How Alien Earth Fits Into The Alien Timeline

Alien: Earth will be the second new Alien project in as many years and the first-ever TV show tied to Ridley Scott's landmark sci-fi horror franchise. Like any new addition to the Alien lore, avid fans likely want to know how to think of it in terms of the broader timeline. Alien: Earth has a definitive answer to that question, though it's interesting to note how that's changed over time.

As the series approaches its premiere on FX and Hulu on August 12, it's officially said to be a prequel to the original 1979 movie, with the story of Alien: Earth taking place two years before that first movie in 2120. That nearly puts the show on the same track as the original movie, which can't be said for the prequel movies, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, which are set in 2093 and 2104, respectively.

During GameSpot's visit to the series' set in April 2024, showrunner Noah Hawley actually had different ideas in mind for the series, saying during a roundtable interview that he didn't have to be precise quite yet, indicating that the idea of the series' timeline has shifted over the last year and a half in production.