The series by creator Noah Hawley is described as a spin-off to the original Ridley Scott-directed film, " Alien ," from 1979. The film follows a space crew aboard the starship, Nostromo, who are on their journey back home when they receive a distress call from an alien vessel.

Set in 2120, Alien: Earth takes place just two years before Alien, in 2122. The series' opening scene might be set on the Weyland-Yutani spaceship USCSS Maginot, but it feels like we're right back on the Nostromo, the ship where Sigourney Weaver's Ripley first encountered the dreaded Xenomorph.