Alien: Earth’s Xenomorphs are a slightly different color from usual depictions, though for good reason. Although there are many alien species shown in Alien: Earth, the Xenomorph remains a big focus. This was expected for the show, especially given the central role Xenomorphs have played in both the best and worst Alien movies.
By the time of Alien: Earth season 1’s ending, the Xenomorphs in the story had changed from extraterrestrial, mindless killers to obedient creatures that obeyed Wendy, who could communicate with them. Not only did this allow Alien: Earth to completely change Xenomorphs in terms of how audiences perceive them, but it also placed a greater focus on the eponymous aliens.
This brought to light some design changes that were made to the Xenomorphs, such as a slight color difference from the titular creatures shown in Alien, Aliens, and beyond.
Xenomorphs Are Meant To Be More “Bug-Like” In Alien: Earth
In Alien: Earth, the Xenomorphs are more of a muted brown color than the blacks and very dark greys used in typical Alien movie installments. The reason for this was explained by Alien: Earth showrunner, Noah Hawley, in an interview with Collider.
Hawley mentioned that he wanted the Xenomorphs to be more bug-like in Alien: Earth than the more humanoid depictions from other installments in the franchise. This explains the brown coloration of the Xenomorphs, reflecting the same color found on real-world bugs like cockroaches.
This fits with the wider storytelling and environment of Alien: Earth. The show puts a big focus on other alien creatures that resemble flies or, as shown in the premiere episode, more insect-like organisms. These creatures are then taken to a tropical location, where many bugs can be found.
Therefore, the bug-like nature of the Xenomorphs in Alien: Earth makes a lot of sense. Not only does the color of the Xenomorphs reflect this design choice by Hawley, but it also aligns with the other creatures involved and the location in which they wreak havoc.
How The Design Of Alien: Earth’s Xenomorphs Compare To The Movie Versions
The color of Alien: Earth’s Xenomorphs is not the only difference between them and other versions of the creatures from past movies. One difference Hawley has repeatedly mentioned is the creature’s ribcage, which, in other movies, looked more human, with a central bone structure featuring more bone offshoots.
In Alien: Earth, Hawley opted to make the ribcage of the Xenomorphs more crustacean. The front of the creature looks more akin to a crab or lobster, which themselves have many similarities to bugs and insects. Also, Hawley wanted to make the creature appear quadruped more often than other Alien installments have.
This way, the Xenomorph running around on all fours feels more like a deadly creature than a human. The quadruped nature of the Xenomorphs then led to the dorsal tubes that are typically long on the creature’s back being shorter in Alien: Earth.