Warning! This post contains mild SPOILERS for Hulu’s Alien: Earth
Following the release of Hulu’s Alien: Earth series, there are several lessons the Star Wars franchise could and should learn from its success. With a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that the latest entry in the Alien franchise is doing something right, so Star Wars may be wise to try and learn from what it does (and doesn’t) achieve.
Written and directed by Noah Hawley, the recently concluded Alien: Earth series has been met with very high praise, with many crossing their fingers for more seasons. Although the Emmy-winning Andor was a high-caliber outlier, here are some of the biggest lessons we think the overall Star Wars franchise needs to learn from Hulu’s Alien: Earth going forward.
Connections Come Second To Story
One of the best things Alien: Earth does is forge its own narrative path. Despite being set between existing projects in the Alien franchise, there was no need to reference the previous Prometheus and Covenant films, nor even the very first Alien movie (the events of which occur only two years later).
Instead, the story being told in Alien: Earth is what’s most important, and the decision not to occupy valuable narrative real estate by addressing prior franchise entries is actually quite refreshing. This is something Star Wars could definitely stand to do more of.
Star Wars needs to find more space in the timeline where the story can take precedence, rather than how it’s all going to fit in the established continuity. Sure, there’s connectivity to be had to the greater Alien franchise in Alien: Earth, but it’s not at the expense of the unique story told by Hawley.
Keep The Nostalgia In The Background
Alien: Earth features plenty of familiar elements like the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, pulse rifles, xenomorphs, the iconic MU/TH/UR room aboard the USCSS Maginot, and more elements on the new ship (having been patterned after the first Alien movie’s Nostromo setpieces).
That said, all the nostalgia and familiarity are never highlighted to such a degree that it becomes distracting. Several new elements and creatures make their franchise debut in this new Alien series, offering new concepts to explore.
To the Star Wars franchise’s credit, this is something that Andor did exceptionally well. X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and classic pieces of the galaxy far, far away were incorporated, though not at the expense of introducing new elements like the planet Ghorman and the debut of its entire language and brand-new culture.
Even so, less reliance on nostalgia is definitely a lesson Star Wars could stand to learn beyond Andor, especially as the franchise gears up for a return to theaters beginning next year (though one might understandably have doubts based on The Mandalorian and Grogu’s first trailer alone).
A Dynamic Story Is Everything
By the series’ end, it’s quite clear that Noah Hawley had a very clear vision for what he wanted Alien: Earth to be, with an incredibly fleshed-out and dynamic story.
Without question, this new Alien series is the furthest thing from simply being a “run from the monster” story. There’s some incredible nuance at play with multiple narratives and connected themes from episode to episode.
The story also pushes the franchise to places it’s never gone to before, something that’s long overdue where the Star Wars franchise is concerned. The time has certainly come to bring the galaxy far, far away to new ideas, adding new layers to the battles between the light and dark sides of the Force.
Character Depth Is Absolutely Crucial
By the final episodes of Alien: Earth, viewers understand the personality, struggles, flaws, and motivations of nearly every single lead character.
Wendy/Marcy is struggling with her idenтιтy as a Hybrid, while also being determined to forge said idenтιтy on her own terms, wielding her power as she sees fit. Prodigy founder and CEO Boy Kavalier believes himself to be the smartest one in every room, seeking immortality via technology with an extreme ego.
Morrow will stop at nothing to secure the legacy that is securing the alien samples for Weyland-Yutani, having no other purpose or calling after all he’s sacrificed. Kirsh has dual loyalties to Prodigy and the Hybrids he mentors, encouraging them to abandon all human “weaknesses”.
Every lead character in the cast is given the time to be fully understood and dynamically explored, something Andor also excelled at. This is hopefully something Star Wars will continue to do in the future, especially with the dynamic cast of actors attached to 2027’s Starfighter.
There Are Smarter Ways To Hide Your Story
Initially based on trailers and marketing for Alien: Earth, it seemed as though the main premise was simply going to be a crashed ship with escaping aliens on Earth. Instead, that was merely the inciting incident for the entire series overall, a jumping-off point that led into some fascinating new spaces and themes that most probably didn’t expect before watching.
It was a brilliant way to effectively “hide’ the main thrust and plot of the story. Conversely, we still don’t specifically know what The Mandalorian and Grogu’s initial premise is about beyond the loosest of ideas and guesses following its first trailer.
Be Willing To Tackle The Big Ideas, Not Just Sci-Fi Tropes
Again, Alien: Earth goes far beyond the “run from the monster” survival sci-fi story we’ve seen before.
The series delves heavily into philosophical themes and the ethics of idenтιтy in general. Of course, advanced artificial intelligence is the sci-fi framework, but the depth that Alien: Earth takes in the various existential struggles is fascinating, and really does feel like a true cut above the norm.
There’s also the idea that’s presented about what it means not only to be human, but also questions of maturity and what it means to be a fully functioning “adult”, a fascinating new layer to the Alien franchise’s ongoing explorations into the intertwining ideas of evolution, man vs. machine, and/or man’s attempt to play god.
In a similar vein, Andor similarly went beyond the sci-fi tropes, getting deeper into the ideas of revolution, its cost, and the systems of authoritarian oppression on an incredibly high level that the Star Wars franchise had never seen before. With any luck, future Star Wars projects can follow suit by going beyond the expected.
You Need A Satisfying Conclusion, Not Just A Cliffhanger
The one thing Alien: Earth does that Star Wars might not want to do is leave things on such a mᴀssive cliffhanger. On the one hand, Alien: Earth’s cliffhanger is excellent, leaving viewers desperate for more with tensions at an all-time high. However, Disney has yet to greenlight a second season of Alien: Earth.
Star Wars has already fallen prey to something similar with The Acolyte’s cancellation, leaving behind a cliffhanger that will likely never be fully addressed on screen. Seeing as how Alien: Earth’s cliffhanger and second-season uncertainty has become the biggest (and perhaps only) point of division among fans, Star Wars might be wise to avoid doing the same in the future.
All episodes of Alien: Earth are now streaming on Hulu.
