The newest trailer for FX and Hulu’s Alien: Earth revealed a lot more than we’d seen before. Including new alien species besides the Xenomorph, and a good look at Earth during this era. We also got an exact date for when the series takes place in the Alien timeline. A title card appears over a lush, green area that says “Neverland Research Island, Earth, 2120.” We know that the original Alien film by Ridley Scott takes place a mere two years later, in 2122. The designs we see of the ship interiors in the Alien: Earth trailer looks a great deal like the interiors of the Nostromo from Alien. We doubt it’s the same ship, probably just the same class of towing vessel.
This 2120 date also places Alien: Earth significantly later than the events of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Prometheus takes place in the year 2093. Hey, it’s nice to know we’ll have interstellar travel in a mere 80 years! Alien: Covenant happens about a decade later, in 2104. But here’s the real kicker. Despite Ridley Scott being an executive producer on Alien: Earth, showrunner Noah Hawley has hinted that his series does not adhere to those film’s origins for the Xenomorph. In his mind, the android David (Michael Fassbender) is not the Xenomorph’s daddy.
It’s hard to imagine that Ridley Scott would put his name to something that retcons his own work. But soon, we might have to place those films in an adjacent continuity with the Alien vs. Predator films. With Alien taking place just two years later, does this mean first contact with the Xenomorph took place on Earth, which is why Weyland/Yutani had its special orders in the first place? That actually would make a ton of sense within the framework of the franchise. We’ll find out exactly how it all ties together when Alien: Earth lands on FX and Hulu on August
Content shared from nerdist.com.