The crew of the USCSS Maginot was introduced briefly. However, it was more important for the series premiere to dive into the crisis caused by the ship crashing into Earth and what was happening at the Neverland facility. The crash set the story into motion though. This franchise has delved into the terror that comes from aliens breaking from containment while a crew is trapped in space. That's particularly familiar ground as it pertains to the xenomorphs. As such, it was necessary for the show to offer a new twist on the concept when it sets an entire episode on the final days of the Maginot. It produces details that are meaningful for the present-day story. That's especially true for Morrow as the crew's sole survivor. It was already clear that he prioritized the mission above all else. He betrayed the crew to ensure the specimen survived the crash. He refuses to abandon that mission even though the creatures now reside within Prodigy's custody. He has already concocted a scheme to retrieve them for Weyland-Yutani. That's not the focus here. Instead, the narrative takes a step back to focus on the precise series of events that resulted in the crash in the first place.
The Maginot was sabotaged. The aliens breaking free from containment was simply an unfortunate consequence. The ship was attacked so it would purposefully land in Prodigy territory on Earth. Boy Kavalier knew about this mission long before it presented a powerful opportunity. In fact, he promised eternal life to the crew member who would deliver what he wanted. The technology may not even exist to transfer an adult mind into a synthetic body. Boy doesn't care what happens to the crew either. Shmuel explains it perfectly. These missions into deep space are funded with the sole purpose of obtaining power on Earth. The Five are simply trying to get the upper hand on their competitors. Everyone is expendable. The crew is offered fortune for successful completion of the mission. The cargo is all that matters. Weyland-Yutani doesn't care who is lost along the way. Morrow is clear on that directive. Zaveri waivers as the newly promoted captain. The connection to her fellow humans is strong. Losing Dinsdale and Bronski fuels her decision to try to save Malachite through surgery. That simply results in her having to kill Chibuzo and Rahim in the process. She doesn't survive either. She was abandoned by Morrow. She knew that's how he operated. She pleaded with him anyway.
Morrow lost part of his humanity on this mission. His daughter died in a tragic fire eight years into this 65 year mission. He tried to impart some peace and wisdom when he said goodbye. He wanted her to know he would always be looking out into space thinking of her. That would provide comfort whenever she was lonely. Ultimately, Morrow was the one abandoned in life. He was rescued by Yutani's grandmother. She saw something special in him. And now, the current CEO of the company sees it too. She will provide whatever he needs to accomplish his mission. Again, the stakes are set for an even more terrifying adventure once Morrow arrives at Neverland. He knows precisely how to provoke a response that will make the eggs hatch. He was in stasis when the fire broke out. He quickly assessed the situation. He demanded answers. He knew sabotage was the cause of this disaster. He eventually found out who betrayed the mission. He's not the most formidable though. He saw the blindspots in the cameras. Yet it had to be pointed out to him not to trust the report of who was in the cryo chambers. He had to verify with his own eyes like Teng always creepily does. By then, it was too late to prevent disaster. He lives on to fight another day. The crew faced an absolutely grueling and terrifying experience. That's especially true as the narrative depicts the ways in which both the Eye and the Leeches breaking containment is just as perilous as the xenomorph.
The hour is full of anticipatory dread. That's to be expected with the xenomorph depiction. The audience likely goes into this show with expectations with this creature. It's important for the storytelling to subvert those preconceived notions. Something different must be done. At times, the action has been familiar. Wendy forging a connection with the xenomorph offers something intriguing. The reveal with Boy highlights how this was his goal all along. These experiments were meant to collide under his watch. He was the only one operating with that objective. He didn't care who died on Earth either. Again, it's all about wielding power. That underlying motive is easy to understand. Plenty of people are harmed as a result. The imagery is visceral and gory. One mistake can be incredibly costly. Something as innocent as drinking water can become deadly. Part of the story is filling in the blanks of what happened on the Maginot to align with what Kirsh and the hybrids discovered in the aftermath. It's also just intense to see the Eye operate in new and inventive ways. It flings itself like a slingshot. It quickly jumps from body to body waiting for the most opportune moment to strike. It's unsuccessful in attaching to the xenomorph. That battle is still fierce. It all comes at the expense of humanity driven by those who are too cavalier to see the cost of their actions. Few will rise to their ranks and join them. The majority are left to suffer. That's the grim outlook of life central to this piece. It's focused on those trying to survive in a world hellbent on making them miserable until death brutally occurs.
