Key Takeaways:
– The Alien Series has a convoluted timeline due to numerous sequels, prequels, crossovers, and a “mid-quel”.
– The timeline starts off with ‘Alien vs. Predator’ and ends with ‘Alien: Resurrection’.
– Ridley Scott’s original ‘Alien’ is the fifth film on the chronological list.
-Fede Alvarez’s ‘Alien: Romulus’ fits between ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens’.
– The sequels Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection wrap up the series.
The epic Alien franchise commenced as a sequential saga, straightforwardly picking up from where its predecessor left off. But then, it welcomed a composite addition of prequels, a mid-quel, and crossovers, leaving fans a bit bewildered. Here, we will decipher the chronological order of the Alien franchise.
To kick off, we begin with ‘Alien vs. Predator’ (2004), which interestingly unveils a long history of xenomorphs on Earth. Set in 2004, the lore of the predator species is established as ancient builders of humanity and bringers of xenomorphs.
Three years on, we have the crossover sequel ‘Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem’. The movie is a direct continuation of its predecessor—without moving an inch on the timeline. Picking up from the cliffhanger left by ‘Alien vs. Predator’, more xenomorph chaos unfolds in a Colorado town.
Jumping ahead by nearly a century, the series proceeds to the ‘Prometheus’ (2012) set in 2093. The movie encircles android David, offers an astronomic expedition, and various scientific discoveries with hints about xenomorphs’ origins.
Taking a bit of a leap on the timeline, we land in 2104 with Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant. This sequel to ‘Prometheus’ brings another life-threatening adventure highlighting David’s experiments and the birth of neomorphs, ending in a showdown between the xenomorphs and the humans.
In 2122, we finally arrive at ‘Alien’ (1979), the movie that began it all for viewers but appears fifth in the chronological order. The movie led by Sigourney Weaver as Ripley offers a credible introduction to the life cycle of the dreadful xenomorphs, on encountering an intelligent transmission from a supposed uninhabited moon.
‘Alien: Romulus (2024)’ is the newly inserted “mid-quel”, set in 2142. The film takes the gritty aesthetics of tech from its predecessors, exploring a group of individuals fighting against xenomorph threats for survival while attempting to escape their ruthless employer.
Then comes the much-loved ‘Aliens’ (1986). Director James Cameron continues Ripley’s story, waking her up after 57 years of floating in space. The story gets intense when the terraforming colony on LV-426 gets overtaken by xenomorphs.
The troubled yet impactful ‘Alien³’ (1992) immediately succeeds the aforementioned movie event. Overruby Ridley has a hard landing on a planet occupied by anti-social male prisoners, and another struggle against a xenomorph kicks off.
The series concludes in 2381 with ‘Alien: Resurrection’. The quirky fourth installment returns viewers to Sigourney Weaver, not as Ripley, but as a cloned version. The unhealthy obsession with xenomorphs by the United Systems Military culminates in a mess that Ripley 8, alongside a group of mercenaries, has to clean up.
That rounds up the chronological trudge through the long-standing and thrilling franchise of Alien. Hopefully, Ripley 8 found peace after such a long and chaotic saga. Despite its twists and turns, Alien always keeps its fans on edge, awaiting what’s next. With rumors of more installments to follow, perhaps we’ll have new sequences to incorporate into Alien’s timeline soon!
