How ALIEN: EARTH Fits Into the ALIEN Franchise Timeline

by

The order of events in the Alien movie series is quite complex, with various films presenting conflicting timelines. While it may seem confusing, it’s not as chaotic as the Halloween franchise. The initial four movies revolve around Sigourney Weaver’s character, Ellen Ripley. There are also two prequels directed by Ridley Scott, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and the Alien vs. Predator series, which exist in their own continuity. Last year saw the release of Alien: Romulus. The upcoming Noah Hawley series, Alien: Earth, ties directly to the 1979 Alien film and its sequels, including Romulus. However, connecting it to the rest of the series can be a bit challenging.

Alien: Earth Takes Place 2 Years Before the Original Alien

In the year 2122, a commercial space tug named Nostromo, belonging to the Weyland-Yutani corporation, is compelled to land on LV-426 to respond to a mysterious signal. Unbeknownst to them, this signal originated from a deserted alien spacecraft inhabited by Engineers, an extinct humanoid race. Inside, they uncover Xenomorph eggs. A shocking event follows as one of these eggs gives birth to a creature, triggering pandemonium. It’s later revealed that the Nostromo’s computer system, MU-TH-UR, had been instructed all along to retrieve the alien eggs and transport them back to Earth for Weyland-Yutani’s weapons division. The crew was merely disposable assets in this scheme.

It’s puzzling to consider how Weyland-Yutani discovered the derelict spaceship containing Xenomorph eggs and knew so much about these creatures to send an expedition for it, potentially sacrificing their crew and valuable cargo. However, the series “Alien: Earth” offers a tentative solution. It seems that Weyland-Yutani had previously dispatched a research vessel to gather alien specimens, among them a Xenomorph. This ship, the Maginot, crashed in Prodigy City on Earth in 2120, which would explain their knowledge of this species and their eagerness to retrieve one just two years later. While many mysteries remain unsolved, these initial episodes provide us with a basic understanding.

What About Prometheus and Alien: Covenant?

What about Ridley Scott’s prequel films, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant? These movies are set in the years 2093 and 2104 respectively. One might wonder if Weyland-Yutani could have learned about the Xenomorph from these events. However, it’s unlikely. The majority of the crew aboard the Prometheus spacecraft perished, with only Dr. Elizabeth Shaw surviving but not returning to Earth. Therefore, the company would not have had access to their discoveries. Regarding Alien: Covenant, by the end of the film, the remaining starship crew was placed back into cryogenic sleep. The android David, played by Michael Fassbender, took control of the ship with malicious intentions and it didn’t seem as if he would be reporting back to Weyland-Yutani headquarters at that point.

Another potential inconsistency in the timeline of events within the Prometheus/Covenant series arises. These movies imply that the synthetic being, David, was the one who originally created the Xenomorphs familiar from the initial films. However, even Prometheus casts some doubt on this idea. On the Engineers’ spaceship, there exists an ancient mural depicting a Xenomorph, suggesting that a form of this creature existed well before David, possibly millions of years ago. David was merely trying to create his own version of the “perfect organism.” The aliens discovered by the crew in Alien: Earth may not be related at all to the ones David generated in space. As such, Alien: Earth does not directly connect to Ridley Scott’s prequels but also doesn’t outright contradict them either, for now. We’ll see how things develop as the story of Alien: Earth progresses further.

Alien: Earth is now dropping new episodes on FX, and streaming on FX on Hulu.

Read More

2025-08-13 03:03