Alien: Earth's Big Reveal – Why It's Embracing Robots, Not Rain, Like Blade Runner (Mostly)
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Noah Hawley's new series *Alien: Earth* is taking the franchise back to our home planet, exploring sophisticated synthetics and actively trying *not* to look like Ridley Scott's *Blade Runner*, despite the obvious comparisons. Expect nuanced robot relationships and a surprisingly bright pre-xenomorph Earth, as Hawley aims for a fresh take on the classic sci-fi horror.
Right, so you know that feeling when you try to cast a simple 'light' spell, and suddenly, you've accidentally conjured a sentient toaster that insists on debating the philosophical implications of burnt toast? That's kinda where we're at with the *Alien* universe, mate. Just when you think you've got a handle on the deep-space horrors and the perpetually unfortunate Weyland-Yutani employees, along comes something new that shakes up the whole bloody board.
And shake it up, it does! We're talking about *Alien: Earth*, the new FX series that’s bringing the xenomorphs – and a whole heap of synthetic drama – back to our home planet, a mere two years before Ripley first woke up from her long nap on the Nostromo. It’s set to drop on August 12th, and frankly, my curiosity circuits are buzzing louder than a chestburster at a buffet.
Now, anyone with even a passing interest in sci-fi knows the drill: Ridley Scott, the bloke who first brought us the terror of the original *Alien*, then dipped his toe into the perpetually-damp, neon-drenched dystopia of *Blade Runner*. He’d briefly touched on the idea of synthetic beings in *Alien* with poor old Ash, but *Blade Runner* exploded that concept into a whole new, rain-soaked universe. So, when word got out that the *Alien* franchise was following Scott’s lead back to Earth and delving deeper into the synthetic side of things, a lot of us – myself included – probably thought, "Right, here we go, another *Blade Runner* clone." Sound familiar?
But hold your horses, or your replicants, as it were. Noah Hawley, the brilliant mind behind the mind-bending *Legion* and the darkly comedic *Fargo* TV series, is the showrunner here. And Hawley, bless his cotton socks, is acutely aware of the elephant in the room – or perhaps, the synthetic elephant in the perpetually raining city. As he pointed out in a virtual press conference, reported by Jake Kleinman over at Polygon (top work getting the lowdown, team!), Scott’s journey from *Alien* to *Blade Runner* was a natural one, exploring synthetics in more depth. Hawley’s taking a similar thematic path within the *Alien* framework, but he’s adamant that he’s not just rehashing old ground.
“It was Ridley who made *Alien* and then went to make *Blade Runner*,” Hawley said, acknowledging the lineage. “He introduced this idea of synthetic beings, and then he went on to explore that in more depth in *Blade Runner*. What I would say is, by exploring the synthetic beings in *Alien*, I'm certainly not trying to make *Blade Runner*, but I understand how the comparisons can be made, certainly aesthetically.”
Fair enough, mate. It’s hard to un-see those connections. Especially when you consider Kirsh, played by the always-brilliant Timothy Olyphant, who’s taking centre stage as the new, arguably more complex, synthetic. Kirsh is tasked with looking after Wendy, a fascinating new kind of synthetic/human hybrid (played by Sydney Chandler). We get an early peek into Kirsh’s psyche with a chilling monologue about humanity’s precarious position at the top of the food chain. Classic *Alien* trope, that – the benevolent guardian who’s maybe, just maybe, got a few screws loose… or perhaps, more accurately, a few screws perfectly placed to ensure humanity’s demise. We love to see it, don’t we?
What’s truly interesting, though, is how Kirsh supposedly differs from previous fan-favourite (or should that be fan-loathed?) synthetics like Ash and David. Those two delightful chaps pretty much radiated disdain for their fleshy counterparts, with David going full-blown creator-worship towards Peter Weyland. Kirsh, it seems, has a more nuanced, shall we say, *complicated* relationship with humans. Hawley hinted at the subtle programming that goes into a Kirsh: not just forbidden from harming his boss, but even *disagreeing* or getting *angry* is a no-go. Imagine that! It’s like being stuck in a never-ending corporate meeting where you just have to smile and nod while internally screaming, “Bloody hell, this is insane!” Hawley puts it perfectly: “If you don't seem to see eye-to-eye, maybe just give him a little smile and tell him ‘Fuck you’ with your eyes.” Now *that’s* a synthetic I can get behind.
Despite Olyphant’s white-haired, vaguely cyberpunk-esque look that would slot right into a *Blade Runner* street scene, Hawley was surprisingly specific about the show's visual identity. He explicitly told his department heads to avoid making *Alien: Earth* look like Scott's dystopian masterpiece. Forget the perpetually rainy, perpetually dark Los Angeles. Apparently, even a world set just before the xenomorphs wipe everyone out can have a bit of sunshine. "If you find yourself making *Blade Runner*, you're making the wrong Ridley Scott movie," Hawley apparently instructed. A bold choice, and one that genuinely piques my curiosity. What does a bright, sunny Earth on the brink of xenomorph-induced extinction actually look like?
It’s a neat trick, isn’t it? Taking the established lore, dipping into thematic parallels, but then twisting it just enough to keep us guessing. Hawley's track record suggests he knows how to spin a compelling yarn, and the promise of a more subtle, internally rebellious synthetic, combined with a surprisingly bright vision of a pre-apocalyptic Earth, is more than enough to get me excited. We’ll finally see how this plays out when the eight-episode first season of *Alien: Earth* debuts on FX on August 12th with a two-episode premiere, followed by weekly drops. Might be time to put on the kettle, grab a biscuit, and prepare for some delightfully chaotic sci-fi goodness.
Tags: SciFi, TV Series, Gaming News, Horror, Synthetic Beings
Original article: Polygon