Alien vs. Predator - Timeline

It's not just that. Different Engineers/Space Jockey origins/appearances, Earth being completely normal in Marvel's Alien comics following a planet-wide Xenomorph takeover in the Dark Horse Universe, Marvel contradicting the aftermath of Hadley's Hope portrayed in Aliens: Colonial Marines, a franchise consultant says that pre-2014 Alien comics aren't canon, stuff like that.
 
Predator Vol. 2 suggests that humans are put into status for the Game Reserve Planet, so it stands within reason that Isabelle could have been in status while travelling back perhaps? Hmm...

Also, comic claims OWLF/Stargazer encountered the Yautja three times. 1987, 1997 and 2018.
 
Predator Vol. 2 suggests that humans are put into status for the Game Reserve Planet, so it stands within reason that Isabelle could have been in status while travelling back perhaps? Hmm...

Also, comic claims OWLF/Stargazer encountered the Yautja three times. 1987, 1997 and 2018.
and if we do what we did to comics? Novels and SS published before 2014 goes with Dark Horse, and the ones after goes with Marvel?
 
1. Andrew E.C. Gaska, the Fox franchise consultant, handled Alien, Predator and AVP as separate franchises and considered them separate continuities in his blog.

2. The comics that he considered part of the Alien franchise canon are all after the 2014 comics reboot.

3. The Weyland-Yutani Report is considered canon according to the consultant and references the Fire and Stone/Life and Death material as well as the AVP Rage War novels. Officially canon Alien novels also connect to those AVP stories too. So, officially canon Alien media ties into AVP. It does not mention any comic events from 1988-2013, which, according to Andrew, are bar room stories/in-universe rumours. I think that it's a Star Wars Legends situation. Elements of those stories are canon, like the planets and technology, but the actual events aren't.

4. Behind-the-scenes, the 2014 comic reboot had statements saying that Predator 1-3, Alien 1-4 and Prometheus are canon to Fire and Stone onwards. One of the writers stated they weren't erasing AVP and the EU and were just building their own continuity in that universe, but later material does enforce them being separate.

5. The Predator proved that, despite that, the AVP movies were canon, with the Xenomorph Spear in Project Stargazer. They had multiple planned ties to Alien that didn't make it into the film. Yutani from AVPR was supposed to make an appearance. Further, there were endings that involved either Ellen Ripley or Newt displaced in time, somehow.

6. The Predator was called the 6th installment in the Predator series leading to its release, counting AVP. Fade Alverez's Alien movie has been referred to as the 9th installment in the series, counting AVP.

7. Prometheus shows different appearance and history to the Space Jockeys than the EU. Prey contradicts the events seen in Predator 1718. Alien: Annual shows Earth perfectly fine after a huge Xenomorph infestation. The Weyland-Yutani report makes no mention of the Xenomorph Invasion either.

So... two continuities makes sense. My understanding is that Fox considers everything after 2014 canon, and each franchise in the universe (Alien, Predator, AVP) is beholden to the material developed for their franchise from that point on.

Few things though.

1. Aliens: Colonial Marines references technology from Prometheus but is considered non-canon to the 2014 rebooted timeline according to Andrew. I take it that means that Colonial Marines is in the old EU timeline. Better than treating it as void.

2. Predator: Hunters I-III references Project Stargazer from The Predator but is tied to the old EU characters. Maybe The Predator is canon to the EU or Project Stargazer exists in both.
 
Ridley Scott wanted to make the Weyland Corporation in Prometheus be called the Weyland-Tryell Corporation, suggesting a merger between the mega-corp from Blade Runner. There was also an idea of having a bodyguard codenamed Batty as a reference to Roy. Though, technically the Tyrell Corporation already exists in the Alien Universe since Dallas worked for them.

If that did happen, the technological difference between Predator and Blade Runner would be hilarious. Best guess would be that certain parts of the world are more developed than others. To be fair, they both had movies set in future LA.

