two years before 1979's Alien. In Alien: Earth, the natural order of things is shattered when a spaceship crash lands on Earth, and a rag-tag group embarks on an expedition that could reshape humanity going forward.

In a new synopsis for Alien: Earth, audiences were given greater insight into the status of Earth in 2120, where a new technological race has dominated the direction of humanity's progress. Alongside Weyland-Yutani, the Prodigy, Lynch, Dynamic, and Threshhold corporations have innovated robotics to the point that near-lifelike androids and cyborgs exist alongside humanity seamlessly. However, while one of the corporations may have made a universe-upending discovery among the stars, another may have drastically rewritten the boundaries between human and synthetic with their latest innovations.

Alien: Earth Is Introducing Hybrid Characters - What That Means

Hybrids Could Have Drastically Shifted The Future Of Humanity

Per the synopsis of Alien: Earth, Prodigy has succeeded in developing the first successful human-synthetic hybrid. Through the work of their still-unnamed founder, the corporation has been able to create beings with fully synthetic bodies that are infused with the consciousness of a human being. With this innovation, not only has Prodigy pushed forward the advent of a new lifeform, but may also have created a potential route to finally achieving true immortality.

The groundbreaking prototype hybrid named Wendy is leading the series, portrayed by Sydney Chandler. Wendy's consciousness is revealed to have belonged to a child, leading to her being mentored by fellow synthetic Kirsch (Timothy Olyphant), guiding her through this new state of existence. However, with a Weyland-Yutani vessel set to collide with Prodigy's facility, she is drawn into one of humanity's first encounters with the Xenomorph threat.

How Hybrids Differ From Cyborgs In The Alien Franchise

While Incredibly Lifelike, Most Synthetics Are Still Derived From Technology

Across the Alien franchise, both on-screen and expanded media, several variants of synthetics have been introduced. Alongside standard models such as Aliens' Bishop (Lance Henriksen) and sleeper agents like Ash (Ian Holm), synthetics have been used to bolster the ranks of Weyland-Yutani's security and the Colonial Marines. Alien: Resurrection would also introduce the next generation of synthetics with the Auton, though an uprising by the Autons would see them sever their connections to any central systems and leave them free to not follow human commands.

Despite these advancements, neither synthetic nor Auton is reported to have ever possessed the consciousness of a human. Even synthetics intended to act as doubles for high-profile figures, such as the Michael Weyland (Henriksen) synthetic of Aliens: Colonial Marines and Karl Bishop Weyland (Henriksen) of Aliens VS Predator, were all programmed with certain memories as opposed to possessing their basic consciousness, despite the claims by the latter.

Michael Weyland, who appears in Alien 3, provides the base physical appearance for all Bishop model androids.

As such, Wendy marks a stunning leap for the technology behind synthetics. While certain synthetics seen across the franchise develop their own personalities, their basis is still derived from programming despite their latter evolution. Furthermore, both Prometheus and Alien: Romulus show that a key goal of the corporate overlords on Earth is achieving immortality, be it for personal gain or expansion efforts, so Wendy's presence ideally should represent an incredible achievement.

However, with the concept of a hybrid having been unmentioned in the expanded media, it can be assumed that the development of others will be incapacitated during the events of Alien: Earth. Perhaps Wendy breaks free from her creator's grasp, rendering her a cautionary tale about what melding human and machine can cause. Alternatively, the emergence of an apex predator like the Xenomorph may show that there are still plenty of alternative routes for humanity to achieve immortality.