New Alien TV Show - Can We Set Our Expectations High?

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Chris for Scified2022-01-27 08:08:102022-01-27 08:08:10https://www.scified.com/articles/new-alien-tv-show---can-we-set-our-expectations-high-22.jpg

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Written by Chris8,255 Reads20 Comments2022-01-27 08:08:10

The Alien We Know

It is still a while before the Alien TV series which is coming to your screens exclusively on Hulu will be released. There is a lot of hype over it, and if you are looking for movies and series to binge watch, the Alien films are a good place to start. Fans of these films have lead to the expectation that Century Studios will put plans in motion to kickstart a new series of the Alien movies, which could go back to the basics and try to imitate the first two films. But first, the TV series is being put into development by Noah Hawley, a creator who is known for not playing it safe.

What Can We Expect?

Aliens Arrival on Earth

Although we have seen the arrival of aliens on earth in both Alien vs. Predator film installments, the show made an announcement that they would be bringing xenomorphs to Earth for the first time. This is an interesting twist, as the possibility of a huge alien outbreak on Earth was the reason why character Ellen Ripley tried to prevent Weyland-Yutani from engaging with these creatures. She ends up having to sacrifice herself in Alien 3 in the hope of destroying the alien queen embryo that was growing inside her.

In a synopsis, the show is described as ‘set not too far into our future.’ If you follow the timeline of the Alien films, this assumption is confusing. The reason for this is that in Alien: Covenant, the character of David creates aliens as we know it for the first time, which was set in 2014. This means the Canon States, the classic alien, didn’t exist before 2014. It sets the premise askew, which leaves viewers excited for this release, and puzzled as to when it will actually take place and how it will make sense within the Alien story.

Here Come the Marines

In the second film of the original Alien saga, the Colonial Marines appear only theatrically. Although only making a brief appearance, the Marines went on to become one of the most iconic elements of the franchise, particularly in video games, and were loved by fans across the world. The reason for this is the idea of space heroes destroying xenomorphs is exciting, it provides action and suspense for those who watch. It is something that Alien fans can look forward to in the TV show and perhaps we can expect them to have more of a permanent role.

The synopsis that was released already claims that the TV series will be a mix of “both the timeless horror of the first Alien film with the non-stop action of the second.” In referencing the second film, fans could expect to see the Marines in the TV series.

It seems that human drama and social struggles will be a key focal point in Hawley’s show, but what will most excite viewers is the reintroduction of action. One thing to remember is that the soldiers won’t look like the Marines as seen from the movies, as they will be entirely on Earth.

The Appearance of the Synths

Although not confirmed if it was the actual intention back in 1979, synthetics became a crucial part of the Alien film franchise. For this reason, Ridley Scott gave them more attention in the film Prometheus and Alien: Covenant than the actual aliens themselves. Although the fans do want to see more of a shift to the creatures again, it would not make sense for the TV series not to discuss ideas of artificial intelligence or the synths' roles as partial humans in this dark future further. Thanks to Ridley Scott, he went to great lengths to make fans care about the character of David’s personal journey, which means the TV show should take this plot further.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hawley referenced the fact that the story for the TV series plans to deal with humans being “trapped in the primordial past, with artificial intelligence as the future.” Going on this information, it seems likely that Hawley will explore these ideas further.

As mentioned previously, character descriptions have also been leaked. In these descriptions, there was one about a woman stuck in another’s body due to an experiment. Although not confirmed, it could be that this body is a synth. Either way, this series is likely to deal with the theme of what makes humans unique, an idea that has been explored in the films previously.