Top 10 Alien: Romulus Callbacks

Also known as the Company, Weyland-Yutani isn’t above sacrificing human life in the name of scientific research. And by research, we mean profits. “Alien: Romulus” name drops founder Peter Weyland, whose god complex set the events of “Prometheus” into motion. Weyland’s attempt to prolong his life ultimately resulted in his undoing. Almost fifty years later, the Company’s greed still didn’t die with Weyland. In “Romulus,” we see how the Company reduces workers to cogs in the machine. Even after protagonist Rain puts in her hours, she finds that the Company will never release her from her contract. Attempting to escape from her colony, Rain realizes just how corrupt the Company is. As long as a mission is successful, no loss is too great.

“Romulus” sets itself twenty years after the original 1979 classic. That film wrapped up with the USCSS Nostromo’s self-destruction and Ellen Ripley sending the titular alien out of the airlock. Ripley doesn’t appear in “Romulus,” as she’s still in hypersleep. What’s left of her crew’s space tug is still drifting through space, however. Never learning from its mistakes, the Company investigates the Nostromo in this film’s opening. It’s revealed later that Weyland-Yutani was searching the wreckage in hopes of tracking down the alien Ripley’s crew encountered. Although it looked like Ripley got the job done, a lot happened while she was sleeping.

The drinking bird might not be exclusive to the “Alien” franchise, but eagle-eyed fans are always on the lookout for this tophat toy. The original film’s intro gives us a tour of the Nostromo. Watching two birds dip their beaks into a cup adds a little levity to the scene, giving us an idea of who the crew is before we even meet them. The drinking bird has since popped up in “Alien 3,” “Alien vs. Predator,” and “Alien: Covenant,” as well as various comics and games like “Alien: Isolation.” As Rain and Andy contemplate their next move, another drinking bird can be spotted on a canteen table. Like the bird, the siblings are perpetually stuck performing a redundant task, unable to take flight.

While the Nostromo crew was in stasis, the computer mainframe MU-TH-UR 6000 - aka MOTHER - piloted the vessel. Despite its name, MOTHER wasn’t exactly maternal toward the crew, prioritizing the return of the organism aboard above their expendable lives. When the Nostromo blew up, MOTHER seemingly went down with it. AI isn’t so easily defeated, though. Much of “Alien: Romulus” takes place aboard the titular space station. Although this research facility has been abandoned, its mainframe is still functional. Reflecting the passage of time between these two films, MU-TH-UR has upgraded from 6000 to 9000. Technology may evolve, but the way humanity utilizes it usually doesn’t.

“Romulus” is crawling with face-hugging, chest-bursting foes that any “Alien” fan will recognize. Yet, one particular alien may look more familiar than others. Ripley might’ve given that first alien the slip, but this doesn’t mean she killed it. We learn here that Weyland-Yutani tracked the Xenomorph down, making even more innocent lives pay the price. Rook identifies this alien as “Xenomorph XX121.” This specific name can be traced back to the 2014 novel, “Alien: Sea of Sorrows,” and S. D. Perry’s technical guide, “Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report.” XX121’s reign of terror continues in this movie. If there was any doubt that this was the same alien Ellen faced off against, XX121 still has the grappling hook scar to prove it.

You can tell director Fede Álvarez isn’t just a fan of the previous “Alien” movies. Shortly before “Don’t Breathe” came out, Álvarez played “Alien: Isolation.” The game left Álvarez with a yearning to tackle the “Alien” franchise and revisit its horror roots. A few years later, Álvarez got that opportunity when he pitched the film that would become “Romulus.” Álvarez couldn’t resist working in a few nods to the game that inspired him. While boarding the space station, the controls resemble the power generators from “Isolation.” Most prominently, the station has emergency phones just like the ones seen in the game. Players breathe a sigh of relief whenever they come across a phone, allowing them to save. Unfortunately, there are no checkpoints here.

Aside from bridging the gap between “Alien” and “Aliens,” “Romulus” is something of a follow-up to “Prometheus” and “Covenant.” While none of the characters from those two films pop up, the mysterious Black Goo does. The USCSS Prometheus crew discovered this liquid created by the Engineers in a temple on moon LV-223. In addition to mutating with lifeforms and altering their DNA, the goo can create entirely new species. Rain and her companions come across the liquid aboard the space station. Once again attempting to play god, Weyland-Yutani sought to enhance humans using the black liquid, but the results were mixed. This scene includes a musical cue from the 2012 prequel and the black liquid is officially dubbed “Prometheus Fire.”

Ian Holm gave many memorable performances, although Ash from the original “Alien” might be his most iconic role. In one of that film’s most shocking twists, Ash is exposed as an android whose directive is to return the alien to the Company no matter the cost. Holm passed away in 2020, but with permission from his family, his likeness was used for another android named Rook. Daniel Betts voices Rook, who is brought to life with a mix of practical and digital effects. Like Ash, Rook has seen better days when Rain and her friends come across him. While arguably not as antagonistic as Ash, Rook is still fixated on fulfilling his mission above all else. That doesn’t mean our heroes don’t have his sympathies.

“Resurrection” is nobody’s favorite “Alien” movie, but it introduces an interesting idea in its final act as the Xenomorph queen gives birth to a hybrid creature with human DNA. The problem is… the Newborn looks pretty silly and its demise is even sillier. The concept is resurrected in “Romulus” as the black goo merges with the pregnant Kay’s unborn fetus. What emerges from Kay’s womb isn’t quite like anything we’ve ever seen, although it shares physical traits with Xenomorphs and Engineers. The Offspring thus provides a clever link between the first and last “Alien” movies chronologically (crossovers excluded). The creature’s demise also echoes the 1979 film as Rain ejects it. Then again, if Xenomorph XX121 survived, who’s to say this hybrid won’t return?

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Aspen Beer
Say What You Will About Weyland-Yutani, But They Craft a Fine Brew… We Assume

Proto Pulse Rifle
Ready to Make It Rain with the Latest Pulse Rifle

The Close Talker
Recreated the Most Memorable Shot From “Alien 3”

Rain Signs Off
The Sole Human Survivor Echoes Ripley with Her Last Message

Rain’s synthetic brother recites more than a few familiar lines. Like Bishop from “Aliens,” Andy mentions that he prefers being called an “artificial person.” Exploring the alien hive, Andy channels Carter Burke when he says, “Busy little creatures.” Of course, the most tongue-in-cheek fan service comes during the third act when Andy protects Rain from a Xenomorph. Affirming his loyalty to his surrogate sister, Andy emerges victorious. As Andy tells the alien to “get away from her,” we weren’t sure if the filmmakers would go all the way with this callback. Andy completes the line, though, fighting through his stammer. We’d say that Andy borrows a lot from his predecessors, but seeing how “Romulus” takes place before “Aliens,” maybe they stole from him.

Did we miss any other callbacks? Scream in the comments where you’re sure to be heard.