Summary
TheAlienfranchise has a vast and rich mythology that extends across all the movies to create a full timeline of events. Ridley Scott launched the original horror/sci-fi series in 1979 with the release of the firstAlienmovie. The futuristic series explores humanity’s run-ins with the alien race known as Xenomorphs, whether they are sequels that directly build on the existing canon or prequels that expand what was previously known.EveryAlienmovieplays a vital part in creating the overall franchise timeline that audiences need to know to understand the world.
Looking at theAlienmovies in chronological orderprovides a general overview of the franchise timeline. FollowingAlien’s release in 1979, audiences gotAliensin 1986,Alien 3in 1992, andAlien Resurrectionin 1997. Ridley Scott then returned with prequels inPrometheusandAlien: Covenant, while Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century led to additional projects moving forward.Comics, shorts, novels, and TV shows also explore different pointsas unconfirmed canon materials, but there is a lot of information and events to keep track of when it comes to chronicling the completeAlienfranchise timeline.
Every Alien Prequel, Ranked Worst To Best
Alien is a difficult franchise, and with its complex universe creating room for film disasters, some of its prequel movies are better than others.
The Origins Of Humanity & Weyland
Billions Of Years Ago Through 2029
The very beginning of theAlientimeline was revealed duringPrometheus' opening sequence. The movie begins with one member of The Engineers coming to Earth and drinking the black goo. This caused him to die but brought forth the creation of humanity. The exact setting of this event is unknown, as it could be billions of years beforePrometheusor 10,000s of years prior. In either instance,the Engineers returned to Earth as neededafterward to check in on their creations. There is even a suggestion that they created Jesus Christ to save humanity from its near destruction.
Fast forward to 2012 and theAlienfranchise takes a big step forward with the foundation of Weyland Corp. Peter Weyland started the company that year, marking the beginning of his pursuit to create life. It is not until2023 that Peter unveils his plans to create androids. The first David android was created in 2024. After a few years of legal battles with Yutani Corp about the David patent, Weyland Corp wins the lawsuit and continues production on its David android models. This brings about the continued evolution of life in the universe later in the timeline.
2092
2093
2104
2122
2142
2179
2180
2379
Alien: Earth
Set In 2092
TheAlienfranchise timeline explores Earth in roughly 2092 thanks to a series from Noah Hawley. It is confirmed that his upcomingAlienshow is set roughly three years before the events of the original movie.TitledAlien: Earth, the series explores the early days of Weyland-Yutani and what it is like to work for a corporation. It is the first TV show in the franchise and the first project to take place primarily on Earth. Based on its setting in the timeline,Alien: Earthcould have a very minimal presence of xenomorphs.
Alien: Earth is expected to be released on Hulu in 2025
Prometheusis the earliest film in theAlientimeline, primarily exploring events set in 2093. After the introduction to the Engineers millennia before,the movie introduces Elizabeth Shaw and her team in 2089. They discover a star map to LV-223 in Scotland that leads to Peter Weyland funding a mission for them to travel to the location in the hopes of finding life beyond Earth. It takes four years for the entire process to take place, including traveling to LV-223 aboard thePrometheusship. The rest of the movie takes place within a short amount of time in 2093 as Shaw’s crew explores LV-223.
As the first prequel in the franchise,Prometheusremains the earliest point in the official timeline that has been exploredso far. Various short films from Peter Weyland’s files do predate the events of the movie, as they were made as extras for the movie’s home video release. These include a Peter Weyland TED talk from 2023, the debut of David 8 in 2079, a video recording of Shaw from 2089 after making the star map discovery, and pre-mission recordings of thePrometheuscrew from 2091. TheAlienshort films lead directly into the events ofPrometheus.
TheAlientimeline jumps 11 years into the future afterPrometheus' ending to tellAlien: Covenant’s story. The second of Ridley Scott’s prequelsfollows theCovenantcrew as they are awakened in 2104amid ship malfunctions while en route to Origae-6. They intercept a recording from a nearby planet that promises to be more habitable for the colonizing expedition, and they change course to explore the new, unspecified planet. It is only once they arrive that they learn of the dangers that lurk on the planet and encounter David 8 and his experiments.
