As a lifelong fan of the Alien franchise, I find myself deeply divided by the recent developments in the series’ lore. Having grown up with the original films and their hauntingly terrifying creatures, I must admit that the idea of David, a synthetic, creating the xenomorph feels like a disappointing departure from the primal dread evoked by the notion of an organism born through the cruel whims of evolution.
Warning: This article contains some light spoilers for Alien: Romulus.
In a somewhat whimsical setup, twenty years following the events depicted in the initial Alien film, it appears that the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, fascinated by xenomorphs, has been on a relentless quest to locate the ship Nostromo and its alien stowaway. Upon finding the elusive vessel, they uncover the very same extraterrestrial creature that Ellen Ripley ejected into space at the end of that story. Remarkably, this creature manages to survive, leading to its capture for scientific study. Predictably, this decision results in catastrophic consequences.
Romulus, the creator behind the latest Alien film, must navigate complex challenges to ensure that the most terrifying monsters seen on screen continue to frighten new viewers. This process offers a glimpse into the complicated plot of the Alien series. The intricate maneuvers Romulus takes to maintain continuity with the films Alien, Aliens, Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant could be seen as evidence that it’s high time for the Alien franchise to abandon its existing storylines and start anew.
The intricate plot structure of Alien: Romulus, featuring scientists reviving a supposedly deceased creature for a sequel, is largely due to the creative decisions made by James Cameron. Over time, these choices, which often proved detrimental, have been perpetuated by those managing the Alien series, leading to one poor choice after another. These decisions have significantly limited the potential storylines for the franchise.
As a die-hard fan, I can’t help but marvel at the genius behind James Cameron when he cleverly pitched his concept for an Alien sequel. Instead of Ridley Scott’s original masterpiece, he scribbled “Alien” on a whiteboard and added an “S” to make it “Aliens,” then drawing a few lines to transform the “S” into a dollar sign – quite a humorous twist!
Cameron’s approach involved a significant leap in time (57 years), taking us straight into the future from the initial Alien film. This enabled him to establish a settlement on the planet where the Nostromo crew had discovered the derelict spaceship laden with eggs. By populating this colony, he set the stage for potential alien encounters and subsequent events that could lead to financial gain (alien-related incidents).
The main challenge with the 57-year gap in the Alien franchise is that it assumes no one came across the extraterrestrial life form during this entire period, or if someone did, they were unable to communicate their experience to others. Moreover, it suggests that this alien was only discovered on LV-426 and nowhere else. These assumptions significantly limit the scope of the Alien series, as any encounters outside these parameters would have been kept secret, and the aliens wouldn’t have posed a significant enough threat for other people to encounter them. Storytelling within this timeframe must be consistent with the established facts that no one has prior knowledge of the alien or has ever seen it before.
In Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection, the predicament became increasingly dire. These films imply that the aliens on LV-426 might have been the sole specimens. In Alien 3 (where Newt and Hicks are callously terminated without justification, further damaging the narrative continuity), Weyland-Yutani pursues Ripley for the alien residing within her, a remnant from Aliens. Eventually, Ripley sacrifices herself to annihilate this remaining creature.
The series had been on hiatus for quite some time, until Alien: Resurrection reintroduced it with another unexpected leap in time, advancing the storyline by 200 years. In Resurrection, scientists clone Ripley to reproduce the alien she died battling, proving that indeed, there are no other aliens existing anywhere. As a result, anyone committed to maintaining the authentic Alien saga finds themselves grappling with numerous peculiar problems. This is why Romulus must venture out and retrieve a solitary alien drifting in space to build its narrative.
Due to the original series, it appears that aliens are almost exclusively associated with Ripley and limited to one specific setting. In Aliens, when the characters destroy the location from space, they essentially wipe out the alien species. Although some other tales include these aliens, such as the Aliens vs. Predator movies, they don’t seem to put much effort into making the overall situation coherent. As a result, we either get stories that use the aliens as mere fighting monsters alongside other fantastical creatures or work within a franchise that has weakened its own narrative by allowing others to encounter the aliens and reducing the significance of the tales.
Following that, we have Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, two films more focused on the mysterious Space Jockey fossil from Alien rather than the creature itself. These movies revolve around a genetically engineered weapon created by the Space Jockey’s creators, known as the Engineers, which eventually gives rise to the aliens at the heart of the franchise. Alien: Covenant delves into how David, Peter Weyland’s first synthetic, employed this genetic weapon and experimental modifications to produce the xenomorph variant of the alien seen in the original films.
I’ve always found this idea to be a frustrating one that makes the alien less scary, rather than more. The idea that the xenomorph was created by a single, unhinged robot, for the fun of making something awful, is a lot less interesting than the idea that the aliens were born through the forces of evolution. It’s way scarier that the universe might naturally create something so horrifically lethal as the alien–and that’s a point the creator of the FX Alien show, Noah Hawley, seems to agree on, since he said he’s ignoring the aliens’ origin from Alien: Covenant.
As a gamer, I can’t help but notice that Romulus isn’t just casually overlooking the origins of things. Just one movie after witnessing David crafting the monstrous aliens with the Engineers’ mysterious black goo, it seems like Weyland-Yutani is quick to exploit these creatures for their own purposes – reverse-engineering the black goo itself.
Working within a constrained framework, Alien: Romulus faces several challenges. It needs to introduce an alien character without interfering with the narrative of LV-426, ensure its characters are in a setting where their past events remain unknown, and uphold the concept that these aliens possess intriguing genetic anomalies, as hinted by Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Furthermore, it must maintain the sinister corporate antagonism of Weyland-Yutani (or in Alien: Resurrection, the advanced US military), portraying them as relentless pursuers seeking financial gain from the alien species.
Additionally, it isn’t crucial to continue these narratives as they don’t significantly enhance the experience. For instance, “Romulus” doesn’t require numerous connections to the Alien series to be effective; instead, such references may hinder its potential. Essentially, these references create unnecessary complications and limitations for an Alien storyline. As more stories are added to the franchise, the creative space available for each new narrative shrinks.
Among the extensive collection of Alien-themed comics and books, many contribute to the franchise’s richness, suggesting that the idea can be explored in different ways. However, it’s important to mention that a significant portion of these novels aren’t particularly impressive; they often retread ground already covered by the films, such as repeated attempts by the Company to capture the alien, resulting in numerous deaths. But there are exceptions that offer fresh spins on the formula, with my favorite being “Aliens: Phalanx” by Scott Sigler.
Phalanx sticks to what truly frightens us about the xenomorphs by presenting them in fresh and unique scenarios, rather than introducing new strange mutations for added tension as seen in Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, or continually returning to the original planet where they were discovered, like many of the other films do. In essence, it just executes a strong concept effectively.
Essentially, what I’m saying is that the Alien films should concentrate on the core essence that makes them great – the suspense and fear of encountering an immense, enigmatic creature that poses a threat. Details like who discovered which alien, or why certain entities are pursuing it for corporate reasons, aren’t what truly matters in the narrative. Instead, focus on the universal dread of exploring the cosmos and discovering its hostile nature. If a reboot is needed to recapture this primal fear, then so be it.
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2024-08-17 02:09