Following the recent success of the midquel “Alien: Romulus,” “Alien: Earth” is a prequel series — and the first TV iteration of the franchise — that, as its title suggests, brings the dangerous xenomorph to our homeworld. This show is set only two years before Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and the Nostromo crew first encounter the xenomorph menace in the original “Alien,” but where does it fit with the rest of the franchise? Figuring out the correct running order of the “Alien” saga can be confusing, but the video you see above features everything you need to know to be ready for “Alien: Earth.”

Released in 2024, “Alien: Romulus” was the seventh film in the franchise (not including two “Alien vs. Predator” spin-offs), and its $351 million take at the box office and 80% critical approval score on Rotten Tomatoes indicated that interest in the ongoing conflict between humans and xenomorphs was still strong some 45 years after “Alien” arrived in 1979. “Romulus,” with its more straightforward narrative and callbacks to key moments in the first four movies in the series, was considerably more successful than the previous theatrical entry, 2017’s “Alien: Covenant,” which only earned $240.9 million worldwide and a 65% approval score at Rotten Tomatoes.

While Ripley, the protagonist of those four initial “Alien” films, remains the signature character of the franchise,  “Alien: Earth” will continue the trend of the latter movies in the cycle and rewind things a bit, taking a look at human, android, and alien life in the early stages of this Weyland-Yutani Corporation-created nightmare.

“Alien: Earth” is set to shake up the whole franchise by being all about Earth’s first direct encounter with xenomorphs. It follows Wendy (Sydney Chandler), a groundbreaking hybrid robot equipped with the mind and consciousness of a human being, and her team of soldiers as they explore a Weyland-Yutani deep space research vessel that has returned and crash-landed on Earth near Prodigy City. Presumably, there will be xenomorphs (or worse) on board — or at least human beings infected with chestbursters ready to threaten all of humanity. Either way, it’s up to Wendy and company to not only save Prodigy City but possibly determine the fate of Earth itself. 

Trailers indicate that Wendy — who’s told that she’s special and destined to do great things — will be forced to deal with unexpected new horrors in this tale, and series creator Noah Hawley seems bound and determined to deliver that. “It’s ultimately a classic science fiction question,” Hawley told Esquire in 2022 about the series. “Does humanity deserve to survive?” Audiences will see the first two of eight episodes on August 12 on both FX and Hulu, but in the meantime, watch the video above to fill you in on everything the franchise has thrown at audiences so far, from its very best to its very worst, before “Alien: Earth” arrives.