After the finale, I gotta ask: Did this show even need xenomorphs?

I can't help but look back and feel that if you take the xenomorphs out, and just had the other four monsters in a show about megacorporations messing with alien biology for corporate gains, in a race for post-humanity between biological means and machine life... You basically still have the same show.

Am I wrong?

It is saying something that the xeno is probably the least interesting of the new aliens.

Obviously it’s not new, so that’s part of it, but I tend to agree that outside of the first/second episode in the crashed ship and the flashback episode there weren’t many scenes with the xeno that were on the same level as the reveals of the other aliens and their various biologies.

I get thematically the xeno communicating with Wendy is an interesting new wrinkle in xeno canon that helps explore the “monsters” question the show keeps highlighting.

I still wish they’d done something along the lines of putting one of the xenos in a host other than a person (or human lung) and had a face hugger impregnate a gorilla or bull or something - like the 90s toy line.

Even removing the xenomorphs, I think this one still ends the same way, which is telling about the finale as a whole anyway. I think removing the larger mythology from Alien would mean it had to spend even longer on world-building and set-up than it did.

So I think they made the right call not being an unrelated series, since its biggest problems didn't spring from the fact that it was in the franchise to begin with.

The Xeno definitely wasn’t integral but without him we wouldn’t have that flashback episode so I’m going with worth it. If anything I think the connection to the IP is important for Weyland Yutani more so than for the Alien itself. It’s nice to see the evil company in action

TL;DR: Awesome idea!

Gorilla Alien, Bull Alien, Scorpion Alien, and then Cheetah Alien (looking at the Gen 2 toy lines that even had the Xeno Suit and King Alien? Would have been pure fire. Then the various Predators that said toy line produced would be pure fire as well. Like they come for an ultimate hunt or something along those lines. One of my favorite toys of all time, as a disclaimer- was that Queen Alien nest hive, so I am partially biased. That series of toys was so good as a kid. I grew up loving that franchise, Aliens even has my favorite movie quote of all time with Ripley in the front end loader: "...Get away from her! .....You B#%h!" But I digress, I think you are onto something with that idea, and a show that explored the toy/lore from that era would be awesome. I have the entire line up of comics from that era too, Aliens wise- and there are some really really amazing stories to be found that really could have threw in the mix, or were semi-pulled from those already for this shos, like Labrynth. But yes, 10000% some of those toys would be amazing to see on screen in a more canonical approach, like this show. Im just semi dissappinted because to me as a franchise/IP, the show just didn't feel dark enough. Sort of like the ending to Ressurection with that hybrid? Dumb. I hated that twist and the movie would have been a million times better without it. The show has those moments. I wish they would have did more along the lines of the comics when it came to this show, because the theme fits so well, like Earth Hive? Anyhow I digress and Im scooping away from your point, and all i really wanted to say was amazing idea!

On 9/30/2025 at 9:10 AM, Ben Kendrick said:

I still wish they’d done something along the lines of putting one of the xenos in a host other than a person (or human lung) and had a face hugger impregnate a gorilla or bull or something - like the 90s toy line.