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What do Xenomorph eggs seem like? Based on insights from the special effects experts who built them for the Alien: Earth series, they are heated and gooey. Second Skin Studio collaborated with Wētā’s design team and the show’s creators to realize their ideas for multiple alien creatures to life. For the series’ famous Facehugger eggs, this involved coating the exteriors with vegetable glycerin, giving them a slick, natural appearance.

Tor Sakthamcharoen and Honey Khamaiumcharean worked on numerous of the monstrous beings in Alien: Earth, including monstrous ticks, face-melting flies, and the fan-favorite specimen t. ocellus, often called “Eye Midge” by the cast and crew.

Behind the Scenes: Designing the Monsters

What other beings did you work on for the series? How did the design process involve?

Tor: In fact, the monsters mentioned, such as the tick, tentacled eyeballs, flies' nest, alien eggs, and Xenomorph embryo, were built in many more variations than shown on film — different sizes and forms for specific scenes. Beyond that, we also created support creatures, such as a sheep stunt for a collapse and death scene and a Xenomorph foam prop inside a container. We also produced silicone dummies, a fake cat with the Eye Midge, realistic fur, and special effects for the creature scene.

Sarinnaree “Honey” Khamaiumcharean: The our studio assisted the VFX department by designing a green alien prop. This was used on set to help actors react more naturally and served as a reference element for the effects artists.

Future Plans: Frightening Possibilities for the Next Season

These tick creatures are particularly terrifying in Episode 5, but we only get to see part of their life cycle. What are any ideas for how that could evolve if there’s a second season?

Sakthamcharoen: It’s not certain — that would really depend on the filmmaker’s plan. But one thing’s for certain: You still haven’t seen how they build their nests.

Creating the Xenomorph Embryo

Tell me more about crafting the alien fetus. What determined what it would look like?

Sakthamcharoen: In fact, the initial design came from Wētā as a 2D sketch. We thought it looked impressive, but since it needed to be practical, we needed to rework it, sculpting a new 3D model and printing multiple scales for selection. Once the size was approved, we proceeded with molding and casting it to appear as translucent jelly, allowing the bone structure of the alien fetus to be seen in water.

Khamaiumcharean: Correct, the embryo design originated from Wētā Workshop. Our studio took their sketches and brought them into the physical realm, ensuring the model could function on set and blend with VFX work.

Comparing the Xenomorph Eggs

From the first 1979 Alien film, the alien eggs have water that seems flowing upward. The capsules in Alien: Earth lack this feature. Why did you leave it out?

Tor: That’s something we never actually discussed with the director. But from what I understand, in the original Alien film, Ridley Scott used a smart filming technique — shooting upside down — to make moisture appear to flow upward. The props were additionally covered with glycerin for a slimy, real appearance. In Alien: Earth, since the location is on Earth, the choice may have been to keep the eggs more grounded in our gravity. This is only speculation.

Khamaiumcharean: We tried many approaches to echo the original 1979 Alien, but we needed to adjust some details to fit the world of Alien: Earth. In some cases, we added new elements, and in others, we adjusted features to align with the narrative and style.

Nicknaming the “Eye Midge”

It’s said the creature is called “Species 64”. But word on the street you call it “Eye Midge”. How did that nickname come from?

Sakthamcharoen: Truthfully, we don’t really know where the name started, as we never asked about its origin. The first time we heard the term was from Jeff Okun (VFX) and the Wētā artists.

Honey: We’re not exactly sure where the nickname began. But I believe it evolved into a practical nickname so that our multinational crew could quickly grasp and discuss the appearance of the creature.

Major Hurdles in Monster Creation

What was the biggest challenge you faced while working on the creatures for the show? What did you do to overcome it?

Tor: I’d say the main difficulty was certainly building the Xenomorph eggs and handling the examination scenes. It was something we had not attempted previously, so there was a lot of trial and error. We are grateful to our crew — they pushed through with so much patience, making it possible.

Khamaiumcharean: For me, the primary issue was creating and assembling the alien eggs. The Second Skin team had to make multiple versions — flexible, rigid, openable models, including mechanical and hand-operated designs. We also developed the inside structures of the eggs in a manner that audiences have never seen in any Alien film. Moreover, maintaining the eggs undamaged in Thailand’s hot climate was a real test.

Preferred Monsters

Which non-Xenomorph creature is your top pick?

Sakthamcharoen: I particularly enjoy the giant fly. Its scale makes it somewhat adorable — large and bulky, almost like a giant beetle. It’s got a proboscis like an elephant and eyes like a arachnid, which makes it weird yet charming.

Khamaiumcharean: Definitely the Eye Midge. It’s one of the cleverest beings in the show. Although there was a lot of VFX involved, the physical model we built looked both absolutely cute and absolutely weird at the once.

Unforgettable Moments

Which creature scene from this season of the series is your most liked?

Sakthamcharoen: My preferred has to be the Eye Midge with Shmuel scene. That sequence was thrilling, and from my side, it was a unique combination of monster and effects design — an achievement we’re extremely pleased with.

Khamaiumcharean: My favorite scene was the giant fly ejecting acid onto the character Issac. Since he is a artificial being designed as extremely strong, seeing the reaction to the acid really shows both the monster’s nature and its terrifying force.

Teamwork Approach

What was the creation method like for creating fresh extraterrestrial beings in Alien: Earth with such a large, global crew? Was there a lot of communication with the producers?

Khamaiumcharean: From my experience, the workflow was very collaborative. The initial creature concepts came from the director and Wētā, but once they came to our team, it was our responsibility to convert those designs into practical builds that could function on set. That meant experimenting with supplies, creating prototypes, and finding ways to merge prosthetics with digital effects. There was a lot of back and forth with both the director and the effects lead — we would show tests, refine using input,