For Hawley, overlaying Peter Pan onto Alien: Earth ‘s science fiction made sense because of the idea of trapping children’s minds in immortal bodies that were created, and ruled over, by a literal boy genius. Moreover, because Barrie’s work isn’t quite as anodyne and sweet as Disney’s animated film.

Noah Hawley's Alien TV series holds J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan close to its heart, as the primary thematic impetus behind trillionaire Boy Kavalier's (Samuel Blenkin's) revolutionary hybrid project. And because I'm like this, I've rounded up all the references to Peter Pan you'll encounter in the first two episodes of Alien: Earth.

FX’s new “Alien” prequel, “Alien: Earth,” batters viewers expecting Xenomorph horror from an additional, less expected angle: The series is practically drowning in “Peter Pan” metaphors that don’t quite work.