Every Alien: Romulus Easter egg – Franchise connections explained

Think you spotted every single Alien: Romulus Easter egg? Think again! There were way more hidden away than meets the eye, so let’s dive in.

Love it or hate it, Alien: Romulus leans heavily on previous entries in the franchise. It offers plenty in the way of references that hardened fans will recognize – maybe too much, actually.

Regardless, it’s still fun to piece together all the little clues Fede Alvarez included in his new horror movie and how they relate to other Alien movies.

So, from iconic lines of dialogue being repeated to subtle set design and props, we’ve got all you need to be a Romulus expert and impress your friends.

20th Century turns creepy

If you’re the kind of moviegoer who sneaks in to the theater late, you missed a treat! The classic 20th Century Fox intro gets a sinister twist for Romulus, just like it did for Alien 3 (see below).

As the fanfare closes out, the note holds a moment too long and goes out of tune. It’s unnatural to hear something so familiar distorted like that, and it’s just enough to set the scene for what’s to come.

Nostromo wreckage

Romulus gives us a fairly big nod back to the original Alien of 1979 in the opening scene. As we fly through space, we pass a piece of wreckage with the name Nostromo on it.

No prizes for this one: Nostromo was the ship Ripley was on when the Xenomorph first struck.

Rain’s watch looks familiar

Rain, played by Cailee Spaeny, is the latest protagonist to take center stage in the Alien timeline. But, we spotted one callback to another leading lady, and it’s as simple as the watch she was wearing.

Creative Assembly

Yes, Rain’s timepiece looked a lot like the watch worn by Amanda Ripley in the video game, Alien: Isolation. There’s more from that game to come later, too.

Hadley’s Hope

Some Easter eggs have an impact on the plot, some don’t. This one is very much the latter, but it’s still very cool. On the mining colony Jackson’s Star, Rain and Andy pass a red neon bar sign saying “Hadley’s Hope Bar and Grill.”

That same sign is also spotted in Aliens on the planet LV-426. Turns out Hadley’s isn’t your standard independent establishment, it’s a chain!

Isolation inspiration

OK, we promised more references to Alien: Isolation, so have two more. It’s one of the best games around, so figures Alvarez wanted to borrow some details for his film.

First of all, the emergency telephone boxes you use to save the game in Isolation are also installed on the Renaissance space station the crew break into in Romulus. They don’t play a major role here, but it’s a cool reference nonetheless.

Creative Assembly

Second, we’re pretty sure the sound the generators on board Renaissance make when they’re fired up is the same sound you’ll hear in Isolation when you reboot the ship’s power.

Prometheus Project

Romulus may not be a direct sequel to Prometheus and Covenant, but that doesn’t mean the prequel movies don’t have an impact on events in the new movie.

Most prominently, the black goo that David was messing around with in those films is back in Romulus, described as ‘pure life’ by Rook. We also see those vases that contain the pathogen, albeit briefly, as a hologram.

Rook even mentions the Prometheus Project by name at one point. And, to cap it all off, the main theme from Prometheus plays during the Alien: Romulus credits.

“You have my sympathies”

One of the most controversial elements of this film is the fact Ian Holm has been resurrected to play a synthetic again. The late actor’s face and voice were used for Rook, another devout Weyland-Yutani robot.

20th Century Fox

Rook very obviously has the same primary directive as his predecessor, Ash. But, he even has the same evil catchphrases, too. When he tells Rain and the gang, “I can’t lie about your chances, but you have my sympathies,” this is a verbatim nod to Ash’s ominous line from the first movie.

Narcissus

This one requires eagle-eyes and a sharp mind, but some Alien fanatics have spotted what appears to be Ripley’s escape pod, The Narcissus, in Romulus.

20th Century Studios

First of all, in the trailer, a ship with the same silhouette can be seen just below the title of the film, but it’s tiny and hard to confirm.

In the actual film, as per AvPGalaxy, it seems Ripley’s shuttle is actually on board the Renaissance. You see the Narcissus, docked vertically, in the background of the scene where Rain and Tyler beg Andy to open the door to save Kay.

This all ties in with Alvarez’s suggestion that there is a small connection to Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley hidden away in the movie. The director told told ReelBlend it might take people three viewings before they spot the reference.

Alien 3’s iconic shot

A fairly obvious Alien: Romulus Easter egg here, but the movie recreates possibly the most iconic shot in the whole franchise from Alien 3.

Yes, we know it’s not unusual for a monster like the Xenomorph to be sniffing its prey, but there’s no way Alvarez just accidentally riffed on the intense Ripley moment from David Fincher’s sci-fi movie.

Pulse rifles

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, they say. Alvarez obviously had the same idea when it came to coming up with weapons to use in his Alien offering, because he gave Rain the same pulse rifle we see Ripley use in Aliens.

To be fair, it’s not a bad idea, and it is logical. Romulus takes place about 37 years before Aliens, and it’s very likely the weapons developed in-universe would be fairly similar over that period of time. In fact, Alvarez even told Dexerto that the “technology of Aliens” would start to show through thanks to the timeline.

Andy read the Aliens script

Andy, played by David Jonsson, is one of the stars of the show in Romulus. But, we can’t give him all the credit. After all, a bunch of his lines are actually borrowed from Aliens.

20th Century Studios

He reminds folk he prefers the term “artificial human” rather than synthetic, just like Bishop does. And, he also refers to the Xenomorph as a “b*tch” on more than one occasion, which is the go-to pleasantry Ripley uses when she’s battling the beasts.

Familiar final act

It’s not just the dialogue that feels familiar. The whole final act of Romulus is reminiscent of Ripley’s struggle for survival at the end of the first movie.

From the shaky cam, flashing lights, and blaring sirens, to the desperate climbing of ladders and searching for escape pods, Romulus definitely went for the tried and tested formula for its climax.

Obviously, there are some differences this time. Rain isn’t doing it all alone: she has Andy for help. And then, of course, there’s the Offspring. We have never seen anything like that before, thankfully.

Rain’s survival message

Last but not least, the parallels between Rain and Ripley would not be complete without the signature sign-off of a survival message. Call it a mission log entry or a distress call, they both end their films by recording the events and letting people know they’re still alive.

The final shot of Romulus is even the same as Alien, as Rain’s face merges with the silhouette of a planet just like Ripley.

So, that’s every Alien: Romulus Easter egg from start to finish. Now, learn more about the new movie with our guides on the Romulus box office, and why it’s actually called Romulus. We can also fill you in on whether we’ll get an Alien: Romulus sequel, and when it’ll be on streaming.