Ridley Scott’s original sci-fi/horror masterpiece kicked off the franchise as a series that takes place nearly 150 years in the future. Released in 1979,Alienis set in 2122 as theNostromoship embarks on a return trip to Earth. Their trip takes a detour as the ship’s computer, Mother, detects signs of life on the nearby moon LV-426. This leads Dallas, Kane, and Lambert to investigate a signal and discover hundreds of alien eggs. While Kane is attacked by a facehugger during the trip, the entireNostromocrew leaves LV-426 alive, but that does not stay true for long.
The original movie only explores a short amount of time in theAlientimeline, as the entire film’s story is told over a few days in 2122. It ends with Ripley as the sole human survivor of the chronicled encounter with xenomorphs and in stasis as her return trip to Eath is resumed. Little did Ripley know that this was the start of an ongoing war with the xenomorphs that would carry through the rest of her life.
TheAlienmovie timeline expanded in 2024 with the release ofAlien: Romulus. Directed by Fede Álvarez, the film is another prequel in the franchise.Alien: Romulustakes place betweenAlienandAliensin the franchise’s official timeline. Its specific setting is 2142, as it is confirmed to be set 20 years after the original film.Alien: Romulus' timeline settingmakes it a completely standalone entry in the canon, as it follows a new group of characters who explore theRenaissancespace station and discover theRomuluslab and the deadly aliens that are inside.
James Cameron was the first person responsible for growing theAlientimeline as he was in charge of directing the original sequel,Aliens. The film only took seven years to make in real life, but the gap between events is much larger in the official canon. This is becauseAlienstakes place 57 years after the originalin 2179 because Ripley was stuck in cryostasis waiting to come back to Earth. She wakes up to learn that Weyland-Yutani have colonized LV-426 by setting up a terraforming station, and they doubt the accuracy of her report on what lives there.
The rest ofAliensexplores Ripley and a crew going to LV-426 to investigate why the Weyland-Yutani has lost communication with the colony. They encounter even more xenomorphs upon their arrival, as well as Newt, the sole survivor of the aliens' original attack. After spending a short amount of time on LV-426 and defeating the queen xenomorph, Ripley and other survivors chart their return trip to Earth with the hope that they’ve seen the last of the deadly creatures.
TheAlientimeline grew again six years after James Cameron’s hit with David Fincher makingAlien 3. However, the actual story is set in 2180 in the official timeline. The film begins with a facehugger being born on theSulacoone year after the events ofAliens, leading to the survivors leaving in escape pods. Ripley awakens in a factory prison to learn that she is the only one to survive the escape pods crashing on Fury 161. It is there that she learns that Weyland-Yutani knew about the facehugger egg on the ship that caused the crash.
Why Alien 3 Killed Off Hicks & Newt
Aliens introduced the beloved characters of Hicks and Newt, and while they both survived the film, Alien 3 unceremoniously killed them off.
The big development forAlienas a franchise at this point in the timeline is that it is where Ripley dies. She discovers that she is carrying a Queen embryo and learns of Weyland-Yutani’s true intentions for the creatures. Knowing that she cannot let another Alien Queen be born,Ripley decides to sacrifice herself in the endby falling into a furnace, ensuring that she and the growing Alien Queen perish.
The latest point in theAlientimeline that has been explored comes throughAlien Resurrection. The sequel came five years afterAlien 3, but it features the biggest jump in the canon for a sequel by setting the story 200 years later.Alien Resurrectiontakes place in 2379as they clone Ripley 8 using blood taken from her before her death. Weyland-Yutani spent the 200 years afterAlien 3creating the clone with a Queen embryo inside so more xenomorphs could be created.
Moving the franchise this far into the future meansAlien Resurrectionleaves many years in between where the state of the universe is a mystery. Still, it advances the mythology in some significant ways through Ripley 8’s connection to xenomorphs. But with the film receiving mostly negative reviews and leaving the franchise’s future in an uncertain spot, no stories afterAlien Resurrectionhave been told in any official capacity.
Alien vs. Predator & Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem Are Not Part Of The Main Timeline
They Are Officially Non-Canon
In addition to the seven main movies and single TV show that exist in the officialAlientimeline, one should not considerAlien vs. PredatororAliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Neither movie is an official part of the canon as they contradict events depicted in the rest of the franchise. For what its worth,bothAlien vs Predatormovies take place in 2004, so they would be the earliest films in the timeline if they were considered canon. Since they are not, the completeAlientimeline does not cover their events.
