Alien: Earth Resolves Franchise Plot Hole, Gains Critical Acclaim

The Alien franchise has seen a successful resurgence with the 2024 film Alien: Romulus and the 2025 TV series Alien: Earth, which has been critically acclaimed, holding a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, surpassing even the beloved Aliens sequel. Alien: Earth is set in 2120 and retcons parts of Ridley Scott's prequels, suggesting the Xenomorphs were discovered by a Weyland-Yutani ship decades before the events of Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, thereby unifying the franchise's timeline and strengthening its ties to the Predator series. Alien: Earth has attracted a large audience, with 9.2 million streams and positive reviews, although its audience score is somewhat lower at 72%. Timothy Olyphant stars as Kirsh, a synthetic working as chief scientist on a consciousness transference project, marking his notable return to the horror genre and adding depth to the portrayal of androids in the Alien universe. Meanwhile, Alien: Covenant, a 2017 sequel to Prometheus, has gained new popularity on HBO Max despite mixed box office results, and remains an important part of the franchise's storyline. The renewed interest in the franchise is also reflected in fans revisiting the original 1979 Alien film, renowned for its groundbreaking and shocking chestburster scene, which contributed to the series' lasting legacy.