Alien: Earth Shakes Up Alien Covenant Timeline — A Bold Rewrite for the Franchise
Disney’s new FX series, Alien: Earth, has only aired two episodes — yet it’s already rewriting everything we thought we knew about the Alien universe.
For the first time, the story is told in a serialized streaming format, diving deeper into the lore than any film before it. Even more groundbreaking, much of the story unfolds on Earth — a location that, until Alien: Resurrection, existed only in brief mentions.
But the biggest shock isn’t the setting. It’s how Alien: Earth challenges Alien Covenant’s timeline and changes key parts of the franchise’s history.
Alien: Earth Sidelines Engineers and the Black Goo
While Alien: Earth doesn’t erase Prometheus or Alien Covenant, it treats them like distant myths.
The black goo is gone, there’s no mention of Peter Weyland’s meeting with the Engineers, and David’s experiments in creating the Xenomorph are ignored. Instead, the show shifts focus to new corporate powers on Earth and advanced combat exosuits.
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A major timeline shake-up comes from the USCSS Maginot — a ship that discovered Xenomorph samples in 2088, years before David’s first experiments. This undercuts one of Alien Covenant’s biggest implications: that David “created” the aliens.
| Title | Year Set |
|---|---|
| Prometheus (2012) | 2089 / 2093 |
| Alien: Covenant (2017) | 2104 |
| Alien: Earth | 2120 |
| Alien (1979) | 2122 |
| Alien: Romulus (2024) | 2142 |
| Aliens (1986) | 2179 |
| Alien 3 (1992) | 2180 |
| Alien Resurrection (1997) | 2379 |
A Direct Clash With the Alien vs Predator Timeline
Alien: Earth also overwrites the events of the Alien vs Predator films, which take place in 2004.
In the new continuity, Earth’s first encounter with the Xenomorphs happens much later, with no mention of earlier visits from the Yautja or alien species. This effectively erases AVP from canon — a move that won’t surprise most fans, as those films have long been treated as side stories.
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation Gets a Makeover
For decades, Weyland-Yutani has been the ultimate corporate villain, controlling deep-space mining and colonization.
Alien: Earth changes that image by revealing the company is only one of five powerful corporations. New rivals — like the biotech startup Prodigy — aim to freeze human aging and treat life itself as a commodity, adding fresh corporate intrigue to the saga.
New Lifeforms and a Fresh Take on Synthetics
Breaking from decades of tradition, Alien: Earth introduces brand-new alien species beyond the familiar Xenomorphs and Engineers.
The series also reframes synthetics as hybrids — humanity’s flawed attempt at immortality. David may have been Weyland’s prototype for eternal life, but in Alien: Earth, the project extends far beyond him.
Xenomorphs Now Hunt by Fear
One of the show’s most chilling changes is how the Xenomorphs hunt.
In earlier stories, they tracked prey by smell. Now, they detect fear itself — a primal “scent” that can give away even the most hidden human. In one tense scene, a character survives by suppressing every trace of fear, creating a new psychological edge to the horror.
Why Ignoring Prometheus and AVP Works
By not being tied to Prometheus, Alien Covenant, or AVP, Alien: Earth has the freedom to tell a self-contained story.
It doesn’t need to explain the black goo, the Engineers, or alien hunters. This clean slate allows for bold storytelling — while still leaving room for future connections to the prequels if the writers choose.
A Franchise Forever Changed
Whether you view it as a bold reinvention or unnecessary tampering, Alien: Earth has undeniably changed the Alien franchise.
By altering Alien Covenant’s timeline and reframing the Xenomorph origin, Disney has set the stage for a new era — one that will keep fans debating for years to come.
1. Is Alien Covenant still canon after Alien: Earth?
Yes — Alien Covenant is still part of the official timeline. However, Alien: Earth changes events leading up to the original films, making parts of Alien Covenant less central to the Xenomorph’s origin.
2. How does Alien: Earth change the Alien Covenant timeline?
In Alien Covenant, David is suggested to have created the Xenomorphs. Alien: Earth reveals that Xenomorph samples existed decades before David’s experiments, contradicting that idea.
3. Does Alien: Earth ignore Prometheus and AVP?
Yes — it sidelines the black goo and Engineers from Prometheus and Alien Covenant, and completely overwrites Alien vs Predator’s events.
4. Why did Disney change the Alien timeline?
The new timeline allows Alien: Earth to tell fresh stories without being restricted by past plotlines, introducing new species, technology, and corporate rivalries.
5. What’s new about the Xenomorphs in Alien: Earth?
They now hunt by detecting fear instead of scent — adding a psychological twist to their terrifying presence.
