Summary
- New lore introduced in Alien: Romulus adds depth to the Alien franchise beyond the traditional horror elements.
- Expansion of independent planets and lower class androids offer fresh perspectives and potential storylines for the series.
- The use of zero gravity, Xenomorph cocoons, and Facehuggers hunting in packs add thrilling new twists to the classic Alien creature features.
Directed by Fede Alvarez, Alien: Romulus, released on August 16, 2024, is the seventh movie in the Alien franchise, and is intended to relaunch the series by going back to basics. It's the simplest of horror movie premises, with a group of people traveling to an abandoned space station only to be attacked by a Xenomorph presence.
Despite Romulus being so simplistic, the movie does introduce new lore and concepts that haven't been seen in previous Alien movies. In fact, some new elements are simply making their cinematic debut after being seen canonically in the franchise's comic books and video games. These are all the new details Alien: Romulus adds to the Alien franchise.
Major story spoilers ahead for Alien: Romulus
8 Independent Planets
Havens Not Under Corporate Control
- Weyland-Yutani Corporation is the secondary villain of the entire Alien universe.
- Peter Weyland and his daughter, Meredith Vickers, were the first and last known members of the Weyland family featured in canon.
- First Appearance of Weyland-Yutani: Aliens (They were only known as "The Company" in Alien)
What sets the main characters of Alien: Romulus on their journey to the Renaissance Station is their desire to escape from their Weyland-Yutani-controlled planet to Yvaga III. While never shown in the movie, it is said to be a haven because it is an independent system not owned by any corporation, like Weyland-Yutani or Seegson.
Alien movies have never quite explored major civilizations in the canon other than the colonies seen on Weyland-Yutani worlds, and have typically focused on teams going to other alien planets. The idea of independent planets sets up the idea that maybe the future of the franchise will explore how Weyland-Yutani conquers worlds, and how freedom fighters could rebel against the corporation.
7 Xenomorphs Can Survive In Space
Continuing From The Original Movie
- Xenomorph, AKA. Subject XX121 was created by David the android in his lust for power.
- The Nostromo incident was also followed up in the canon video game, Alien: Isolation.
- First Appearance of Xenomorph: Alien
With Alien: Romulus being set between Alien and Aliens in the official chronological timeline, director Fede Alvarez had the task of telling a story between stories and having it make sense. Thankfully, he tied directly to the original Alien by revealing that the original Xenomorph was still alive.
The opening of Alien: Romulus shows the Renaissance Station discovering the remnants of the Nostromo. Among the debris is an organic shell floating in the void, which is revealed to contain the original Xenomorph from the first movie. Previous canon expanded material has shown Xenomorphs surviving the vacuum of space, such as Alien: Isolation, but this shows that they can remain dormant to protect their hive for long periods.
6 Lower Class Androids
Not Every Android Is A Corporate Spy
- Androids have a tendency to evolve away from their programming.
- Androids are a spiritual successor to the Replicants in the Blade Runne r movies, which are loosely set in the same universe.
- First Appearance of Androids: Alien
Typically, androids such as Ash, David, Walter, and Bishop, are confirmed as being advanced pieces of technology that are vital to Weyland-Yutani operations. Alien: Romulus introduces a new artificial person in the form of Andy, whose prime directive is to protect the main character, Rain. He's confirmed to be a decommissioned synthetic worker for the mining colony that they are both from.
Best Robots in Video Games, Ranked
From cute robotic companions to hostile mechanized menaces, video games have seen all kinds of robots. We've ranked the top ten best of them.
Andy is essentially designed to be used and discarded, sacrificed like a canary in a coal mine. This is why he's timid and soft-spoken, yet as the movie progresses, he proves to be just as sophisticated as the other android models seen in previous Alien movies.
5 X-Ray View Of The Chestburster
The First Ever Look At A Stage 2 Xenomorph Still In Its Host
- Chestbursters, AKA. Stage 2 Xenomorphs, gestate fast once in a host.
- They are small but have impressive strength to break through human bones and muscle.
