A limited television series revisiting the Alien franchise has been released for those who are interested. I have only seen two of the episodes but there have been some intriguing concepts introduced as well as providing some familiar and possibly soothing images and style from the 1979 origin movie.

Through my scant viewing thus far, I have noted that the horror of a lurking xenomorph/Alien creature yields attacks and violence of a shocking, extreme nature. Bodies are ripped asunder, and entrails are littered about with liberal abandon. Whether this appeals to you or not, beware that the xenomorph is accompanied on a research vessel that specializes in obtaining living samples of a multitude of other worldly abominations ready to unleash Hell upon the denizens of Earth.

The research ship itself harkens back to the view screens, architecture and claustrophobic tight spaces of the Nostromo mining vessel from Ridley Scott’s 1979 film. We see a recreation of the Mother computer room, the same graphic fonts appearing on the data screens and some of the look and sound we observed 46 years ago for the first time. Cool! It doesn’t hurt that Ridley Scott executive produced this series.

Once again, those humans combating the at large and on the loose xenomorph are too slow moving, dim witted, or utterly in shock and overwhelmed to even raise a weapon against the beasts before getting dispatched limb from limb. How reassuring! Some things never change.

There is also the introduction of a new type of synthetic being which will house the consciousness of a human being into the superior physical structure of an android. Let me see a few more episodes to try and figure out what is going on with that whole storyline.

In the meantime, we can be content to receive another round of Alien mythology and shenanigans. We’ll give it a go!