Warning! This publish accommodates gentle SPOILERS for Hulu’s Alien: Earth
Following the discharge of Hulu’s Alien: Earth sequence, there are a number of classes the Star Wars franchise may and may study from its success. With a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is clear that the most recent entry within the Alien franchise is doing one thing proper, so Star Wars could also be sensible to try to study from what it does (and does not) obtain.
Written and directed by Noah Hawley, the just lately concluded Alien: Earth sequence has been met with very excessive reward, with many crossing their fingers for extra seasons. Though the Emmy-winning Andor was a high-caliber outlier, listed below are a number of the largest classes we predict the general Star Wars franchise must study from Hulu’s Alien: Earth going ahead.
Connections Come Second To Story
The most effective issues Alien: Earth does is forge its personal narrative path. Regardless of being set between current tasks within the Alien franchise, there was no must reference the earlier Prometheus and Covenant movies, nor even the very first Alien film (the occasions of which happen solely two years later).
As a substitute, the story being instructed in Alien: Earth is what’s most vital, and the choice to not occupy worthwhile narrative actual property by addressing prior franchise entries is definitely fairly refreshing. That is one thing Star Wars may undoubtedly stand to do extra of.
Star Wars wants to seek out extra space within the timeline the place the story can take priority, somewhat than the way it’s all going to slot in the established continuity. Positive, there’s connectivity available to the better Alien franchise in Alien: Earth, however it’s not on the expense of the distinctive story instructed by Hawley.
Maintain The Nostalgia In The Background
Alien: Earth options loads of acquainted components just like the Weyland-Yutani Company, pulse rifles, xenomorphs, the enduring MU/TH/UR room aboard the USCSS Maginot, and extra components on the brand new ship (having been patterned after the primary Alien film’s Nostromo setpieces).
That stated, all of the nostalgia and familiarity are by no means highlighted to such a level that it turns into distracting. A number of new components and creatures make their franchise debut on this new Alien sequence, providing new ideas to discover.
To the Star Wars franchise’s credit score, that is one thing that Andor did exceptionally properly. X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and basic items of the galaxy far, far-off have been integrated, although not on the expense of introducing new components just like the planet Ghorman and the debut of its whole language and brand-new tradition.
Even so, much less reliance on nostalgia is unquestionably a lesson Star Wars may stand to study past Andor, particularly because the franchise gears up for a return to theaters starting subsequent yr (although one may understandably have doubts based mostly on The Mandalorian and Grogu’s first trailer alone).
A Dynamic Story Is All the pieces
By the sequence’ finish, it is fairly clear that Noah Hawley had a really clear imaginative and prescient for what he wished Alien: Earth to be, with an extremely fleshed-out and dynamic story.
With out query, this new Alien sequence is the furthest factor from merely being a “run from the monster” story. There’s some unbelievable nuance at play with a number of narratives and linked themes from episode to episode.
The story additionally pushes the franchise to locations it is by no means gone to earlier than, one thing that is lengthy overdue the place the Star Wars franchise is anxious. The time has definitely come to deliver the galaxy far, far-off to new concepts, including new layers to the battles between the sunshine and darkish sides of the Power.
Character Depth Is Completely Essential
By the ultimate episodes of Alien: Earth, viewers perceive the character, struggles, flaws, and motivations of practically each single lead character.
Wendy/Marcy is struggling together with her identification as a Hybrid, whereas additionally being decided to forge stated identification on her personal phrases, wielding her energy as she sees match. Prodigy founder and CEO Boy Kavalier believes himself to be the neatest one in each room, in search of immortality through know-how with an excessive ego.
Morrow will cease at nothing to safe the legacy that’s securing the alien samples for Weyland-Yutani, having no different goal or calling in any case he is sacrificed. Kirsh has twin loyalties to Prodigy and the Hybrids he mentors, encouraging them to desert all human “weaknesses”.
Each lead character within the solid is given the time to be totally understood and dynamically explored, one thing Andor additionally excelled at. That is hopefully one thing Star Wars will proceed to do sooner or later, particularly with the dynamic solid of actors connected to 2027’s Starfighter.
There Are Smarter Methods To Disguise Your Story
Initially based mostly on trailers and advertising and marketing for Alien: Earth, it appeared as if the primary premise was merely going to be a crashed ship with escaping aliens on Earth. As a substitute, that was merely the inciting incident for all the sequence general, a jumping-off level that led into some fascinating new areas and themes that the majority most likely did not anticipate earlier than watching.
It was a superb method to successfully “cover’ the primary thrust and plot of the story. Conversely, we nonetheless do not particularly know what The Mandalorian and Grogu’s preliminary premise is about past the loosest of concepts and guesses following its first trailer.
Be Prepared To Deal with The Large Concepts, Not Simply Sci-Fi Tropes
Once more, Alien: Earth goes far past the “run from the monster” survival sci-fi story we have seen earlier than.
The sequence delves closely into philosophical themes and the ethics of identification usually. After all, superior synthetic intelligence is the sci-fi framework, however the depth that Alien: Earth takes within the varied existential struggles is fascinating, and actually does really feel like a real reduce above the norm.
There’s additionally the concept that’s introduced about what it means not solely to be human, but additionally questions of maturity and what it means to be a completely functioning “grownup”, an enchanting new layer to the Alien franchise’s ongoing explorations into the intertwining concepts of evolution, man vs. machine, and/or man’s try to play god.
In an analogous vein, Andor equally went past the sci-fi tropes, getting deeper into the concepts of revolution, its value, and the methods of authoritarian oppression on an extremely excessive degree that the Star Wars franchise had by no means seen earlier than. Optimistically, future Star Wars tasks can comply with go well with by going past the anticipated.
You Want A Satisfying Conclusion, Not Simply A Cliffhanger
The one factor Alien: Earth does that Star Wars may not need to do is depart issues on such an enormous cliffhanger. On the one hand, Alien: Earth’s cliffhanger is great, leaving viewers determined for extra with tensions at an all-time excessive. Nevertheless, Disney has but to greenlight a second season of Alien: Earth.
Star Wars has already fallen prey to one thing related with The Acolyte’s cancellation, abandoning a cliffhanger that can doubtless by no means be totally addressed on display screen. Seeing as how Alien: Earth’s cliffhanger and second-season uncertainty has change into the largest (and maybe solely) level of division amongst followers, Star Wars is likely to be sensible to keep away from doing the identical sooner or later.
All episodes of Alien: Earth are actually streaming on Hulu.
- Launch Date
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August 12, 2025
- Administrators
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Dana Gonzales, Ugla Hauksdóttir, Noah Hawley
- Writers
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Bob DeLaurentis
