Summary
Noah Hawley has announced the title for his FXAlienprequel series and, in so doing, has revealed that another franchise retcon is imminent.Alien: Earthhad already been placed within theAlientimeline, set around 30 years before the original film. Now the location of the show is confirmed, concerns about its execution have risen. Hawley’s decision to set the show on Earth creates contradictions with Ridley Scott’sPrometheusandAlien: Covenantthat will have to be resolved with yet another big franchise lore retcon.
Given themixed response to Scott’sAlienprequels,Alien: Earthhas a major challenge ahead. The FX series will follow Fede Alvarez' attempt to revive the franchise after a seven-year hiatus – his film is set to be released in August. Just asAlien: Romulusleans into the sci-fi horror roots of the original,Alien: Earthhas been described by Hawley as a homage to the 1979 classic. Although the prospect of seeing anAlienstory on the small screen for the first time is thrilling, there remain legitimate concerns over how the show can integrate into an already messy canon – with one element proving particularly problematic.
Alien: Romulus Can Finally Make A Divisive Trend From Ridley Scott’s Prequels Great After New Tease
Alien: Romulus’s director Fede Alvarez made an interesting promise about the reboot, and this could redeem a problem with Ridley Scott’s prequels.
Alien: Earth’s Timeline & Setting Mean There Shouldn’t Be Any Aliens
The Deep Space Setting Of The Original Films Are Essential
According to preexistingAlienlore,the titular aliens should not exist on Earth. Ridley Scott’s sequels,PrometheusandAlien: Covenant,though controversial additions to the franchise, exist to explainthe origin of the xenomorphs. They make it clear that the classic xenomorphs did not yet exist at this point in the timeline, with the implication that they were engineered by David, the android played by Michael Fassbender. Yet, ifAlien: Earthpredates Ripley’s storyline by 30 years, it exists chronologically around the same period asPrometheus.
If the xenomorphs as we know them have not yet been created, they certainly have no business being found on Earth. But the Earth setting is not just illogical from a plot perspective:it also erases one ofAlien’s key thematic elements. There is a reason that most movies in the franchise are set in deep-space. The desolation, isolation, and fear of the unknown associated with planetary exploration are quintessential in cosmic horror, as the iconic tagline suggests:“in space, no-one can hear you scream.”
Alien: Earth Will Need Another Big Retcon To Feature The Xenomorphs
The Show Will Completely Re-Write The Weyland-Yutani Corporation (Again)
Not much is known about the storyline ofAlien: Earthso far, but it seems that it will center on the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, since Sandra Yi Sencindiver has already beencast as a senior Weyland-Yutani employee.The lore behind this shadowy corporate entity is already contradictory, thanks to theretcon inPrometheusandAlien: Covenant.These prequels imply that betweenCovenantand the first movie, Weyland-Yutani became aware of the existence of the xenomorphs, andNostromo’slanding on Acheron was not a coincidence.
If xenomorphs had already reached Earth, as looks to be the case in the Hawley series, it would not make sense for Weyland-Yutani to be so desperate to acquire a specimen to study. In fact,at this point in the chronology, Weyland-Yutani proper shouldn’t even exist. InPrometheus,the corporations are still separate entities. This inconsistency will not concern Hawley, however, who has claimed thatPrometheusandAlien: Covenantwill be irrelevant to the FX series.
Yet again, the established lore ofAlienis being completely rewritten, making it even harder to view the setting as a cohesive whole.
The preexisting sequels may not be universally liked, but it is frustrating to see so much of the franchise disregarded. Yet again, the established lore ofAlienis being completely rewritten, making it even harder to view the setting as a cohesive whole. This mistake has been made before and augurs ominously forAlien: Earth’s story.
Another Big Retcon Is The Last Thing The Alien Franchise Needs
Alien Prequels Were Let Down By Over-Complicated World-Building
It’s hard to imagineAlien: Earthnot featuring some form of the monster that made the franchise so iconic. Whether Hawley decides to erase Scott’s world-building completely, or perform writing gymnastics to allow his series to tie-in,there’s potential to further complicate an already messy canon. There is a risk that his effort to makeAlien: Earthmake sense will result in heavy exposition, something which is difficult to pull off without sacrificing quality.
That being said, FX is known for producing high caliber television. The widely acclaimed historical dramaShōgunis its recent masterpiece. Hawley is also an undeniably talented showrunner, responsible for the network’s award-winning TV adaptation ofFargo, which received three Primetime Emmys and three Golden Globes. He is clearly anticipating similar success withAlien: Earth.Speaking toThe Hollywood Reporter,Hawley reassures fans that they are in for"something special", and states that he"couldn’t be happier with the show we shot."
Alien: Earthis being sold as an homage to the franchise’s original film. The threat that its setting poses to established lore undermines that claim. It won’t be the first entry in the franchise to take the xenomorphs to Earth: that’s already the premise of theAlien vs. Predatorcrossovers. By setting his series closer to home, Hawley has arguably missed the true source of the horror in the original. The fate ofNostromois a warning of the destruction that this primordial, extra-terrestrial life-form would wage on the human race. It’s a point that is completely underwritten if, asAlien: Earthwill imply, the aliens have already landed.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
Alien
The Alien franchise, which began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, is a Sci-Fi series comprised of several horror films, games, and comic books centered on humanity’s encounters with a hostile extraterrestrial species known as Xenomorphs. Characterized by their lethal prowess and capability to reproduce at an alarming rate, these creatures pose a profound threat to human existence. The primary series protagonist, Ellen Ripley, acts as the voice of reason as she seeks to keep the creatures out of the hands of greed-driven corporate scientists.
