ALIEN: EARTH Star Babou Ceesay on the Episode 5 Shock and Why He Hid Morrow’s Humanity

The latest episode of Alien: Earth dropped a game-changing twist that finally cracked open the mystery surrounding Morrow, the enigmatic cyborg played by Babou Ceesay.

In Episode 5, “In Space, No One…”, which was written and directed by series creator Noah Hawley, viewers saw a different side of the character that not only raised the emotional stakes but also tied deeply into the DNA of the Alien franchise.

Until now, Morrow has been a cold and calculated figure, a security officer who seemed more machine than man. But the flashbacks in Episode 5 revealed his tragic past, including the death of his daughter, and how grief fueled his choices aboard the Maginot.

Speaking with Variety, Ceesay explained that this was the moment he’d been holding back for audiences:

“I knew there’s something human about this guy that I wanted to cover up as much as possible until the moment. People make up their minds about you. They’re like, OK, this is what you are, as quickly as possible, just so that they can put you in a box and figure out how you’re going to behave.

“I love the unpredictability that Noah brings to it. My hope is that when people see Episode 5 and see some of the motivations, they’re more on the fence. It’s not like, ‘OK, this guy is mission-driven and insane and mean. It’s more like, I don’t know how I feel about him now.’”

Ceesay revealed that the personal history woven into Morrow’s backstory hit close to home, especially when the show used his own daughter to play Morrow’s child in the flashbacks.

“When I found out that he had a daughter and that she had died in the way that she had, it struck a chord much deeper in me. The actress playing my daughter is my real daughter.

"“We were shooting, and they were looking for someone to play my daughter, and my daughter was out there [in Thailand] with me going to school, with my son and my wife.

“Noah was like, what would you think if they’d use her letters, or they’d use a baby picture. Imagine, in that scene, I’m looking at that — it goes to another level. Even talking about it now affects me.”

Morrow’s contradictions were central to the performance. While he may appear efficient and detached, there’s a buried vulnerability that shapes how he interacts with the world.

“That element of him was what I needed to cling on to, this idea that he’s still human and moral. And he sees that side of himself in two different ways. He sees it as useful — he’ll pull it up, and he can connect with people if he needs to.

“But, really, deep down, he thinks it’s a weakness. He’s ashamed that he has a part of him like that. He’s learned to be cold.”

To prepare for playing someone who is part human, part machine, Ceesay researched real-world cyborgs.

“I did some research on cyborgs and found this guy named Neil, who basically had a cyborg attachment added to his head. He’s an artist, and he’s color-blind, so he had something added to the base of his skull at the back that comes out to the front. What it does is a sort of sound response. He hears color.

“Watching his interview, he’s talking about being more than human. He feels like he’s the next level up. He went from someone shy to someone who has his place in the world.”

Episode 5 also leaned heavily into classic Alien vibes, grounding the horror in the ordinary routines of a crew just doing their job. For Ceesay and the cast, it felt like stepping directly into the franchise’s legacy.

“One hundred percent. We were all aware of it. We had our moment of feeling giddy when you first walk on — oh my goodness, I’m on the Nostromo. It’s real. Everyone there was a fan. Having that first moment, getting into that comfort zone — as a group, I call us the Ep Fivers, we knew we had to cross a lot of boundaries very quickly and get comfortable with each other so we could have it that way where they’re speaking over each other.”

The actor described Episode 5 as one of the most intense and rewarding shoots of the series, taking more than five weeks to complete.

“Ep. 5 was special. Because you’re essentially shooting an Alien movie in the middle of this Alien series.”

And as for the future of Alien: Earth, Ceesay teased that Hawley has already mapped out what’s coming next.

“I have an idea of what happens at the top of Season 2, should we get a second season. And it’s going to be epic.”

With Episode 5, Alien: Earth has elevated Morrow from a mysterious cyborg to one of the show’s most complex and compelling characters.