Warning: this article contains slight spoilers for Alien: Earth
The first two episodes of FX’s newAlienprequel series,Alien: Earth, are now streaming on Hulu, and the series is already a better prequel than Ridley Scott’s 2012 movie.Alien: Earthis set just two years beforeAlien, and it drops audiences directly into the franchise’s complex universe, though in a very different way thanAlienitself.
In its first two episodes,Alien: Earthhas already introduced the five corporations controlling the Earth, along with its distinctive cast of non-human characters. Likewise,Alien: Earth’s new creaturesintroduce a unique variation on the typical alien threat of the franchise, and it does so better thanPrometheus.
Alien: Earth Is So Far A Better Alien Prequel Than Ridley Scott’s Prometheus
Just two episodes in,Alien: Earthis already shaping up to be a betterAlienprequel thanPrometheus. As a stand-alone movie,Prometheusisn’t necessarily bad. Its direction and cast are impressive, butthe details that the film and its 2017 sequel,Covenant, attempted to add to the franchise’s lore were a bit shaky.
In theory,Prometheus’s Engineers and David’s story throughout the two movies could have been interesting additions, but their execution raised more questions than they answered. What’s more,Prometheusdidn’t adequately refresh the franchise, which it desperately needed. Now,Alien: Earthhas actually succeeded in doing so.
The opening sequence of the series brings audiences back into the world ofAlien, with its spaceship setting and flashes of the xenomorph attack referencing the older films perfectly. After establishing this essential through line,Alien: Earth’s characters, the exploration of Prodigy, and, of course, the planetary setting give the show a unique approach to a familiar world.
Why Alien: Earth Is Ignoring The Events Of Prometheus And Covenant
Alien: EarthignoresPrometheusandCovenant’s events thanks to the new timeline of the USCSS Maginot’s crash landing in New Siam and its repercussions. While this does raise some questions about David’s xenomorph experimentation,Alien: Earth’s ability to differentiate itself means that it ultimately doesn’t need to followPrometheus’s lead.
Earthdoesn’t need to include any details that the crews of thePrometheusor theCovenantlearned becausethe characters within the new series simply don’t know that information. Prodigy’s synths and hybrids would have no way of knowing what happened to ships belonging to another company, so the show can focus on its own Earth-centric invasion plot instead.
Alien: Earth Is What Prometheus Should Have Been
WherePrometheuswent out of its way to explore a new backstory for humanity and the xenomorphs,Alien: Earth’s first two episodes have already done a better job balancing its franchise-centered aspects and its original plot. The existence of familiar elements and tone is enough to center it within the franchise, showing that creatorNoah Hawley respects the original films.
While these clear stylistic choices do reference back to the original movie very well, Hawley has also succeeded in expanding the franchise’s canon. By bringing the action down to Earth and extending its runtime with the series format,Alien: Earthis able to grapple with the franchise’s themes and sci-fi horror tone far better thanPrometheus.
