Babou Ceesay, one of the stars of the upcomingAlien: Earth, recently spoke about how his character connects to one of theAlienfranchise’s oldest villains.Alien: Earthtakes place early on intheAlientimelineand deals heavily with the Weyland-Yutani Corporation and other companies. Now, we know a bit more about theYutani Corporation before it merged with Weyland.
In an interview withComicBook.com,Babou Ceesay spoke about hisAlien: Earthcharacter Morrow and his relationship to the Yutani Corporation. Yutani is the name of a character inEarth(Sandra Yi Sencindiver), her grandmother, and the second half of the infamousAlienvillains, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation.
I don’t even want to give away his backstory … but he’s a cyborg, let’s just say that. When I say cyborg, what do you think? This is interesting. People have been saying odd things to me when I tell them I’m a cyborg. So some people think that he’s all machine when they say ‘cyborg,’ but that’s not it. He’s human and flawed in a human way. Whereas you’ve got people who are synths, who are, I guess, AI brains with synthetic bodies and then you’ve got the hybrids that are both. So he’s a cyborg. The best way I can describe him, he’s like an iPhone 1 in a world of iPhone 20s.
But what he does have is an unbelievable clarity in terms of what he wants to do and a determination. He’s ruthless for that reason. He was abandoned because he had palsy. So his left arm, in particular, would do whatever it wanted. And so, as a child, it was very difficult for him to connect with people and Yutani saw that, took him in, gave him a cyborg arm and gave him a purpose. There’s a line he says in it, he says, ‘Wouldn’t that be nice, to be all machine instead of what I am, the worst parts of a man?’ And I think he means his emotions because that’s what makes him conflicted. He wishes he had that cold, ‘I just need to get this done.’
It’s been 65 years that he’s not been on the planet. So I think, originally, Yutani probably would have been a bit more of a warm center. Current Yutani, who he doesn’t know, he’s still having to catch up and go, ‘Oh, wait, no, it’s 65 years later.’ That Yutani is a bit more efficient, calculated, wants to do what they want to do. But look, they’re all like that as far as I’m concerned. There’s subtle things like the world is hotter and society has been rearranged in a way he doesn’t understand. Everyone he’s ever known is dead, so that’s really difficult for him, to have to develop a newfound trust with, basically, strangers.
Ceesay’s comments reveal a treasure trove of information about both Morrow and Yutani inAlien: Earth. Firstly, it’s clear that Morrow is different from the rest ofAlien’s synthetics and androids. Unlike them, he’s a human with robotic parts, such as his left arm. We also know he became a cyborg because he had palsy as a child and was abandoned because of his condition.
It’s also clear that the current Yutani is significantly different from her grandmother, the woman who sentEarth’s new ship, theMaginot, and Morrow on their mission to collect alien lifeforms 65 years prior.Ceesay describes the younger Yutani as “efficient” and “calculated,” while her grandmother was warmer and kinder. The older Yutani used her kindness to recruit Morrow as a dedicated employee for her company.
What Morrow’s Connection To Yutani Means For Alien: Earth
Morrow Owes A Lot To Yutani, Which Should Put Him In Direct Contention With Prodigy
The main draw ofAlien: Earth- and anyAlienstory, for that matter - is the Xenomorphs andEarth’s new hostile alien lifeforms.Babou Ceesay’s comments, however, have dropped a major hint atEarth’s other main storyline: the fight between corporations for control of the aliens. The different companies all want the aliens for their bio-engineering programs, and they’d kill to get them.
The main corporation inAlien: Earth, Prodigy, sends the group ofhuman-synthetic hybrids known as the Lost Boysinto the wreckage of theMaginotto find the lifeforms. It’s clear from Ceesay’s comments, however, thatMorrow is a diehard Yutani loyalist who won’t let Prodigy take the Xenomorphs and other aliens. He owes his entire life to Yutani, even if he doesn’t know the younger Yutani well.
It’s also fairly clear thatAlien: Earthis setting up quite a few thematic storylines.Morrow, for example, is a human with machine parts, while the Lost Boys are machines with human minds. That setsEarthup to tell a very engaging story about the difference between machine and humans. Morrow’s story is also the backdrop forEarth’s tale of corporate greed and manipulation.
Our Take On Morrow’s Backstory In Alien: Earth
Morrow Looks Poised To Be A Fan-Favorite In The Already Stacked Cast Of Alien: Earth
Thecast ofAlien: Earthalready features some A-list actors playing incredibly interesting characters. Timothy Olyphant’s Kirsh, for example, seems like the best new synthetic we’ve seen in a long time. However,Babou Ceesay’s comments make it seem like Morrow could easily emerge as a fan-favorite character, even amongAlien: Earth’s already impressive cast of characters.
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Ceesay’s comments are great for Morrow himself, but they also highlight a very encouraging part ofAlien: Earthin general. Morrow has been only briefly featured inEarth’s trailers and promotional materials, but he’s still got an incredibly layered and thematically rich backstory. IfAlien: Earthhas a story this engaging for what appears to be a supporting character, I can only imagine how good the rest of the show will be.
