Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Alien: Earth Episode 2. Alien: Earth has barely begun, but is already breaking new ground in the Alien franchise — and retracing some older steps, too.

In space, no one can hear you scream, but they can sure hear you scratching your head as you try to make sense of the sprawling “Alien” universe. While Ridley Scott’s 1979 haunted-house-in-the-cosmos ...