Starting to understand the Disney Alien canon...
ninXeno426
MemberPraetorianApr-03-2022 5:20 PMAs we all know roughly 10 years ago Disney purchased Star Wars from George Lucas and by 2014 they had confirmed they were doing away with the old expanded universe in favor of their own. The reason was that they didn't want to to task new authors with getting to know absolutely everything about the beloved universe. Real reason more likely they probably felt they couldn't make as much money off of pre existing storylines and what better way to make more money than throw it all away and make your own. Force fans (no pun intended I swear) into buying new novels, comics and games to get to know the new universe. Now how successful that has been is up for debate but that's not what I'm here to talk about. I believe Alien is about to undergo the same treatment.
Last year Disney began their first real forays into the Alien universe beginning with Marvel's Alien. This comic takes place in the 2202, twenty three years after the events of Aliens and Alien 3. Also Aliens Fireteams Elite takes place the same year. A one shot comic titled Aliens Aftermath that follows Jennette Vasquez's Nephew Cutter Vasquez takes place in 2214. But here is where it gets interesting.
In an interview with Bloody Disgusting, comic author Philip Kennedy Johnson discussed working on the series and a potential new timeline. I'll provide the link below in case you haven't read it
Now in this interview he talks how working on a new canon where Alien 3 and Resurrection have been discarded. He says here and I quote:
"The ones that, for me, are potentially on the canon chopping block are Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, and of course all the AVP stuff. I’m treating those as not canon, at least not in my own head canon as a fan. Now Alien 3 is super debatable, and I actually like that movie a lot. I think there are a lot of things about that movie that are super kickass. The big problem with it, of course, is that Newt and Hicks are killed offscreen for no reason right out of the gate.
And that sucks. We’ve learned to love those characters by that point, and then we just completely undo all of that. That makes the story revolve around Ripley, as it should, but it does really suck for the fans who learned to love those characters. And because of that perceived betrayal of the fans, you’ve got these other versions of the stories out there. One of those first comic stories show Newt and Hicks later in life, which wipes Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection off the board if you regard that comic as true. And there’s the screenplay that’s come out since then, the other version of Alien 3. So I feel like that’s where the timeline diverges, and you can kind of choose your own adventure at that point.
Honestly, this was one of the reasons why I didn’t want to refer to Alien 3 or Resurrection at all in this first arc, because I think there’s a decent chance that canon could be retconned at some point, and it’s important to me that these Marvel books always remain canon, always."
End quote.
Now feelings towards Alien 3 and Resurrection are mixed and always will be. He even makes his own disdain for Resurrection known at the beginning of the interview. But so are the prequels. They're arguably even more mixed than those two films. His reasoning for retconning the ladder films is silly, reason being Prometheus and Covenant discarded comics that were never technically canon anyway. It got me thinking the though, since it was so easy for Disney to throw away 20 plus years of Star Wars stories to tell their own is it so hard to believe they would delete to fairly unpopular and divisive films? As of now Kennedy makes it clear this is really just his canon but I think it is the beginning of a larger move to create a new canon where 3 and Resurrection don't exist. This June a new comic from Johnson that acts as a prequel to the Marvel series drops and apparently has significant ties to Aliens Fireteams Elite as well. Now I don't know where the new film will take place yet but we do know that the Hulu series will take place earlier in the timeline than any film. And with Ridley Scott producing I think it's safe to say Prometheus and Covenant aren't being discarded though as I said they're arguably more divisive than Alien 3 and Resurrection.
Personally I don't care for things being retconned though it'll certainly please some. It's lazy and unimaginative and all in the name of casual fan pandering. What Alien needs is something new. Not more of the same. In both canon and non canon we have gotten plenty of great stories surrounding Ripley, Hicks, Newt, Bishop etc. If these movies are retconned then how long before we have to see cgi deaged actors? Star Wars is obsessed with relieving the past so again it's not too hard to believe Alien will go this route as well. Even now they're showing an inability to distance themselves from the past with what is basically a Vasquez origins novel being revealed. Alien has been dangerously on the rocks for years and now I think it's closer than ever to being beached.
