summary
The Alien prequels display more advanced technology than the original film, reflecting the different backgrounds and settings of the characters. Peter Weyland's arrogance is evident in Prometheus, as he lavishes money on luxurious, modern spaceships in contrast to the more practical ships in Alien. Ridley Scott gives a brief explanation for the technological disparity between Prometheus and Alien, suggesting that the audience should not be in disbelief due to the fictional setting.
It seems odd that Prometheus seems to have better technology than the original 1979 Alien, but this actually makes sense within the fictional reality of the series. The Alien timeline is a bit confusing due to the conflicting canon of the series. Alien vs. Predator gives us one version of the history of Weyland-Yutani, but Prometheus retconns this with an entirely new story. Even within the Alien movies themselves, aside from the Alien vs. Predator spinoff, there are some confusing irregularities. Alien's next TV show, Alien: Earth, may justify some of these plot holes, while others may be tolerated by viewers.
For example, technology in the Alien series is constantly changing but never fully explained. The Alien series features futuristic technology, from cryogenic sleep pods to advanced supercomputers to androids. However, the relative modernity of this technology varies from film to film. The 1979 Alien depicts a world of clunky computers and analog technology, while Alien 2 offers a slightly more sophisticated, more modern version of this setting. James Cameron's sequels feature more powerful technology, but Alien 3 returns to a more dystopian, less glamorous vision of the future. To make matters even more confusing, Ridley Scott's prequels change the setting entirely.
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Prometheus & Covenant technology is far more advanced than Alien
Alien prequels feature more sophisticated, impressive technology
The 2012 Alien prequel Prometheus is set years before the original film, but the technology featured in its story is far more sophisticated and advanced than that of Alien. In theory, Prometheus' technology should be more primitive than Alien's sci-fi gadgets, but in reality, the opposite is true. Prometheus features more advanced technology than Alien, despite being set earlier than Alien, but the prequels have a plausible excuse for this apparent oversight. While Prometheus' characters utilize cutting-edge technology, Alien's working-class straitjackets are saddled with substandard equipment. Thus, Ridley Scott's Alien prequels have a lot of money invested in technology.
It's no surprise that Peter Weyland spared no expense in producing his masterpiece, Prometheus.
The story of Prometheus follows Peter Weyland, the billionaire CEO of Weyland Corporation, as he funds an expedition to a faraway planet's moon in an attempt to unlock the secrets of life. It's no surprise, then, that Peter Weyland spares no expense when building the titular ship. The Prometheus is a monument to Weyland's arrogance, whereas earlier installments in the Alien series were set in ordinary ships used by space truckers and marines. Weyland's personality is reflected in the Prometheus, a stupid, incredibly expensive ship that, while beautiful to look at, is incapable of handling encounters with the Engineers or the Xenomorphs.
Alien characters explain gaps in technology
The alien Nostromo isn't an expensive experimental craft.
The crew of the Prometheus are part of one of the earliest groundbreaking space exploration missions funded by Weyland, and as such, the film's protagonists enjoy luxurious living quarters and state-of-the-art facilities. In contrast, by the time the Nostromo takes to the skies a few years later, the Alien crew is a group of blue-collar workers using time-honored spacecraft and technology. By the time Romulus and Alien are set, space travel has become commonplace, with regular characters piloting past-their-prime spacecraft across the galaxy.
Prometheus is an expensive experimental spaceship from the early days of intergalactic space travel, while Nostromo is a mass-produced commercial ship devoid of unnecessary comforts. The fact that both Alien and Alien: Romulus use the same clunky, retro-futuristic technology reaffirms this reality. Because Prometheus was a small-scale, ultimately doomed vanity project, its billionaire builder outfitted the ship with all sorts of flashy technology to make it a sleek, ultra-modern vessel. Alien ships are blatantly unattractive workplaces, designed for efficiency over comfort and aesthetics.
What Ridley Scott said about the Alien series' use of technology
Scott acknowledged that technology gaps require skepticism.
Custom image by Milica Djordjevic
Of course, there's a simpler answer to explain the technological disparity between Prometheus and Alien: viewers can constantly remind themselves that the two films are fiction and not doubt for a second. This is the angle that Alien prequel director Ridley Scott took when asked about the issue by the BBC in 2012. In promoting Prometheus, Scott was asked to explain the difference in technology between the original film and its prequels. According to Scott, “We're pretty far out in deep space, so the idea that we're going out there is kind of avoiding the real question.”
Scott's point is spot on, as both Alien and Prometheus are set in a future many light years away from Earth. There are countless social, cultural and material factors that could cause the Alien film universe to change its approach to technology between Prometheus and Alien. Most of these are not explored on screen, as the series focuses primarily on the Xenomorphs and their human victims. The upcoming Alien TV show, Alien: Earth, may address these questions, but until then, the Alien prequel, Prometheus, offers two reasonable explanations for the technology's inconsistencies.
Source: BBC
Alien (1979)
Release date: June 22, 1979
Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett
Characters: Ripley, Dallas, Kane, Lambert, Brett, Ash, Parker, Alien
