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How do Xenomorph eggs seem like? According to the prosthetics experts who crafted them for Alien: Earth, they are warm and sticky. Second Skin Studio worked closely with Wētā’s design team and the series producers to bring their ideas for multiple alien creatures to life. For the franchise’s iconic Facehugger eggs, this involved coating the shells with vegetable glycerin, giving them a slick, natural appearance.

Tor Sakthamcharoen and Honey Khamaiumcharean worked on many of the monstrous beings in Alien: Earth, including giant ticks, face-melting flies, and the audience-beloved creature t. ocellus, often referred to as “the eyeball alien” by the cast and crew.

Inside the Workshop: Designing the Monsters

What other beings did you create for Alien: Earth? What was the design process involve?

Sarawut "Tor" Sakthamcharoen: In fact, the creatures mentioned, such as the giant tick, eye creatures, flies' nest, alien eggs, and Xenomorph embryo, were constructed in multiple versions than shown on film — different sizes and forms for specific scenes. Beyond that, we produced support creatures, such as a sheep stunt for a collapse and death scene and a foam alien inside a bag. We additionally crafted synthetic models, a cat dummy with the Eye Midge, detailed hair work, and prosthetics for the creature scene.

Honey: The Second Skin team also supported the VFX department by creating a green chestburster. This was used on set to help the cast react more naturally and served as a guide for the effects artists.

Upcoming Ideas: Frightening Developments for the Next Season

These tick creatures are especially scary in one episode, but we only get to see part of their life cycle. Do you have any concepts for how that could continue if there’s a second season?

Tor: 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 construct their homes.

Designing the Xenomorph Embryo

Explain further about crafting the alien fetus. What determined what it would look like?

Tor: Actually, the original concept came from Wētā as a drawing. We found it impressive, but since it needed to be practical, we had to rework it, modeling a three-dimensional version and printing over 10 different sizes for selection. Once the size was finalized, we moved on to creating molds it to appear as see-through gel, allowing the bone structure of the alien fetus to be seen underwater.

Khamaiumcharean: Correct, the embryo design started with Wētā Workshop. Our Second Skin team transformed their sketches and brought them into the practical world, ensuring the design could function on set and integrate with VFX work.

Comparing the Xenomorph Eggs

From the first Alien movie, the alien eggs have water that seems flowing upward. The capsules in Alien: Earth lack this element. Why did you omit it?

Sakthamcharoen: This aspect we never actually discussed with the director. Based on my knowledge, in the first Alien film, the director used a clever camera trick — shooting upside down — to make moisture appear to flow upward. The props were additionally covered with glycerin for a wet, organic look. In the series, since the location is on our planet, the decision may have been to make the eggs realistic in Earth’s gravity. This is only speculation.

Honey: We tried many approaches to reference the original Alien movie, but we needed to adjust certain features to suit the world of the series. In instances, we introduced fresh ideas, and in different cases, we adjusted features to match the story and tone.

Nicknaming the Eyeball Creature

I’ve heard the “eyeball alien” is referred to as “t. ocellus”. But rumors suggest you refer to it as “Eye Midge”. Where did that nickname originate?

Tor: Truthfully, we don’t really know where that nickname first came from, as we didn’t inquire about its source. The first time we heard the term was from Jeff Okun (VFX) and the Wētā design team.

Honey: We’re not exactly sure where the name first came from. But I believe it evolved into a practical nickname so that our international team could easily understand and communicate the physical traits of the creature.

Biggest Challenges in Creature Design

Which was the largest obstacle you faced while working on the creatures for the show? What did you do to overcome it?

Sakthamcharoen: I’d say the biggest challenge was definitely building the Xenomorph eggs and managing the dissecting sequences. It was a task we had never done before, so there was a lot of trial and error. We really have to thank our crew — they persevered with so much patience, ensuring success.

Honey: For me, the biggest challenge was creating and assembling the Xenomorph eggs. The our studio had to make multiple versions — flexible, rigid, openable models, including mechanical and hand-operated designs. We additionally designed the inside structures of the eggs in a manner that audiences have not witnessed in any Alien film. On top of that, maintaining the eggs undamaged in Thailand’s hot climate was a real test.

Favorite Creatures

What non-alien being is your favorite?

Sakthamcharoen: I particularly enjoy the giant fly. Its scale makes it somewhat adorable — large and bulky, similar to a giant beetle. It’s got a proboscis like an elephant and vision like a spider, which makes it both strange and endearing.

Honey: Definitely the Eye Midge. It’s one of the smartest beings in the series. Although there was extensive effects involved, the practical version we built looked adorable and bizarre at the once.

Memorable Scenes

What monster moment from this season of Alien: Earth is your favorite?

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

Honey: My favorite scene was the fly spitting acid saliva onto the character Issac. Since Issac is a artificial being designed as highly durable, watching how it reacts to the acid really demonstrates both the monster’s nature and its frightening power.

Collaborative Process

How was the creation method like for designing new alien creatures in Alien: Earth with such a large, global crew? Did you have a lot of communication with the producers?

Khamaiumcharean: From my side, the workflow was highly cooperative. The initial creature concepts came from the director and Wētā, but once they reached us, it was our task to convert those concepts into physical models that could function on set. That meant experimenting with supplies, building samples, and developing methods to combine practical effects with digital effects. There was frequent communication with both the filmmaker and the effects lead — we would present trials, refine using input,