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Alien: Romulus marks a new chapter in the Alien franchise as it deepens the story between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). Following a group of cadets who go on an unsanctioned scavenging mission to a deserted space station, the new Fede Alvaraz-directed sci-fi horror is full of twists and turns. As you might imagine, their journey goes awry when they encounter some familiar creatures lurking in the shadows…
However, not only does Alien: Romulus tell a new story set in this world, but it also contains some major references to the wider franchise. In particular, Ridley Scott’s Alien is one of the main calling points for the new movie, and there are some very intriguing links drawn between the two. We get into the spoiler-filled details of those below, as well as breaking down some of the major Easter eggs you might not have spotted in the latest entry.
We’ve also got guides on how to watch the Alien movies in order and what movies and shows to watch before Alien: Romulus too.
How is Alien: Romulus connected to Alien?
Alien: Romulus is set 20 years after the events of Alien and the destruction of the Nostromo. When the crew arrives on the Renaissance vessel, we learn more about the connection between the two. In their search for fuel in order to allow the pods to make the journey to Yvaga, half of the cadets find themselves trapped inside a cryo-chamber filled with alien eggs.
In order to free them, Rain (Cailee Spaeny) uses the chip from the ship’s android to give her brother Andy (David Jonsson) the security clearance to be able to open the doors. It turns out the synthetic they take this from is a model variation of Ash from the original Alien called Rook (played by the late Ian Holm here too). After the danger subsides (momentarily), he explains to the group what exactly their mission was on the Renaissance base, and it turns out it links directly to Alien.
The science officer says they spent 1770 days after Ripley sent the xenomorph out of her escape pod into space looking for the creature. This was part of Weyland-Yutani’s mission, which started in Prometheus, to find the perfect being and use its DNA to save the future of humanity. They succeeded in securing its DNA, which is called the Prometheus File, but were unable to bring it to the company before they all died.
That’s not the only link to the Alien movie in Alien: Romulus though, as there are several big callbacks to the 1979 film – from Rook’s lines about the xenomorph being a "perfect organism", to a drinking bird toy hidden in Andy and Rain's dinner scene.
Several of the biggest references came in the final scene of the movie on the Crubellon when Rain goes full Ripley. At one point, she gets into a space suit in almost a mirror version of Alien’s scene, before she uses a very similar method to get ‘The Offspring’ out of her ship. Her final pilot’s log callout also is eerily similar to Ripley’s, at times even verbatim.
These aren't the only nods to the wider franchise in the movie either, as there are a whole load of Easter eggs as well. Read on for our breakdown of those below.
Alien: Romulus Easter eggs
- Alien 3 – The 20th Century fanfare fades out in the same way at the beginning of Alien: Romulus.
- Aliens – Jackson’s Star Mining colony has some some callbacks to Hadley’s Hope, including the bar sign.
- Aliens – Andy’s line "I prefer the term artificial person" is spoken by Bishop in Aliens as well.
- Alien and Alien 3 – Bringing Rook back after he’s been half destroyed is a similar storyline also used in both these movies.
- Alien: Resurrection – Purvis’s chestburster scene also takes place on a ship, just like Navarro’s.
- Prometheus – The Z-01 goo in the lab scene is the reverse-engineered goo from Prometheus. Also a bit of the score plays.
- Alien: Covenant - The 'Steatite Ampules', essentially urns designed to store the black goo from Prometheus, appear via a hologram when Rook tells us about the compound.
- Aliens – "Busy little creatures" is a direct nod to Aliens, which is what Yarn calls them in that.
- Aliens – The pulse rifle that Andy gives Rain and Tyler is similar to the ones used in Aliens. However, this version, Alvarez previously told us is more primitive version that’s a precursor to that one.
- Aliens – The Alien nest is very similar in design to the one under the reactor in Aliens.
- Aliens – When the xenomorphs and facehuggers race to the camera in the tunnels, this is a nod to how they run in Aliens.
- Aliens – As Andy and Rain attempt to escape the xenomorphs by heading up an old elevator shaft, the camera gets a shot of the latter's white, red-accented Reebok trainers. These echo the "stompers" Sigourney Weaver's Ripley wears in James Cameron's flick.
- Prometheus – Kay’s birth scene is eerily similar to what happens to Elizabeth Shaw.
- Alien: Resurrection – ‘The Offspring’ at the end is a redo of the design we saw of the hybrid born aboard the USM Auriga. Rain even kills it in a very similar way, using the acid blood to create a hole in the hull of the ship.
- Aliens – Andy’s line "Get away from her, you bitch" is taken straight from Ripley.
- Alien: Isolation – The emergency phones are taken from the game Alien: Isolation, and director Alvarez even told us there’s a key reason they appear when they do.
Alien: Romulus is out in theaters now – read our Alien: Romulus review. For more, check out our guide to the Alien: Romulus ending explained and our breakdown of that Alien: Romulus cameo.
