Alien is a science fiction franchise unlike any other because it doesn’t have a unifying creator in the same way that George Lucas was for Star Wars, Gene Roddenberry was for Star Trek, or Stan Lee was for every film based on Marvel Comics. The style and tone of each installment in the Alien series depend on the director involved, and the franchise has previously boasted notable artists like Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, and Fede Alvarez. Noah Hawley has over a decade of compelling television on his resume, thanks to Fargo and Legion, two shows that succeeded by subverting and expanding upon the source material. With Alien: Earth, Hawley creates an all-too-real examination of how corporate warfare puts the fate of the world at risk, while mankind questions true “humanity” in the face of the next step in artificial intelligence.

Set two years before the events of the original 1979 classic, Alien: Earth envisions a world in which humanity’s obsession with digital consciousness has led to the development of different forms of potential immortality, including cyborgs, synthetics, and cyborgs. The young, ruthless Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) wields significant power as the CEO of the highly influential Prodigy Corporation, but the semblance of safety on Earth is corrupted when a ship called the Maginot, which contains a Xenomorph specimen, crashes into the metropolitan center of New Siam. In its hour of need, New Siam turns to Prodigy for assistance because the corporation has developed the first human-synthetic hybrid, Wendy (Sydney Chandler), an artificial being whose memories are taken from a terminally ill child named Marcy. Wendy leads a group of fellow hybrids called the “Lost Boys” into danger, but Alien: Earth takes a turn towards the surreal when the hybrids begin questioning their true purpose.

‘Alien: Earth’ Is Noah Hawley’s Vision for Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi Horror Franchise

A unifying quality of the previous films in the Alien franchise is that they all focus on a “final girl,” a common hallmark of horror cinema. While Wendy might technically qualify for this description, she is made into a survivor by her inherent illness and is essentially reborn into an entirely new character once she’s given her latest form. Alien: Earth has the most compelling extended cast out of any entry in the franchise because eight episodes allow the story enough time to depict more fleshed-out characters.

Alex Lawther anchors the series in emotion through his character Joe Hermit, Marcy’s human brother, whose consciousness is put into Wendy; although Joe understands that Wendy retains the qualities of the sister he once knew, he’s unnerved by how much of a lethal fighting force she has become. Timothy Olyphant also adds unexpected humor to the show as Kirsh, the synthetic who manages the dynamic between Prodigy and the Lost Boys. While he is viewed as subservient by both groups, Kirsh has ambitions of his own, making him one of the more unpredictable characters heading into the confirmed second season.

Alien: Earth also offers more searing commentary on the themes that have been part of the science fiction franchise since its inception. The original Alien was unique among space operas because it followed blue-collar workers who were left defenseless when their ship traveled into unknown territory, and Alien: Earth examines the corporations that were responsible for essentially sending them out to die. Boy Kavalier is a fascinating antagonist because he has literally come to see himself as a deity and views the potential sacrifice of humans, synthetics, and cyborgs as completely necessary for the advancement of science.

‘Alien: Earth’ Is a Bold, Imaginative New Direction for a Classic Franchise

While the methodical examination of different modes of consciousness is more thematically dense than anything in the franchise thus far, Alien: Earth is still a love letter to the original films, specifically in the episode “In Space, No One…,” a flashback that explores the massacre of the Maginot’s crew before the vessel reaches Earth, and feels like a direct homage to Ridley Scott’s original Alien. There’s also a segment of the story dedicated to showing the evolution of the Weyland-Yutani corporation, which fans of the series will recognize for the significant role that it played in both Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, both of which take place before Alien: Earth. Hawley’s series isn’t entirely ignorant of Alien mythology, but an entirely new set of characters makes the show effective for those with only a passing interest or awareness of the original films.

In an era where streaming services continue to mine their IPs for any potential reboots and sequels, Alien: Earth is the right direction to take the franchise in, especially in the wake of Alien: Romulus, an entertaining film that nonetheless offered more of the same. Hawley’s first season does provide some unanswered questions and may have made some alterations to Alien canon that ticked off some of the saga’s most ardent fans, but bold, declarative choices are significantly preferable over just replaying the hits. While it may be a little too soon to declare that Hawley’s series has done for Alien what Andor did for Star Wars, it has certainly given the franchise a burst of momentum that it has been sorely lacking.