“Alien: Earth” features characters of such intricate nature that it can be difficult to differentiate between AI, humans, or hybrids. Thankfully, the series offers a guide to assist viewers in keeping up. Below is an overview of the various entities in “Alien: Earth,” encompassing cyborgs, synths, and hybrids.

The start of episode 1 clarifies the differences among these entities:

“In the future, the pursuit of immortality will manifest in three varieties:

1. Humans enhanced with technology: Cyborgs
2. Beings endowed with artificial intelligence: Synths
3. Synthetic entities possessing human consciousness: Hybrids

The leading technology will dictate which corporation dominates the universe.”

Now, let’s delve deeper into these classifications.

Cyborgs:
Cyborgs have been a staple in sci-fi, and “Alien: Earth” upholds this legacy. A cyborg is essentially a human augmented with robotic features. Morrow (Babou Ceesay), the security chief on the USCSS Maginot, exemplifies this. While Morrow retains a human brain, his arm is fitted with various instruments.

Synths:
Synths are completely artificial entities with AI brains. Ash from the classic “Alien” film was a synthetic. In “Alien: Earth,” Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant) is a synth collaborating with Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) and his hybrids.

Hybrids:
Hybrids represent a novel initiative, merging synthetics with humans. Wendy (Sydney Chandler) belongs to this category, having undergone a consciousness transfer into a synthetic form. This endows her with extraordinary abilities while preserving her memories and emotions.

“Alien: Earth” debuts on August 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu and FX, starting with two episodes, followed by weekly drops on Tuesdays.