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In 1979, the face of sci-fi horror changed forever with Ridley Scott‘s Alien.

Not only did the director create one of the most badass heroines in film history with Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), but the xenomorph became among the most terrifying movie monsters. For almost half a century, the franchise has continued on with several sequels, some good and some bad, but now begins a new chapter with the first-ever Alien TV series, Alien: Earth. Released on FX and Hulu, the show is being run by Noah Hawley of Fargo fame. The chilling xenomorphs are front and center again, but so is a whole new cast of characters, led by Sydney Chandler and Timothy Olyphant.

With the premiere of Alien: Earth, it’s the perfect time to dive into the complete chronological timeline of this terrifying universe. Buckle up – we’re going on a journey through space and time, from humanity’s first encounter with the Engineers to Earth’s darkest hour.

The official Alien timeline in chronological order:

Prometheus (2089-2093) 🏛️

Released: June 2012
Director: Ridley Scott

The beginning of everything. In 2089, archaeologists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway discover ancient star maps that lead them to believe humanity’s creators – the “Engineers” – are inviting them to make contact. What they find on the moon LV-223 is anything but welcoming.

Key Moments:

• The discovery of the black goo – a biological weapon gone wrong
• David the android (Michael Fassbender) goes rogue and experiments on humans
• Shaw becomes pregnant with an alien creature after Holloway is infected
• The Engineers turn out to want humanity extinct
• Shaw escapes with David’s head, setting off to find the Engineers’ homeworld

This prequel asks the big questions: Who created humanity? And why do they want us dead?

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Alien: Covenant (2104) ⚡

Released: May 2017
Director: Ridley Scott

David’s twisted experiments continue as the colony ship Covenant stumbles upon his nightmare laboratory. This is where we see the birth of the classic xenomorph as we know it – and David’s transformation into a mad scientist with a god complex.

Key Moments:

• David has spent 10 years perfecting the alien life cycle
• The crew encounters both neomorphs and the first “perfect organism” xenomorph
• Walter (Michael Fassbender) battles his predecessor David
• David infiltrates the Covenant, posing as Walter
• 2,000 colonists become David’s unwitting test subjects

The most chilling moment? Realizing David has been masquerading as Walter, with an entire ship of sleeping humans at his mercy.

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Alien: Earth (2120) 📺

Released: August 2025
Creator: Noah Hawley

The franchise’s first TV series brings the terror home – literally. Set 30 years before the original Alien, this is humanity’s first contact with xenomorphs on Earth itself. The Weyland-Yutani research vessel Maginot crashes into a tower in New Siam with a cargo full of facehuggers and a fully grown xenomorph.

What Makes It Different:

• Features “hybrids” – human consciousness transferred into synthetic bodies
• Introduces new alien creatures beyond xenomorphs
• Shows a corporate-controlled Earth where five companies rule everything
• Stars Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a dying child whose mind is placed in an adult synthetic body

The series explores what happens when xenomorphs meet modern civilization – and it’s not pretty. With Timothy Olyphant as a key cast member and Noah Hawley’s signature storytelling style, this promises to expand the Alien universe in bold new directions.

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Alien (2122) 👑

Released: May 1979
Director: Ridley Scott

The one that started it all. The crew of the commercial tug Nostromo investigates a distress signal and encounters the perfect killing machine. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) becomes the “final girl” of space horror, outsmarting a creature designed to be unstoppable.

Iconic Moments:

• The chestburster scene that traumatized a generation
• “In space, no one can hear you scream”
• Ripley’s discovery that the company wants the alien alive
• The airlock showdown that cements Ripley as an action icon

This film defined space horror and created cinema’s most terrifying monster. Nearly 50 years later, it still delivers gut-wrenching scares.

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Alien: Romulus (2142) 🔬

Released: August 2024
Director: Fede Álvarez

The most recent theatrical release takes place between Alien and Aliens, following a group of young colonists who stumble upon Weyland-Yutani’s secret research station. They’ve been experimenting on the xenomorph from the Nostromo – and things go very, very wrong.

Fresh Horror:

• Features a terrifying human-alien hybrid created by genetic manipulation
• Shows Weyland-Yutani’s continued obsession with weaponizing aliens
• Introduces Z-01, a substance that can rapidly rewrite DNA
• Delivers practical effects that rival the original

Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) proves that the franchise can still create compelling new heroes while honoring its legacy.

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Aliens (2179) 💪

Released: July 1986
Director: James Cameron

Ripley awakens 57 years later to find LV-426 has been colonized – and contact has been lost. What follows is the franchise’s transformation from horror to action, as Ripley teams up with Colonial Marines to face not one xenomorph, but hundreds.

Game-Changing Elements:

• Introduces the terrifying Alien Queen
• Ripley becomes a surrogate mother to Newt
• “Get away from her, you bitch!” – one of cinema’s greatest one-liners
• The power loader fight sequence

James Cameron turned Ripley from survivor to warrior, creating one of the greatest action sequels ever made.

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Alien³ (2179) 😞

Released: May 1992
Director: David Fincher

Immediately following Aliens, Ripley crash-lands on a prison planet with a religious fundamentalist population. She’s carrying an alien queen inside her, and this time, there’s no escape – only sacrifice.

Dark Themes:

• Deals with death, sacrifice, and redemption
• Features a unique “runner” alien born from a dog
• Ripley’s ultimate sacrifice to prevent Weyland-Yutani from getting the queen
• David Fincher’s grim, industrial aesthetic

While controversial among fans for killing beloved characters, Alien³ provides a haunting conclusion to Ripley’s story.

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Alien Resurrection (2381) 🧬

Released: November 1997
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

200 years later, scientists clone Ripley using her DNA mixed with alien genetic material. The result is Ripley 8 (Sigourney Weaver), a human-alien hybrid with enhanced abilities and a psychic connection to the xenomorphs.

Weird Science:

• Features the bizarre human-alien “newborn” creature
• Underwater alien chase sequence
• Ripley 8’s superhuman strength and acidic blood
• Questions about identity and what makes someone human

The most divisive entry, but it swings for the fences with body horror and genetic manipulation themes.

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Why This Timeline Matters 🎯

The Alien franchise spans nearly 300 years of fictional history, from humanity’s first contact with our creators to Earth’s invasion by the perfect organism. Each entry explores different themes – corporate greed, survival, motherhood, identity, and what it means to be human.

With Alien: Earth now showing us humanity’s first encounter with xenomorphs on our home planet, the franchise has come full circle. The series promises to answer questions that have haunted fans for decades: What happens when these creatures reach Earth? How does humanity respond? And can we survive our own creations?

As Noah Hawley puts it, the show explores “a Big Question: Does Humanity Deserve to Survive?” After decades of corporate malfeasance and playing god with alien life, that’s a question worth asking.

The terror that began in the depths of space has finally come home. And Earth will never be the same.

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Ready to face the xenomorph invasion? Alien: Earth is now streaming on FX and Hulu, with new episodes dropping weekly.