46 Years Later, 'Alien' Has Finally Revealed What Happens To Earth In The Future

"Since 1979, the Alien movies have left an enduring idea in our minds about a realistic and decidedly fraught state of affairs in the future. But what created this famously grim status quo? With Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, Ridley Scott gave us a glimpse of this future history of the years 2093 and 2104. But neither of those films spent much time on Earth, and neither fully caught up with the 2120s of the original Alien."

"Hermit tries to explain to the kids the state of the world. FX After Wendy (Sydney Chandler) is revived, and the various "Lost Boys" start going about their business, one scene late in the episode finds all these Hybrids hanging out with Wendy's human brother, Hermit (Alex Lawther ). At one point, Curly (Erana James) asks Hermit, "What's the five?" All the Hybrid "kids" have heard Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) talk about this group constantly, but they're fuzzy on what it all means. Hermit explains it like this: "The old planet had something called governments ... they would vote for who they wanted, making decisions. That didn't work, so these five corporations rose up, and apparently, they fixed all the problems. Now they work together to run things.""

"But now, with Alien: Earth, we're finally learning exactly what happened to Earth in the future, and why only a handful of corporations - not countries - rule the entire world. In Alien: Earth Episode 4, "Observation," one character gives us a brief history lesson of "the five" and how both Prodigy and Weyland-Yutani fit in. Mild spoilers ahead."

The future of Earth in the Alien universe is governed by five corporations that supplanted traditional governments after democratic systems failed. Prometheus and Alien: Covenant depicted future years (2093 and 2104) but rarely focused on Earth and did not bridge to the 2120s timeline of the original Alien. Alien: Earth reveals how a handful of corporations, not nations, control the planet by working together to solve systemic problems and run global affairs. Episode 4, "Observation," presents a character explanation of "the five," links Prodigy (run by Boy Kavalier) to that power structure, and recontextualizes Weyland-Yutani's role.

Read at Inverse