When Does "Alien: Covenant" (2017) Take Place?
"Alien: Covenant" is a science fiction horror film written by John Logan with Jack Paglen, Dante Harper, and Michael Green that released May 12th, 2017. So when is "Covenant" set?
It takes place on the fictional Alien vs. Predator timeline in the year:
We know this because when dog tags are discovered, the android Walter One simply says, "Doctor Elizabeth Shaw. She was Chief Science Officer of the Prometheus." and when Katherine "Danny" Daniels then says, "The ship that disappeared.", Walter replies, "Precisely. 10 years ago." The loss of the ship called Prometheus during the events of "Prometheus" (2012), which takes place in December of 2093 AD into January of 2094 AD.
2104 AD
We know this because when dog tags are discovered, the android Walter One simply says, "Doctor Elizabeth Shaw. She was Chief Science Officer of the Prometheus." and when Katherine "Danny" Daniels then says, "The ship that disappeared.", Walter replies, "Precisely. 10 years ago." The loss of the ship called Prometheus during the events of "Prometheus" (2012), which takes place in December of 2093 AD into January of 2094 AD.
Later, when Sarah "Rosie" Rosenthal asks if they safe the android David 8 says, "Perfectly. I'll explain as best I can: 10 years ago, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and I arrived here... the only survivors of the Prometheus.", referring to their arrival in the short film "Alien: The Crossing" (2017), which takes place in early to mid 2094 AD.
1.2094 + 10 = 1.2104.
Furthermore, at the very second shot of the main action there is a time and place setting green title card superimposed over the footage that reads: "COLONIZATION VESSEL: COVENANT DATE: DECEMBER 5, 2104". So it is probably December of 2104 AD.
Additionally, there is a prologue depicting the moment of the activation of a David 8 android. It is strongly implied this is the first completed copy of the android model. An advertisement for the David 8 which makes up the short film "Happy Birthday, David" (2012), which includes a tiny fake copyright statement as part of a title card that reads: "DAVID ⒸⓇ 2078 WI". While sometimes these copyright marks appear on a product or advertisement in the year before or the year after the year the product or advertisement actually appears, most often they correspond exactly to when the thing comes out. If the David 8 android first became available to the public in 2078 AD, it must take place during or soon before 2078 AD. It is otherwise unplaceable.
It is a midway chronological film in the Alien vs. Predator universe and can be watched after the previous film "Prometheus" (2012) and before the original film "Alien" (1979). [Expanded elements enrich the experience: it can be watched after the short film "Alien: Last Supper" (2017).]
It was adapted to prose in late 2017.
