Alien: Earth has finally landed, delivering a bold new chapter in Ridley Scott‘s Xenomorph saga, which began in 1979 with his groundbreaking sci-fi thriller Alien. Set two years before the events of the original film, the eight-episode series marks the first time in franchise history that the acid-blooded abominations have invaded Earth.
Expanding the ever-growing Alien universe with fresh layers of depth and nuance, the first two episodes — “Neverland” and “Mr. October”— are packed with references, Easter eggs, and subtle callbacks to previous films, along with clever nods to other corners of pop culture.
Here are a few we thought you should know about.
The opening titles start in a familiar ping.
The very first sound you hear in the titles is a small ping, which may ring familiar to any Alien fan. After the main titles aboard the Nostromo in the 1979 classic film, as the camera pans over the sleeping bodies of the crew, the computer jolts awake to the same ping just before the computer screen reads “NOSTROMO 180924609.”
The waking sequence in Episode 1 was a tribute to Alien.
The shots of the crew waking up on the USCSS Maginot showcase the set’s detailed design and its faithful homage to the universe Ridley Scott built. From the central computer to the pods opening to reveal awakening passengers — even down to the fades and wipes — the sequence mirrors the original aesthetic, with one crew member waking in a similar manner to John Hurt‘s Kane.
Wait. Was that… Sid?
That was not a hallucination. That was Sid from Ice Age momentarily appearing in Alien: Earth. In the show, Hermit (Alex Lawther) recalls watching Ice Age: Continental Drift with his sister Marcy, whose consciousness now resides in the synthetic Wendy (Sydney Chandler), thus making the Ice Age franchise canon to Alien. Hermit later quotes the movie: “Have a heart or face my fury!”
This is is real fame from Alien: Earth pic.twitter.com/A1ADFp4BZf
— bulb (@eggbulb3) August 13, 2025
The use of Ice Age can also be seen as Disney flexing its muscle when it comes to the IP it owns. Never forget that the Alien Queen is officially a Disney princess now.
The Maginot’s own sad little Jonesy
The doomed Maginot comes equipped with everything, including a ginger tabby of its own, a little reminiscent of Jonesy, Lt. Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) pet cat from the first two Alien films, if not for the mutilation. Best known for well-timed jump scares and looking adorable while Ripley’s crew members were torn limb from limb, Jonesy survived, but sadly, this kitty did not fare as well.
“Is it time to go to sleep?”
Little Marcy is presented with her new body before she goes under to have her consciousness transferred to a synthetic form — a moment that serves as a bit of a callback to Aliens, when Newt was about to enter cryosleep and asked Ripley, “Are we gonna sleep all the way home?”
All of the squad names reference Peter Pan characters.
Disney’s Peter Pan plays a large part in the first episode of the series, “Neverland,” as children are given synthetic bodies that allow them to never grow up and live forever. Thusly, J.M. Barrie’s fairy tale serves as inspiration when it comes to their “machine names.” Wendy leads the squad, her name a nod to Wendy Darling, the eldest of the Darling children and the one in charge. Erana James plays Curly, Adarsh Gourav is Slightly, Lily Newmark is Nibs, Jonathan Ajayi is Smee the Pirate, and Kit Young is Tootles.
“We don’t like that word.”
Bishop (Lance Henriksen) in Aliens was a little touchy when it came to being called a synthetic. He preferred an artificial human. As it turns out, it seems to be a pattern for all artificial humans, as Slightly (Adarsh Gourav) also dislikes the term. He also refers to his name as his “machine name.”
“The Mob Rules” by Black Sabbath and “Stinkfist” by Tool at the end of the episodes
The lyrics for the classic Sabbath tune warn of the end of civilization:
“Close the city and tell the people,
That something’s coming to call,
Death and darkness are rushing forward,
To take a bite from the wall, oh!”
It plays just before Wendy leads the squad into the wreckage, foreshadowing the horrors yet to come. In an interview with Decider, showrunner Noah Hawley said using classic rock is a callback to James Cameron‘s sequel: “I think that literally in the movie Aliens, Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) yells, ‘Let’s rock!’” However, he also wanted to evoke the energy of “a big arena show.”
“Stinkfist” by Tool plays at the end of Episode 2. The song is about pushing human experiences to the extreme in an effort to feel something. Noah Hawley revealed that he used rock and metal needle drops to give each episode a rock show vibe. For Episode 2, the choice was meant to highlight the plight of the hybrids, particularly children, reborn in synthetic bodies.
Pulse Rifles & Smartguns
The military here utilizes the same Pulse Rifles as seen in Aliens, and for those eagle-eyed viewers, the M56 Smartgun that Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) modifies is also present.
Alien: Earth, Tuesdays, 8/7c, FX and Hulu