Alien: Earth: Adapting Ridley Scott’s Original 1979 Ending

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The FX and Hulu series Alien: Earth is coming back for another season, and it might finally achieve something Ridley Scott originally envisioned for the first Alien film almost half a century ago. The original Alien famously ends with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) ejecting the alien creature into space and entering cryosleep with her cat, Jonesy. This ending is incredibly well-known, and later Alien movies, like Aliens, expanded upon it significantly. However, that wasn’t the initial plan for how the first Alien movie would conclude.

I’ve always been fascinated by the original ending Ridley Scott envisioned for Alien. It was so much grimmer than what we ultimately saw! Apparently, Ripley wasn’t supposed to make it. The Xenomorph was going to kill her, take over the escape shuttle, and even pretend to be Dallas over the comms to draw in more ships – a truly terrifying thought! Sadly, the studio felt it was too bleak and insisted on a more hopeful ending where Ripley survives. I can see their point, but a part of me still wonders what that darker version would have been like.

The final version of Alien is actually stronger than director Ridley Scott’s original plan. Had Ripley died, the film would have ended on a bleak and hopeless note, making the whole story feel pointless. Also, the idea of the Xenomorph being able to cleverly imitate human voices wasn’t a particularly exciting twist. While that ending wouldn’t have suited Alien, it might work better for a potential sequel, Alien: Earth.

The show Alien: Earth was quickly renewed for a second season, giving the creators a lot of flexibility. While it’s unknown how many seasons there will be, creator Noah Hawley seems to be planning a satisfying conclusion when the time is right. He could then use the dark ending that Ridley Scott originally had in mind for the Alien franchise.

It Makes Sense For Alien: Earth To Kill Everyone Off When It Ends

One likely reason the upcoming series, Alien: Earth, might replicate the ending of the original Alien is simply that it makes sense within the story. The series exists in a somewhat unusual position within the Alien universe. While it doesn’t break any established rules, introducing human-android hybrids, Xenomorphs on Earth, and new corporate rivals feels a little out of place. It also raises questions about why later Alien movies don’t seem to acknowledge the significant events that would have happened in Alien: Earth.

The simplest way to avoid contradictions with the existing Alien story would be to eliminate the main characters of Alien: Earth. If Wendy and the Lost Boys, or Boy Kavalier and the crew of Prodigy, are all killed – whether by the Xenomorphs or by the Yutani Corporation – they can’t cause problems for Weyland-Yutani or the rest of Earth. Plus, if everyone who discovers the Xenomorphs dies, humanity would never even know they exist.

A bleak ending where all the main characters die would actually fit well with the core themes of Alien: Earth. The show consistently argues that humans are just as frightening as the Xenomorphs themselves, and warns about the consequences of playing with forces we don’t understand. Because it’s not part of the official Alien storyline, Alien: Earth could go even further and have the hybrid creatures wipe out the planet, powerfully reinforcing that message.

As a big Alien fan, I’ve been thinking about how ‘Alien: Earth’ could connect to the rest of the franchise, and the ending possibilities are fascinating. If the movie goes dark and everyone dies, it could actually tie in nicely with the ending of ‘Alien: Resurrection’. Remember how Ripley and Annalee were looking at a ruined Earth in that film? We never really knew what happened to Earth, but if ‘Alien: Earth’ shows the Lost Boys completely turning on humanity and starting a war, that could easily explain the planet’s destruction. It would give ‘Resurrection’ a much-needed backstory and create a really bleak, connected universe.

A Bleak Ending Would Fit Alien: Earth’s Tone

Removing Wendy and the Lost Boys would align with the dark and dangerous feel of Alien: Earth. The show has consistently proven, like other Alien installments, that any character can die, and it’s not a feel-good story. We’ve already seen major characters – including Tootles, Arthur Sylvia, Siberian, and most of the Maginot crew – meet violent ends. Alien: Earth has established itself as a harsh and unforgiving series, so a similarly bleak conclusion would feel consistent with everything that’s come before.

A bleak ending for Alien: Earth would be consistent with the overall mood of the Alien franchise. None of the Alien films conclude on a hopeful note. Both Alien and Aliens leave Ripley and her crew stranded in the vast emptiness of space, their fate unknown. Alien 3 ends with Ripley’s death, and Alien: Resurrection depicts a ruined Earth. Alien: Covenant arguably has the most disturbing ending, showing David freely controlling a human colony ship that he intends to use for his Xenomorph experiments.

While most Alien movies end on a bleak note, Prometheus and Alien: Romulus offer a glimmer of hope, though still with a sense of unease. Prometheus leaves Shaw and David heading into an unknown future, which we later learn from Covenant is filled with more suffering. Romulus sees Rain and Andy escape to apparent safety, but they’re deeply scarred by their experiences. The upcoming Alien: Earth could follow suit and end on a dark note, potentially drawing on Ridley Scott’s original vision to achieve that.

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2026-05-04 00:39