Movies in the Alien franchise are always filled to the brim with references to each other, and Alien: Romulus is no exception. In Fede Álvarez's Alien sequel/Aliens prequel, there's a subtle bit of set decoration that's become a tradition in the franchise: the drinking bird.
In one of the very first scenes in Alien: Romulus, mine worker Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and her android brother Andy (David Jonsson) are dining in a Weyland-Yutani company canteen. Sitting on their table is a drinking bird. The kind of toy sometimes found on office desks, the drinking bird was patented in 1945 by American scientist Miles V. Sullivan and is now sold in varying quality on Amazon by the bucketload.
It's a dual-bulbed glass bird on a fulcrum, which uses thermodynamics to dip its beak into a glass of water repeatedly. Plus, they usually have a fancy little hat, because this is a place of business.
The drinking bird, which is sometimes referred to as the dippy bird, shows up in several of the Alien films, comics, and video games, including Alien³, Alien vs. Predator, and Alien: Covenant, and the game Alien: Isolation. It's an homage to the very first shot of Ridley Scott's 1979 Alien, when the camera is careening through the Nostromo ship and catches sight of two drinking birds sitting on the ship's dining table, dipping away. In fact, the toy birds are on the table during the film's famous chestburster scene, idly sitting by while Gilbert Kane (John Hurt) has a baby Xenomorph punch out of his chest during dinner.
In Alien: Romulus, the drinking bird takes on a meaning of its own beyond the obvious fan service, as a symbol of the overworked, indentured mining workers of the Weyland-Yutani colony. Unable to break the regimented monotony of their cog-like roles, Rain and her friends seek escape and enrichment elsewhere — but are seriously doomed for even trying. They are the birds, people.
It's not the only Easter egg or franchise nod in Álvarez's film, but it's a good one.
Alien: Romulus is now streaming on Hulu.
UPDATE: Nov. 19, 2024, 4:20 p.m. EST "Alien: Romulus" was reviewed out of its theater release; this piece was originally published on Aug. 16, 2024. The article has been updated to reflect the latest viewing options.
