I can’t tell you the last time I got excited for Alien…anything. For me, the franchise wasn’t a strong go-to for rewatch. Not after the first two entries. But come on, Ridley Scott and James Cameron set that bar real high, right out the gate. Many tried to reach that height but none could come close to what those two accomplished. That is, until Noah Hawley threw his hat into the ring with Alien: Earth.
Last December, during Winter Break, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I was determined to use it wisely. No, not to fix things around the house or anything silly like that. Heck no! I chose to use my precious time by watching as much TV as humanly possible. And that I did.
I can’t tell you how many times I tried watching Alien: Earth when it premiered. Countless. It seemed like it was never going to happen. Something would always come up. But now, NOW, nothing was going to stop me. I even got to pace myself through the 8 episodes. A couple here and there. I was enjoying it. The whole “Peter Pan” analogy threw me off at first, thinking it was a bit too on the nose. On further watch, it became apparent, it was merely a jumping on point for deeper meaning: Immortality.
I had to remind myself when this all took place. With the crew of the series looking strikingly similar to those of the Nostromo. I thought somehow the series was going to tie directly to Alien. So, I took to the internet. It always provides.
And that’s when I went down a rabbit hole. Not only does this series eventually connect to the first two movies, it also connects to Blade Runner AND the Predator franchises!
With similar dystopian aesthetics, corporate overlaps (Tyrell/Weyland-Yutani), recurring themes, and numerous Easter eggs. Key points include Weyland-Yutani’s interest in Tyrell Corp’s androids (Replicants) and the explicit link in the Alien vs. Predator comics and promotional material, with Ridley Scott suggesting the worlds overlap.
I only found out for sure, after I watched the series, that Timothy Olyphant’s look was based on that of Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) from Blade Runner. And at the same time of my watching Alien: Earth, the Predator franchise was getting a much-needed resurgence. So guess what I did…yep! I watched that too.
Like I said, I had a lot of time on my hands. I was inspired to play catch-up with all the series and movies I had missed. Mine turned into a theme. I caught up with Aliens, it was now time for me to do the same for Predators. No, not Predators. And not The Predator. I finally watched Predator: Killer of Killers. Three stories. Three time periods. Three times the Predator action. Which include Viking/Norse era, Feudal Japan and WWII. Each story expanding upon the Predator’s reach and familiarity of Earth as a battleground.
Dan Trachtenberg is another one to watch. Much like Noah Hawley, Dan is a visionary. Having already dipped his toes in the Predator universe with Prey, he comes back with Killer of Killers and then Predator: Badlands! Further expanding the Predator mythos with Dek, a disgraced warrior trying to prove himself worthy, crash landing on a planet that is already being researched by a familiar company…uh, maybe you’ve heard of it…? Weyland-Yutani! He stumbles upon Thia (Elle Fanning)’s character, who is a Weyland-Yutani synthetic (with the logo appearing in her eyes). How cool is that?!
From Blade Runner to Predator: Badlands and everything in-between, the Ridleyverse proves you don’t have to churn out direct sequels to watered-down results. You take what works and go every which direction, as long as it services the characters. I’m sure both Dan and Noah still have some fuel in the tank. Noah has said as much. Whatever they want to do with these characters, I hope they’re given the creative freedom they deserve. They’ve proven themselves time and time again.
Arguing With Myself 