What Alien is needs is fresh new stories and characters. Not more of the same. On one hand I'm thankful that the new movie is standalone. On the other I'm fearful it won't deviate much if at all from the standard formula. Prometheus and Covenant for all their worts and wrinkles (I personally love both) opened the universe in fascinating and exiting new ways. Hell when I played Fireteams the segments I enjoyed the most was where it dabbled in prequel territory. Alien is starting to feel just as stuck as Star Wars. I guess we'll see. How do you all feel about this potential new canon? One where events of Alien 3 don't happen and by proxy neither does Resurrection. Would you rather Disney make a new film with those characters much like Neill Blomkamp attempted not too long ago. Or do you feel much like me that everything is becoming to 'Memberberry. Far too focused on nostalgia. Would you rather more prequel era lore or perhaps a new timeline overall? One where maybe just Alien and Aliens exist? I personally want all 6 main films to remain canon (everything but the AVP's) and I hope it stays that way. New content from Disney hasn't exactly been engaging. But what do you all think? Share your thoughts below and sorry about so long a post.
Nothing the God of biomechanics wouldn't let you in heaven for
Xenotaris
MemberPraetorianApr-19-2022 7:54 PMOh yeah Mortal Kombat X.
I am currently writing a fan fiction here called ALIEN VERSUS PREDATOR UNIVERSE and a spin-off novelization of the video game AVP2 called ALIENS VERSUS PREDATOR: THE PIMAL HUNT
I try to implement the ALIEN RPG in my fanfictions
BigDave
MemberDeaconApr-20-2022 7:34 AM@Xenotaris
I have Discussed on here Years ago the Arcturians based off what Little we are given in ALIENS.
Which led me to Conclude they are Humanoid, and seen as Attractive, where you cant REALLY tell the Males from the Females. And so i Envisioned them as some kind of Amphibian looking Humanoids who would have Various Skin Color/Patterns that make them Stand Out.
The Males and Females would look Similar only the Males would be SLIGHTLY more Masculine/Muscular. I Envisioned that they would NOT have Breasts (No Point if a Race is NOT MAMMAL related and so Do-Not Produce Milk).
Private Down Stairs Parts i would say would look Similar but the MALE ORGAN if you would is Tucked Away/Inside but would come OUT so to Speak for Mating.
I envisioned them THIS WAY as then there would be Confusion as to WHAT is a MALE/FEMALE. When we look at Reptiles, Amphibians and Fish as well as other None-Mammal Species then its NOT that Easy to Tell a Male/Female apart unlike with Mammals where its Easy to Distinguish.
I think when we look at AVATAR and the Na'vi then if they had No Nipples then it would be HARD to tell the Males/Females apart and i think this would be the CASE with the Arcturians
I Envisioned their World to be Tropical, with Caves with Springs and where the YOUNG are Laid as a Egg that is then Placed in a Water Spring for Few Days before they Hatch and would have NO LEGS or ARMS but these would GROW as the Weeks go by.
Humans would go to their World as its a Tropical Paradise with Natural Hot Springs that give us Natural Hot Tubs so to Speak and so its a Relaxing Break for the Humans, but also the Arcturians are Attractive and they USE this as Part of their Business.
So i think THEY could have been Inventive with the Species, rather than them just be Very Human with some Minor Differences. The same thing goes with IF we ever get Female Predators... would they just have more Feminine Characteristics and B@@BS? This would ONLY make sense if the Species would Breast Feed the Young and NOT just for a Aesthetic Difference between a Male/Female.
R.I.P Sox 01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017
Xenotaris
MemberPraetorianApr-20-2022 12:40 PMWell that's the great thing about being a GM "game mother" with the Alien RPG you could fill in the blanks on how you want the Arcturians, heck you could even fore go the semi-official description and be very inventive in your campaign. The Alien RPG also allows the GM to reimagine the Space Jockeys so its entirely possible to either embrace the Engineers as the same thing as the Space Jockey or go with that they are two separate species.
The Alien RPG is slowly adding new variants to the xenomorphs, most of which were either based on rejected concepts or off of Dark Horse comics.
As for the Yautja, so far its semi-official (concept art and Predator Hunting Grounds) the Yautja females have breasts making them akin or analogous to advanced Therapsids (mammal-like reptiles).
