Iconic Moments in film making

Iconic Moment: An iconic moment is an unforgettable moment moment that the audience can associate the film with and possibly relate to. It is usually something which would provoke emotion.
Example's of an iconic moment:

The eggs in Alien.                                                                   Sigourney Weaver playing the protagonist

                                                          Egg pods in Prometheus

The Ring.

 Iconic Characters: Gandalf

 Iconic Characters: Golum

 Return of the ring  (Iconic Prop)

 Lightsabers (Iconic Prop)

 Iconic villain, completion of character development.

 Iconic heroes (Qui-gon)

Return of Iconic hero/mentor (Gandalf in The Hobbit)

Why do you need an Iconic Moment?

Film's need them to grab the audiences attention, they need to make specific characters stand out by perhaps making them contradict with the movie's theme. For example, in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Golum returns because he is seen in some ways as a comical character and at the same time a menacing one which provokes peoples emotion, causing them to become more immersed in the film.

Iconic props such as lightsabers from Star Wars, the ring from LOTR and the egg pods from Alien all cause the audience to relate to their other films.

Prequels: Created to make money, creates a film franchise. Prequels create a backstory for the following film (Narrative Threads).