The series by creator Noah Hawley is described as a spin-off to the original Ridley Scott-directed film, " Alien ," from 1979. The film follows a space crew aboard the starship, Nostromo, who are on their journey back home when they receive a distress call from an alien vessel.

A lien filmmaker Ridley Scott had a simple five-word reaction to seeing the set of the new FX series inspired by his 1979 masterpiece. Created by Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley, the eight-part series serves as a prequel to the original film set in a dark vision of the future dominated by corporations.