Alien: Earthtakes place not long before Ridley Scott’s originalAlienmovie. Created by Noah Hawley (Legion, Fargo),Alien: Earthpremieres August 12 on FX. The eight-episode science fiction horror series is a prequel to 1979’sAlien,which launched an enduring franchise centering on humans fighting acid-blooded, ferocious Xenomorphs.Alien: Earthis also the first time the Xenomorphs will set foot on humanity’s homeworld, as the priorAlienmovies took place on spaceships or other planets.
With a cast led by Sydney Chandler as Wendy, a human child whose mind is placed in a synthetic android body,Alien: Earthinvolvesa spaceship crash-landing on Earth containing deadly speciescollected from the farthest reaches of the universe. Among the aliens that escaped and wreaked havoc on the ship were Xenomorphs. Wendy leads a ragtag team to investigate the crashed ship, coming face-to-face withalien horrors that could threaten Earth.
Alien: Earth’s cast also includes a mysterious character namedKirsh played by Timothy Olyphant, who is Wendy’s trainer and mentor. AlthoughAlien: Earthis the newest entry in theAlienfranchise and the firstAlienTV series, it’sset at a particularly fascinating point in the overallAlientimeline. Here’s whenAlien: Earthis set, and how it ties into the other films in the greaterAliensaga.
Alien: Earth Is Set Two Years Before The First Alien Movie
In Space, Sigourney Weaver Is Still In Cryo Sleep
Alien: Earth’s new trailerconfirms that Noah Hawley’s series takes place in 2120 - 2 years before the events of 1979’s Alien.However,Alien: Earthalso seems to havea prologue showing how Wendy’s mind is transferred into an android body. Wendy and her team look to be experienced professionals when the spaceship crash-lands on Earth inAlien: Earth’s present-day, so Wendy’s prologue may be set a few years before 2120.
InAlien: Earth’s 2120 timeframe, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the crew of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation’s freighter, Nostromo, are still in cryo-sleep en route to Earth. In 2122, the Nostromo’s crew will answer a beacon from LV-426 and inadvertently bring a Xenomorph aboard, withRipley emerging as the sole survivor who sends the alieninto deep space. IfAlien: Earthis a hit and continues for more seasons,the events of the TV series could become simultaneous to Ridley Scott’sAlien.
At this point in the Alien timeline, Earth doesn’t have a great knowledge of Xenomorphs.
Alien: Earthtakes advantage of two factors that make its 2120 timeframe compelling: At this point in theAlientimeline, Earth doesn’t have a great knowledge of Xenomorphs.Prometheus’mission was a disaster that ended with nearly all lives lost, and one of the survivors, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), later died on the Engineers' homeworld. The crew of the Covenant inAlien: Covenantwas also massacred by Xenomorphs. The acid-blooded Xenomorphs, and whatever other creatures are inAlien: Earth,will be a new threat that Earth isn’t prepared for.
Where Alien: Earth Fits With The Entire Alien Franchise Timeline
Alien’s Timeline Can Be Confusing
Alien: Earthslots in at an early point in the overallAlientimeline, which spans nearly 300 years, so far.Alien: Earthtakes place two years beforeAlien(1979), butit is set afterPrometheusandAlien: Covenant,which were Ridley Scott’s 2012 and 2017 prequels exploring the origins of the Xenomorphs and the mythology of their creators, the Engineers.Prometheusis the onlyAlienprequel that takes place in the late 21st century, andall of the otherAlienmovies, except forAlien: Resurrection,are set in the 22nd century.
2093
2012
2104
2017
2120
2025
2122
1979
2142
2024
2179
1986
1992
2381
1997
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Ripley’s ordeal with the Xenomorphs spans four films:Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, andAlien: Resurrection,which is the onlyAlienmovie that takes place in the 24th century. The most recentAlienmovie, Fede Alvarez’sAlien: Romulus,takes place 20 years after Ridley Scott’sAlien(1979). While there will surely be callbacks, Easter eggs, and tie-ins toPrometheusandAlien: Covenant,and perhaps a hint towardsAlien(1979),Alien: Earthhas the freedom to take the franchise’s established concepts and iconography to sow chaos in a brand-new setting: Earth.
