Xenomorphs, how I appreciate you. However, after observing your shenanigans in seven Alien films (in addition to two Alien vs. Predator flicks), my fear of you has waned.

Fear not, I will never grow weary of your facehugging, chestbursting, and violent rampages. When you inhabit the screen, I revel in your creature design and think, “That’s incredibly cool!” But intense dread at your presence is no longer feasible.

Noah Hawley’s Alien prequel series, Alien: Earth, recognizes that the audience’s awareness of Xenomorphs will diminish their fear factor. Thus, it presents the Xenomorph in all its splendor just halfway through the inaugural episode. After all, why conceal an alien we already cherish in total secrecy?

Instead, Hawley unveils four new parasitic aliens, including vile blood ticks and the enigmatic, plant-like D. Plumbicare. Yet the standout among the newcomers is T. Ocellus, or as I refer to it, “the eyeball creature of my nightmares.”

Resembling an eyeball adorned with octopus tentacles, T. Ocellus is a menacing alien. In episode 2, a display in the USCSS Maginot’s laboratory outlines its parasitic capabilities. Its tentacles detach the eyeballs of other entities and commandeer neural pathways to the brain, transforming victims into puppets. It can even alter its pupil and iris to correspond with its host.

T. Ocellus’ brain control ability has already resulted in unforgettable moments in the first episodes of Alien: Earth. In episode 2, it emerged from a cat’s skull, distressing animal lovers. It subsequently targeted hybrid Nibs (Lily Newmark) as a new host. In episode 4, it drilled into a sheep’s head. Someone, please, halt its destruction!

In episode 5, T. Ocellus truly makes its mark — both literally and metaphorically. It orchestrates a daring escape from prison, solidifying its supremacy over the other extraterrestrial foes in Alien: Earth.

Episode 5, titled “In Space, No One…,” resembles a compact Alien movie. It reveals how everyone aboard the USCSS Maginot perished before the spacecraft descended to Earth. Among the culprits are sabotage from crew member Petrovich (Enzo Cilenti), blood ticks, the Xenomorph, and T. Ocellus.

T. Ocellus begins the episode confined in a specimen container. Realizing it isn’t secured to the wall, it employs its body as a slingshot to break free. The lab screen in episode 2 states that “the Ocellus has demonstrated remarkable problem-solving skills at a nearly human level,” showcasing its intelligence. It also earlier distracted Chibuzo (Karen Aldridge) to allow the blood ticks to flee. Collaborative, tech-savvy, and ingenious — that’s one clever eyeball! I want it far away from me!

Once liberated in the Maginot, T. Ocellus sets its sights on its next victim. We’ve witnessed it prey on a cat and a sheep, progressively increasing in host size. Episode 5 amplifies T. Ocellus’ horror by placing it in a human host, that of engineer Shmuel (Michael Smiley). The image of T. Ocellus’ eyeball residing in Shmuel’s head is chilling, but it escalates! A tentacle snakes out of his nose. He emits a scream that sounds otherworldly. Then, he lunges at the remaining crew with unnatural, jerky movements, indicative of T. Ocellus controlling his body.

This notion of being a puppet to an alien aligns with the Alien franchise’s themes of losing bodily autonomy. Weyland-Yutani strips workers of their lives on Earth, branding them expendable for specimens. Xenomorphs compel hosts to bear and “birth” embryos, connecting to pregnancy and childbirth. T. Ocellus follows in this tradition, targeting the brain and evoking fears of cognitive loss rather than reproductive anxieties.

You might presume T. Ocellus assuming control of a human would conclude its terrifying spree in “In Space, No One…,” but it continues beyond that. As Shmuel, it confronts the Xenomorph, aiming to make the ultimate alien its next host. While it doesn’t commandeer the Xenomorph’s body (though I’d love to see that happen), it still instills fear in the Xenomorph.

Their tussle accentuates two different monstrous forms. The Xenomorph is large and cumbersome compared to T. Ocellus. (All new aliens in Alien: Earth are diminutive compared to the Xenomorph.) T. Ocellus is smaller and more agile, skilled at slipping through defenses. While I wouldn’t want to encounter either, there’s something truly horrifying about a small, tentacled creature lunging at my eye, knowing that if it reaches there, it’s game over.