Alien: Earth Raises a Major Question About the Franchise’s Unmade Sequels

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Caution: Contains potential plot revelations! The creator and lead writer of the series “Alien: Earth,” Noah Hawley, revealed last month that the show would not delve into the themes presented in the prequel films “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant.” However, after a few episodes, it seems the series is edging close to touching upon those subjects. The story begins with a Weyland-Yutani deep space research vessel making an emergency landing on Earth, transporting numerous alien species, one of which is a facehugger. Given the events from the prequels, it’s probable that the xenomorph originated from the same source, and we can’t help but ponder if the other creatures are connected as well. They might have been engineered by the Engineers or even developed by David (Michael Fassbender) himself.

In my perspective as a fan, both “Prometheus” and “Covenant” have stirred up debate within the “Alien” universe, yet they remain integral parts of its lore. Recently in an interview with Empire Magazine, Hawley hinted that he would steer clear from the subjects tackled in those films without explicitly confirming potential contradictions. Consequently, it’s entirely plausible that the terrifying creatures in this upcoming series could have originated directly from the Engineers’ homeworld, where David was free to conduct unchecked genetic experiments.

Timeline Landmarks

In the year 2120 CE, a spaceship named Maginot, having been absent for 65 years, arrives on Earth with various extraterrestrial beings aboard, which they’d gathered during their mission for study. During this absence, significant events transpired: the USS Prometheus was sent off in 2091 and touched down on LV-223’s moon in 2093. By the end of that expedition, David and Elizabeth Shaw (played by Noomi Rapace) were aboard an Engineer spaceship, pursuing the Engineers’ home planet. Upon arrival, a shocking turn of events occurred: David, using the Engineers’ own biological weapons, annihilated their species, also causing the death of Shaw. After this act of genocide, he focused his attention on his ongoing experiments.

In the year 2104, the USS Covenant reached the Engineers’ native planet, guided by David’s musical broadcast. Upon arrival, they discovered that David had been combining the “black liquid” bioweapon, human DNA from Shaw, Engineer DNA, and local lifeforms, leading to the creation of a new creature they dubbed the “neomorph.” With fresh human hosts now present, these creatures underwent further evolution, eventually transforming into the recognizable xenomorphs seen in later films.

Towards the conclusion of the film Covenant, it’s reasonable to infer that xenomorphs have survived on the unnamed planet, potentially prompting the Maginot to travel there and capture some. Simultaneously, David departed the planet with stored facehugger embryos, which he may have dispersed across various locations in space. As for the USS Covenant, it was returning to its journey towards Origae-6, a destination still approximately seven years away. However, it remains uncertain whether David intended to stick to this course or not.

Was Weyland-Yutani Just Collecting its Property?

From my perspective, the strange creatures like neomorphs and ovomorphs encountered in both Prometheus and Covenant have piqued my curiosity, especially considering their relevance to Alien: Earth. The spaceship Maginot stumbled upon some tenacious and hazardous organisms out there in the cosmos, such as the creature from Episode 2 that burrows into its victim’s eye. While it’s plausible these were indigenous animals on various planets, the risk-taking nature of Weyland-Yutani suggests they might have embarked on this long voyage without a guarantee of success. It seems equally possible that the company instructed Morrow (Babou Ceesay) to halt and salvage any valuable finds from the failed mission of Prometheus, where Peter Weyland (Guy Pearce) vanished.

Missing Pieces

In the prequels, many questions were left unanswered, such as if the character called Maginot came into possession of facehuggers made by David, possibly even visiting the Engineer’s home world. However, there isn’t enough evidence to confirm this definitively. Regrettably, these mysteries might have been clarified in an uncompleted sequel to Covenant that Ridley Scott planned to continue working on until 2019. Now, it seems he has concluded his involvement with the Alien series, leaving us uncertain about what happened to David and his offspring, as well as how they returned to Earth.

An alternate David film could have provided a distinct account of what xenomorphs became in later periods. In Covenant, it appears that David developed xenomorphs through his experiments, but in Prometheus, there’s an image of a xenomorph found within the Engineer temple on LV-223. This might imply that David was essentially reviving or replicating a species from the past, or that xenomorphs are the ultimate outcome of mutations caused by the black liquid genetic weapon.

As a dedicated movie enthusiast, I can’t help but admire Hawley’s perspective towards the Alien franchise. In his own words, “Alien, to me, represents ancient beings that have evolved over millions of years, representing the pinnacle of evolution.” This sentiment resonates with many fellow fans who appreciate this timeless sci-fi saga.

Some fans even lean towards the origin story presented in Alien vs. Predator, where it’s suggested that the Yautja species intentionally cultivated xenomorphs as hunting prey. While this particular backstory isn’t part of the main Alien movie canon, the upcoming crossover titled Predator: Badlands later this year may offer an intriguing twist that could potentially cater to everyone’s preferences and fuel the ongoing debates among fans.

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2025-08-25 03:41