There are spoilers and then there are spoilers. (This is your only warning.) This one, however, is all in the family.

As much as I loved Prometheus, it wasn’t a proper Alien film. Sure, it lives in the same universe, and was planned to bridge directly into Ridley Scott‘s 1979 film, but it was meant to be a spinoff of sorts.

Now that Scott has learned the value in sticking with the franchise he launched all of those years ago, the Prometheus sequel was changed into an Alien prequel that dons the moniker Alien: Covenant.

Although there’s quite a bit of information already out there, little is known about the motivations behind the new crew, which include Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice, Jobs, The Babysitters), Demian Bichir and the hilarious Danny McBride (“Eastbound and Down”), as well as Alex England (Gods of Egypt), Billy Crudup, Amy Seimetz (A Horrible Way to Die, “The Killing”), Jussie Smollett (“Empire”), Carmen Ejogo and Callie Hernandez (Machete Kills). (Michael Fassbender is returning as Prometheus‘ android, David.)

[Related Post] ‘Alien: Covenant’ Will Have Multiple Aliens “Coming Out of People”!

In the film, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, the crew of the colony ship Covenant discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world — whose sole inhabitant is the “synthetic” David (Fassbender), survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.

But who is leading this crew? Why is she more important than continuing Elizabeth Shaw’s story? (Noomi Rapace will allegedly not be returning to the role.)

Here’s the reason…and it’s a bombshell:

Sources close to film and actress tell the Playlist that Waterston will be playing Ellen Ripley’s mother in “Alien: Covenant,” which is an amazing twist and true to Scott’s promise that the post-“Prometheus” prequels will eventually lead right up to the first ‘Alien‘ movie. But it should be noted that Waterston isn’t the lead of the movie, and it’s an ensemble piece like “Prometheus.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Alien: Covenant is rumored to introduce Ellen Ripley’s mother, which not only bridges the films, but the bloodline.

Gamers will be even more excited as this extends the family tree that was an intricate part of the Alien: Isolation videogame. For those who don’t know, Isolation‘s protagonist was Amanda Ripley, who is none other than Ellen Ripley’s daughter (she was pictured as an old woman, played by Elizabeth Inglis, in the extended version of James Cameron’s Aliens)!

The obvious concern here is that Scott is pigeonholing Ellen’s mother into the franchise. It’s weird to think that Ellen’s mother could be directly connected to the events in the first Alien; what are the odds of Ripley coming across the galactic events set off somewhere in space by her mother? Slim to none, that’s for sure. Ignoring that for a second, the fanatic inside me is overwhelmed in joy and anticipation. The thought that Scott and his team of writers have found a way to bridge the films in more way than one is incredibly exciting. Now, all I can think about is a new timeline that follows Mama Ripley’s adventures for another handful of movies. Holy. Shit.

Alien: Covenant – here’s everything we know so far – takes off for Paradise on May 19, 2017.