Summary
Highlights
The video addresses the common question from viewers about the absence of Predators (Yautja) in the Alien Earth series, especially considering recent trailers for Predator Badlands that clearly show a crossover with Weyland-Yutani synthetics. It highlights that Noah Hawley and the production team have acknowledged Predators in the context of the series, and some viewers even spotted potential Easter eggs, but none have appeared on screen by the season 1 finale.
The discussion broadens to the larger Alien and Predator franchises, including upcoming movies like Alien Romulus and Predator Badlands, and Alien Earth season 2. It clarifies that all these projects are managed by a single top-level group at Disney (who acquired Fox), aiming for a shared cinematic universe similar to Marvel or DC. The video mentions that episode 8 of Alien Earth is airing soon, followed by season 2 videos.
Initially, some viewers misinterpreted clicking sounds in early Alien Earth episodes as Predator Easter eggs. However, the video suggests these sounds were likely Wendy's early xenomorph detector, as she was shown to pick up their frequencies and later learned to mimic their clicking language. Noah Hawley, the showrunner, also clarified his earlier comments about Predators, stating there would be no explicit Yautja crossover in Season 1 to avoid big spoilers and leave future possibilities open.
The primary reason for the lack of major Predator Easter eggs in Alien Earth Season 1 is to avoid trampling on the plot of Predator Badlands, which will feature a direct crossover. The success of recent Alien and Predator films under Disney has led to a strategic approach, where an Alien vs. Predator movie is being deliberately held back until the time is right. The common theme emerging is a focus on humans teaming up with alien species (synthetics with Yautja in Badlands, Wendy with Xenomorphs in Alien Earth) against other humans, who are portrayed as the true antagonists.
The video analyzes the Predator Badlands trailer, where Elle Fanning plays a Weyland-Yutani synth. It speculates that her character is an upgraded synth model and that Predator Badlands takes place later in the timeline, possibly after Alien Romulus, where Weyland-Yutani has a fully developed bioweapons division. This division, which is not yet present in Alien Earth, is implied to be actively seeking advanced alien species like Xenomorphs and Yautja to enhance their power and rule the galaxy.
The Yautja have a long history of visiting and hunting on Earth, as established in various Predator films, including the new 'Killer of Killers.' The video questions why they wouldn't appear in Alien Earth, given the presence of Xenomorphs. The creators of Alien Earth wanted to focus on human themes (humanity vs. synths, hybrid subplots) and felt that introducing a powerful Predator would be a 'Deus Ex Machina,' quickly resolving conflicts and derailing the show's current narrative. Additionally, if Wendy could communicate with Yautja, it would parallel the plot of Predator Badlands too closely.
The showrunners opted to defer Predator crossovers to future seasons of Alien Earth, allowing for a gradual development of Weyland-Yutani's bioweapons division. A key challenge for Alien Earth is to explain why Xenomorphs are present on Earth before the events of the original Alien film while ensuring Weyland-Yutani still needs to find more samples later. The theory is that the existing xenomorphs in Alien Earth will be eliminated or lost, justifying the corporation's continued search. Dan Trachtenberg indicates that full Alien vs. Predator crossovers might occur in Predator movies before Alien movies.
The overall strategy is for Weyland-Yutani to be shown searching for diverse alien specimens. While Alien Earth might slowly introduce more Predator Easter eggs in future seasons, major crossovers are reserved for the movies. Fede Alvarez's Alien Romulus sequel is expected to remain primarily an Alien film without significant Predator involvement. The video ends by inviting viewer comments on desired Predator crossovers and promoting upcoming content for Alien Earth finale and Predator Badlands.