‘Alien: Earth’ Is About a Different Kind of Monster

The Xenomorph steals the show, but there’s more than one monster lurking in Alien. Midway through the original film, we learn that the Nostromo’s science officer, Ash (Ian Holm), is secretly an android under company orders to bring the Xenomorph to Earth. The rest of the crew: expendable. Seeing Ash abruptly turn on everyone—violently, with a milk-like substance spewing out of his body in lieu of blood—was nearly as shocking as an alien bursting out of someone’s chest. And while the Xenomorph and Ash couldn’t be more different in manner and appearance, they both tapped into a similar fear for humanity—that we’re no longer the top of the food chain. As Ash memorably said of the creature: “I admire its purity.” In other words, game recognizes game.