FX/HuluIf you’re confused about when Alien: Earth takes place in the Alien franchise’s timeline, you’re not the only one – so, let’s clear everything up.
Ridley Scott’s original Alien was released in 1979, a vastly different time compared to how fans engage with IP now. Decades later, there are hundreds – if not thousands – of articles (like this one) dedicated to explaining the chronological order of all sorts of series, whether it’s the MCU or Star Wars.
To be fair, compared to those franchises, Alien would make anyone scratch their heads. The first four entries take place across hundreds of years into the future, and that’s before you get to the Alien vs Predator spinoffs, Scott’s Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, and Alien: Romulus.
Alien: Earth is also uncharted territory for the franchise, bringing the Xenomorphs to home turf for the first time (the end of Resurrection doesn’t count). So, with the show kicking off on Hulu and Disney Plus, this is what you need to know about the timeline.
When Alien: Earth takes place in the Alien timeline
Alien: Earth takes place in 2120, two years before the events of Alien, which is set in 2122.
In terms of the franchise’s chronology, this makes it one of the earliest entries. Noah Hawley, the show’s creator, has also suggested that the series will largely ignore Prometheus and Alien: Covenant (he believes Xenomorphs have existed for millions of years, rather than being created by the Engineers and evolving up to the point of the first film), so it’s unclear what is and isn’t canon at this point.
“For me, and for a lot of people, this ‘perfect life form’ – as it was described in the first film – is the product of millions of years of evolution that created this creature that may have existed for a million years out there in space,” he said (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“The idea that, on some level, it was a bioweapon created half an hour ago, that’s just inherently less useful to me.”
There’s another complication: Hawley also contradicted the show by telling Collider that it takes place around the same time as Aliens, which is set more than 50 years later.
“I think we exist somewhere around Aliens, around the James Cameron story. I haven’t had to get crazy specific with it, but the events of the first film are referenced in the show at some point. So, I think it’s somewhere around the events of the second film, either before or just after,” he said.
In the same article, there’s an editor’s note clarifying that Hawley has since confirmed that the series takes place in 2120, so he may have just misspoke.
Alien timeline in chronological order
FX/20th Century StudiosBelow, you’ll find each entry in the Alien franchise listed in chronological order – in other words, they’re listed from earliest to latest in terms of when they take place.
- Prometheus – 2093
- Alien: Covenant – 2104
- Alien: Earth – 2120
- Alien – 2122
- Alien: Romulus – 2142
- Aliens – 2179
- Alien 3 – 2179
- Alien: Resurrection – 2381
The Alien vs Predator movies aren’t considered canon. Still, because it’s fun, this is what the timeline would look like if you included them, as well as every movie in the Predator franchise (especially since Predator: Badlands looks to be initiating a proper crossover):
- Prey – 1719
- Predator – 1987
- Alien vs Predator – 2004
- Alien vs Predator: Requiem – 2004
- Predators – 2010 (approximately)
- The Predator – 2018
- Prometheus – 2093
- Alien: Covenant – 2104
- Alien: Earth – 2120
- Alien – 2122
- Alien: Romulus – 2142
- Aliens – 2179
- Alien 3 – 2179
- Alien: Resurrection – 2381
Badlands is set in the future, but director Dan Trachtenberg hasn’t confirmed exactly when it takes place. If it ends with a link to Alien: Romulus, it could be anywhere around 2140.
The first two episodes of Alien: Earth are streaming now. Find out how to watch Alien: Earth for free, keep tabs on the show’s soundtrack, and check out our ranking of the Alien movies. You can also find out how the cast would react to meeting a Predator and why Alien: Earth could be Alien’s Andor.
