Every movie fan knows that in space no one can hear you scream. Just like everyone knows Hollywood loves hearing the “ka-ching” of box office sales anytime it releases a new Alien movie. No one could have imagined it at the time, but Ridley Scott’s iconic 1979 film launched an entire sci-fi horror series that’s still going strong. The franchise will soon deliver not only a new film, but a new live-action TV show. When will both take place, though? There have been so many Alien movies, along with other tales told in various media, it can be hard to keep remember when every installment took place. What’s a sequel and what’s a prequel? When did certain characters join and leave the story? And what’s canonical and what’s not? It’s a lot to keep track of. Only, you don’t have to anymore. We did it for you.
Nerdist‘s own Adam Murray went deep into the history and lore of space, monsters, mega corporations, and milk-filled robots in this in-depth video “The Complete Alien Cinematic Timeline.” It will help you accurately place every major event and figure in the franchise. And as a bonus it will also prove why you should really avoid sticking your face in weird eggs.
From Engineers and Xenomorphs, to Ripleys and androids, for over 40 years the Alien franchise has provided a whole lot of story and world-building. (Or, rather, space building.) Now, with both Alien: Romulus and Noah Hawley’s Alien show on the horizon, we thought this was the perfect time to help make sense of a complicated timeline.
In addition to this great video breakdown, we also made you a cool chart. It not only easily places every major event in its correct order. This graph also highlights exactly what’s canon and what’s not. It has way more answers than Prometheus. Though in fairness Prometheus provided zero answers so that wasn’t a tough hurdle.
We love a good timeline chart as much as David loves playing the flute with himself. (We’ve even included Alien” Romulus into the mix.)
Now that we made sense of this timeline, we are left to wonder: what new entries await the future of Alien and where and when will they take place? In space no one can hear you scream. But if you ever need us to update this chart in the future give us a holler. Just promise us in the meantime if you come across a weird space egg you’ll keep your face far away from it. Trust us, if Alien has taught us anything over four decades it’s that space eggs always cause problems.
Make sure to check out the above theater before you head to theaters for Alien: Romulus when it releases on August 16.
Originally published on December 19, 2023.
