ALIEN: EARTH Creator Explains Wendy’s Connection to the Xenomorph in Episode 4 - Can She Really Control Them?

In Episode 4 of Alien: Earth, something wild happens when Sydney Chandler’s Wendy shares a moment with a Xenomorph that suggests she might be able to communicate with, or even control, the creature.

But is that what’s actually going on? According to series creator Noah Hawley, not exactly.

The FX series, which marks the first-ever live-action Alien TV show, takes place two years before the events of Alien (1979) and follows a new story set in the terrifying universe first brought to life by Ridley Scott.

Wendy is a key player in this story, a human consciousness transferred into a synthetic body, making her a unique hybrid. In Episode 4, things take a strange turn when she appears to form a connection with a Xenomorph.

Noah Hawley recently broke it down, referencing a moment from Aliens (1986) that inspired this storyline. “Then the queen somehow communicates to these drones to back off and they do. In that moment, you learn so much about these creatures,” Hawley told Decider.

He points to that classic scene where Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley faces off with the Xenomorph queen, showing that the creatures operate within a matriarchal hive that’s capable of communicating in ways we still don’t fully understand. That hidden language is what Wendy seems to be tuning into.

“Nothing is accidental to a kid, right? You know, everything feels meaningful,” Hawley explained. “There’s a moment in the fourth hour where she’s like, ‘They chose me.’ Right? Which is not true. Right? They didn’t choose her. She just can hear them because of whatever hardware or software issue that she has.”

It’s not so much that she commands them, but rather that she understands them. Hawley suggests this connection is more emotional than telepathic, noting that Wendy’s childlike mind gives her a certain empathy toward the Xenomorphs.

“She’s mentally a child,” he said, even comparing her perspective to his daughter’s, who chose vegetarianism at age nine out of compassion.

So, is Wendy the Xenomorph whisperer? Not exactly. But Alien: Earth is clearly digging into some cool and unexpected territory, exploring what happens when synthetic evolution meets extraterrestrial horror.

New episodes of Alien: Earth drop Tuesdays on FX and FX on Hulu.