How 'Alien: Earth' pulls you into the world of 'Alien' in its opening scene

"We got the prints from the Nostromo, and we built the ship to match."
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 and  Warren Shaw  on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
Watch Next

FX's Alien: Earth does more than pay homage to Ridley Scott's 1979 original — creator, writer, and director Noah Hawley got hold of the actual set blueprints.

Mashable sat down with Hawley, executive producer David W. Zucker, and the cast of Alien: Earth to unpack the first TV series in the Alien franchise.

Set in 2120, Alien: Earth takes place just two years before Alien, in 2122. The series' opening scene might be set on the Weyland-Yutani spaceship USCSS Maginot, but it feels like we're right back on the Nostromo, the ship where Sigourney Weaver's Ripley first encountered the dreaded Xenomorph.

"We got the prints from the Nostromo, and we built the ship to match. Our cryochamber is bigger, our comms room is bigger, for story reasons," Hawley told Mashable UK Editor Shannon Connellan. "But the mess hall is exactly the same down to the props. The bridge is exactly the same down to the props."

Hawley said that most of the Alien: Earth cast and crew had similar reactions when walking onto set.

"To walk onto those sets for the first time is to be transported back to your childhood, and then you turn around and you watch everybody who walks onto those sets feel exactly the same way. I think that adds the authenticity of the feeling."

Alien: Earth premieres Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX with two episodes, then weekly on Tuesdays.

A photo portrait of a journalist with blonde hair and a band t-shirt.
Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!