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Alien: Earth has come to a bloody conclusion, but it might not be the last we see of Wendy and her pet xenomorph.
A second season of Alien: Earth is still to be announced, but for now, we have a TV prequel to one of the best horror movies of all time. And if you've watched all the Alien movies in order, you'll know that the Alien: Earth occupies an interesting place on the Alien timeline, with the events of the show taking place just two years before the Nostromo's fateful encounter with a perfect organism on LV-426.
Below, we've got everything you need to know about the Alien prequel show, including details on the cast, a plot recap, and where you can watch the full season. Be warned, that naturally means there are spoilers ahead for the whole show, so turn back now if you're not up to speed.
Alien: Earth release date and release schedule
The Alien: Earth release date was August 12 in the US, on Hulu, and August 13 in the UK.
The show aired on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK, with the first two episodes dropping at once, then the rest following weekly. The season one finale aired on September 23 in the US September 24 in the UK.
For a more detailed breakdown of when the episodes were released, you can also head on over to our guide breaking down the Alien: Earth release schedule.
Alien: Earth trailer
The first teaser trailer for Alien: Earth was a 15-second clip featuring a blood-dripping Xenomorph and ending with a jump scare. We see Planet Earth before its shape slowly turns into a Xenomorph and screeches at the viewer.
Our best look at the show pre-release was the official trailer below. The 2.5-minute glimpse featured footage from across the season, including some surprisingly spoilery shots from the final episodes (watch out for that dead body floating with a suspiciously bloody chest at 1m19s!)
Alien: Earth plot and recap
The Alien: Earth plot unfolds over a relatively compressed timeframe – a matter of weeks or months at most. In the premiere episode, we're introduced to Wendy and the Lost Boys on Neverland Island – a compound run by young genius Boy Kavalier, the owner of mega-corp Prodigy. Five terminal young children have had their minds transplanted into synthetic bodies, making them the world's first hybrids.
At the same time, the Weyland-Yutani vessel USCSS Maginot crash-lands in Prodgy-owned New Siam. As we later learn in the flashback fifth episode set aboard the doomed vessel, Wey-Yu sent the crew of the Maginot to retrieve several biological specimens from an undisclosed planet – among them the fan-favourite Eye Midge, the blood sucking ticks, the face-melting flies, the head-crushing plant creature, and the iconic xenomorph.
When the Maginot crash lands, Hermit – Wendy's brother – is among the first responders. Wendy and the Lost Boys, under the guidance of the synthetic Kirsh, are sent on their first mission to investigate. Following a close encounter with the perfect organism, Hermit returns to Neverland with Wendy and the Lost Boys. The remainder of the season unfolds here, with the last surviving member of the Maginot, the cyborg Morrow, out for revenge on Boy, who we later learn is behind the sabotage of the Wey-Yu vessel.
The alien creatures are studied by Kirsh. One Lost Boy, Tootles/Isaac, is killed by the flies after the Eye Midge causes a distraction in the lab. A second xenomorph is grown using Hermit's damaged lung. Wendy finds that she can hear the xenomorph and is eventually able to communicate with it and command it.
Using a wireless communication device, Morrow blackmails Slightly into getting Arthur facehugged. Alongside Smee, they attempt to transport Arthur to a drop-off point on the beach, but the chestburster emerges before Morrow and Weyland-Yutani's forces arrive for the extraction.
Having grown increasingly disillusioned by Boy, particularly after he wipes Nibs' memory, Wendy decides to leave Neverland, but is stopped by Prodigy forces. Wendy, however, can manipulate the technology on the island and causes havoc by releasing the xenomorph and disabling communication and surveillance systems.
In the finale, Morrow and Kirsh fight, leaving each other incapacitated. Boy's right-hand man Atom Eins is revealed to be a secret synthetic, but is neutralised by Wendy. The Eye Midge escapes, taking up new residence in the deceased Arthur's skull. The plant creature claims its first victim – Hermit's old squad mate Siberian. The season ends with Weyland-Yutani forces invading from the air to extract their property, while Wendy and the Lost Boys have Boy and the rest of the grown-ups restrained in a Neverland cell, with the xenomorphs by Wendy's side.
Alien: Earth cast
The cast for Alien: Earth is stacked with stars who have appeared in several of the best TV shows around, such as Game of Thrones, Shadow and Bone, and Fargo. You may recognize names such as Timothy Olyphant (who starred in the likes of The Mandalorian and Scream 2) or Alex Lawther (as seen in Black Mirror and Andor).
Check out the complete Alien: Earth cast list below:
- Sydney Chandler as Wendy
- Alex Lawther as Hermit
- Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier
- Essie Davis as Dame Silvia
- Adarsh Gourav as Slightly
- Kit Young as Tootles
- Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh
- David Rysdahl as Arthur
- Babou Ceesay as Morrow
- Jonathan Ajayi as Smee
- Erana James as Curly
- Lily Newmark as Nibs
- Diêm Camille as Siberian
- Adrian Edmondson as Atom Eins
- Moe Bar-El as Rashidi
- Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Yutani
Alien: Earth reviews
Incredibly, Alien: Earth is currently the highest-rated Alien movie or show ever over on Rotten Tomatoes, with the first season currently sitting on 95%. For comparison, Alien is currently at 93%, while Aliens is at 94%.
GamesRadar's own Alien: Earth review awarded the show 4*, based on the first six episodes, and labelled it "arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens" (a relatively low bar, admittedly). Our look at the final two episodes of the season is a little more critical, but reviews across the board are stellar.
Slate's Sam Addams calls it "a big show about big ideas, expansive in a moment when most television is scaling back, and it’s got a whole universe to explore." While The Guardian's Jack Seale highlights the "bristling, bewildering, overpoweringly confident aura of Alien: Earth."
Where can I watch Alien: Earth?
You can now watch the entire first season of Alien: Earth on Hulu if you are in the US, and on Star via Disney Plus in the UK
While you wait for a potential season 2, you can check out our list of the best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now!
For more, check out our guide to the Alien: Earth ending explained and the best Alien movies ever made.
