In 2012, Ridley Scott returned to the franchise that he created in 1979 when he directedPrometheus, a prequel toAlien. With this movie, he made some major changes, retconning what some of the original sequels set into motion, and that made the film one of the mostpolarizing of any release in theAlienseries.
The movie followsscientists who discover an alien race known as the Engineers, the creators of humanity, but it then spirals into the story of David,an android who uses Black Goohe finds on the planet to create the first Xenomorphs. With all the retcons and changes to the franchise,Prometheusstill isn’t as disruptiveas the two weakestAliensequels.
How Prometheus Rewrote Alien Canon
The Black Goo, Engineers, & Weyland Corp
Prometheusfollows a group of scientists who meet an alien group known as the Engineers, the beings responsible for creating humans. They then encounter a mysterious “Black Goo” that ultimately spawns one of the earliest versions of the Xenomorph.This plays intoAlien: Covenant,where David furthers their evolution.
What Ridley Scott did withPrometheuswas make some changesthat made the franchise better than it had been in years. The first thing that the movie did was retcon the main antagonists, Weyland Corp. It showed that this corporation knew a lot more about Xenomorphs than anyone could have expected during the events of the firstAlienmovie.
It seems that Weyland Corp knew what was on LV-426 and sent the crew into a trap.
This was also a change that made the firstAlienmovie more ominous. Just watching that movie makes it seem like the crew of the Nostromo was just unlucky. However, with whatPrometheusshowed, it seems that Weyland Corp knew what was on LV-426 and sent the crew into a trap, sacrificing them for a look at the Xenomorph.
Prometheusalso made David the Xenomorph’s creator, retconning theAlien vs. Predatorstories. The film also went a long way to show the Engineers work in this, only to then nerf their contributions inAlien: Covenant. The Black Goo was also introduced here, which created new biological elements that the original movies never used.
2 Other Alien Movies Made Far More Egregious Retcons
Alien 3 & Alien Resurrection Made More Drastic Changes
Alienintroduced theidea of a haunted house story in space, and the horror in that Ridley Scott movie remains effective all these years later.Aliensthen saw James Cameron step inand make a high-octane sci-fi action horror movie with a military unit fighting the Xenomorphs, but it mostly kept the mythology the same as the previous movie.
However,Alien 3shook things up too much. One of the biggest sins was killing Newt and Hicks before the film even started. Ripley bonded with Newt and Hicks inAliens,and it seemed that the franchise was setting up a team, or at least a family that fights together. HavingAlien 3open with both Newt and Hicks dead was a tremendous mistake.
While resetting Ripley back to square one, losing everything she gained in the last movie, was upsetting,Alien Resurrectiondid something worse. The film takes place 200 years after Ripley died. However, wanting to keep Sigourney Weaver as the lead, the film brought her back as a clone, with almost superhuman powers.
Alien Resurrectionshook up the franchise more than anythingPrometheustried to do.
This changes everything about Ripley, turning her from someone who fights with all her heart to overcome the Xenomorphs to someone who is on their level and is willing to jump into a fight without a care. If anything,Alien Resurrectionshook up the franchise more than anythingPrometheustried to do years later.
Prometheus Has Aged A Lot Better Than Alien 3 & Alien: Resurrection
Prometheus Has Much Of What Makes Alien A Great Franchise
While it was polarizing when released, and it remains a point of contention for some fans,Prometheusremains one of the most underrated entriesin theAlienfranchise. It was the firstAlienmovie in theaters in 15 years, andit marked Ridley Scott’s return to the franchise. It was also a secret prequel at the time, an origin story for the Xenomorphs.
Alien 3remains maligned, made more so bydirector David Fincher’s disappointmentin it.Alien Resurrectionaimed for something different, and it just didn’t work compared to what came before. However, looking back at the films today,Prometheusis the one that holds up the best.
ManyAlienfans started givingPrometheusa second chance whenAlien: Romulushit theaters. That movie actually referencedPrometheuswith the “Prometheus fire” line by the Renaissance station’s android Rook in the film.Prometheushas great jump scares and production design and the third-act twist pays everything off.
Prometheusbrought that back with the impregnation of Shaw with the squid creature.
Alienhas always lived and died with body horror, with the chestburster scene from the first film one of the most memorable moments.Prometheusbrought that back with the impregnation of Shaw with the squid creature that she removes from her body. It matches up with the chestburster, and moments like this keepPrometheusa solid entry in the franchise.
Alien Stands On The Verge Of Another Massive Retcon
Alien: EarthTakes Place Before Prometheus
The creators behind the upcomingAlien: Earthhave a significant decision to make.The newAlienseries will have to either accept the changes made byPrometheusto theAlienfranchise or contradict them. From the sound of the plot, it seemsunlikely that it can makePrometheuscanonand might even retcon it completely.
Alien: Earthis set to take place one year beforethe events ofPrometheusand follows the crew of a vessel that lands on Earth. While there, they make a dangerous discovery that puts the entire planet at risk. What is puzzling about the plot is that it takes place beforePrometheus, yet it still introduces Xenomorphs.
IfPrometheusintroduces one of the earliest Xenomorphs, and they aren’t fully evolved until David experiments on them further inAlien: Covenant, there is no way that they can be inAlien: Earth, a year before that movie even took place. Unless the series has a completely different Xenomorph creature,Alien: Earthwill rewriteAlienhistory again.
