The Guns of Alien: Earth
As a lifelong Alien franchise fanatic, I've spent too many nights engrossed in every frame of Ridley Scott's universe, from the xenomorph's first slimy emergence in the original to the pulse-pounding chaos of Aliens. But nothing quite prepared me for Alien: Earth, the 2025 FX/Hulu series that finally brought the nightmare back home—to a gritty, near-future Earth overrun by Weyland-Yutani's corporate sins. Premiering in March, the show reimagines the prequel era with a diverse ensemble navigating acid-blooded horrors on our own soil. What hooked me hardest, though, wasn't just the facehugger jump scares or the synthetic twists; it was the arsenal. The guns in Alien: Earth feel like a love letter to the franchise's militaristic roots, blending practical effects with high-tech props. In this piece, I'll walk you through the standout firearms that made me rewind the show to try and figure out what they were.
Custom Glock 17
Let's start with the pistols, the reliable sidekicks that characters clutch like lifelines in the show's tense, claustrophobic corridors and derelict subways. The Glock 17 Customized stands out, a 9x19mm that's not far off from what we have today. I first clocked it in the pilot episode being , holstered on Kumi Morrow (played with stoic intensity by Babou Ceesay), the jaded ex-Marine turned corporate fixer. Morrow's character is the moral compass in this mess, and his Glock mirrors that: unpretentious yet effective. It's a standard Glock 17 frame swapped with a Polymer80 custom slide.
By episode five, "In Space, No One..." it's front and center as Morrow draws it during a xenomorph breach. The underbarrel attachment is some kind of custom flashlight or laser combo. The serrated slide catches the light as he racks it, barking orders to the crew of the ship. The Glock's polymer grip, scarred from simulated wear, feels authentic to Morrow's.
Silencer Co Maxim 9
Prodigy, the rival corp stirring the xenomorph pot, outfits their security with The SilencerCo Maxim 9’s. The pistol debuts in "Neverland" when medic Joe Hermit (Alex Lawther) wields one while sweeping a crash site for survivors. Lawther's Hermit is this awkward, brilliant kid—think Newt from Aliens but with a med kit. The gun appears to be outfitted with a Trijicon RMR red dot sight perched on top.
The Maxim 9 recurs throughout the season. In "Mr. October", soldiers Siberian (Diêm Camille), Benjamin Rashidi (Moe Bar-El), Hoyt (Lloyd Everitt), and Anant (Tayme Thapthimthong) make their way through a parking structure.
MCS-X Pulse Rifle
Shifting to rifles, where the show really flexes its Aliens nostalgia, the MCS-X Pulse Rifle stole the show. Dubbed the Modular Combat System Mark X, it's essentially a pimped-out Steyr AUG A3 in 5.56x45mm, dressed in olive drab green with even more rails. The MCS-X caught my first glimpse in "Mr. October," as Prodigy grunts Brahma and Cortez level them at Morrow during a tense standoff in a flooded apartment block. The bullpup layout, extended barrel shrouds, and side-mounted green laser/flashlight combo give it a pulse rifle a very familiar silhouette but entirely its own design. Yes, there is an LED ammo counter ticking from 95 rounds. It's a nod to the M41A from Aliens, but smarter—underloaded to dodge the overheating jams that plagued Bill Paxton's Hudson. Alex Lawther's Hermit also inherits one later on in the season.
The prop's details really impressed me and It's like the designers at Weta Workshop (rumored collaborators) channeled James Cameron's prop mastery. Prodigy soldiers tote them en masse in the season finale, forming fireteams.
M41A Pulse Rifle
Of course, no Alien tale is complete without the M41A Pulse Rifle, the iconic over-under shotgun-rifle hybrid that defined Ripley's last stand in Aliens. In Earth, it's rarer, reserved for high-stakes Weyland-Yutani black ops. Nothing really different here aside from a new paint job on the rifles.
Kriss Vector
Diving deeper into the close-quarters carnage, the KRISS Vector submachine gun bursts onto the scene. Weyland-Yutani soldiers sling these futurized SMG’s and had me wondering if a carry handle makes everything look more Sci-Fi? I think they fit the Alien Universe very well!
The folding buttstock, cheek rest, and that LED ammo counter on the magazine well scream high-tech with the underbarrel Surefire flashlight.
Keltec KSG
Alien: Earth's firepower would not be complete without the Kel-Tec KSG bullpup shotgun, a 12-gauge door-kicker that Morrow wields like an extension of his cyborg arm. Modified with a Vortex AMG UH-1 holographic sight, Surefire flashlight on top, and some mysterious underbarrel gadget that fires taser bolts, this Shotgun is Morrow's go-to for much of the season.
M65 Smart Gun
For sheer spectacle, the M56 Smart Gun is back but gets very little screen time. It appears to have a new coat of paint and a different attachment system, but it's hard to see with the few frames we get in the show.
Let me know what you think, and if there is anything I missed from the show, and please share your thoughts on the series finale that came out last week!
Rewatching Alien: Earth now, post-finale buzz, I'm left buzzing. These firearms aren't just set dressing; they're characters, etched with the sweat of prop masters and the blood of screenwriters. At 921 words (yeah, I counted), this ramble scratches my itch, but the real joy is debating them with fellow fans. If you're diving in, grab popcorn and a replica—because in the Alien universe, you're always one breach away from needing it.
-Former Army Photographer / Videographer -Current Aviation Student -Future in debt due to Firearm collection
More by Patrik O
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Too bad the show is terrible.
What is an "overheating jam"?
I feel a bit like we're living in alternate timelines. The show premiered in August, not March, and finished weeks ago in late September (not last week). Also, Hudson's Pulse Rifle was never shown to have had overheating jams. Other than those quibbles, I enjoyed this article. Thank you for posting this.