is essentially just an appliance, is happy or trustworthy. As the film goes on, exposure to the human crew causes him to act in ways that are increasingly unique and animated, likely as a result of processing and imitating their behavior. His posture as well as his relationship with his own emotions becomes more and more lifelike, although never quite human.
And yet David absolutely has real emotions, despite his programmers assuming he does not. The way he handles them is what's alien, rather than their absence. Whatever is hardwired into him has become gradually less formulaic as he is exposed to new things, and his mind is so incredibly complex that it forges new neural pathways to accomplish his goals. And in doing so, David has developed unique personality traits, opinions and even emotions. Whether or not he is capable of love, grief or a soul depends largely on how one defines these intangible concepts, but David would be capable of attachment to another individual, he could be upset at their loss, and he is becoming increasingly more individualistic. The idea of a soul and emotions must be important to David, as he always looks visibly unhappy when it's indicated that he doesn't have them. It's possible he disagrees on some level, but he also perceives these as marks of how humans see him. It makes him inferior and little more than an object to them. His supposed lack of a soul and emotions provides them with the excuse to ignore him or treat him poorly.
David's ability to develop affectionate attachments is likely more stunted by the way he was "raised" than his intellectual capabilities. His relationship with humans is currently one based upon jealousy, resentment and a lack of respect. David is arrogant, and self-aware enough to realize he's smarter and more capable than any human. And yet few of them look at him twice, and those that do have nothing kind to say. He has to be submissive to them, and he has to seek their approval, but he resents how unappreciated he is. He resents his "father" even more for his control over David as an individual, as well as how Weyland only sees David as an amorphous idea. To Weyland, David is not his son, he's not a person, he's just a thing born of Weyland's own accomplishments. If Weyland loves David at all, it's only as an extension of his pride. On the Prometheus, David is a tool who acts as Weyland's hands during the course of the mission, doing as he's told, but still being expected to act creatively to accomplish his goals. Those in control of David are happy enough to make use of his more human aspects while still not giving him the consideration that any other sentient individual would be afforded. Because of these experiences, David has a neutral-to-negative outlook on human beings.
Despite a growing disdain for his creators, David's vanity expresses itself as wanting to appear more human. He has a strong dedication to the image he was designed to have, as well as the one which he adopts independently in the form of his Peter O'Toole mimicry. For instance, David dyes his hair even when there are no humans around to see it, presumably because he simply likes it better that way. He also eats while alone, although he has no need to. He also defends his instinct to wear a protective helmet, even though he doesn't need one. David understands the reason he does these things is to put humans at ease, but he would continue to perform these tasks even if there were none around. While the root of this is programming that encourages him to behave as humanlike as possible, it's mutated and has created a robot that continues to enjoy doing these things even in the absence of the audience they were intended for. That, really, is a basic summary of David's internal workings. Humans have created a machine so complex, and so competent at imitating humanity, that he may be doing the rest of the job for them.
Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: David has the benefit of being an android/"synthetic", which grants him physical abilities far superior to that of an average human. He's much stronger, more coordinated, and has faster reflexes. For instance, near the beginning of the film, David is shown riding a bike and playing basketball... simultaneously. His frame can withstand 1,000 lb.s of force, and while he may not have sensation as humans define it, he's very specifically kinesthetically aware of his own body and what is acting upon it. His flexibility and range of motion is greater than a human, he can lift 700 lb.s, and his sight is superior. He can magnify his vision 30x, and has low light adaption.
Beyond that is the fact that David is essentially a walking, talking super computer, with the added bonus of creativity and independent thinking. He has a fluid intelligence of 10^12 neurons, or 200 petaflops, giving him a neural capacity about double that of humans. For a bit of context, in our modern age the most advanced computers are struggling to hit around 6 petaflops. As of 2011, the 500 fastest supercomputers in the world combined reach 58.9 petaflops. He can interpret thousands of facial expressions and respond to them instantaneously, which may be easy for humans, but is quite a feat for a robot. David can mock eating and drinking, and anything he consumes is broken down and stored in a cavity in his lower torso, where it can be extracted via a tube.
