Despite its focus on the franchise’s main story,Alien: Earthis looking more like the series' divisive 21-year-old sequel than the original movies. Thestory ofAlien: Earthtakes place two years before the events of the firstAlienmovie,focusing on the crash-landing of the USCSSMaginotin a major city. A team of synthetics, including the main character, Wendy, arrive to investigate, only to learn the ship was housing multiple extraterrestrial lifeforms. Thecreatures inAlien: Earthinclude a Xenomorph and Facehuggers, but it seems the franchise will be expanding its reach beyond those familiar monsters.
According to a voiceover from the trailer, there were at least five different lifeforms being studied by the team of theMaginot. Whilefamiliar forms of the Xenomorph life cycle could be two of them, the trailer offers a brief glimpse at a jellyfish-like creature. Introducing these monsters prior to the core movies intheAlientimelinemakes the series stand out among the other films in the franchise. However, it also makes the series feel more like the divisive, 21-year-old sequel than the original movies that take place after it.
Alien: Earth’s Monsters Including Multiple Different Lifeforms Is More Like AvP Than The Original Films
Alien Vs Predator Featured Its Own Dangerous Creature
A group ofcharacters facing multiple types of monsters was originally explored in 2004’sAlien vs. Predator. During the spinoff of both theAlienandPredatorfranchises, a team of investigators in Antarctica are ambushed by both Xenomorphs and Yautja. Because both species are unfamiliar to them, they’re forced to reckon with the threat of two types of aliens they don’t know anything about. Learning the strengths and weaknesses of both creatures became crucial to their survival, though also made it more difficult because of their differences.
This was carried over into its 2007 sequel,Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, wherehumans are caught in the middle of the Predators trying to killa Xenomorph hybrid, the Predalien. In this instance, both humans and the core Predator, Wolf, need to figure out how to take down the Predalien, which has created an army of Xenomorphs in Gunnison, Colorado. While the sequel only features one new creature, humans in the town still need to grapple with the alien threats, all of which are new to them.
While the jellyfish have been shown already, other lifeforms may also get involved, forcing the core characters to learn about a multitude of extraterrestrial creatures they’ll need to go up against.
The multiple lifeforms that have been teased inAlien: Earthindicatethere are going to be many more threats than just Xenomorphsin the aftermath of theMaginot’s crash. While the jellyfish have been shown already, other lifeforms may also get involved, forcing the core characters to learn about a multitude of extraterrestrial creatures they’ll need to go up against. This reflection ofAlien vs. Predator’s setup shows just how much the series will focus on the varied methods humanity must use to contain and eliminate their new enemies.
The Xenomorphs' Future Hints At Another Big Similarity Between Alien: Earth & The AvP Movies
A Battle Between Extraterrestrial Forces
Much likeAlien vs. Predator,it seems likely that the species in the new show will be competing for dominance with one another. Thetimeline ofAlien: Earthindicates this is humanity’s first encounter with Xenomorphs, something that could inform the lens through which the show views the rest of the franchise. However, as has been proven over and over, the main antagonistic force of the movies can survive anywhere. This means it’s possible they’ll be fighting the show’s other alien species, likely winning and becoming humanity’s biggest threat.
Whilethe way these concepts were handled inAlien vs. Predatorwas controversial, mostly due to plot holes in the larger lore of both franchises,Alien: Earthhas a chance to redeem these ideas. By focusing on just the lore of theAlienmovies, the series has a chance to fully encapsulate these ideas within the confines of its own story. With the show offering a callback to the crossover movies, perhaps this could be a good sign for the overall development of the series' future.
Alien: Earthpremieres June 09, 2025 on FX and FX on Hulu.
