Black Goo: Effects on Xenos?

Deep Space
MemberFacehuggerAug-04-2016 4:15 AMA lot of the recent discussions have got me thinking about the origins of the xeno, in particular, how it relates to the black goo.
A popular idea seems to be that the black goo (or a form of it) is responsible for the xenos' creation: What we have seen certainly alludes to this idea and the mural picture of Engineer touching/merging with a xeno like creature is fascinating!
So a question I have been thinking about is what effect, if any, would the black goo have on a fully formed xeno? Would it mutate, something like we saw happen to Fifield? Would it have no effect or would it possibly depend on the type of goo it came into contact with (assuming there are different variants)? Or something else entirely . . .

Something Real
MemberTrilobiteAug-04-2016 5:01 PMDEEP SPACE - What a very compelling question! Hmm...I would venture to guess that the "Black Goo" would almost certainly have an effect on a xenomorph. However, in what way that effect would manifest can only be speculated. Perhaps the xenomorph would become something new entirely? It is very fun to speculate! :)

Mizikame
MemberFacehuggerAug-04-2016 5:11 PMI always liked the idea that the MORB wasn't just a Creature; it was an Organism that a whole Civilization built their Society & Conquest around Millennia past. With that in mind the only thing I could personally think of that would make most sense is that the BlagikalGoo wouldn't have most any effect on Xenos since that is a DNA Derivative of what makes them, them; it would be more so if drenched in the Goo: heightened intelligence, perception is widened, wanting to become a more independent Civilization on their own since they have to rely on Live Hosts to perpetuate the continuance of their race ^_^

Centauri
MemberPraetorianAug-04-2016 8:28 PM@Deep Space great question!
would it just repel off it's surface? or would it make it a super xeno.... ? It would be crazy to see some of that in Covenant! It would definately explain everyone's questions about it.
****
"Must be something we haven't seen yet.."__Bishop
http://www.alien-covenant.com/series/

Deep Space
MemberFacehuggerAug-05-2016 3:04 AMThanks for the replies :)
I'm kind of in two minds on this one: A part of me feels the xeno could well be the pinnacle of evolution (perfect organism?) in black goo terms, i.e it always finds a way to incorporate xeno traits built around the structure of the 'original host'. So on the one hand the goo may have no effect or possibly heighten what's there, in genetic terms.
My other thought is that the Xeno is a 'darker' side to the goo. An altered or 'prescribed' version of a substance that can help create complex life that lives in a balanced state or biological equilibrium. Perhaps if a xeno encountered the 'sacrificial goo' it may breakdown and alter the DNA of the xeno to a more positive strain?
I do like the idea that life always tries to strike a balance. We see it in chemistry and all organic/inorganic matter (a universal law if you will). Perhaps the xeno black goo off-sets this balance and creates a life form that ultimately takes over it's environment leaving nothing but xeno DNA? Perhaps the Engineers in tampering with the goo off-set the balance they were creating and thus faced the consequences we see may see in Covenant? Could it be that Engineers saw we, as humans, were going this way and so set out to restore the balance? OK, i'm rambling now lol :)
I agree with you also HG as I think that if we see some of this in Covenant it may well help provide us with some clues/answers re. the xeno and black goo!

Thoughts_Dreams
MemberNeomorphAug-08-2016 2:27 AMThat is an interesting question Deep Space. Eventually there are two things that could happen.
- The goo is deadlier than the Xeno so it could mutate it by exaggerating important features that the Xeno has.
- The Xeno is the perfect organism if the Engineers decided that they (the Engineers) strived to get the perfect bio-weapon so the Xeno is at the top of the hierarchy of bio-weapons so to speak. Once you get the Xeno life form the goo has no effect any longer.

YC-865
MemberOvomorphAug-09-2016 1:33 AMi could see the goo being poured over a weaker form of xeno to create more goo, maybe earth worms or fruit flies. One dose creates a "containable" xeno then when they are near death the weakened xenos are dropped into a tank or vat that consumes they bodies to create enough to weaponize it.
I guess the question would be how is/was the goo manufactured and what materials are used to create it?

BigDave
MemberDeaconAug-09-2016 7:31 AMI will come back to this in detail....
But i would quickly cover two things based on the assumption (correct as of drafts) that the Sacrificial Substance leads in part to the Urn Substance and they are not the same.
I have covered this in detail a lot before.. so will skip this..
But we see the Black Goo Evolved the Worms... to Pass on Xeno Traits and Evolve its own Natural Traits , the Biological Mutagen/Parasite had done its job... Evolve Lifeform and take on DNA Traits of the Organisms DNA in that Goo (Xeno)
We see the Hammerpedes (Evolved Worms mixed with Xeno DNA) swimming in the Black Goo...
So its safe to assume one of Two Things...
1) The Black Goo has a limited time span of effectiveness after it is mixed and activated it would mutate and evolve life it comes into contact with but it has a short shelf life before the Goo can no longer affect anything... surely the Engineers would have made a more Dangerous or Longer Lasting Weapon... especially if their plan was totally Evolve/Destroy life on Earth.
2)Once a Organism is infected with the Urn Black Goo, and has been evolved... it can no longer be effected again by the Black Goo as the Black Goo objective which in case of Worms was..
Worms+ Goo = Xeno Worm Space Cobras...
Then why would it upgrade anymore because it contains the Alien (Urn contained) DNA already.
HOWEVER
Point 2 is if the Sacrificial Goo is different... then yes this substance when it infects a Xenomorph or Organism already infected by the Black Goo.... could then break down its DNA...
This is what i think happened to the Mural.... it is the showing that the Black Goo Urns are the result of a Sacrificed Xenomorph related Organism.... via same process as Sacrificial Engineer.
So my point is....
Hammerpedes captured and then exposed to more Black Goo they had been exposed to earlier would result in no change... (unless Goo has a limited Half Life)
Hammerpedes Captured and thrown into the Lake where that Engineer Sacrificed himself would result in a Hammerpede taking on Engineer DNA
I could be wrong and hopefully Alien Covenant will give us clues.... but my points are based on how come the Hammerpedes who was transformed once (from Worms)... are not effected again by swimming in the Black Goo
R.I.P Sox 01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017

Michelle Johnston
MemberChestbursterAug-09-2016 9:20 AM@BD As you know I share your view as expressed in your post. I decided to take the contra view which it is the same substance as the catalyser at the beginning but used in an unauthorised way but after listening to Ridley's commentary where he compares to the Ebola virus and suggests these new viruses are man made and just get out I am very clear what the Goo is what the Fresco begins to show and the mural does show with the buried shape in the alter.
So a zeno strained goo would have no effect on the resultant outcome whether hammerpede, deacon, the evolving creature and the A L I E N zeno. Indeed I believe in Covenant we will begin to see how the life cycle works in more detail. We have seen a face hugger deconstructed with an Egg in its tube. it must lay this contaminated egg in its host which grows rapidly. The big one is how is the face hugger "born".

Deep Space
MemberFacehuggerAug-09-2016 9:38 AMYeah, that pretty much sums up my thoughts, BD!
It was the scene with the Hammerpede that got me thinking about this. That and an internal image of a Xeno being submerged/covered in black goo and wondering what, if any, effect it would have . . . (I'm thinking it would ultimately depend on the 'strain' of black goo being used . . .)
Hopefully AC will go some way to helping us understand the origins/creation of the black goo and we may see how it can be altered/used to create different, but yet specific to each individual strain, species/alterations.