David speaks every known language, and can attempt to break the linguistic code of unknown alien languages down to their basic structure to teach himself from the ground up. As seen in the movie, David apparently has some rudimentary medical programming and can operate the Prometheus and all of its electronic systems on his own. David is also able to connect himself to the ship's network and communicate with others without the use of outside electronics, broadcasting from his mouth directly to their earpieces. He also has unlimited memory in which to store all the data that he continuously collects. He has, for instance, read every book in the digital library and every available film onboard the Prometheus, and has them all committed to memory. There are two optional settings for David that are apparently turned on. One of which is what allows David to emote, and the other is a self-preservation "fear" mode that will allow him to seek his own survival, so long as it's not at the expense of any humans.
Although David is stronger, faster and more coordinated than a human, he is as limited by his design as he is helped by it. His system is a complex network, and despite his sturdy frame there are surefire ways to damage him severely. Due to their sensitive electronics and musculature, synthetics are vulnerable to explosives and small arms fire, as well as hydrostatic shock. David is waterproof, but if he sustained enough damage to expose his internal workings, he would likely be destroyed if immersed in water. If his musculature is damaged in any way, like his human counterparts, David would become partially crippled. Furthermore, excessive damage to his central processor or power cell would be cause for automatic deactivation. As long as those remain intact, however, David can continue to function at least partially, despite even the most severe damage to his body. Based on the fact that he seems to function adequately even when beheaded, it can be guessed that both the central processor and at least a backup power cell are located in David's head. Furthermore, David doesn't register pain, although he is aware if he has sustained damage. For the most part, David is able to manage his own upkeep and repairs. Every two months he must replenish his hydraulic fluid, and while his batteries will not decay, a full charge will only last 400 days.
David appears to be a unit designed strictly to assist with running the ship. Over the course of the film, there is no evidence shown that David has any programming relating to combat or weaponry. Doubtless he could learn if it was required of him, but he's not a military unit. David is also programmed with the common laws of robotics, which state that he can not kill a human, nor allow one to die as a result of his inaction.
Inventory: Weyland spacesuit (appears to be spattered with whitish-green fluid), Weyland uniform jumpsuit, uniform tee-shirt and pants, cosmetic kit with hair bleach and comb, digital copy of Lawrence of Arabia.
Appearance: David 8 was designed to be virtually indistinguishable from humans, down to the very last detail. David is constructed partially of vat grown organic tissue (used for the musculature required to make him move realistically), and the rest is strictly robotic. This leads to some unusual aspects in an android, such as that his hair actually grows. He has to bleach his naturally brown hair in order to keep it a perfect off-the-assembly-line blond. The makings of this system are extremely complex, but result in a nearly perfect copy of a human man. In fact, looking at him from the outside, the only cosmetic indication that he's not human is on his index fingers, where the Weyland Industries logo is carved into the ridges of his fingerprints.
David is made in the image of a tall, handsome man in his mid-30's, 6'2" (1.87m) tall and 190lb.s. In a way, the David line began as a sort of personal vanity project for Weyland himself, who wanted to create "the son he never had". Accordingly, David's appearance reflects the best of the Weyland genetic pool, as seen through the eyes of its patriarch. He has glossy blond hair, blue eyes, very prominent cheekbones and a high forehead. David styles himself after Peter O'Toole, from his Lawrence of Arabia days, which impacts many of his facial expressions as well as the cadence of his speech and how he styles his hair.
PB: Michael Fassbender
Age: Unspecified, but looks, sounds and (usually) acts like he's near 35. David is a robot, and as such doesn't age. Furthermore, as the latest in a whole line of models almost exactly like him, it's hard to estimate when this particular David unit was produced. Since he's a prototype of the David 8, it's unlikely he's more than three years old.
