Episode 5, “In Space, No One…,” takes us back to the doomed voyage of the USCSS Maginot—offering a flashback that reveals what set the ship on its crash course into Prodigy territory. This near feature-length chapter—written and directed by creator Noah Hawley—plays like a mini Alien movie, filled with nostalgia, horror, and weight.
From the opening frames, as glimpsed in the first episode, the resemblance to the original Alien is clear. The Maginot’s layout—its bridge, corridors, cryo-chambers—is modeled after the Nostromo, imbuing the episode with Alien DNA. The production values are strong—cinematography, set design, and score all contribute to the atmosphere fans expect.
It’s welcome to see this episode step away from the Peter Pan–Blade Runner themes that have dominated this season. Although Ade Edmondson and Timothy Olyphant’s Kirsh are absent, Babou Ceesay returns as Morrow, balancing stoicism with humanity. Richa Moorjani stands out as Officer Zoya Zaveri. The lead engineer played by Michael Smiley also deserves mention.
The lab scenes remain frustrating. These characters, experienced spacefarers, handle alien organisms with recklessness and poor safety measures—arguably more so than in Alien or Prometheus. It’s narratively convenient but logically absurd. There are lapses in reasoning throughout: why risk so much with so little containment? Editing also continues to be a problem, with cuts that undercut tension rather than build it.
The flashback structure feels unnecessary at times. The revelations—about cryo-capsules and sabotage—could have landed just as effectively in the first installment rather than midseason. Structurally, it feels like an episode that belongs earlier. This issue has affected other Disney/Star titles, notably The Book of Boba Fett.
Thankfully, Episode 5 delivers when it counts: the alien creatures are front and center. We see face-huggers, blood-sucking ticks, a grotesque “Eye” creature, and classic Xenomorph terror. Ceesay’s Morrow is also the glue here along with visuals.
Noah Hawley gives us an effective whodunit narrative aboard a spaceship—sabotage, paranoia, and the knowledge that rescue isn’t coming. That mix of mystery and horror runs through the script, even if execution falters at points.
Episode 5 is an—anchored in Alien spirit, creature-driven horror, and strong turns by Ceesay and Moorjani. It doesn’t land perfectly—illogical safety lapses and uneven edits keep it from greatness. The flashback setup may feel poorly timed, but its scope, tension, and homage to the Alien make it one of the season’s highlights.
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