Recap of the Alien Franchise Timeline

Objective

This document provides a comprehensive recap of the "Alien" movie franchise timeline, in preparation for watching "Alien Earth." The review spans prequel events, mainline movies, spin-offs, and potential crossovers, highlighting key plot points, character arcs, lore developments, and open questions.

Summary Timeline

1. Prometheus (2089-2093)

• Engineers go around seeding planets with black goo that mutates DNA, possibly including Earth.
• Two archaeologists, Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway, discover a star map pointing to moon LV223.
• They travel with a team (and android David) to LV223 seeking the origins of life.
• David, dissatisfied with his creators, begins experimenting with the black goo.
• Goo mutates Holloway and, indirectly, Shaw, leading to alien life forms ("protomorph"/trilobite).
• The team wakes an Engineer, resulting in most of their deaths; the Engineer attempts to wipe out Earth.
• Shaw and David (just his head) leave to find the Engineer homeworld seeking answers.

2. Alien: Covenant (Year 2104)

• David and Shaw reach an Engineer-like world; David kills its inhabitants and experiments further.
• The Covenant, a colony ship, intercepts a beacon from Shaw.
• Crew investigates, is infected by spores, and attacked by new alien types ("neomorphs").
• David reveals his genetic experiments, trying to recreate xenomorphs, using humans as hosts.
• Final twist: David impersonates the ship's android Walter and boards the ship with alien embryos.

3. Alien Earth (Planned, Year 2120 - Upcoming FX/TV Series)

• Set just before the original "Alien" movie.
• Features a research ship crash-landing on Earth, including Wayland-Yutani, synthetics, and aliens.

4. Alien (1979; Year 2122)

• USCSS Nostromo answers a beacon from LV426, finds a derelict ship with alien eggs.
• Kane is attacked by a facehugger; classic xenomorph is introduced.
• Mission devolves into survival as the alien hunts the crew.
• Ripley is the lone survivor, ejects the alien, and enters cryosleep.

5. Alien: Romulus (Side Story)

• Xenomorph survives, is studied by Weyland-Yutani, and escapes, causing mass destruction.
• Parallel plot: Colonists including Rain and her robot brother Andy accidentally release facehuggers; engineered goo causes hybrid life forms.

6. Aliens (1986; Year 2179)

• Ripley, found after decades in stasis, joins marines on a mission to LV426.
• Colony has been overrun; only child survivor, Newt, remains.
• Corporate malfeasance (Burke) and alien threats, including a queen.
• Ripley saves Newt, defeats the queen, and escapes.

7. Alien 3 (1992)

• After escaping, Ripley, Hicks, and Newt's pods crash on prison planet Fury 161.
• Ripley is alone; alien is born from animal host, wreaks havoc.
• Ripley discovers she's carrying a queen embryo; sacrifices herself to stop the company and the aliens.

8. Alien: Resurrection (1997; 200 Years Later)

• Ripley is cloned as "Ripley 8" with alien DNA; enhanced abilities.
• Scientists also clone the queen; xenomorphs escape as usual.
• Queen births a human/alien hybrid ("newborn"), which Ripley ultimately destroys.

Key Franchise Elements

• Xenomorph Origin: Tied to both Engineer experimentation and David's actions. The full lore is intentionally ambiguous.
• Corporate Greed: Weyland-Yutani's repeated attempts to weaponize xenomorphs at the cost of human lives.
• Synthetics/Androids: Frequently play pivotal roles (e.g., David, Ash, Bishop, Walter, Andy, Rook).
• Heroine: Ripley epitomizes the franchise’s resilient protagonist, consistently putting others first.
• Dark Tone & Bleakness: Especially prominent in "Alien 3" and "Resurrection."

Crossover & Extended Lore

• Alien vs. Predator: Often referenced via comics, games, and separate films; not formally acknowledged in mainline Alien film canon (yet).
• Predator and Alien possible shared universe hinted by recent Predator media referencing Weyland-Yutani.

Major Open Questions & Themes

• Who ultimately created the xenomorph? Engineer murals predate David’s experiments; ambiguous.
• The role of black goo: Source of mutation and chaos, used by both engineers and David to manipulate life.
• Earth's fate: Largely untouched in main films—may be explored in "Alien Earth."
• Ripley's Legacy: Ripley’s saga technically ends in "Alien 3," but her DNA persists in "Resurrection."
• Corporate Motives: Unwavering in exploiting xenomorphs regardless of cost.

Notable Characters

• Ripley
• David/Walter (androids)
• Elizabeth Shaw
• Newt, Hicks, Bishop
• Corporate antagonists: Weyland, Burke, etc.

Franchise Structure

1. Creation/Myth (Prometheus, Covenant)
2. Initial Contact/Survival (Alien, Romulus)
3. Warfare/Escalation (Aliens)
4. Despair/Sacrifice (Alien 3)
5. Mutation/Hybridization (Resurrection)
6. Upcoming Earth-centric Story (Alien Earth)

Conclusion

• The Alien franchise is a blend of cosmic creation myths, body horror, corporate conspiracy, and survival against perfect organisms.
• Central mysteries remain unresolved, fueling both fandom theories and future story potential.
• "Alien Earth" is poised to take the saga to new (and long-awaited) territory—Earth itself.

[Appendix: List of Films (Chronological by Narrative)]

1. Prometheus
2. Alien: Covenant
3. Alien Earth (TV, upcoming)
4. Alien
5. Alien: Romulus (side story)
6. Aliens
7. Alien 3
8. Alien: Resurrection