While FX’s upcoming Alien TV show has a major franchise canon problem, for once, this isn’t because of Ridley Scott’s confusing prequel Prometheus. The Alien franchise’s chronology was once fairly simple, but Alien director Ridley Scott complicated things with his 2012 prequel Prometheus. The movie and its sequel Alien: Covenant offered a backstory for the Xenomorphs, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, and many more details of the franchise’s lore, but much of its plot was convoluted and contradictory. Thus, it is no surprise that director Fede Alvarez’s upcoming Alien: Romulus takes the franchise back to basics with a simpler story.

That said, Alien: Romulus won’t retcon Prometheus or its divisive follow-up. Alvarez told The Hollywood Reporter that his upcoming movie won’t “omit or ignore” any of the earlier movies in the series. While the upcoming movie is set between Alien and Aliens, it will honor the entire franchise’s lore. Alien: Romulus is avoiding a horror reboot mistake by refusing to complicate the storyline of the series further, but another upcoming Alien project isn’t keeping things so simple. Unlike Alien: Romulus, Noah Hawley’s upcoming Alien show on FX will retcon plot details from Scott’s prequel movies according to its creator.

Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus Comments Create A Canon Problem For FX’s Alien

FX’s Alien And Alien: Romulus Have Different Approaches To Series Canon

Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley told KCRW’s The Business podcast that Alien’s TV show will ignore Ridley Scott’s prequels so the show’s Xenomorph no longer has to be a recently developed bioweapon. Hawley said he was more interested in seeing the franchise’s infamous Xenomorph as the result of millions of years of evolution, rather than a bioweapon that was created “half an hour ago.” Comments like these, as well as Hawley’s decision to revive the retro-futuristic aesthetic of 1979’s Alien, imply that FX’s Alien show will write Prometheus and Alien: Covenant out of the franchise since they alter its aesthetic and story.

As FX’s Alien show is a new prequel, it is fair to assume that Scott’s prequels will no longer be part of the franchise’s canon. Since Prometheus was met with criticism upon release, this is an understandable choice from a creator who has a clear vision for the future of the series. However, Alvarez has explicitly said that Alien: Romulus will be faithful to the earlier movies in the series. This could lead Alien: Romulus and FX’s Alien TV show to contradict each other, which would be detrimental to a franchise that is trying to re-establish itself as a major force in sci-fi horror.

Romulus And FX’s Alien Need To Avoid Contradicting Each Other

Alien: Romulus Could Easily End Up Contradicting FX’s Show

If Alvarez’s movie references the events of Prometheus while Hawley’s show offers a completely different backstory for the Xenomorph, Alien: Romulus and FX’s Alien show could end up taking place in different continuities. This would be confusing for any series, but it would be doubly damaging for a franchise that has historically struggled with keeping its timeline clear. For Ridley Scott’s 2024 sci-fi franchise revival to succeed, Alien: Romulus and FX’s Alien show should present viewers with a united front. Two conflicting versions of the franchise’s story contradicting each other make the series seem even more complicated.

The Alien Vs Predator movies offered one backstory for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, but this was effectively retconned when Prometheus offered a contradictory origin story, complete with a new founder and CEO, only eight years later. Alien: Romulus and Alien’s FX show now run the risk of repeating this mistake, but these two franchise additions contradicting each other would be even more damaging. Since the show and the standalone movie are coming out within a year or so of each other, Alien: Romulus and Alien’s TV show could force the franchise to follow two divergent canons at the same time.

How Alien: Romulus And FX’s Alien Can Reconcile Their Differences

Alien: Romulus Can Still Take Place In Ridley Scott’s Prequel Universe

Fortunately, there is a way for Alien: Romulus and Alien’s TV show to sidestep this issue. If Alvarez’s movie doesn’t explicitly address the events of Prometheus, and more specifically the origins of the Xenomorph, the movie could still align with Hawley’s TV show. Alien: Romulus’ new droid character already promises to diverge from franchise tradition, so there is room for Alvarez to honor the spirit of Scott’s prequels without leaning into the specifics of their lore.

The biggest change that Hawley has promised to make is a return to depicting the Xenomorphs as a species that evolved naturally rather than as genetically engineered bioweapons. There is no reason that Alien: Romulus’s young cast of inexperienced space travelers would know anything about the origins of Xenomorphs, so Alvarez’s upcoming movie will likely be able to avoid this storyline entirely. In the process, Alien‘s next movie can ensure that its plot still maintains the same timeline as FX’s upcoming Alien TV show.