I should do a Blade Runner timeline at some point. I believe it's something like this.
2009 - Blade Runner: Origins #1-12
2019 - Blade Runner 2019 #1-12
2019 - Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition
2019 - Blade Runner: The Final Cut
2022 - Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
2023 - Blade Runner: Revelations
2029 - Blade Runner 2029 #1-12
2032 - Blade Runner: Black Locus 1x01-1x13
2036 - Blade Runner 2049: 2036: Nexus Dawn
2036 - Soldier
2039 - Blade Runner 2039 #1-12
2048 - Blade Runner 2049: 2048: Nowhere to Run
2049 - Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab
2049 - Blade Runner 2049
2099 - Blade Runner 2099 1x01-1x10


So, to sum up all the reasons why people want to connect them that I'm aware of.
There was an idea to have the Weyland and Tyrell corporations be merged in Prometheus, and have a bodyguard with a name referencing Roy Batty. "There's one idea that I'm very sad that we didn't do. Ridley, one day, came in and said, "You know, I'm thinking what if it's the Weyland-Tyrell Corporation? Is that cool? Maybe the bodyguards, you know, that come out with Weyland, maybe one of them says Batty on his uniform. And we're like "Awesome! Do it, do it!"

A blu-ray extra for Prometheus suggested that Tyrell is Weyland's mentor. Weyland says Tyrell was on top of a pyramid, overlooking a city of angels. Tyrell worked at the top of the pyramid-shaped Tyrell Corporation set in Los Angeles. While Weyland made androids, Tyrell genetically engineered replicants and implanted them with false memories, as Weyland calls out in his letter. The person who created this text confirmed it was just a fun nod and not out-right confirmation.


As part of the 20th Anniversary Edition "Alien" DVD in 1999, a DVD extra titled "Nostromo Dossier" shows extended profiles for the crew. Dallas is shown to have once worked for the Tyrell Corporation from Blade Runner.

Ridley Scott remarks on the director's commentary for Blade Runner that they could be connected. "There's almost like a connective tissue between all the stuff I went through on 'Alien' into the environment of the Nostromo and people living within close proximity to people who still have Earth-bound connections and here we have people on Earth, so almost this world could easily be the city that supports the crew that go out in Alien. So, in other words, when the crew of Alien come back in, they might go into this place and go into a bar off the street near where Deckard lives. That's how I thought about it." Notably, Blade Runner and Alien are set 103 years apart.

In Peter Weyland's 2023 TED Talk, he remarks that it is illegal to create robots indistinguishable from humans. In Blade Runner, Replicants were declared illegal after a NEXUS 6 mutiny in an off-world colony.

The PURGE screen from Alien was reused in Blade Runner to save time.

In Soldier, Todd's weapons training record lists the "USMC Smartgun" and "M41A pulse rifle" from Aliens, although it also references things that it isn't in-continuity with it as well, like Star Trek and Star Wars. The film establishes the United States Colonial Marines Corps as existing. However, they did not exist in the Alien Universe until 2101.

In Blade Runner 2049, a ship similar to the Sulaco from Aliens can be seen.
Of course, in the Alien Universe, Hypersleep was created in 2030 and Faster-Than-Light travel was created in 2032 according to the Weyland timeline, whereas in the Blade Runner Universe they seem to have been around for some time due to the off-world colonies. Though, The Predator already slightly contradicts that timeline regarding Global Warming. Still not really canon since they're owned by different companies and there's never been a direct statement but it's an interesting idea.

Andrew, the franchise consultant for Alien, says that Blade Runner, Soldier and, weirdly, Outland are "shoe-horn" canon. Not officially part of the universe but can be massaged in if you squint hard enough. Perhaps they're sibling universes, where technology evolved at a faster rate in the Blade Runner series?


I wonder what Earth is going to look like in the Alien FX series.
 
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Eggmorphing is official canon, since the roleplaying game and a novel shows that Xenomorphs have that ability in absence of a queen, which means that the slightly shorter Alien: Director's Cut should be canon. Shame since Ridley Scott and I both prefer the theatrical version.
 
