Spoilers Alien: Earth Spoiler Thread

[Laurefindel]

…pushing the theory of helpful eye-octopus further, we could even interpret the fact that she goes down to one iris/pupil when inside a host as an attempt at familiarity. The mindset of alien intelligent parasitic creature might not be based on affection as much as humans, but I really think she’s trying her best…

 

[Laurefindel]

I doubt her ‘host’ shared her sentiments.

Well, I didn’t say she was ‘nice’…

But I do think there was an attempt there

 

[Aellic Mornbringer]

I would love a prequel (ill take a book) that shows how they captured these creatures as they they appear pretty incompetent

I second the desire for a prequel story of how they managed to capture the different creatures. Whatever methods were used, I imagine they were messy affairs. I also second the fact that they seem pretty incompetent but I have some thoughts. I can't find the comment right now to give proper credit, but as someone upthread noted, the crew has been at this for 65 years, they are exhausted and almost home and thus they are getting sloppy.

Second, according to background comments made from different crew members, it is implied a (large?) number of the crew died in the process of capturing the specimens. I could see it where many of the "best and brightest" of the crew were amongst those victims. (I do think it was a missed opportunity to show/mention that a number of the cryosleep chambers are empty and powered down since they no longer have any occupants due to mission attrition.)

Third, I think generally the crew we see in the episode could be considered the second or third string team. For example we see that Clem was the acting security officer and Morrow was asleep. I imagine the "first string" crew would be awoken for the final approach to Earth. So perhaps the more competent scientists were sleeping soundly while everything was blowing up spectacularly. (I will note this theory doesn't hold 100% because you have the captain and the XO awake on the same shift but in my head canon, the XO modified the shift rosters so she'd be on the same shift as Bronski.)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I doubt her ‘host’ shared her sentiments.

His chance of survival was zero anyway. The eye has had more animal hosts than human. It attacked Nibs, who is not human, and a significant threat.

Maybe we should call her Boo? “Go for the eyes!”

 

[Aellic Mornbringer]

We know the ovomorph (Alien egg) can tell the difference between human and synthetic. Presumably xenomorphs can tell the difference as well. I wonder if the Eye attacked Nibs under the assumption that she was human based on physical appearance and it only learned during the attack that she wasn't. It will be an interesting twist if we find out that the Eye can turn a synthetic/hybrid into a host body. That would certainly upend the perceived near-invincibility of the hybrids/synthetics. Interesting thought...what if the 5th unknown species ends up being deadly to synthetic/hybrids and that's a big reveal later on?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

We know the ovomorph (Alien egg) can tell the difference between human and synthetic. Presumably xenomorphs can tell the difference as well. I wonder if the Eye attacked Nibs under the assumption that she was human based on physical appearance and it only learned during the attack that she wasn't. It will be an interesting twist if we find out that the Eye can turn a synthetic/hybrid into a host body. That would certainly upend the perceived near-invincibility of the hybrids/synthetics. Interesting thought...what if the 5th unknown species ends up being deadly to synthetic/hybrids and that's a big reveal later on?

I think we're definitely heading for a situation where everyone assumes that, because the xenomorphs ignore synthetics, everything else will as well, and being very, very wrong.

I don't think the fifth species (a type of beetle, from what we've seen so far) is going to be the issue, though.

I think Chekov's Chrysalis is what we're waiting for here. You don't have something that massive dangling from the ceiling and its only interface with the outside world is a single tentacle/arm. That thing is going to open up by the eighth episode and it's not going to be good news for Neverland.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think Chekov's Chrysalis is what we're waiting for here.

Or it’s a big fat completely harmless red herring.

I’d do it!

I think five is the one that will jump out and kill everyone, otherwise why keep it hidden?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think five is the one that will jump out and kill everyone, otherwise why keep it hidden?

Season two.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Season two.

I’m sceptical - I doubt anything on the island will survive, since it will need to be nuked.

If there is a season two, I think it’s more likely to focus on whatever slipped past the crash site containment.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"They didn't send their A-team up there," Noah Hawley says of the crew of the Maginot.

The Polygon article includes a lot of other details about the crew.