- First Appearance of Chestbursters: Alien
It is tradition now that Alien movies try something different with the Chestburster sequences using disturbing body horror, and Romulus keeps that tradition going. The character Navarro swiped a handheld X-Ray device whilst exploring Renaissance Station, leading to a memorable moment seen in much of the marketing for Alien: Romulus.
When Bjorn and Navarro are trying to escape Renaisscance, Navarro feels the creature moving inside her chest, so she uses the X-Ray on herself, allowing audiences to witness the Chestburster inside her torso as it tries to break free from its host. It's disturbing and fresh, showing Fede Alvarez's keen eye for horror.
4 New Company Orders
There Is More Than One Weyland-Yutani Agenda
- The Pathogen was used by the enigmatic Engineers to create and evolve life.
- David used it to experiment and create the first Xenomorph strain.
- First Appearance of The Pathogen: Prometheus
From the beginning, the Xenomorph was always the target for the Weyland-Yutani company to catch and use in their bioweapons division. However, Alien: Romulus reveals a surprising new goal by directly connecting to Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, all tying back to The Pathogen that David used to create the Xenomorph in the first place.
The Romulus lab on the station was tasked with using the Pathogen from the Xenomorph and Facehuggers to create a serum intended to evolve humans into beings fit for space travel. This reveal not only makes the story a strong sequel to multiple movies in the franchise, but suggests that there are different agendas for the Xenomorphs made by the company, maybe even some that would conflict with each other.
3 Facehuggers Hunting In Packs
More Development Of Facehuggers
- Facehuggers, AKA. Ovomorphs, impregnate their hosts with a Xenomorph embryo.
- Their tails are strong enough to break their host's neck.
- First Appearance of Facehuggers: Alien
In previous Alien movies, there were usually just a few Facehuggers shown at the most, but they were only used to create Xenomorphs, and that goal remains unchanged in Alien: Romulus. However, the film cleverly makes Facehuggers into a major threat on the same level as the Xenomorphs by featuring several dozen of them pursuing the characters.
Not only does Alien: Romulus show that the Facehuggers can operate in packs, but it also reveals how the creatures hunt. Without eyes, they rely on sensing the body heat of their potential prey, combined with an accute sensitivity to sound. Even over four decades later, fans are learning new things about their lore, and never have the Facehuggers been more of a threat than they are in Romulus.
2 Zero Gravity Sequences
Acid Blood Has Never Been So Beautiful
- Acid Blood, seen in Xenomorphs and Pathogen mutations.
- First Appearance of Acid Blood: Alien
From the moment the characters enter Renaissance Station in Alien: Romulus, they are forced to deal with zero gravity. Despite the entire franchise taking place in deep space, Alien movies have shockingly never tried attempting anything to do with zero-G before.
8 Terrifying Horror Games Set In Space
Sci-fi horror is a beloved genre niche, and the video games that tackle it love trapping their players in the isolating confines of outer space.
Not only does zero gravity make for some of the best visuals in Alien: Romulus, but it results in some extremely creative action sequences. An entire scene features Rain and Andy fending off a swarm of Xenomorphs in zero-G to prevent their acid blood from melting down through space and depressurizing Renaissance Station.
1 Xenomorph Cocoons
Evolving From Chesterburster And Xenomorph
- The transition from Chestburster to full-grown Xenomorph takes place in a coccoon.
- First Appearance of Xenomorph Coccoons: Alien: Romulus
The life cycle of the Xenomorph moves fast once it is born, evolving from a Chestburster to a full-grown warrior drone in seemingly a matter of minutes. Alien: Romulus not only remains consistent with that timeline, but expands upon the creatures' growth by showing how it grows so fast via a cocoon that it hides itself in.
After the creature bursts from Navarro's chest, Kay and Bjorn discover the Xenomorph cocooned in a hallway, evolving into its matured stage. This further expands on the insect-like nature of the Xenomorph hive and teases that perhaps future films could bring other types of Xeno evolution to the big screen, such as Praetorian guards or even how a Queen grows.