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Alien/Blade Runner PURGE screen
alien_vs_blade_runner-copy.jpg

Alien: Isolation (Video Game)
Screenshot_20230523_182021_YouTube.jpg

Blade Runner: Revelations (Video Game)
Screenshot_20230523_181529_YouTube.jpg
Screenshot_20230523_181536_YouTube.jpg

All because they wanted to save time and money. :p
 
Uh...

I mean, if a Weyland logo appeared in any Blade Runner media on-screen 100% then I'd probably personally consider it canon. Definitely not canon as of this moment though. I mean, they're owned by different companies lol.

There's also a lot of thematic ties and nods. In Alien: Isolation, there's origami unicorns as a reference to the ending of Blade Runner in Deckard's apartment. There's quotes in Alien: Covenant like "that's the spirit". It's just easter eggs though.

Also, Alien: Isolation is on the same canon level as the movies apparently. Probably why Alien: Romulus has the same emergency terminal used as a savepoint in the game.
 
Made a little research and I am come to the conclusion that the majority of people say that this franchaises share a universe (not counting comic books crossovers with franchaises without movies and TV series)
  • Alien
  • Predator
  • Alien vs. Predator
  • Blade Runner
  • Firefly
  • Soldier
  • Serenity
  • Total Recall
  • Outland
  • Terminator
  • RoboCop
  • Underwater
Don't know if there are real reasons behind this, I just did it for fun.
 
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Some of them have reasons but it's mostly easter eggs and nonsense in my opinion.

I'd add Underwater to that list. It's set in 2050 and the Weyland Corp logo from Prometheus can be seen. The set design is reminiscent of the Prometheus/Covenant films.
 
Made a little research and I am come to the conclusion that the majority of people say that this franchaises share a universe (not counting comic books crossovers with franchaises without movies and TV series)
  • Alien
  • Predator
  • Alien vs. Predator
  • Blade Runner
  • Firefly
  • Soldier
  • Serenity
  • Total Recall
  • Outland
  • Raised by Wolves
  • Terminator
  • RoboCop
  • Underwater
Don't know if there are real reasons behind this, I just did it for fun.
Let's not forget that Doctor Who also has a Xenomorph egg cameo in the first season of the revival series, plus a Chestburster in one of the Sixth Doctor episodes.

Oh, and also some of the animated Second Doctor episodes that are lost media also having references to Weyland-Yuntani in the background. ;P
 
 
Let's not forget that Doctor Who also has a Xenomorph egg cameo in the first season of the revival series, plus a Chestburster in one of the Sixth Doctor episodes.

Oh, and also some of the animated Second Doctor episodes that are lost media also having references to Weyland-Yuntani in the background. ;P
Depends if Terminator is truly canon, since both DW and Terminator have 2 different set of time travel rules. Anyway Updating now.
 
Depends if Terminator is truly canon, since both DW and Terminator have 2 different set of time travel rules.
Different methods have different results I would say. I think in Doctor Who some of the EU material says that Xenomorphs come from films but are also real because of some nonsense I don't remember. I think it's canonically confirmed to be a separate universe though.

If Terminator was canon, I'd take the Dark Fate timeline as canon as that's the only one where no future war has to happen, assuming they prevented Legion, and say that the AVPVT comic is the future of the Skynet/Resistance war continuity where an alternate version of Alien 1-4 play out. Hyperdyne Systems from Aliens could be a successor of Cyberdyne Systems from Terminator. Dutch could be the blueprint for Model 101.

While we're at it, let's add the Val Verde films to this list. Predator: Hunting Grounds confirms Predator took place in Val Verde. Commando and Die Hard are set in/reference this fictional country. Maybe John Matrix and Dutch Schaefer are twin brothers separated at birth, lol.

Stop this before I make a bullshit list of these in order just for the lols, haha.
 
Raised by Wolves notably was confirmed to not be connected whilst also set after Alien in terms of the in-universe state of society by Ridley Scott. But, it's not canon either way.

Someone needs to ask Ridley Scott if Blade Runner and Alien are the same universe to confirm/shoot down that theory for good.
 
Anyway I finished to read a Skeld's Keep from the Predator: if it bleeds anthology, I would say that is set in 820 AD of the Marvel Continuity.
 

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