The trailer for Alien: Romulus promises that the new Alien movie will reinvent the franchise’s ironic chestburster scene, although it is not yet clear how. Throughout all the Alien movies, one constant has been present. The franchise’s titular Xenomorph has a uniquely upsetting way of entering the world, namely through the chest cavity of a living human. After a facehugger impregnates a human host via the mouth, a baby Xenomorph bursts free from their ribcage while the terrified victim can only look on in horror. By the looks of things, the upcoming Alien: Romulus will revive this tradition.

The first trailer for Alien: Romulus features many clues to the plot of director Fede Alvarez’s much-anticipated reboot. There are glimpses of the planet that the movie’s young heroes depart from and cryptic comments about how their mission is one of their only chances to escape this dystopian world. There are some zero-gravity sequences and trippy shots of asteroids that imply Alien: Romulus will explore the perils of space travel that have nothing to do with aliens. Then there’s the nod to Alien’s disturbing chestburster scene, an infamous moment that is referenced in one character’s grisly fate from the trailer.

Alien: Romulus Is Setting Up Its Own Version Of Alien’s Iconic Chestbuster Scene

Alien: Romulus’s New Chestburster Involves A Glowing Xenomorph

Around the 0:46 mark, the Alien: Romulus trailer features what looks like a brutal chestburster death scene. There are a few significant differences between this moment and the franchise’s first death by Xenomorph. For one thing, John Hurt’s Kane was surrounded by his shipmates in a busy dining area when he died. In contrast, Aileen Wu’s Navarro seems to be in sleeping quarters with only one other character. Another change is the way Navarro discovers her chestburster’s impending arrival. Her ribcage appears to glow, offering her and her roommate a disturbing glimpse of the monster before it emerges.

Judging from the trailer alone, it is tough to tell whether the Xenomorph itself is glowing or if the futuristic medical device that Navarro uses is illuminating her ribcage. Ridley Scott’s Alien prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant featured Neomorphs that altered the Xenomorph’s original design, and Alien: Resurrection included the infamously bizarre-looking Newborn Alien. As such, it is possible that Alien: Romulus may introduce a new glowing Xenomorph to the franchise’s growing number of monsters. However, it might be more likely that Navarro’s device accounts for the gruesome sight of her chest lighting up before the alien emerges.

What Is Going On With Alien: Romulus’ Body Glowing Xenomorph Attack?

Alien: Romulus’ Twist Could Signal A New Form of Xenomorph

Alien: Romulus’ trailer might be teasing a new form of Xenomorph, but the mixed response to the Neomorphs makes this unlikely. What is more likely is that Navarro shining a medical device on her chest illuminated the Xenomorph before it burst free, giving the character a memorably gruesome fate that the trailer effectively revealed. Since Navarro can be seen getting attacked by a facehugger later in the trailer, it is fair to assume that this Xenomorph operates like the original movie’s monster. Thus, it is just in its stylish presentation that Alien: Romulus changed the Alien franchise’s legendary chestburster.