Alien: Earth Makes Two Big Changes to Franchise Lore, And I Think They’re Both Great

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As a movie critic, I must admit that “Alien: Earth” has surpassed my expectations when it comes to reimagining a well-known franchise like Alien. Creator Noah Hawley masterfully demonstrates how to innovate within the bounds of an established IP, crafting an engaging narrative that’s both fresh and familiar.

Set as a prequel to the 1979 movie “Alien,” one might initially view this as a restriction. But fear not! The central concept of a spaceship crashing on Earth serves as the perfect launchpad for exploring thought-provoking sociopolitical themes, along with spine-chilling horror elements that make “Alien: Earth” feel more substantial and intricately woven than your typical Alien flick.

Earth” adaptation is introducing to the “Alien” franchise that I find fantastic. Not only do I think these changes are excellent, but they are also innovative concepts that could significantly enhance future “Alien” productions.

“Alien” Can Have More Than One Nightmare Monster

In the world of Alien, the xenomorphs have earned their status as unforgettable symbols, thanks to H.R. Giger’s groundbreaking creature designs. His creations are legendary for their chilling effect: a head without eyes, black skin, and an additional inner mouth within the toothy one; not to mention the “life cycle” involving a parasitic facehugger and the shocking chestburster scene. It’s challenging to envision a more terrifying amalgamation of various horrific elements (creature, body, psychological, slasher). However, Noah Hawley has found ways – multiple ways, in fact – to add even more terror to this already fearsome creature.

The alien creatures discovered on Earth have provided us with numerous reasons for nightmares – some resembling the terrifying xenomorphs in their ability to cause panic, while introducing new elements that make them even more unsettling. The ‘Eyeball’ monster, a cunning and physically intimidating species, has become a fan favorite, demonstrating intelligence as well as brute force depending on its host body. Another disturbing discovery is the ‘Ticks’, an alien bug race that burrow inside hosts to drain blood and release toxic clouds capable of killing entire rooms and even grown adults. In comparison, a single facehugger or xenomorph drone poses a significant threat, but a swarm of Ticks would surely be catastrophic. The recently encountered ‘Flower monster’ and the debuting “The Flies” in Episode 6 are still being studied, but it appears that The Flies have already made a significant impact as they feed on metallic, plastic, and synthetic materials, which could potentially pose a significant risk to human technology.

Understandably, not every fan of the Alien series is entirely thrilled with how Ryan Hawley is handling Alien: Earth. However, the focus here isn’t on personal enjoyment. Even if you’re not a fan of the unique narrative in Alien: Earth, it’s tough to dismiss that Hawley has brought up an intriguing concept for the franchise to ponder – introducing more xenomorph-like creatures. Future films could delve into expeditions aiming to discover or combat xenomorph hives, possibly incorporating other alien species into the mix. In fact, it’s quite surprising that this idea hasn’t been discussed before. If Weyland-Yutani is after biological weapons, limiting themselves to a single species seems implausible – they’d likely want a diverse range of creatures, much like how one might collect Pokémon.

Humans, Machines & Everything In Between

In Hawley’s interpretation, it’s not only the fearsome creatures in space that are multiplied but also the existence of advanced artificial life forms in this futuristic setting. Previously, the Alien series depicted “synthetics” (essentially androids) as a focal point between human conflicts and xenomorphs. However, Alien: Earth expands on this idea by integrating cyborgs (humans with mechanical components), and the entire series revolves around the emergence of a novel type of machines called “hybrids.” These hybrids enable the transfer of human consciousness to android bodies.

Apart from broadening this particular sector of the Alien universe, Hawley has introduced intriguing novel ideas regarding the essence of human nature and existence (do hybrids continue to be considered truly “human”?). Moreover, he’s opened up a fresh avenue for the Alien series by possibly featuring machine-augmented humans as leads in future installments. While Synths, with the exception of Michael Fassbender’s David, are confined by their programming, cyborgs preserve human autonomy while wielding machine force; hybrids, however, represent potentially powerful protagonists for future projects within this franchise, and they also allow for more nuanced explorations of what truly defines “human” when interacting with alien species.

Earth” to stand alone as a masterpiece for the franchise to thrive. The intriguing concepts that Noah Hawley has introduced into the intellectual property offer fertile ground for further development if future directors or TV producers decide to cultivate them.

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Alien: Earth is streaming on FX-Hulu.

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2025-09-12 04:10