Alien: Earth | Season 1, Episode 5

As a departure from regular Trailaurality fare this week, we’re going to explore a 30-second trailer for a single episode of Alien: Earth. This is the first tv series in the Alien franchise originally created in 1979 by Ridley Scott which, after over a dozen films, is still going strong. In an ambitious and novel take on trailers, the creative team behind Alien: Earth are releasing a new trailer for each episode. As is clear from this trailer, the show relies as much on sound design as it does on Jess Russo’s tense score.

The trailer for Episode 5 opens with a view of the USCSS Maginot, and we hear a thudding impact tone and an unstable, buzzing synthesizer note. Morrow asks “What day is it?” and the phrase “17 days from Earth” clicks across the screen.

At 0:04 we see a newly-hatched alien scrambling through a door then immediately afterwards, at 0:06 three screeching, high pitched notes are heard as we see the production company’s logo on screen.

At 0:07, Morrow says “One of you is trying to destroy my ship.” We hear two pounding notes from a large drum followed by a high pitched percussion accent (a little twist on Queen’s iconic “We Will Rock You” rhythm). The shots are cutting roughly at the same speed as the rhythm but they’re out of sync, behind the beat, making this sequence jarring, and perhaps that’s the point.

At 0:11 the music and sound design shift gears abruptly to a sound effect of a big machine powering down, as we see Morrow crouching down to inspect a jagged hole in the floor of the spaceship. Then the three note percussion rhythm returns at 0:12, this time with the same screeching high pitched notes from earlier. The music here is synched more cleanly to the beat, as the third note alights with a wide exterior shot of an explosion on the side of the space ship.

Mr. Teng says, “You’re missing it” which leads straight into an engaging sequence from 0:15-0:18 in which the three note rhythm is extended by two more notes, and each of the five notes is synched to the start of a new shot, and Morrow’s gun fires on the beat Through this action-packed sequence we also hear a series of ascending notes from a high pitched breathy synthesizer, played twice.

At 0:20 we hear a variation of the mechanical power-down sound, but this time it’s accompanied by a reptilian slithering/gargling sound effect. Mr. Teng says, “It’s right in front of you,” as we see one of the crew holding their breath in the foreground while the silhouette of an alien creeps into the hallway in the background.

The trailer’s nearly over at this point, and since it’s short, as expected it goes out with a bang (six shots in the space of 3 seconds from 0:22-0:24). These are accompanied by accents on big drums (four eighth notes and then a string of six trailer triplets to be precise!).

It’s a concise, action-packed trailer to be sure, and the music is minimalist, cycling through a small handful of powerful and creepy motifs that, for the listener, effectively evoke screams and violent impacts.

Episode 5 of _Alien: Earth _comes out Tuesday September 2nd on Hulu and Disney+.

— Jack Hui Litster