Alien: Romulus questions Ridley Scott’s two Alien prequels’ status, but addressing one detail could sustain their relevance.
Key Takeaways:
- Alien: Romulus has the potential to untangle the narrative complexities left by Prometheus and Covenant.
- Positioned within the timeline, the movie can shed light on how the original Engineer ship found its way to LV-426.
- By resolving this pivotal plot point, Alien: Romulus has the opportunity to enhance the prequels’ stories retrospectively.
While Alien: Romulus challenges the status of Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels, it can still ensure their relevance by addressing one ongoing mystery.
With Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, Scott aimed to explore the franchise’s main monster’s origins, but these films also introduced complexities that divided fans. Despite the series seemingly moving away from Scott’s vision, one mystery remains crucial for their integration.
Although the Alien series appears to distance itself from Scott’s planned narrative, with Alien: Romulus shifting focus and the upcoming Alien FX show reimagining the alien’s origin, the status of Prometheus and Covenant is at risk.
However, a narrative strand from the prequels could help them remain part of the larger story.
Alien: Romulus May Solve the Original Engineer Ship Mystery
When Prometheus was announced, fans were eager for answers to many Alien mysteries. However, the film’s failure to adequately address these questions, or provide answers that complicated the narrative, contributed to its negative reception.
One lingering mystery that Alien: Romulus could still address, and retroactively impact Prometheus and Covenant, is how the original LV-426 Engineer ship ended up on the planet seen in the 1979 movie.
Despite exploring the ship in Prometheus and Covenant, neither film explained how it arrived on the planet. This narrative gap remains unresolved and creates a significant loose end.
Positioned between the first Alien movie and Aliens, Alien: Romulus has an opportunity to address this issue and potentially enhance the prequels’ stories.
Alien: Romulus Could Correct the Mistakes Made in Prometheus & Covenant’s Prequels
Prometheus and Covenant suffer from a lack of connection to the original Alien stories, requiring narrative jumps to make sense. However, Alien: Romulus could retroactively improve these films by addressing the Engineer ship mystery.
Even if it doesn’t resolve every issue, offering a solution can fulfill Ridley Scott‘s original intention to explore the “Space Jockey” concept. Acknowledging the ship’s existence in a second LV-426 trip or through dialogue can provide the missing information.
While this task is significant, it’s crucial for clarifying Alien’s convoluted storyline and preventing the prequels from fading into obscurity.
