For the first time in the Alien franchise’s history, the iconic Xenomorphs are not just hissing—they are communicating. In the new FX and Hulu series Alien: Earth, the character of Wendy, a synth with a human consciousness played by Sydney Chandler, learns to hear and speak to the monsters. This bold creative decision required the invention of a complete alien language from scratch, a process that drew inspiration from the insect world and a collaborative effort between the actress and the sound team.
From a Daunting Script Line to a New Language
The journey began with a single, intimidating line in the script. For Sydney Chandler, the instruction was simple yet overwhelming: “Wendy opens her mouth and speaks to aliens.”
“It was quite daunting, because what does that look like?” Chandler said.
There was no formal linguist on set, unlike the creation of the Na’vi language for Avatar. The production aimed for something raw and instinctual. Sound designer Lee Gilmore, who also worked on Alien: Romulus, explained that the challenge was threefold. They had to create the sounds Wendy hears in her head, the language she uses to speak back, and the vocalizations of the Xenomorphs themselves. All three needed to sound distinct but feel like they belonged to the same creature.
Finding the Voice in Nature’s Insects
Both Chandler and Gilmore found their inspiration in the same place: the chittering, trilling sounds of insects. Before filming even began, Chandler, who is from Texas, went outside to record the natural sounds around her.
“We have a lot of cicadas out here, so I left my phone outside for an hour at nighttime and just recorded the sounds of the cicadas and crickets,” she recalled. “There’s a melody to the language of insects, which I felt very much coalesces with the sounds of the aliens.”
Gilmore followed a similar path, wanting to create something new rather than reusing sounds from previous films.
“We really focused on chittery, insect-type sounds,” Gilmore said. “Let’s start throwing some cicadas in there and crickets that have been manipulated, slowed down, sped up, all that kind of thing.”
This approach fit the Xenomorphs’ hive mentality and insectoid biology, moving their communication beyond animalistic growls into something more complex.
The Physicality of an Alien Performance
To bring the language to life on set, Chandler developed a physical technique for her performance. She experimented with the constriction of her throat, rolling her Rs, and making rapid inhales and exhales.
“I started playing with the constriction of my throat, and found this sound where I was rolling my Rs a bit and whistling, inhaling and exhaling quite rapidly,” Chandler explained.
She used these sounds to communicate different intentions to the aliens, even though the final sounds heard in the show were created in post-production.
“I would open my mouth a little bit wider, and the sound would heighten or bring it down lower… I created different layers to the communication of something to calm, something to heighten.”
This physical performance gave the crew and other actors something authentic to react to during filming.
Crafting the Sound of Emotion
In the sound studio, Gilmore and his team focused on emotion rather than a formal grammar. Once they established a palette of insect-based sounds, they shaped them to convey specific feelings like sadness, confusion, or anger.
This was particularly important for a scene featuring a newborn Xenomorph. Gilmore described the challenge of making the creature seem momentarily vulnerable before revealing its true nature.
“We wanted to make sure that when we see the baby Xeno, when he comes out for the first time and she’s talking to him, there’s almost a cute element to it,” Gilmore said. “And then he totally rages out and slams himself against the window, and you realize, oh, this thing’s a killing machine.”
For the adult Xenomorphs, the sounds were designed to have more weight and aggression, with deeper growls and seething tones.
Creating a “Cute” But Deadly Baby Xeno
The series introduced another first for the franchise: a juvenile Xenomorph. Gilmore and the team had to create a vocalization that reflected its age while never letting the audience forget it is a born killer.
“We wanted to make sure that when we see the baby Xeno… there’s almost a cute element to it,” Gilmore explained. “It was great, because it kind of lulls the audience into… ‘This is a cool little pet, you know.’ And then he totally rages out and slams himself against the window, and you realize, oh, this thing’s a killing machine.”
The sound design for the creature evolved as it grew. Gilmore’s team started with “cute, chirpy things” for the baby and slowly integrated more aggressive sounds as it matured into a full-grown adult with deeper, heavier vocal tones.
A New Kind of Terror for the Franchise
The ability for the Xenomorphs to communicate changes their role in the franchise. They are no longer just unknowable forces of nature; they become creatures with intent that can be understood, at least by one character. Showrunner Noah Hawley was inspired by a moment in James Cameron’s Aliens where the Queen clearly communicates with her drones.
This new capability introduces a different kind of horror. The fear is no longer just about surviving a mindless predator, but about engaging with a thinking, strategic creature that can talk back. For Chandler, it was vital that this communication did not make the Xenomorph seem tame.
“This isn’t a puppy dog. This is a lion that can hurt you,” she said.
The series explores the dangerous possibility of humans trying to weaponize this communication, while also creating a unique connection between Wendy and the creatures she describes as being as “alone and alien” as she is.
Also Read: Alien Earth Episode 7: Why Joe Made the Shocking Choice to Stop Nibs
Credits: IGN, AvPGalaxy
