The established lore of the Alien franchise explored newer territory in a slow, steady progression through the 80s and 90s, but right after the introduction of crossover elements with the Alien vs. Predator movies, and the bold new direction taken by the prequel series, the series saw a rapid expansion of world-building on such a scale that it put even the growth rate of a Xenomorph to shame. The advanced creator trope, along with genetic mutation, cloning, inter-species hybridization, and a number of other ideas were assimilated to add more to the sci-fi elements in the cult classic horror franchise, so much so that every new installment of the series has to introduce new species of nightmarish creatures to satisfy the demands of the fans.Â
The latest entry to the series, Alien: Romulus, has brought yet another new addition to the Alien lore by introducing a new hybrid species known as Xenomorph Offspring, which merges the Engineer saga with Xenomorph lore in a unique way. There are a number of Xenomorphs and other related species in the Alien saga as well, and we will try to make a concise catalog by briefly discussing them. Keep in mind that we are not going to dedicate much focus to non-canon media, comics, or novelizations, but as a key part of the main lore, those will be mentioned as well.Â
Spoilers Ahead
Every Different Kind of Xenomorph
A single Xenomorph had wreaked havoc on the Nostromo in Alien by butchering the majority of the crew while lurking in the shadowy crevices of the ship; imagine what kind of catastrophe a dozen of its subspecies, each more ferocious than the previous, can unleash. As shown in the extended lore over the course of four decades, Xenomorphs exhibit an insectoid social structure, divided into Drones, Warriors, Runners, Queens, Kings, Empresses, etc. The most fearsome and strong variant is the Queen Mother, which can hatch Queen Xenomorph spores and sits at the very top of the social structure. Not all Xenomorphs are humanoid, as their physical appearance depends on the hosts they attach themselves to, which is why variants like the Prowler and Crusher are quadrupedal, drawing genetic material from their non-human four-legged victims. Each of the Xenomorph variants showcases a varying degrees of strength, endurance, intellect and varied skillset —each one lethal and vicious in their own right. The Necromorph, White hybrid variant, and Red variant of Xenomorphs are the ones majorly referenced in novelizations of Alien lore and old crossover comics. Space Jockey Xenomorph was potentially the most unique variant, as it killed a gigantic Engineer as shown in Alien, but this concept was not explored much afterwards, and Prometheus took the lore in a different direction.
Engineers
As a species, Xenomorphs, often dubbed as the ultimate life form, were created by a highly advanced humanoid species known as Engineers, who were obsessed with the concept of genetic Engineering. According to Alien lore, Engineers also created humans, among a host of other sentient creatures, but later on, disenchanted with humanity’s excessive greed and hubris, wanted to wipe out the species – to no avail. Engineers created human beings in their likeness, like a number of world myths allude to as their gods’ will. Franchise creator Ridley Scott had mentioned the concept of Engineers and their impact on different lifeforms was taken from the ideas developed by conspiracy theorist and pseudoscientist Eric von Däniken.
Predalien
The first concept of a crossover between the Alien and Predator franchises had hinted at the idea of inter-species hybridization, which Alien vs. Predator: The Requiem showcased in gnarly detail as one of the Predators who fell victim to a Facehugger’s attack had Xenomorph spores implanted in its body, resulting in a hybrid creature, Predalien, emerging from its host’s body. With fierce mandibles, a robust body, and dreadlocks like a predator, domed head and tail like a Xenomorph, and strength that outmatches either of the species, this is truly a best of both worlds type specimen that needs to appear more in Alien lore in the near future.
Offspring
Speaking of hybrids, a grotesque, terrifying nightmare fuel made its first appearance in the recently released Alien: Romulus. A pregnant crewmember of the Corbelan mining ship, Kay, who had injected herself with Xenomorph secretion Z-01 compound, gets the unborn baby’s zygote mutated and gives birth to a Xenomorph-human hybrid referred to as Offspring. A feral, creepy creature, the Offspring lacks the armor or strength of adult Xenomorphs, but interestingly enough, its facial and parts of its bodily appearance mimic that of Engineers. Perhaps an unexpected tangling up of the DNA of humans and Xenomorphs somehow triggered the dormant traits of their maker species, which can explain the odd appearance of Offspring. However, this is not the first time that Xenomorph and human DNA have been combined to create dreadful anomalies.
Newborn
In the oft-forgotten Alien: Resurrection, the first human-Xenomorph hybrid appeared in the form of Newborn, which was created by combining the DNA of Ellen Ripley’s eighth clone and a Queen Xenomorph. With a human skull as its face upon a pale body that looks like a very odd combination of two different physiologies, this one has a rather bad design, which fans disliked a lot.
Trilobiteand Deacon
The prequel movies Prometheus and Alien: Covenant bring two different species that closely resemble the Xenomorphs but differ in a number of aspects. The first of them is the Deacon, which is created when a Trilobiteinfects a humanoid, and as a result, this proto-Xenomorph creature emerges. Trilobites in turn are created by a complex series of events, which include both infection and impregnation between similar humanoid species. As seen in Prometheus, the extremely active mutagenic pathogen created by the Engineers, known as Black Goo, had infected Charlie Holloway, who went on to impregnate Elizabeth Shaw, the lead of the prequel series, and as a result, the Trilobitewas created. Resembling a skeleton-less giant cephalopod like Facehugger, Trilobitegrows extremely fast and can easily overpower an Engineer. The Trilobiteimplanted an Engineer with its spore, which resulted in the birth of Deacon.
Neomorphs
The second unique Xenomorph-resembling species that made its first appearance in Alien: Covenant is the Neomorph. The life cycle of Neomorphs varies wildly from that of Deacons or Xenomorphs, as their larval stage form exhibits an airborne spore infection process as opposed to face-clinging traits, and instead of tearing apart the chests of victims, the pupate form of Neomorphs emerges as a Bloodburster, draining its victim silently and clawing its way out from any part of its host’s body. Neomorphs are less intelligent than Xenomorphs, have armorless pale skin, and are much more ferocious in their demeanor—acting with baser animal instincts.
