10 Things You Learn Re-Watching Prometheus

3. The Infertile Shaw Subplot Is Really Lame

When Shaw and Holloway are talking about their expedition, he flippantly remarks that "any idiot can make life", instantly upsetting Shaw, who then reveals to the audience that she's infertile.

It's a fairly lame, transparent attempt to give the character depth, and while not without a certain delicious irony considering what happens to Shaw afterwards, it ultimately just felt like melodrama for its own sake.

Plus, Holloway's total lack of sensitivity here makes it even less-easy to care about his demise later on. You could remove this fleeting subplot and it would have zero negative impact on the film's plot or characters. It's naff soap opera fluff in a movie that doesn't need it.