Alien: Earth Debuts with Thrilling Plot and Stellar Cast

Alien: Earth launches its first two episodes on August 12 on Hulu at 8pm ET, and on FX and Disney+ globally at 8pm PT/ET. New episodes of the eight-episode season air every Tuesday.

Set in 2120, shortly before the events of Alien and following Prometheus, Noah Hawley’s Alien: Earth follows the crash-landing of the USCSS Maginot on Earth. A young woman named Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and a diverse team of tactical soldiers uncover a catastrophic discovery, confronting humanity’s deadliest threat.

For context, the recent interquel Alien: Romulus takes place between Alien and Aliens.

In this era of the Alien timeline, Earth is ruled by five corporations: Weyland-Yutani, Prodigy, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. Cyborgs and synthetics live alongside humans, but Prodigy’s visionary leader creates hybrids—humanoid robots with human consciousness. Wendy, the first hybrid prototype, embodies the franchise’s ongoing quest for immortality.

A gripping detail emerges: after Weyland-Yutani’s spacecraft crashes into Prodigy City, Wendy and her fellow hybrids encounter enigmatic life forms “more horrifying than anything imaginable.”

This hints at creatures beyond the Xenomorph, possibly new variants, with five distinct types mentioned.

Official synopsis:

In 2120, Earth is controlled by five corporations: Prodigy, Weyland-Yutani, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshold. Cyborgs (humans with biological and artificial components) and synthetics (AI-driven humanoid robots) coexist with humans. A revolutionary breakthrough by Prodigy’s CEO introduces hybrids—humanoid robots with human consciousness. The first, named Wendy, signals a leap in the pursuit of immortality. When Weyland-Yutani’s spacecraft crashes into Prodigy City, Wendy and other hybrids face mysterious life forms more terrifying than anything ever conceived.

Alien: Earth cast:

AI Characters (Synthetics) in the Alien Movie Franchise

Last January, showrunner Noah Hawley shared why he avoided Prometheus’ backstory for Alien: Earth, emphasizing his preference for the “retro-futurism” of the original films. After discussions with Alien creator Ridley Scott about the series’ connections to the prequels, Hawley chose to focus on the classic lore, diverging from the bioweapon narrative.

The Alien franchise is thriving. Alien: Romulus 2 is in development, and a new crossover with the Predator franchise, Predator: Badlands, is on the horizon.